PoshAms

Hi ladies! Just thought I'd poke my head in to say congrats to those of you who have been recently married and best of luck to Jan 2012 brides! Here's a link to our photos by the fabulous Merrick. I cannot begin to convey in words just how fantastic he was- personable and professional. He managed to calm our nerves- my veil was stolen the night before the wedding and returned 20mins before I walked down the aisle! I was an absolute state as was poor hubby! Merrick's photos captured the nerves, excitement, relief and the fantastic party vibe our guests brought to an amazing day. http://www.merrickcousley.com/clients/20111110_amintrevor/ Give me a shout if you have any questions about Merrick or the resort. I'll do my best to help in any way I can. Ams xx

Morning ladies! We had our rehearsal dinner at the Grill. The caesar salad was not bad at all, but rather dry so perhaps worth taking your own dressing as suggested by another member. We also ate the Mixed Grill with rice and peas- our families are Latin American and Jamaican so they love them some rice! I think the meal usually comes with potatoes or veg but I am not 100%. I cannot remember the dessert well but I remember our guests loving it. It may have been a cheescake. For the wedding meal we were moved from the Piscis- outdoor restaurant- to the Dolce Vita as it had rained a bit on the day. I am glad we did this as the bugs by the water are relentless, and someone may have slipped on the decking as we danced. The planners and staff handled the move from outdoor to indoor without telling us, and we are grateful for this. The Dolce is gorgeous inside and even the outside is impressive! I promise to come back with a full update. Not feeling 100% now- I was bitten in JA and the docs think I may have picked up a nasty bug. Please, ladies ensure that you stock up on sunscreen and insect repellent. I know I may sound patronising, but in the heat and excitement it is easy to forget. I had no idea that I had such bad allergic reactions until I got stung by something other than a mosquito! My husband refused to have his jabs as he is a native- he is actually from West London LOL. I got mine in 2010 and I am so thankful that I did.

Here's the best image I can find of the bouquet, ladies.

I'm having major laptop issues at the moment, so wwill try to upload more pics later. Special thanks to Navagia at the spa who did a lovely job on my nails before and after the big day. Photography Arrecife Photography were lovely. We hired Merrick Cousley as our official photographer, but Arrecife were provided by the resort free of charge. I must say that the pics were not as bad as the Digipix photos I have seen in the past. Their photographer was professional and came over to introduce himself after our ceremony. I wish I could remember his name to thank him personally. Review on Merrick to follow once we've received our photos, but I can say that he was personable, professional and had a fantastic spirit. I would love to work with him again, and wish we'd booked a TTD with him now. Cake We had a cake shipped in from the UK, but also went for the resort cake as it was free. Our guests said it was delicious- I don't even remember it being cut lol. That's all for now. I will be back with more later, but please feel free to ask any questions. I'd love to help. Amina

While I prepare the final review, I'd like to give a quick run down of a few amazing people/experiences we had: Spa The ladies working here are absolutely FANTASTIC! I decided at late notice to not risk doing my hair myself. My hair is an absolute pain to manage in the heat, so I thought it best to book in with the salon for a trial- it's free so nothing to lose. I was overwhelmed by the job Audrey did on my hair! I had no pictures, and I'm not very good at describing how I like my hair so I thought it would be hard to convey what I needed. Audrey worked with the vague description I gave to produce an amazing hairstyle. I intended (I will come back to the veil saga in my full review) on wearing a full-on, 119" cathedral veil, so was looking for something simple- half back, half down, hippy like, loose waves/curls. Audrey worked on my hair for over an hour and produced something so intricate, yet simple that I cried!! I was so thankful for her hard work! In the UK, trials are usually very expensive and usually don't turn out as planned in my experience. The trial was just perfect. The following day- wedding day- Audrey had to adapt my hairstyle due to the disappearance of my veil. She worked hard to change my style, and even worked in some beautiful, fresh flowers to add to my "hippy" image. It was just perfect! The spray they use is AMAZING! My hair stayed in place all afternoon through the heat, drizzle and sweaty dancing haha. Flowers We got our flowers from Jan's Bridal. I'm not your conventional bride, so I had no idea what flowers I'd like. I left things up to Jan, offering very little guidance apart from wanting pink and purple for the bridesmaids and centrepieces. Jan did such a fantastic job. When the flowers arrived I cried like a baby. Here are a few images:

Hey Mrs Vickers! I remember seeing your laterns as we sat on our balcony drinking champers!! I remember saying how beautiful the laterns were. I may have seen you around the resort. I was the bridezilla storming around with my Blackberry and bright pink bride bag haha. I was in such a blur because of all the terrible things that happened to us at the resort, so I probably looked like a moody so-and-so! I will write a full review once we have had an official report back from the resort. For all future brides, do not be alarmed- your ceremony will be perfect and you will have a fab time. Just ensure that you have everything promised to you in writing. Back hopefully early next week with the full run down. Congrats to all the new brides! Mrs Aziz!!xx

Ladies- thanks for the reviews. You all look absolutely stunning! We leave in the morning for our wedding next Thursday- pray for us! I know I have not been a very active member, but I want you to know how much of a comfort you have been without maybe even knowing it. Once we are back I will be sure to write a review and show some pics so that I can help others as much as you have helped me. Thanks again! See you when I am Mrs (waheeeey) Ams

Hi ladies! Lovely reading the recent reviews- you ladies look gorgeous and so happy. We leave for JA on Saturday and get wed next Thursday. We are so excited!! I can't sleep for excitement- it's insane. I was wondering whether you ladies printed out the correspondence between you and the resort? I am super paranoid that I will get there and prices or packages will be different. I know I am probably just being a bridezilla control freak but maybe better to be safe than sorry? Did any of you print out all the emails or did you find that Chandlyn already had everything printed or on file? Thanks Ams and Trev

acw271011 I am sitting here almost in tears reading your review and looking at your photos. You and your husband look so happy. You can see in your faces just how excited you are. So glad that it all worked out in the end after everything that happened with guests etc over the past few months. Very happy for you both. Thanks for the detailed review. I now feel less stressed about my day in 2 weeks time. Thank you!

Wow your order of service looks fantastic!!! I need to get designing asap! Thanks for posting the order of service the resort use. I will use this as a guide. I will probably add the Bible passage we are having and a poem along with details of the attendants and acknowlegdment as you have done too. So excited! Thanks for your help! Ams

Oh congrats hun! You must be so excited! I am in the same boat on the things to do front. I feel like everything is done bar the programs and seating plan diagram. I feel so anxious as I expected to be crazy frantic on the organising front lol. Fab news on the videographer front- such a nice thing to have a beautiful, moving memoty of your big day. I am still trying to convince hubby to be to splash out on a videographer- wish me luck! Wow the engagement pics sound fab. Wish we did more stuff like this in the UK. I might just start the trend! What happened with your dress hun? Every time I see mine and try it on it looks like a different dress! Still not 100% used to it but I love it all the same. Had a major argument with the alteration lady last weekend as she said it needed no alterations. I walked towards her and the dress started slipping down, revealing my whole bra- classy huh? Needless to say she then agreed to take it in some on the boob area *blush* All the best with the big day! I am sure you will have a fantastic day x

Thanks Cupcake! I will get the local printer to wack out some programs and will draw out a seating chart for Chandlyn. We have 90+ guests and the whole planning meeting we had on Sunday was complete chaos! I think we have finally sorted things now though- phew! Thanks again

Hi ladies! Just 3 weeks until we leave now for the big day- excited beyond words! I have a little question- for those of you that had an order of service/order of the day did you have those printed and take them with you? Or did the resort assist you? Same for the seating plan. I was thinking of doing them next week and having them all printed but wondered if the resort did any of this for you? Thanks in advance Amina

Wooooozaaaah! Thanks, Tekeya! You are absolutely right. I guess I was just having a moment. I need to just focus on getting out there and enjoying the moment. Thank you

Chandlyn initally told me there was no corkage fee, so my family were planning on taking 2 bottles of champagne each down there for toasts and dinner. Today I get an email from Chandlyn telling me corkage is $15. Why can they not have one policy and just follow it through for all of us? I am beyond frustrated with them right now. As soon as I get home I am going to give them a call. Just 4 weeks until our big day and I have absolutely no confidence in the planners right now.