atalanta

I guess the pay option is the alternative as someone suggested previously.

I like so many of you have read many posts. Wouldn't it be lovely if we received boosts in our status for some combination of reading and posting. This would encourage making selective comments that add value to the board and not just comments that add status. Just my opinion.

Hmmm, I think I read this incorrectly. I stopped being a lurker after 4 or 5. Don't remember when exactly, but I was definitely a noob before 20 posts. After 20 posts, I'm still a noob.

I love this thread! My sister-in-law bought her wedding dress from Goodwill, and I'm buying mine from ebay. That's all I've got right now, but I'll be sure to add more as it comes.

I know this thread is old, but here are my thoughts anyway: My fiance has a secret stash, and expects me to have one, too. We made a budget for the wedding. This number was based on what we both could come up with by the wedding date and what we reasonably felt we should spend on the wedding and honeymoon. But, this budget doesn't include attire. (That's the only way we could get the wedding that we wanted and that I could buy the attire and accessories I want. My fiance plans to use his secret stash to help some of his friends who may not have the resources afford travel to our wedding.

delgadot, I guess that makes sense. Silly me, I forgot you were still contemplating. Could you remind me (and forgive me for not remembering)? Is it only HH and Iberostar? or are there others?

Thanks. I would have never guessed that one.

Thanks for this post. I've been wondering how long I would be a noob. After this post only one more to go.

What did you end up doing for a rehearsal dinner? I'm looking outside the resorts so that I can accommodate my local family without incurring day passes and other extraordinary fees.

These are great! Thanks for sharing.

What's an AHR?

Wow! Congratulations! We weren't planning on sending ours out until the 1 year mark so I haven't even figured out what we are doing yet for save the dates. What did you guys do? Delgadot, when are you sending yours out?

Thanks, Kellygrrrl! That's just what I needed to read. Your wedding is a couple of months before me. I'd love to hear how it goes afterwords.

I know this thread is old, but I am so glad I found it. I have been debating about the same thing for weeks. Do I buy this gorgeous dream dress even though it will be sweltering in Jamaica on the day of my wedding? Thank you for the encouragement. I wonder now with perspective how you feel?

oops, my message got cut off. the rest follows: and reading that HH is a fraction of what you pays 5 years ago in the caribbean makes my feel better at the amount of money we are spending. Praying for sunshine for you, too.

Thank you so much. Osharp for your insight. I am having a blast.

Happy belated Mother's Day all! Welcome to our thread Osharp. Congratulations on your vow renewal! I, too, look forward to reading your review and looking at pictures. I definitely understand what you are saying about the cost of things in Jamaica. Prices are outrageous. When we were kids, things were so much more reasonable there. Lola at Hummingbird Hall told me that Jamaica is pretty popular right now so everything will be at a premium. I would love to hear if you find a reasonable airbrush make-up artist. July, when we plan to have our wedding, is the hottest month so I definitely want a professional job so my make up won't run or rub off on my or other's clothes. Delgadot, I think you're right it doesn't hurt to ask. The Iberostar deal is sweet, when you visit would you mind asking for me whether they have deals/perks at Iberostar if you hold your wedding off-site? If I ever find out anything from the Hilton, I will let you know. I'm not sure about souvenirs or OOT (out-of-town) bags. I think whether we do either or both and what goes in the will depend on our final guest list count. We have over 200 people combined on our primary and secondary guest lists. HH can only host 130 max, so initially we aren't inviting children and unmarried/uncommitted guests who are not in the wedding. If we receive regrets early enough we will allow some guests to bring partners and/or kids. I'm just a little nervous about exceeding the 130 number. If we do, we would have to hold the wedding off-site at the aqueduct or gazebo, which comes as an additional extra. Your plan of the Jamaican specialty items is great as you won't have to travel with much. I will probably do something similar. My unofficial plan is that my sisters and I will go down a week before to settle on the welcome to JA/rehearsal dinner plans and guests gifts at that time. I know it's a little last minute, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't procrastinate with some aspect of the wedding. Miss K, I know what you mean. Alisha sent us the questionnaire at the beginning of the year right after we booked, and it freaked me out, too. I thought that everything had been planned since the site, reception hall, decorations, and menu had been decided on until I got her questionnaire. The only comfort I can add is that we are here to help. You can always bounce ideas, solicit suggestions, and vent. Have a great rest of the week!

Great idea! I know what we are going to be doing this weekend.

I love those save the dates. Roll call: 7.04.2012 --atalanta, Hummingbird Hall, Montego Bay, Jamaica 7.21.2012 --delgadot, TBD, Jamaica 7.22.2012 --islandbride201x, Iberostar Rose Hall Suites, Montego Bay, Jamaica 7.28.2012--jamieirene, RIU Caribe, Cancun, Mexico

A boat cruise sounds lovely. I think I read on the Iberostar thread that someone did a catamaran cruise for their guests. If I can find it I will post the info. Would you send the HH photography info, please? I just kind of assumed that we would have the photographer for the wedding, golf-car tour, and reception. We really never asked much about photography. I know it sounds a little crazy, but it wasn't a priority of mine. I figured our guests would take pictures and we would just have them upload them to our computer before they left the reception and make our pictures from that and then I could always choose afterwards whether or not to buy the HH package. My sister keeps telling me that I'm going to regret it, but I think I'll regret being in debt much more. Thanks for the tip about the payment plan through Delta Vacations and for the reminder about the Hilton not truly being an all inclusive. I hate when something is billed as something it isn't. That is a bit annoying. However, our main interest in the Hilton and the Ritz is the bottom-line price. They are about $100-200/day cheaper. Also, the Hilton has that great water park, and I know some of my friends are planning to bring their kids (even though they are not invited to the wedding). My uncle has offered to throw us a welcome barbecue at his house, which might double as our rehearsal dinner. We are also trying to coordinate an outing for our guests, if it ends up not being too expensive. Then there is the wedding. For people who are going down and turning around or for those who may want to venture off to see the rest of Jamaica, it just seems as though they wouldn't get the most of the higher priced all-inclusive. But then again Iberostar is a beautiful resort and some might just prefer staying there. But that's what's nice about an HH wedding. Our guests could choose what would work best for them financially and otherwise. All of my family is Jamaican so much of my family will be staying at home or with relatives. My fiance has no Jamaican connections (except me) so all of his guests and my friends will be staying at resorts (about half of the guest list). I am hoping that by encouraging our guests to book at one or two hotels that maybe our group can get a large discount or some other perks. I've been wondering is whether the brides staying at a resort have been able to get any perks for booking large groups at these resorts even though their wedding is off-site. Have either of you heard of this? I haven't, but it seems as though we should get something if we book 50 rooms, right? I haven't been able to talk to anyone at the Hilton. The group reservations woman says that I have to talk to the wedding coordinator and she never calls me back. UgggH! I talked with a travel agent and she said she would look into it once my date got a little closer, but if you have any info that would be great! If you've heard anything that would be great to know.

We have booked for the full 130. I am a little nervous as we want to invite way more than 130 people. Our really conservative guest list (which excludes children not in the wedding party) has 182 people on it. I read somewhere that for destination weddings about 55% of the people invited attend. That would put at as 100 guests with room for some of our guests to bring children if they wanted, too. I've also heard; however, that more people came than some brides thought would so to be safe we are sending out the first 100 invites then sending out the rest as rejections come in. My sister and I are going down a week early (maybe my Mom and Dad, too). We will definitely be staying with family during that period. When my fiance comes, we'll end up staying at a resort.

Miss K, I probably should have used the quoted message for my latter post and addressed it to delgadot. She was/is planning to visit in May. I probably won't do a pre-wedding visit either. My uncle wants me to come and drive around and stuff before, but I think that will cause more problems than I need. The whole idea of a destination wedding for me was to have minimal planning yet a beautiful wedding. Like you, I will probably just go down the week before our wedding to get the final planning (ie rehearsal dinner venue, etc) in order. Did you decide not to opt for the HH photography package? May I ask why and who are you considering instead? May I also ask, how many guests you are inviting/expecting? Where are your guests staying? When I originally booked earlier this year, we were hoping to have all of our guests stay at the Hilton. However, the resort has changed to an all-inclusive and doubled their prices. I am really afraid that some of our family and friends will not be able to attend due to the increased cost. I'm looking forward to reading about your plans. I'm am really excited to be in contact with another bride using this venue.

Are you still planning to visit Hummingbird Hall this month? If so, could you post an update on this site when you return? Even though I've already booked HH, I am curious to know what you thought. Thank you. Enjoy!

I haven't yet. I am booked for July 4th, 2012. My fiance and I read their reviews on wedding wire and were sold. HH is a little pricey, but we get what we want. Since they are not a resort, I don't have to worry about my local friends not staying there or my out-of-town guest having to stay there. In addition, they are so flexible--they remove and add things to the contract so that you are comfortable. What I love the most is that they are prompt with communication. They respond promptly to all of our inquiries by e-mail (same day or very next day) and they have a 16-hour, 7-days-a-week, online chat that you can get most questions answered right away. I've been on chat with them for hours at a time, and they are both patient and attentive for the entire period. They will call you if you prefer to talk by phone. My fiance and I had an initial consult with them by phone. I've been following the Iberostar thread on this site (which I recommend reading in its entirety for information and ideas regardless of where in Montego Bay you are getting married) and these women are always commenting on not being answered in a timely fashion. That would drive me crazy. (Actually, it wouldn't because I just would end up switching venues). Nevertheless, we've spoken at length with the creative director, Alisha, and she knows what we have in mind for our wedding. She contacts us periodically with ideas as things come to her, and we love her for that. I feel so settled to know that my wedding details are in capable hands.

I've been trying to talk to someone at the Hilton forever. Can I ask you what was included with the $13,000? For how many people was the quote? Thanks.