beachbum21

Hi girls! Just wanted to reach out to anyone who has used or is planning to use TWJ for their wedding day festivities? My FI and I are booked for April, we've opted to have the ceremony and reception on a private beach in MoBay. We wanted to do something a little different and really enjoy the day in a more private setting. We'll head back to the resort after our reception for a drink at the bar and to dance the night away at the disco! 

I'm approaching the final planning stages with respect to choosing music, flowers, decorations, etc.. trying not to complicate everything but any words of advice, stories you can share or helpful information would be great! 

We are thinking about having a steel drum band for the ceremony, champagne/cocktail hour and then a dj for the reception portion but aren't sure just yet - did anyone else have a band and/or dj? If so, were they good? Were they able to take requests? 

So far dealing with Almarie has been great, she's been very responsive, has provided me with pics of the location and seems very receptive to my suggestions so far (I asked if she could hang some paper lanterns I'm bringing and she agreed). 

We were also able to negotiate a little which is great! If you check out her fb page she sometimes posts "specials". 

Anyhow, thanks in advance! And happy planning  

I thought about it but decided I won't be going, I've been to a few and they're mostly geared to local weddings. It's really just an opportunity for them to advertise so I go home with a bag full of flyers and maybe a magazine or two They are fun though, if you haven't been go just for the full bride experience!
 

Originally Posted by Cateyedcutie 

We're thinking about going on Sunday. I should warn you, they don't have much for destination weddings...travel agents and gift registries is about it. Only reason we're going again is for our at home reception. 

 

Is there anyone else you can contact at the resort/Iberostar company? It sounds like you've got record of previously communicating your plans, for a handful of people you would think they would just accommodate, especially with 4 of them being your photographers who are working, not guests.

I feel like I'm increasingly hearing about challenges with dealing with this resort, especially around what they communicate as being allowed and then at the last minute changing direction. I'm certain that at the end of the day you'll have an absolutely fabulous time and a memorable day but wouldn't it be nice if the entire experience (including dealing with the resort YOU chose) was an absolutely positive one?!  Good luck girl!

Originally Posted by luvmoo 

*sigh* you guys are lucky!! i just got an email from Silvia at the beach.. ( as i sent her my final wedding details sheet) and i have told her several times what our plan was prior to this... and she said nothing.. Now that i put on the final details that we wanted there is an issue!

So i put on there that my total number of guests is 38, however my photographer is bringing 3 people, which puts us to 41 people. I told her i wanted a SEMI private dinner, with a bonfire.  she then responded and told me that we have the numbers to rent the steakhouse, and to consider this because they cannot accomodate more than 30 people for a semi private. ( which doesnt make sense to me!!! as what do those who have more than 30 people.. but less than 40? they can't eat?!?!?!) ugh!

 

Anyway.. i wrote her back and stated this was not n option for us. we want the semi private dinner as stated.. along with the bonfire on the beach. renting the steakhouse and having the bonfire is NOT in our budget. and so i wrote her back and told her i wanted semi private. and if they won't let me then i stated i want to know what the other options ASIDE from renting the steakhouse.. is. 

 

I will keep you posted.. but this is stupid!! they have not communicated this prior! now 6 weeks before my wedding they are claiming i will be forced to rent the steakhouse..( pay ALOT extra than our usual plan) 

so frustrating!
 

 

Hi LissMiss,

You probably can have it shipped beforehand if it's not too far in advance, best to check with the resort directly. The only thing I would caution is shipping to another country might take longer and the risk of it getting lost might be higher. You can chose a guaranteed shipping option with a tracking number but then you're paying quite a bit more for shipping. It's tough, I have a few boxes of items I'm bringing down with me for the OOT bags and for decorations and I wouldn't want to lose any of them! But I think it would be more cost effective to pay for an additional bag or two luggage wise for the one way because once I hand out all the OOT bags at the resort it will significantly decrease my luggage!

Originally Posted by LissMiss 

Does anyone know if it is possible to ship things directly to the resort prior to the wedding? For example, a box or two of decorations or items for OOT bags? 

Hi belledame!

I found a great BM dress at Jacob. They always have lots of dresses and I found ours in the late Spring in a great color and it wasn't expensive at all so it was a really awesome find! You can also try RW&Co, Banada Republic, J Crew, they also have lots of options for dresses. It depends on what style you're going for, these stores offer great options that girls truly can wear again!

Originally Posted by belledame 

Hello ladies!

 

Quick question.... besides David's Bridal, Le Chateau, etc., is there any other great stores or sites to order brides maid dresses from?

A note to the brides waiting for confirmation, call Sylvia or Nicole or whatever WC you have been dealing with. I had the best luck calling them and was pretty stressed about dates so confirming a date was key. It was also a big factor for figuring out the travel dates and group rates. Good luck ladies!!

Looks awesome!! I'm thinking it might be fun to have one as a welcome party! Was that on saturday at the beach or suites? 

Originally Posted by ErinDoc 

The beach party was definitely on a Saturday night in November while I was there.  We had our rehearsal dinner on Saturday night at 8:30 so we missed the whole thing.  It looked pretty awesome though!  ...at least my photographer go to go

 

Hi there! We are not going to put labels on our cups so people can re-use them. 

I personally think they will be more likely to take them to work, etc... if they don't have our names/wedding date on them, just my opinion but we got bubba kegs so we really want people to use them again.

We're going to attach tags that can be ripped off. 

Just my two cents!  

Originally Posted by amjohnson 

Avens,

Love your cups! I think I would have done the same if I hadn't bought mine already. I need your advice. Mine are aluminum (insulated) coffee cups from Canadian Tire in my colors, red and turquoise. I tried to stick a round label with our logo on a cup but it wouldn't go on the cup straight. So I was thinking of leaving them plain, but now I am having second thoughts. My girlfriend said that this way people are more likely to use it again. Thoughts? I was going to put their name on each cup using a labeller. Your thoughts are appreciated:)

 

 

Have you tried confirming with the WC at the resort? If you call them it's a lot easier to get a hold of them if email isn't working  

Originally Posted by malikmakhi 

I am currently planning my wedding for October 2012. I was planning to do a beach ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner at Calabash followed by a bonfire on the beach with a DJ. I believe I read a post where they have a beach party on Saturday nights so you are not allowed to have a bonfire. Can someone please confirm this information for me? I was looking forward to the bonfire on the beach so we could dance and have fun. I think going to the hotel beach party is not personal enough. Any suggestions or ideas?????

Anyone else watching Wedding Crashers tonight?!
Great movie!!

Hi girls!

I made my starfish place cards! What do you think? Sorry about the grainy photo, it was taken with my phone! The starfish are fake and were purchased at the christmas shoppe and I made the cards and tied them on with raffia.

So when are we getting together ladies?

Hi girls!

Just wondering if anyone knows where to purchase those led throwies that you can clip into the paper lanterns?

Also, is the light that it gives off more of a yellow light or a white light? I'm looking for a soft yellow. 

thanks !

Totally unrelated to the get together but have to ask you Toronto ladies something...

Can anyone refer me to a good seamstress that charges a reasonable rate?

I think I've been referred to a seamstress who deals with one of the Danforth stores and she seems a bit pricey... just curious if she is or if that's the going rate. I have some time but would like to meet with one soon to get started on my gown.

Thanks girls!! Much appreciated

Hey there!

I thought about adding sunblock to the oot's but everyone will be bringing their own so opted not to. Instead i'm adding aloe! I've also included spf lip balm. If you really want to add sunblock I've seen it (decent stuff) at the dollarama for $2.

Originally Posted by cvgreene 

Hey!

I am just curious as to how much people are paying for sunblock? I found travel size ones on ebay but it was only 18 ( I need 30) and it was $20 which wasn't bad but shipping was $26 which kinda turned me off as its more than the purchase.  However, I cannot find travel size sunblock anywhere and all the sunblock I do find is full size for $10 or more.  I am wondering if I need to include this as I do know must people will remember to take sunblock when going to Jamaica.  Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Hey - I'm sorry, I didn't even see the title of this thread. We're staying at the Iberostar Rose hall but we're having our wedding off the resort. We've booked through Tropical Weddings Jamaica.

Originally Posted by Vancity Bride 

That's crazy, beachbum21!!

 

What time and where is your wedding taking place? Are you and your guests all staying at the resort, too?

 

How have you found dealing with this resort?

We have the same wedding date! I'm a Jamaica bride as well on April 18, 2012!

Originally Posted by Vancity Bride 

Hi All!!
 

We're getting married on Apr 18, 2012 at the GPJ and we are really looking forward to it! It looks like there are lots of people getting married the same week as us, too

 

I've been dealing with our wedding coordinator (Simone and now Loraine) since about June and they have been very helpful for the most part, although sometimes there is a bit of delay in getting responses to us (which our travel agent warned us about) Recently we selected our reception location (Blue Lagoon) and Loraine was very helpful in sending us all the info for the a la cartes, the dining options and even the music options when we asked. I'm finding the best way to deal with them is to write emails with very specific questions - Loraine was good enough to just reply right in the email directly to our inquiries.

 

I was wondering - are any of you brides staying at the resort with your guests? We are doing an all-inclusive for one week with all our guests at the GPJ, but we're wondering if anyone know if we can have the wedding at the GPLH as I know the properties are connected. I found this info really confusing...

 

Thoughts?

Hey girls!

FI and I had our engagement photos this weekend, it was so fun! We brought the doggies with us and had a great time... puts me back into the wedding spirit!
I've been so busy with work I just haven't had time to think about the wedding and planning, etc... but we had more fun than we thought we would.

MIL is also having a shower for us in a couple of weeks so that should be fun! A little daunting because it will be all of his family and I don't know them all very well but it's for both of us so he has to be there and a couple of my girls are going to come with so it should be a good time.

Capecodder: Your dress is beautiful! Congrats!!

These are very pretty, well done!

I too made my own passport invites and found the design was definitely the most time consuming! Every time I looked at it I wanted to move something around or change wording, coloring, etc...

My guests raved about them! All the hard work paid off, I had so many of them tell me they were the nicest invitations they'd ever seen so it was well worth it in the end.
 

For anyone else doing your own invites, I found all of my images online, I googled for hours! lol

hey Tori,

Sorry to hear about the bumps in the wedding planning road Planning a destination wedding is not easy, definitely not as easy as I expected anyhow! Good for you for staying calm I hope that when I hit my next bump in the road I too can stay calm!

I had never heard of beachbody insanity! I'm going to google it now! lol!! I want to start some kind of program, work has been so busy I haven't had any gym time but need to start something soon!

Originally Posted by torilynnsmith 

Thanks ladies!! I am actually surprising everyone I know and myself with how calm and matter of fact I am taking everything.  We have a problem we have to fix it, what is the point in stressing and being upset about it!  That being said, had everyone not have booked their trips based on the whole wedding thing I may be tempted to call off the DW! lol

I am more excited about the vacation!!!!!

 

On a side not, FI and I started Beachbody Insanity on Sunday and though I curse him and Sean T. (the instructor on the video) every morning WOW I am sure we are going to have our beach bodies by february if we can keep it up!!!!!! Any other Canadian brides tried or trying insanity?  Would love to hear what you think?

Wow, thanks for sharing luvmoo! I agree, totally ridiculous.

They will obviously be working, they aren't going to be sitting around eating and drinking all day! Nor will they be lounging by the pool, the beach, or using the hotel facilities as a guest would.  You're absolutely right about nickel and diming, I found it was getting too ridiculous and we weren't getting the flexibility we wanted so we've booked with TWJ and are having our wedding off-site.

I researched, analyzed and compared for hours and at the end of the day we feel we are getting more for our money and we have more flexibility and options to have the wedding we envisioned when we decided we wanted a beach destination wedding. If you're interested in more details, pm me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvmoo 

Hello Ladies, 

I just thought i would some a tidbit of info i got tonight from the WC.. and in case anyone had a similar question.. here is the answer... 

 

So i asked Silvia, ( Beach)  if we have to pay the 18.00 per head for the wedding/dinner for our outside photographer ( and side shooters), along with the dollar amount per person per hour for the open bar... being that we are paying 75.00 per person PLUS the 100.00 vendor fee.. i stated that because they are working.. chances are they won't be drinking.. ( i am just assuming) and we are paying for the day passes and vendor fees, which technically is to cover these costs...  

 

WELL. they wrote back the following:

 

Hello Jennifer,

You will still have to pay the extra person charges for the for the photographer. Evan if they will pay the day pass, the wedding is a special event and need a special set up. This is where the  extra charges coming in. Now, this charges will apply only if they will stay at the restaurant and eat with you otherwise (if they go to the buffet to eat) you will not have to pay the charges.

 

  I think that is ridiculous... why would i ask my photographer to eat at the buffet.. when they are going to be taking pictures of the dinner and all of that stuff...  these extra charges just seem like such a money grab. *sigh*   i sure wish hindsight was 20/20 As much as i know my wedding will be perfect and everything i dreamed of etc... the nickel and diming and all of the "hidden costs" that are incurred.. it is just getting ridiculous..    I am done my vent.. and just wanted to share this, incase anyone else was curious.

Up to $10,000.

Originally Posted by daizyduke 

Ugh, just the thought of carrying that much cash makes me nervous, they sure don't make it easy. 

 

What is the maximum amount of cash you can bring without having to declare it?  Anyone know??

This message is for the Toronto girls: We have a get together coming up in November, check out the update, new date is November 17.

Tori - I do like the shoes! You have to love them though

November 17th works for me!

Count me in!

I hear ya ladies!

We have had a number of people say they're coming but haven't booked yet, so I really won't have any idea until right before we go!! Grr.. Anyhow, we've also moved our wedding to a private beach, we'll have the ceremony & reception there. We wanted something private and more intimate, the resort pricing is unpredictable and we found a company who has been great to work with and very willing to negotiate (ie, if we want to substitute things in her pkg, etc...).

Originally Posted by torilynnsmith 

I feel your pain! We made our RSVP date November 4th exactly 3 months before the wedding but now I am wishing we had made it a little sooner!  Our group rate closed end of August so the November RSVP was mainly for people who couldn't commit that early on but we have had more than expect jump on over the last few weeks!!!!

 

Our small intimate DW has turned into my big fat stressful day!

 

I am also considering moving the wedding and reception from the resort to a private restaurant and beach since every time I turn around the resort has decided to up a price or start charging for something else!!!! I am hoping to get this all sorted out over the next week because to be perfectly honest I am so over wedding planning!

 

Ahhhhh a vent always makes you feel a little better!!!!!