BusyBee123

Hey lindsayraz... So after speaking with WestJet, trying to speak to Sunquest (they apparently don't speak to customers, only TAs!! ) and finally my TA, they have confirmed that the luggage rules for WestJet apply, even if you are booked through Sunquest! So you get your first bag free, and your second for $20! No more than 2 allowed. Great news for getting all that OOT stuff there! From a carry on perspective, you are only allowed one item, so I guess the wedding dress is it! The woman from WestJet actually said that your wedding dress would have to fit in the small little box they use for ensuring that your bag is not oversized! When she noted how appalled I was, she went on to say, "but of course we would never ask you to do that!". They had better not! She did say you could also bring a small purse, but defnitely not another carry on! Hope that helps and thanks for your reply!

Agreed! A lot of people are going with more traditionally beachy colours like fushia, orange or turquoise! But you have to pick what is right for you! If those are the colours you've always invisioned, I say go for it, irregardless of the location! We're using bright coral, which is pretty beachy, but adding a lot of ivory and pale green for a more classic feel.

I LOVE it! Such an interesting look with different colours, yet all the same style! And what a great touch matching the guy's flower to the girl's dress!

June 2011 Alisa & Kevin~Aventura Cove Palace~6.11.11 Missy & Aaron (geminiwanderlust) June 11, 2011 Dreams Tulum Riviera Maya Adrianne & James (adridashanne) - June 17, 2011, Grand Palladium Riviera Lisa & Omar (lisa203) - June 21, 2011, Moon Dance Cliffs Negril, Jamaica Shari-Ann & Kofi (AfricanVenus) - June 25, 2011, Grand Velas Vallarta Resort and Spa, MX Heidi & Francois (heidilynn2 - June 28th, 2011, Valentin Imperial Maya, MX July 2011 Chris & John (sunstarsmoon) - July 8, 2011 Couples Sans Souci Ocho Rios Denedra & Eron (sorord) - July 30, 2011 Negril Jamaica August 2011 Sarah & Michael (Espejo2be) - August 8th, 2011 - Gran Bahia Principe Runaway Bay Jamaica Tanya & Bob (mrssylvester2b)-August 10, 2011 - Beaches Turks & Caicos Mallory & Glenn (Mallory57)-August 13th, 2011-Moon Dance Cliffs-Negril, Jamaica September 2011 Kate & Garry (harkatea) - September 3rd, 2011 - Koh Samui, Thailand Heather & Marcus (hdinsmor) - September 10th, 2011- Grand Palladium, Lucea, Jamaica October 2011 Anthea & Alphonso (MrsJones2be)- October 9, 2011- Nassau, Bahamas Tammy & Ian (takelly) - October 21, 2011 - Grand Sunset Princess, Riviera Maya, Mexico November 2011 Eden & Eric (Eden) - November 11, 2011 - Michigan, USA Jeanine & Reuben-November 11, 2001-Rose Hall Suites, Montego Bay, Jamaica Selina & Landerick - November 12, 2011 - Dreams La Romana, Dominican Republic December 2011 Jen & Nolan - (JMikla) Dec 3rd 2011 - Las Caletas Puerto Vallarta Mexico January 2012 Kristyn & John (perry1217) - January 6, 2012 (Little Christmas!!!) - Playacar Palace, Riviera Maya, Mexico Stephanie & Alex (celticgirl) - January 7, 2012 - Breezes Trelawny. Kristen & Colin (BusyBee123) - January 11 2012 - Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica, Runaway Bay, Jamaica Jaimee and Ryan (Avens) - January 12, 2012 - Barcelo Maya Palace, Riviera Maya, Mexico Jaynee & Mason (jaykay) - January 13, 2012 - Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica, Runaway Bay, Jamaica Liz & Robert (lizzdee)- January 21, 2012 - Beaches Turks & Caicos Kya & Mike (kya101)- January 25, 2012 - Las Caletas, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico February 2012 Tori & Patrick (torilynnsmith) - February 4th 2012 - Majestic Colonial, Punta Cana Dominican Republic March 2012 Mackenzie & Eric (MJB3172012) - March 17, 2012 - Iberostar Bavaro, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic April 2012 Jamie & Mark (J-me) - April 21, 2012 - Aentura Cove Palace, Riviera Maya Gina & Jim (ginalynn22) - April 11, 2012 - Breezes Curacao Liza & Howard (schmizer) - April 21, 20012 Royal Lahaina Resort, Maui May 2012 Sharon & Dennis (Sharon99) - May 3, 2012 - Excellence Playa Mujeres June 2012 Shannon & Kostya (ssapper) - June 9, 2012 - Dreams Riviera Cancun August 2012 Cathy and Charles - August 2012 Adrienne & Adam - August 11, 2012 - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic October 2012 Chelsea & Eric (DWBride615) - October 13, 2012 - Rome, Italy (Odescalchi Castle)

We made a brochure on Vistaprint so our letter could be brightly coloured with pics and still include an itinerary, map of the resort, info about our excursion and welcome note all on one sheet of paper! And to top if off, they were free! LOVE Vistaprint!

Congrats!!! Your pics are stunning! I especially love the ones of you guys in front of the ruins in the village! Amazing! Did you find a taxi driver at the resort, or did you pre-arrange one? We're planning on doing a full day trash the dress and driving out to the Dunn's River/horse ranch/villages/etc, so I'm trying to decide if I should find someone external for the day, or just grab whoever is in front of the resort. Only 150 days exactly today!

Janet - which underwater camera are you taking about? The FugiFilm one? I was so excited when I saw the price, but they're sold out online and I looked within a 4hrs radius of where we live and they're all sold out too!

Such an incredible idea and surprisingly affordable! Love it!

Sorry for the double post...I completely forgot to ask before! For Mekanabr and those who have been married recently, did Chandlyn ask to see/have copies of your notarized birth certificate and passport when you arrived? I remember reading that a lot of previous brides had never even been asked for them! My FI is whining about having to pay $60 to get his documents notarized if they'll never be required! I just got lucky and was able to get mine done for free at work! I'm going to scan those and send them to her, but wondering if we can get away with saving the few extra $$? Thanks a bunch!

I'm so sorry for what you're going through Espejo2be! That's awful timing and very last minute! I can understand why you would be so upset! As tough as it is, all you can do now is try to focus on the positive, as corny as that sounds! You're jetting off to a tropical destination to marry the man of your dreams! That has to count for something. As much as you would love to have them there, I'm sure they will always regret not being able to come and share the day with you! Maybe you can do a special dinner or something with them when you get back? Have a fabulous trip and a wonderful wedding and we all cannot wait to hear about it when you get back!

Congrats Mekanabr! Looks like you had an absolutely amazing day! And they set it up so beautifully! Just a question, did you have a hard time getting them to hang the lanterns? I had bought a whole bunch of them, but an ex bride had said that they refused to hang them because the gazebo ceiling was too high and it was too difficult! So I went and returned them all! Now I'm wondering if I should go out an buy them again!?! Oh the confusion! lol! I also noticed that you had flowers on the back table of your ceremony, which looks like they also doubled as a centrepiece for your table at your reception. Was that a separate order or from the resort? I've ordered a few flower arrangements for the gazebo in addition to our bouquets, but just wondering if that was already included in the resort package? Thanks a bunch and congrats again on becoming a Mrs!

Hey Ladies... We're booking with Sunquest as well, and our airline was just changed from Air Canada to West Jet! With AC, we were told they was a strict 1 bag per person policy and that if we wanted to bring an additional bag it would be $20/kg, ie $400 for an additional bag! Our TA is unclear about what the policy is with WestJet, but as it is still Sunquest, thinks that the allowance is still only the one bag. That being said, all over the WestJet site, it says that first one is free and second one is $20! So after reading all of your posts, I'm just wondering what happened? Were you allowed to bring your second bag? Did you have a hard time at the airport? If you brought your wedding dress on board, did they really deny you any other carry on? Thanks a bunch and look forward to hearing from those of you who have been there!

Best of luck! Can't wait to hear all about your big day when you get home! Enjoy every minute!!

ACW, greatbritain and Fleetwood: I'm so sorry for what you ladies are going through! Such a sad time on this thread! I hope everything works out for the best for all of you. I know that the wedding planners are very busy, and I recognize and appreciate that, but sometimes their timeliness and level of professionalism leaves something to be desired. I too am worried about the communication between Chandlyn and Donnalee, as since the very beginning my wedding was handed over the Donnalee and I have never heard from Chandyln since. Prior to printing my invites, I contacted Donnalee and CC'd Chandlyn to confirm my dates. Here's hoping that was enough. They still are saying that "we have noted your choice of restaurant and gazebo reception" but still are refusing to confirm. Here's hoping it all works out in the end. So good luck ladies! I sincerely hope everything works out in the end and continue to keep us posted on how things are going!

Thanks so much for this! I really appreciate it! I think they sell a bunch of these brands at Sephora, so should be able to find something! Need to look into some waterproof makeup for my TTD too! Thanks Katelynn. Everyone seems to have a makeup artist in their group! I should have thought to befriend one years ago!!! Good tip on the spray! I'm definitely going to look into that! I think I'm going to do the trial, at least for the makeup just to make sure!

For those who have already celebrated their weddings, I was hoping to get some comments on the spa's hair and makeup services. I am torn between using the spa and hiring someone offsite. In my investigations thus far, the costs for the hair and makeup application seems about the same either way, but there additional costs for travel and daypasses for the external artists. The advantages to doing it at the resort are that you get a hair and makeup trial before the big day, and they have been so cooperative in booking our group. The advantage to having the external person is that they can do airbrush foundation which is super light and we could get it all done in our room without having to trek to the spa. What are you ladies doing? What experiences have you had at the spa thus far? Thanks a bunch!

Congrats! I'm sure Donnalee will send you this eventually, but here are the restaurants and their menus that you can choose if you want a semi-private reception. And you can mix and match menu items rather than pick one entire selection. This is included in your all inclusive rate. If you choose to have a private reception, the cost is $2500 I believe. Dolce Vita Restaurant MENU No 1 Cream of Tomato and fresh Basil Spinach Ravioli with Sauce "Boscaila" Beef Scalloppini with Fungi Sauce Porcini Tiramisu MENU No 2 Minestrone Soup Neapolitan Penne Rigatto Seafood Choppino Panna cotta MENU No 3 Caprese Salad Cream of Roasted Squash and Thyme Chicken breast with ricotta, walnuts and bacon - basil - risotto crunch Profiteroles with Cream and Chocolate Coulis Garden Grill Restaurant MENU No 1 Coleslaw Salad Onion Soup au Gratin with Bread Crouton Mix Grill Cheese cake MENU No 2 Caesar salad with chicken Beef and Vegetable Soup Snapper with Balsamic Sauce and Tequila Reduction Lemon pie MENU No 3 Blue Cheese Salad Mexican Tortilla Soup Grilled Lamb Chops with Baked Potatoes Apple crumbleMENUS FOR GROUPS - WEDDINGS If you're wanting to book entertainment for your reception/ceremony or if you're wanting to book the DJs or bartenders for a reception after dinner, I would request those soon as well! As they often have 2+ weddings on the same day, they can get booked up quickly! Good luck!

I'm so glad that I stumbled across this thread! I had assumed that my only real option was the spa at the resort! Great find! Can someone comment on pricing? Is it comparable to the resort spas? With the additional cost of a day pass, I just want to ensure that it isn't way over my budget before I contact her!

I'm almost finished writing our wedding ceremony, but its the order of some of the events that has me puzzled. Right now we're doing (copied directly from my program): Prelude Processional Opening greetings Hand ceremony Marriage Vows Exchange of the rings Sand Ceremony Pronouncement of Marriage Signing of the Registry Recessional What I'm wondering about is when the signing of the marriage registry fits in? Should we take a few moments to sign the registry, then come back for the sand ceremony and closing/pronouncement of marriage, or is it traditionally done at the end? If we do it earlier, we haven't officially been pronounced husband and wife. But if we wait until the very end, I get the feeling people might be distracted...then all of a sudden we're walking down the aisle again! Any thoughts?

We're a small ish group of about 20, but as we're coming in from several cities, not all of our guests know each other. We're planning a welcome dinner for the night after we arrive just so that our guests can get to know each other! We're not doing anything fancy, but are going to one of the resort restaurants, then going to the disco afterwards. We're also using the welcome dinner as a place to announce the surprise excursion that we have booked for our guests as a thank you for travelling all the way to Jamaica with us!

Agreed...as long as we have somewhere for our entire group to eat, I'm not super worried! The only thing is that I already put the name of the italian restaurant on our invites and website, so it would look a little bit funny if it changed all of a sudden! I'm just hoping that its first come, first served as they said, and that they don't favour the larger groups as it would bring in more $! We're only 18 people as it stands, so we're pretty tiny!

Try this forum for more info...there's over 200 pages that would definitely be helpful! http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/51518/any-gran-bahia-principe-runaway-bay-brides-out-there/2050#post_1626733

I have to agree! Book your date, wedding time, location, package and entertainment first! That being said, months later I keep getting the response that "we have requested this restaurant for you but it cannot be confirmed by the restaurant until 1 month prior to the event" or "we have noted your request for the gazebo and bartenders for your reception". Is anyone else getting this? I'm looking for a "yes, this is confirmed!"!

Fabulous thread! This is one of the things we're struggling most with right now! Seems like so much work to download and compile enough music to last through dinner + several hours of dancing! Can't wait to see what other's have used!

Congrats on the amazing pics Katelynn! I'm sure the day went by so quickly and those pics are fabulous reminders of all of the great memories! Hope you're enjoying being a MRS!