Shakara

This is awesome! I'm glad I read this... I'm gonna contact Grande Garden. Thanks Ladies!!

thanks so much for the review! yea I thought I kind of got an "annoyed" vibe from Michael in his email but I thought maybe I was just being paranoid. Your lesson learned sections were VERY HELPFUL! Thanks again!

Thanks for the great review! My time is coming up faster than I thought it would!

This thread is soooo helpful! Thanks ladies!

I will DEF keep everyone updated... thanks again everyone!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Pochaccobaby143 Hello to my beautiful ladies. Here are some pics I posted on my site, i'm still waiting for the professional ones. Hope this helps a bit! http://natalieandallanswedding.shutterfly.com/ Your pictures are BEAUTIFUL!!

This thread is AMAZING ladies thank you sooooooooooo much!

Thanks for posting the pricing... it's a hugee help!

That's great that you liked his pictures, I'm looking into him as well!

Quote: Originally Posted by sweetiecat Congratulations on making the right decision for you and your future husband! I'm sure things from here on out will be much calmer and you'll be able to look forward toward your day without so much stress! Can I ask what some of the reasons were that you decided to change resorts? If you don't feel like getting into it, it's okay. Sure! I'd lovee to share! First off I take 100% blame because I didnt do as much research as I shouldve. I found a WC, told my her my ideal wedding, we wanted to stay in Ocho Rios because we had been to Negril and Montego Bay in the past, I wanted to get married on the beach in a gazebo with 30-40 family members, both FI and I have about 10 total little cousins, nieces, and nephews under 15 so all the couples only resorts were crossed out) I listened to what my WC told me about each resort and took her advice. Her advice was beaches boscobel. I was set and happy (this was in June) and we picked our June 25, 2010 date. We put the deposit down for 12 rooms and we got the free wedding package. Now all my issues are small, but when your spending over $15,000 for rooms in a resort... it's a pretty big deal to me. I have no doubt in my mind the beaches boscobel is GREAT for some people it just wasnt for me I completely understand that you should expect to pay more if you want more things... but the WC told me there was absolutely NO decorations included in the wedding EXCEPT martha stewart collections unless I wanted to pay in full by Nov 16, 2010 for customizations. there is NO beach gazebo, I wasn't a fan of any of the locations they offered accept the beach I had to pay EXTRA if I wanted an arch on the beach, the one that I liked was $920 (Fiance was NOT happy with my $920 choice) Martha Stewart collections- I didn't like the first pink butterfly package since my fiance is wearing his marine dress blues and it would COMPLETELY clash with his outfit. The second (cheapest) martha stewart package (which i liked)is $2500 and thats only for decorating for 2 additional guests... it's extra if you want more tables? Reception $75pp for 3 hrs No outside photography I looked through all the pictures on trip advisor on beaches boscobel and was not a fan of the rooms I stayed at RIU negril last summer and loved it but my MAIN reason for switching is simply cost, on a whole beaches boscobel was just adding up to be WAYYY over my budget. I did a LOT of research into hidden costs and fees of Riu and everything turns out to be ALOT cheaper, not to mention they have a BEACH GAZEBO!!!!! Like I said before I'm sure Beaches is great for some people and I have no doubt they give GREAT weddings (I read the reviews!) I just think Riu is better for me.

Oh Yes I would also like to thank TA Maureen who has been absolutely wonderful!! Thanks shortnsweet, Yess I will definetly be catching up on long overdue sleep!

Hey everyone! Just thought I'd let everyone know I switched from Beaches Boscobel to Riu Ocho Rios. After weeks of stressing, no sleeping, negotiating, and research I have decided to move my wedding date up to June 24, 2010 and get married at Riu Ocho Rios!!!!! Beaches just wasn't for me... I discovered that late, but thankfully not too late. This forum has been AMAZING and without it, I'd still be lost. I want to thank everyone for helping me make this HUGE decision. I can FINALLY breathe! Thank You! With all my Appreciation ~Shakara~

I agree... these costs are outrageous! I was told that the free wedding included an arch and minimal decorations too, so I thought that was fine! We booked 12 rooms... spending over 15,000. You would think they would give more! 900 for an arch? Thats crazy. Now I'm debating on just moving the ceremony and reception somewhere else. I spoke to this wedding coordinator who can do a beach front gazebo in ocho rios with full decor, 4 hour reception, etc for around the same price of beaches but more stuff. I guess I should wait to see what their upgrade offers are though.

Quote: Originally Posted by michelle6114 Hi, I just came back from there. There is no gazebo on the beach. There is a little gazebo called Arizona's Pier, which right off the restaurant. There is not much room or many angles for photo opportunities. But I saw a ton of weddings there. There is the Venetian terrace, which is huge and overlooks the ocean and resort. The wedding gazebo is there but we did not use it, we wanted to be against the wall overlooking the beach. There is also a beautiful garden area where you should take photos, regardless of your wedding site. I saw a few people getting married on the beach. I felt bad for them, the sand is hard to walk in and I'm sure most of their photos have the floating raft vendors in them. The night we arrived my husband and I walked all over the grounds to see which area we liked best. Also consider what time you are getting married, and where the sun will be so you are not squinting in your photos. Thanks for the info.... yea thats right I didn't even think about the sun! So theres a wedding gazebo different from the Arizona gazebo? Where is the wedding gazebo located?

Hi everyone! Okay so I'm here looking at the pictures of the ceremony sites for beaches boscobel... arizona, fountain, terrace, garden... and I'm wondering is this it? What about a gazebo on a beach? I keep seeing this small gazebo in all the beaches/sandals pictures that I love but is this not an option at Beaches Boscobel?? And in regards to decorations... are my only options the Martha Stewart collection or nothing? I really don't want to spend that much on decorations and the cheapest options do not go with my colors. I was thinking maybe I should just buy decorations here and bring it there... it would probably be a lot cheaper... do they allow this?

Quote: Originally Posted by michelle6114 I just got married there a week ago, my family had a blast. Pics and reviews will be poster tomorrow! OMG thats Great Michelle!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! I can NOT wait to see pictures and hear details!! So excited! again CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! All your advice would be GREATLY appreciated!

Hello everyone! My name is Shakara... I'm getting married at Beaches Boscobel on June 25, 2010 at 4pm... thats all I know! I have soooooo many questions, I dont even know where to start! Best locations on resort, photograpy, food, reception, hidden costs/fees, decoration, coordinator, etc. The suspense is killing me!... I feel like I have no idea where to go from here! ALLL the information, tips, suggestions, etc would be much appreciated! Thank you soo much!! Shakara

Hi everyone! My name is Shakara and I am getting married to my wonderful marine, Judd, on June 25, 2010 in Ocho Rios Jamaica at Beaches Boscobel! I'm pretty new at all this and have no idea where to start after deciding the date and location so all the advice and suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thank You! Shakara