mrs*j*2011

I'm having a hard time coming up with the direction to take gifts for our wedding guests. We are only having 8 people and they are all essentially family so we want to do something really nice for them. FI and I are both on the same page as far as going with tangible gifts. We don't want to do massages or private dinner on the beach or anything like that. My immediate thought is to go the sentimental route but FI wants to give practical/useful gifts, like stuff you'd give as a Christmas gift. I'm torn because I think it's strange to give your parents a plasma TV as a "thank you for attending my wedding in Jamaica" present. But if it's something they'll use, it makes rational and financial sense. We'll probably end up doing two totally different things for each side of the family. I'm just wondering what my fellow BDW's think?

ooh I love your dress! My train is going to be about the length of yours and I'm going to make sure I can bustle it. I don't want to worry about dragging it around all night. Just ask the dress shop or your seamstress to show you what it will look like bustled so you can get an idea. As long as it's altered to have the option of bustling it, you can decide at any time to bustle or not!

I'm getting married in 7 months (January) and my mom is tentatively planning my shower for October. When am I supposed to register? Is there a "proper" time frame? On any given day, I could wander aimlessly around Bed Bath & Beyond for hours so I'm super excited to do it with that cool registry gun in my hand!

There will be a la carte options coming soon but I'm not sure when exactly. My WC in Miami mentioned it vaguely last month and TA Jennifer on this board also made mention there are upgrade options coming. Hopefully she'll chime in with some good news for us Sandals brides!

Meagan - Thanks for the tip - I'll have to check the paperwork before I mail it. I was going to send them now so I don't forget! I know there's a fee if it arrives less than 60 days prior to the wedding date. When I talked to the WC last month, she didn't say anything about sending the forms too early. She just told me to send them.

Thanks everyone. I'm going to use certified mail with signature confirmation. Hopefully everything will get there ok and I'll save myself $15!

The WC in Miami is telling me I have to use UPS, FedEx or DHL to send my mariage application and birth certificates. The cheapest price for any of these couriers is $20. I'm not trying to be cheap but why can't I send the paperwork certified mail with a signature upon receipt via USPS? I'm not sending our original birth certificates (we had copies notorized for free at the bank) so it's not really the end of the world if they get lost. And the wedding is 7 months away so I have plenty of time if something does happen. This is the response I got from the WC when I questioned it: It is recommendable to use a currier service when sending documents; these are important details you don’t want to get lost in regular mail. These will also be delivered to our office where someone will have to sign for these documents and is done in a timely manor, please let me know if you have any questions, thank you. Did any other Sandals/Beaches brides use the good old fashioned postal service and not have any issues?

At first, I too scoffed at the idea of having fake flowers. But then I got reading this board and I saw so many beautiful pictures of everyone's real touch flowers. I want to make sure I get the flowers I want plus once I found out I wouldn't be able to bring (real) flowers back home with me, I was sold on the idea. I know exactly what I want, I just have to decide on a vendor.

testing my ticker...

I get cold sores so I feel your pain! This is one of my worries as it gets closer and closer to my wedding. Call your doctor right away and ask for a prescription for an antiviral medication. Explain how you're getting married in a week and really need to get it cleared up ASAP! Usually I just use Abreva and it goes away after about a week. I had a really bad outbreak a few months ago and was better in a few days after starting the antiviral medicine. I tried the Abreva at first and it just kept getting worse so I called the doc. Hopefully if you get medicated quick enough, it won't be as bad. I've read you can hold a tea bag on your lip to reduce the swelling. I also read you can do the same thing with a cotton ball soaked in milk. (My disclaimer: I've never tried these...) Good luck!

This is really great information. Thank you so much.

it might take a few shopping trips but i think any white dress with sleeves would be appropriate. or if you already have a summer dress in mind, you can "warm" it up with a white/silver/sparkly cardigan. do you live near a Dress Barn? I used to think that store was frumpy and only my grandma shopped there but they have some great stuff!

I agree with the others about the photography. The prices are very high and I don't think all options are communicated very well. I am waiting until we arrive to make a final decision because I do not want to be locked into something and not be able to change my mind. I am having issues with the MS packages vs selecting specifically what I want. I don't want to upgrade to a full package but am having a hard time get any info from the Miami WC regarding what I can purchase a la carte. Additionally, I would like to bring some of my own decorations/favors but will not be due to the $500 set up fee.

I'm so happy to see a review for Couples Negril - there aren't many on this board, though I've read tons of great things about them elsewhere. Glad to hear you had a fantastic time at Couples. I can't wait until we get there and can kick back and relax!

seedsngarlick - I was initially considering Sandals Grande Ocho Rios but ultimately wanted to keep the ceremony as close to MoBay and the airport, simply for the convienience of our guests. Had that not been a major issue for us, I think If definitely would have went with SGOR. Don't second guess your choice - it'll be great where ever you are because you'll be with friends, family and of course your future hubby! Mandy - I'm getting married at Sandals Royal Caribbean and then transferring to Couples Negril for the honeymoon. That's always an idea if you're really torn between the two! I made the decision and booked our accommodations very quickly, and in hindsight, I kind of wish I had taken more time to do research. But we got engaged and set the date for just 8 months away (which also happens to be during a holiday) so we had to make quick decisions. I chose to split the wedding and honeymoon resorts for a few reasons...I didn't know how many guests would want to stay longer and I didn't want to end up honeymooning with my family. Also, I really liked the idea of Couples but they didn't have any wedding dates available that would work for us, so we decided to just move there after the ceremony. Sandals seems a bit more rigid in their wedding options and I'm finding they like to sneak in tons of extra charges. But there is less to plan, as they have wedding packages which appeal to many people. I don't know much about the wedding packages at Couples but I do know they have more to offer as far as what is included at the resort. Check out the message board on their website - lots of good info.

ooh good to know. I tried the strips waaaay back in the day when they first came out and was not a fan but I'm willing to give them a try again!

congratulations!! thanks for doing this review - there aren't too many Sandals reviews on here. random thought/question - did you wear your wedding dress to dinner or did you change? I've decided not to pay for a reception as we will only be having 10 guests so we'll be dining at one of the restaurants. initially, I figured I'd want to wear my dress for as long as possible but now I'm thinking it might look strange? or who cares because it's my wedding day?? how long did you have with the photographer? I'm leaning more towards doing a la carte because I can't justify the insane package prices. A few of our guests have volunteered to take pictures but I think we'll still probably want some professional ones too.

Aw that is so sweet! I'm sure you never saw it coming...haha, pun intended!

User Name: mrs*j*2011 Name: Lea (& Mike) Location: wedding at Sandals Royal Caribbean then we are transferring to Couples Negril for the honeymoon Wedding: January 2, 2011 in JA: Dec 31, 2010 - Jan 8, 2011

Thank you both - I feel better already. I kind of figured the WC's in Miami were more sales person than wedding coordinator. I'm sticking to my guns and won't be pressured into paying for anything I don't want. MontegoBay - you must be so excited...it's almost your big day! I would love to see your pictures when you get back, if you'd like to share. Are you having the ceremony on the beach or at one of the gazebos?

We are traveling on the same flight to Montego Bay with 4 of our 8 guests. The other 4 guests will be arriving within 30 minutes of us. If we had more time for the trip, I would have liked to arrive a day or 2 before everyone but it just didn't work out that way. We're all arriving on Friday, the wedding is on Sunday and half the guests are leaving Monday and the other half on Wednesday. We're staying until Saturday but transferring to another resort the day after the ceremony.

Just in case anyone is wondering, my WC told me they can accomodate me and make a gluten free cake. We'll see what they come up with when we get there!

I'm just had my first call with my (Miami-based) wedding coordinator yesterday. Up until this point, I have been picturing a beach ceremony with very simple decorations (arch/canopy) and maybe some flowers, followed by a 1 hr private cocktail hour and then dinner for 10 people at one of the restaurants. The WC informed me the BB package does not come with any decorations and they cannot guarantee a reservation for 10 people (or at least that we'd be seated together.) She suggested the Vision in White package and the 2 hr dinner/reception. I told her I'd think about it. I really don't want to spend an extra $3000 but I don't want my wedding to be "ugly"! Has anyone else gone this route and stuck with the free package and did dinner at a restaurant? We are, after all, paying for all inclusive. It seems backwards to have to pay for food. I'm also going to bring my own flowers so I wouldn't need the upgraded bouquet. And does anyone know if there is an option to buy decorations "al a carte" style? I've been reading a lot of different sites but keep getting conflicting information regarding this. I am going to email the WC and ask but I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion either way. If I do anything, I might consider adding the reception for $50/ea person but still stick with the Beautiful Beginnings package.

Quote: Originally Posted by bahiabride2010 I'd like to try cross fading the songs together. I'm guessing this means making the songs flow smoothly without a bunch of silence in between, right? How do you do it?

Does anyone know if Sandals offers a gluten free wedding cake? I'm getting married at SRC in January and this is my biggest worry that I won't be able to enjoy my own wedding cake! I've been told they are fully equipped to handle a gluten free diet but I'm not sure if that includes specialty food like cake. I have my first meeting/phone call with our wedding planner next week so I'll be sure to ask her but I was hoping someone might know?