Ohhh Ladies I've been soooo neglectful. We've been going mad with details and etc. but I will answer each and every one of you this weekend!  Cheers to the Villa Brides!

Soon2beMrsG!

also another handy tip from the wedding mapper:

http://www.weddingmapper.com/diy/wedding_map

Happy Friday ladies

Here's a handy site I thought would help you in your planning.  The wedding mapper is pretty cool and you can send it to your guests.

www.weddingmapper.com

of course it has all the other wedding planning trappings like your own website etc. but the map tool is what I use it for as I've already done a wedding website with www.mywedding.com (which is the best one i think because you can have sooo much information and guests can RSVP and it really streamlines everything).

Any issues with vendors yet?  I'm a bit wary of photographers now sigh.  Hope all is going well in your Villa Plans!

oooh redginger, i thank you soo much for all that info.  The ceremony is going to be in Lily Pond Gazebo and the cocktail hour/reception in the royal croquette lawn/royal pavillion.  I'm also going to have stations - cigar rolling station, an ice cream sundae station and a martini station to be set up.  Crazy about the pop up guests!!  My thing is if you REALLY want to see you should have chosen to stay here like I said so now you just have to wait until the wedding day! 

I've been very neglectful this week but the work to pay for the wedding had to take over.  More this weekend ladies.

Soon2beMrsG

Hi ladies, Happy Friday! something funny for the brides to be:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-lafsky/wedding-planning_b_896771.html

Melissa Lafsky

Editor, writer, ex-lawyer

 

GET UPDATES FROM MELISSA LAFSKY

 

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Hey Gingerpeach, 

My coordinator is Andrea Smith and she's wonderful.  She's been nothing but accommodating and even deals with my mom, which is no easy task. I'm blessed with a VERY involved Mommy of the Bride.  I'm still bringing in my own florists because there are no real Blue kind of flowers in Jamaica and thinking of signature drinks even in these early days but its been great so far.

"Date Twin" I love it!  Any advice for our ladies and me?

Always, 

Soon2BeMrsG

Originally Posted by gingerpeach 

Soon2BeMrs G.... I am excited for you that you have chosen Half Moon, who is your wedding co-ordinator/planner if I may ask?  We are almost a date twin albeit  a year and one month apart, our wedding was on the 21st May 2011...  I am loving the OOT bags...very very nice

 

Keep me posted.

 

GP

for all my villa brides - thought this article was worth sharing!

http://www.mywedding.com/blog/wedding-basics/gifts-and-favors/favors/the-perfect-out-of-town-guest-gift-bag-by-offbeat-bride/?utm_source=Delightful+Details&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Delightful+Details+2011-07-05

The Perfect Out of Town Guest Gift Bag by Offbeat Bride

Congratulations Gingerpeach!!!

Let's hear all about it!! I'm sure it was gorgeous and what great advice to take a moment (no matter how small) to step back and appreciate the day.  Will definitely heed that.

Half Moon is doing wonderfully and all the save the dates are out. Now to doing my actual invitations with the Fiance.  Messages in a bottle to be shipped internationally. 

How are the stress levels ladies?  Found a photographer yet Catererbride?

Always, 

Soon2beMrsG

Originally Posted by gingerpeach 

 

CB

 

I had an amazing hot sunny day, everything went well and we both agreed it happened so fast and we didnt want the day to end.  Half Moon is the place to be OMG the service the staff the surroundings. My guest are still raving.  

I love what you said about marrying the love of your life, that will keep you grounded and remind you of why you are doing this. You will be relieved and happy all at the same time once its all over. Try to enjoy it as much as you can. I think one of the ladies on BDW recommends that you step back and take it all in on the day. I tried to do that but only briefly but still the memory stays with me. Hang in there and I hope all goes well on the day...

keep us all updated as much as you can.

GP

 

Hi Jwed12

Our date is 04/21/2012 and I'm getting wary of Alain myself as I didn't see a lot posted by him.  I'm going to do more research because our hotel also makes us pay an outside vendor fee so he or she would have to be worth it.  Our wedding is going to be at Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay.  I literally can't wait!

Soon2beMrsG

Originally Posted by Jwed12 

When's your date? We aren't getting married until 6/12/2012. (Year and a half engagment). I'm on the edge about booking him now because I haven't heard anyone else talk about him really. I've heard a lot of comments about Diana Campbell, so we might go with her. She gave us close to the same offer. What hotel are you using?

 

hey my villa ladies!

Thought I would share this free e-book for http://www.thebridecafe.com/guide.pdf its awesome for the stress you're feeling and for future stress!

How are the plans going?  Looking into florists now and thinking about Alain Hottat as a photographer.  

Always, 

Soon2beMrsG

Originally Posted by Jwed12 

I have really appreciated reading all of your posts. They have all been incredibly helpful to my fiance and I as we are in the beginning stages of our planning process. Quick question though...

 

-Has anyone worked with Alain Hottat? He has given us an amazing deal which of course makes me a bit nervous for the quality of his work. He is offering $2,000 for...

-TTD

-Videography

-Preparation-Reception coverage

-400 photos on a high res CD

 

Any feedback would be awesome. Thank you!!!!

Oh Redginger, 

I feel like such a traitor now but we finally decided to release Endless Summer (hey ladies its available April 21, 2012 if you want it) and we're going with Half Moon.

Here are the reasons:

• http://halfmoon.rockresorts.com/guest-rooms/royal-villas.asp - so I'm technically not a traitor because we're still getting villas + the ceremony and reception site is the Royal Pavillion = total privacy
• see them stairs... yah so did we in real life and let me tell ya, I didn't see anything good happening from having a broken neck on the day of my wedding
• although the villa was beautiful it was too compartmentalized
• Paulette my prospective wedding planner was awesome though and took me about 7 more villas and if you're still looking I would suggest Noble House - flat and beautiful and the ocean is right there. 
• We went to Half Moon last and honestly we fell in love all over again.  Up until then we were dead set on Endless summer.  Then we got a tour (by the Endless Summer is on the Half Moon golf course) and honestly it gave us the villa feel with privacy, reasonably affordable and I didn't have to worry about blocking off rooms for the guests attending. 

So even though I started this as a villa bride I am now a "Sort of" villa bride.  

I'm still doing the following things though:

• getting my own DJ & looking for a steel band
• getting my own photographer - Alain Hottat (check him out ladies his site is amazing and very affordable http://www.jamaicashoots.com) 
• Bringing in my own florists 
• Putting our own flavor on the decorations

So even though I'm having it at a resort I'm like a hybrid of sorts.  I hope the ladies forgive me b/c I'm still going to give as much info as I can.  Also, I saw this place for tables cutlery and they seemed pretty reasonable http://hireagejamaica.com/

  forgive me 

Soon2beMrsG

Originally Posted by redginger 

Soon2BeMrsG: Endless Summer and Half Moon are both gorgeous. I know how hard it is to pick a venue...so many decision factors. But when my fiance and I finally picked our hotel, it was such a big relief! After that, the wedding planning gets fun. Good luck!
 

 

Hey Crasht1224,

I'm definitely loving the led thowies for lights!  As for music, that sounds like a great idea but you have to have a good MC? A friend who isn't scared of public speaking, a particularly well spoken uncle or aunt?  I would suggest a Daddy or something but he's going to be busy doing the dancing with you and all that.  I've enclosed a music spreadsheet that I'm giving to my DJ (my friends said it may be look OCD but my co-worker who is also getting married is using it too) also it can be passed around to your wedding party if you would like them to suggest music.  You could arrange your iPod playlists.  Hope it helps. 

P.S. it only opens on Excel 2007 or higher.

All my best wishes,

soon2beMrsG

Originally Posted by crasht1224 

My fiance and I are getting married at a villa in Ocho Rios. We did most of the work ourselves.. found the venue, found a caterer from a local restaurant. Our last big issues will be music and lighting. I'm probably going to bring down paper lanterns and make LED Throwies for lights. As  far as music.. we're having only 50 ppl, so thinking of bringing down a BOSE outdoor speaker and doing it IPOD playlist style.

 

Our budget (for everything..including airfare and rings) is 10,000 and I refuse to go over it.. so, Its DIY time!

Team Wedding Playlist Suggestions.xlsx

just saw this warning about photographers ladies and thought you should know. from islandbrides.com

Important Notice About Photography

In an effort to reduce costs/maximise profits, more and more resorts are ony allowing brides and grooms to use the resort photographer for your wedding or charging high fees to allow you choose your own.

islandbrides.com believes your wedding photographs are one of the most important aspects of your day, and the only one that lasts a lifetime. We recommend checking with your chosen resorts for rules or hidden fees.

The following is a list of resorts who do not allow you to (or make it very expensive to) choose your own photographer:

Sandals Resorts - All locations
Breezes Resorts - All locations
Couples Resorts - All locations
Grand Lido Resorts - All locations
Hedonism Resorts - All locations
Starfish Resorts - All locations
"Rooms on The Beach" Resorts - All locations
Pink Sands Resort - Harbour Island, Bahamas
Rose Hall - Jamaica
Half Moon - Jamaica
Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort - Jamaica
Frenchman's Reef - St Thomas/USVI
Ritz Carlton - St Thomas/USVI

This list is not complete, and we will add to it as we learn of more.

Please check with your resort before booking!!

some Endless Summer pics!

Welcome deannamarie85!

Trust me now that I'm back from Jamaica I totally know the feeling of changing venues but we're still undecided.  We're still holding onto Endless Summer Villa but Half Moon is just so wonderful and private (especially in the dead season of April).  

Congratulations on the wonderful day!

All my best,

Soon2beMrsG

Originally Posted by deannamarie85 

Hi Ladies!

        I just got back from my destination wedding in Jamaica! I didn't choose a "villa" persay but rather a "boutique hotel" for all the same reasons that you listed. Since it was only the two of us, it felt very special to enjoy our special day together. It was perfect! The morning of the wedding we went kayaking, snorkling, and just relaxed together. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my wedding day. I know that it can be stressful with all the planing but let me reassure you that it is MORE then worth it!

Good luck to all of you!

Hey Caterer Bride, 

I'm so sorry for the delay.  The fi and I have literally been sleeping for the last couple of days. Jet lag is awful.  Ok, so I totally agree with you on that planner you mentioned (more deets to follow) but I found 2 that I absolutely LOVED! Here is the contact info:

Paulette Harris (she took me to 7 different venues and was totally awesome. She had the flu and still trucked on through to give me several different options.  You can email her @[email protected]. I highly reco (mention Natalie Dixon if you decide to contact) she has a wealth of vendors that she could assist but prepared she's going to ask you a lot of questions so she can get a good idea of what you want.

Norma Ellison @ Events with Elegance: super sweet and very organized but I just didn't choose her.

Originally Posted by catererbride 

Soon2be,

 

I need your info!!!!!!!!!! I am freaking out (a bit) that with 3 months and 1 week to go, we have NO vendors

 

Positive thinking hat on - check.

 

Advice please!

 

Thanks

Hi Ladies!!

I'm back from the whirlwind tour of New York/Jamaica and now back home in London!  Can't wait to give you guys the update on the venue and the wedding planners! Hope you had a good break and will send a better update this evening!  Suffice to say, dress has been ordered and venue has been changed but no fear all the info i have i'll bring!

and a big  to the new beautiful brides to be: Stacey00 and AMB DEC 2011!

All my best,

soon2bmrsg!

Thanks so much Sasha I will check out her site and see if i can arrange a meeting with her when I'm jamaica next week.

Originally Posted by sasha 

Villa weddings can be great only if you have a reliable wedding planner in Jamaica.  I promise Sadeki i would recommend her to any bride that would listen as she is very reasonable and plans well visit her site and also just drop any bride that used her on the forum a message and hear what they have to say about her.  www.chic-eventsja.com or just email her [email protected] she will make your budget work trust me and all brides i have recommend is pleased give her a try and let me know your outcome.  Goodluck

thanks so much redginger!  I can't wait to see it.  Live pics coming next week! 

Originally Posted by redginger 

OMG...that villa is gorgeous! What a wonderful choice. Have a great time in Jamaica next week and keep us posted!

 

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH CATERERBRIDE!  I'm definitely thinking about a planner here too but will definitely let you know how things pan out from my visit.  We're hitting NYC first for the wedding dress shopping (yes to make everything MORE complicated - wedding dress shopping in NY because that's where the MOH and Mom are and I'm having a special brunch for the MOH and the rest of the bridesmaids.  I had my artist friend create these gift boxes that will double as keepsake boxes  for them and my mom and the FI's mom.  Since my colors are "tiffany blue" (i really hate that descriptive because it sounds so pretentious but it is what it is) and chocolate so she made this boot box size covered in fabric and intstead of Tiffany & Co it says "Natalie & Co." and inside I made them individual "how to be" bridesmaids books with swatches of the colors of the bridesmaid dresses (i decided to let them choose their own and I'll approve - i have to much to worry about) and "Team Wedding" Tshirts and when I get to NY first stop tiffany's to get martini glasses or something else not sure yet. Will send pics as soon as I get them.  

more to come later.

Originally Posted by catererbride 

Hi ladies,

 

We are getting married at Mount Pleasant in Runaway bay and settled on this one after many weeks of seearching through villas and wow are some expensive....Even ours is a little on the $$$ side but once in a lifetime right?

 

Same as you soontobe, we wanted the exclusivity part and the not feeling like we were having a conveyor belt wedding and....same as you, we are now thinking how much easier it would have been to have a conveyor belt wedding!!!

 

After 2 not so great experiences with planners, we are now doing as much as we can with a planner out here (UK) and as much as we can by ourselves. Very very frustrating dealing with planners that completely twist my requests but there we are...

 

Fiance is Jamaican so that should ish make things a little easier???

 

Anyway, would seriously love to hear how your visit goes partic. re. rentals and pricings. I am guessing (almost certain) that if I phone up to get prices, they will here my english accent and double the price...hence Fiance will do this, soon I hope

 

 

Good luck!! I certainly need it....4 months to go!

 

 

 

 

Oh thanks so much Redginger.  I'm beginning to think that I was the only one.  We're getting ready to go to Jamaica next week to meet with wedding coordinators and I'm hoping that he or she will make my life a little easier since I do plan on taking a very involved approach but its hard when not only in a different country but in a totally different time zone.  I just bought this book and I'm hoping it will help organize all the clippings and what not that I've been gathering for last couple of months.  Its insanely organized "The Wedding Bible Planner".  

I'll keep this updated with the rental stuff and etc.  as it becomes more clear. Here's a picture of the villa though... My fiance took one look at it and said... "Yes, that's where I'm marrying you!"

all my best,

Soon2bMrsG

Hi All, 

I'm starting this forum for all the brides that are getting married in Jamaica and instead of opting for the "all inclusive" resort wedding (which I totally wish I opted for but now its too late), went for the villa wedding for whatever reasons. Here are mine:

• wanted it more private - didn't want to hear the other poolside chatter whilst saying my vows
• didn't want to be hemmed in by all inclusive packages - wanted my own floral deco, cake, drinks
• wanted to choose my own everything ... 

What I didn't bank on is that having a villa wedding is basically like having a wedding at your own house.  You basically have to do everything yourself:

• Entertainment
• Catering
• Flowers
• Cutlery
• Table rental
• EVERYTHING!!!

Sooo... here's a forum for the particular bride who thought "yay destination wedding!" then

"ohhh... destination wedding!"  Let me know your thoughts and or ideas and I will definitely be sharing all of the madness that is the transcontinental (I've got not just one country but 3 London, New York & Jamaica ) wedding that I'm trying to plan.

Oh and all of my best wishes and good lucks to the 2012 brides!

A little more info on me:

Wedding date: April 21, 2012

Wedding site: Silver Sands, Montego Bay

Awesome Fiance: The Tim

Wow didn't realize this site had so much information and specialization for destination brides! 

User Name: Soon2bMrsG
Name: Natalie & Timothy
Location: Endless Summer Villa - Silver Sands, Montego Bay, Jamaica

Wedding: April 21, 2012

Good luck and best wishes to all the 2012 Spring Brides!  (who's scared that a year is not NEAR enough time to plan!)

All my best,

Soon2bMrsG
 

Ok so here I was thinking this was going to be easy.  Thanks so much Catererbride!  I too have a villa wedding so the additional factors are definitely spinning my head around now.  I'm sorry you're going through so much especially since your a catering manager yourself.  My parents owned a restaurant and did catering business so I'm definitely going to be using their expertise.  But if you don't mind if you could message me if you think there are any planners I really should avoid, I would be totally appreciate it.  I've got not only a destination wedding, I have a transcontinental wedding (fiance is English and my half is hailing from New York) so any help to uncomplicate an already complicated set of circumstances would be really helpful.  Thanks so much!

All my best,

Soon2bMrsG

Originally Posted by catererbride 

Hello all,

 

My experience with wedding co-ordinators has been highly frustrating and I cannot seem to get any of them to understand what it is that I am asking for and I obviously belive myself to be very clear!

 

Prices have been around the 10% range but one planner charged a flat fee of $2000 which I thought was extortionate. Some are cheap and cheerful and if you are having a standard resort wedding package and just want to have someone along for the ride to make sure things run smoothly, then go for it. We, on the other hand are having a private villa wedding and hence there are loads of additional factors to deal with from glass rental to transportation of food and so on.

 

As a catering manager myself, I have always asked clients to put everything in writing via email as opposed to over the phone to avoid any misunderstanding...I have done this and still yet mistakes are being made. You pay someone to lessen the stress right?

 

We have now ended things with our second planner and are now going to take one out with us and just try and work everything out ourselves.

 

Unfortunately, with a lot of destination planners, we brides are just another number and another wedding...they may have 2,3,4,5 other weddings that week if they are good, so how much focus should we expect really?

 

Plus, my fiance, being Jamaican is a bit livid about some of their fees to us foreigners in relation to say...a very good monthly salary out there and some of these vendors are asking for waaaaaay more than that for one night.

 

Yes, the planners do check out this site, so I certainly won't be bad mouthing anyone and have been incontact with pretty much all of them. I will be factual though and Helen G, for example, is expensive, whether she is worth it or not, I couldn't say. I have seen on this site where she posted a reply to someone else saying that, so before I get one too.......yes I know I am asking for a lot!

 

You go girls....4 months to go and counting!  

 

 

 

 

Originally Posted by redginger 

 

Soon2beMrsG,

What range of fees are you getting from the various wedding coordinators? Also, there's another post in this vendor forum about vendors posing as brides....so be aware about reviews from individuals with very few posts!

Oh my gosh are you serious? That's disturbing! Thanks so much redginger.  So far Island Bride has sent me package details with regard to consultation meet ($300USD initial) and etc.  Helen G keeps coming up in a bunch of different forums so I'm not really that wary of that one and out of all the inquiry emails I sent she was the one who responded promptly (meaning same day) the others answered me a day later.  Norma Ellison hasn't given me prices yet but I am still doing a meet with her because I did like her web site.  Will definitely keep you posted though.

All my best,

Soon2bMrsG