Jessica4LUXE
-
Posts
226 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Never
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Blogs
Store
Articles
Events
Reviews
Products
Posts posted by Jessica4LUXE
-
-
Originally Posted by Shayt2412
I am also getting married at riu palace on 10/19/13 and plan on getting married at the gazebo with a semi private reception dinner at the steakhouse. Has anyone seen pictures of the reception there? Is there enough room to have a dj and dancing? Unfortunately the WC doesn't get back to you in a timely matter some I'm getting really nervous (especially since I have already ordered my save the dates). Any info would be much appreciated.
Hi Shayt2412,
You will want to check with their onsite team on this, but most hotels do not allow music or dancing at a semi-private reception as there will be other hotel guests at the resaturant as well. They will section off a portion of the resaturant for your group for a seating. If you want to have dancing and a DJ we recommend privatizing the event entirely. That way you can have dancing and speeches
Happy Planning!
-
Originally Posted by Sophia2616
Do you tip that much if they own the salon (hair)?
Hi Sophia,
If they have done a fantastic job on your hair, and you are really happy we'd recommend still tipping. Remember, in the end it is your call and your budget that need to be considered.
Happy planning!
-
It is really important to have your RSVP's in as soon as possible. My resorts require final payment 30-45 days in advance and at this point you would have to have all your wedding details finalized. We also run into the problem when there are a lot of last minute additions, and we have to change the venue location because of capacities. 2 months is the longest I would suggest leaving an RSVP to come in. Plus, rates will become more expensive and you want to ensure that your room block is filled before the deposit/final payment deadlines!
Happy planning!!
-
Hi brides!
Whether you are a believe that tips are standard requirements, or that they are earned based on the level of service provided, tipping your wedding vendors is definitely necessary. Below, we have outlined a few tipping guidelines for brides to help budget in this hidden and usually forgotten cost. Remember, these guidelines are based on vendors who provided all the services that were promised and in the way they were promised. Guidelines are meant to be broken; if the vendor goes above and beyond, or if they didn’t do the job they were hired to do adjust your tip!
Makeup Artist and/or Hair Stylists: 15 to 25% of your total bill is standard – tip as you would your regular hair stylist!
Officiant: If the officiant is affiliated with a religious establishment, then you should plan on making a donation to that institution for at least $100. When hiring a non-denominational minister, no tip is required, however you might choose to tip $50 if the minister was above and beyond. Since you do not want to be handling money during the ceremony, if you plan on tipping the officiant, hand it to them at the Rehearsal or give it to the Best Man to handle.
Ceremony & Reception Musicians: Musicians & DJ tipping is really based on the quality of the performance and not always required. Standard tips depend on the type of musician:
Singer & DJ’s: $20-$80Each member of a Band: $5-10 per hour
Solo Instrumentalist: $30-50
Photographer/Videographer: Tipping your photographer or videographer is entirely dependent on whether they own their own company or not. If they own their own company, he/she will be keeping most of the fee and the tip is completely optional. If he/she is the employee of a company, depending on the amount of time spent, plan on leaving a tip for $50-100.
Bartenders & Catering Staff: Majority of the time, service fees, gratuities or tips are included in your contract. Make sure you check this prior to allotting more money. If there is not mention in your contract, consider leaving $20-25 per bartender or 10% of the total liquor bill. The catering staff should be tipped 15-20% of your total bill. Always hand this to the head bartender or waiter to allow equal division among the staff. If you choose to add a tip, you can pay in advance to management so that you do not have to worry about this at the close of the reception.
Wedding Coordinator – Like your photographer/videographer, if he/she owns their own company, then leaving a tip is completely optional. If he/she is an employee, such as a coordinator assigned to you by the venue, $50.00 to $100.00 is a recommended. Remember, if your coordinator put in a lot of hours for your larger, more extravagant wedding, the tip should be adjusted and dependent on the total wedding budget.
Lastly, there are a number of vendors that do not typically expect a tip: wedding stationer, bridal shop, seamstress for alterations, cake baker and florist. It if always up to you whether or not to tack on an additional amount for any vendor who has done an amazing job! These fees can add up and planning ahead will make sure there are no surprises!
Happy Planning!
-
Hi! Allie is right - in order to secure a contracted room block, some kind of deposit always needs to be placed. We work with our brides to determine the right number of rooms to secure. You don't have to secure for all the guests as you would never know who is coming and who is not. You probably have a pretty good idea in mind as to how many "for sures" you have and then can move from there!!
Happy Planning!!
-
Legal ceremonies after the wedding are a great option as well! Just be sure to check with your resort and ensure that for their Symbolic ceremony, they do not require the marriage certificate (some do and that could put a damper in the plans to be legally wed after the destination wedding!!).
Happy Planning!
-
Congratulations!!!! How romantic - and now getting married on your wedding date?! So lovely! March can be a busy season for weddings, and travel, so its best to start early looking at locations and wedding date availability. We highly recommend that you ensure their is a wedding date available at the hotel you choose before placing deposits on travel - there is nothing worse when a bride cannot get her wedding date of choice. Have you started to look at any properties yet?
Happy Planning!!
-
A week is about normal to not hear back - we feel your pain!! Resorts and Vendors work on what we call "Caribbean Time"!! To help you out in waiting
here are a couple of weddings we have done at the Jellyfish to get you motivated:http://luxedestinationweddings.com/blog/?p=4667
http://luxedestinationweddings.com/blog/?p=3010
Happy Planning!
-
Hi Kim!!
Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton has a stunning beach location for your ceremony! However, Jamaica will be the more expensive destination you are looking into in terms of decor, travel and additional add ons for your wedding. Now Jade is a great choice in Mexico as well - they have a fantastic wedding program that would be great for trying to keep your costs down. Have you looked into the Riu Palace Riviera Maya? We just finished a wedding there and it was stunning! http://luxedestinationweddings.com/blog/?p=6342
Happy Planning!
-
KK2013 is correct - but brides be very careful with shipping items to destination! Hotels are not held liable for the items and might not store them properly. There would be nothing worse then you arriving to find your items ruined, or something lost. Spread it out between your bridal party - that's what they are their for!
Happy Planning!!
-
A lot of resorts now do their blood test right at the resort - they have the medical officials come to you! If this is important, check with the on site team before booking at at hotel to see what their policies are surrounding the blood tests!
Happy Planning!
-
Hi TeeL!
We have worked with many, many photographers in the DR and these are some of our favourites!
Michael and Phil Steingard
Julia Eskin (Julia actually lives part time in Punta Cana - so best to check her schedule!!)
Huellas Del Caribe
Caribbean Emotions
Always remember to check with your resort regarding their outside vendor policy!! VERY important to do before securing any contracts with photographers.
Happy Planning!
-
Hi Charlie,
Most hotels will offer you the ballroom for your ceremony if you are looking for something indoors! Marina Maroma in Mexico has a chapel that is beautiful to be married at. The Barcelo Maya Palace in Mexico also has a chapel that is on property. Generally speaking though, most hotels only offer outdoor locations as this what is most popular they find. If you are worried about rain/weather - they always have a backup location for you!!
Happy Planning!
-
Hi Ally!
Some great kid friendly properties in Jamaica are the Riu properties (Riu Montego Bay & Riu Tropical Bay) and the Grand Palladium in Montego Bay. All have exceptional wedding programs as well. They are a great starting point to do some research on! If you are feeling overwhelmed, send us a PM and we would be glad to help out!
Happy Planning!
-
Completly agree with pokeyholly - DJ Mannia is fantastic - they have a great team who will work with you or your wedding coordinator for the big day! They have every song you can imagine, and if not, they will get it for you!
-
Hi all!
We have just heard the following from the hotel today and hope that this will help you
The outside vendor fee to be paid for outside photographers will be of US$500.00 (subject to change without previous notice). This fee does not include food, beverage, or any other services. In case you are interested in any extra service for your photographer, please consult your Wedding Coordinator.
The fee mentioned above will be applied for new requests. In case you have confirmed (by email) to the Wedding Coordinator about your outside photographer before February 16th, 2013, the previous cost of US$150.00 will be honored.
When the photographer is staying at the hotel as part of the wedding group, the outside photographer fee will be absolved. It is not allowed to pay a stay for local photographer in order to avoid the fee; in this case, the US$500 fee will be applied.
Happy Planning!!
-
Awesome tips! It is always a great idea to come up with a shot list for your photographer and the key and important photos you want taken at your wedding!
-
Hi Ana!
Included in the majority of wedding packages is a semi-private dinner reception. Unfortunately semi-private means that there will be other guests of the hotel in the restaurant at the time. They all do a fantastic job of separating your group from the rest of the guests but with other guests being in the restaurant, you will not be able to have speeches, dancing or music. To do this, you would need to privatize the event.
The all-inclusive package you and your guests have purchased includes the regular services offered by the hotel, meaning their restaurants and bars during their scheduled hours of operation. Anything above and beyond that does not fall within what you and your guests have paid for in the all-inclusive package.
This means that if you and your guests want to go to one of the bars all together at the same time, you absolutely can and you do not need to pay for a private function. However if you’d like a private area booked for your group, or would like service in an area of the hotel they do not normally have staff working, there are fees applied to that for setup, labor etc.
A great option is to have the semi-private dinner and then if the hotel allows it, a private dance with open bar OR head to the disco with all your guests!!
Happy Planning!
-
We just completed a wedding at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya and wanted to let all you brides to be out there that the photographer at the hotel - Sergio of Adventure Photography is AMAZING!!! His work was fantastic and our bride and groom couldn't have been happier with their choices.
Have a look at his work: http://luxedestinationweddings.com/blog/?p=6342
Happy Planning!
-
We just completed a wedding at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya and wanted to let all you brides to be out there that the photographer at the hotel - Sergio of Adventure Photography is AMAZING!!! His work was fantastic and our bride and groom couldn't have been happier with their choices.
Have a look at his work: http://luxedestinationweddings.com/blog/?p=6342
Happy Planning!
-
Hi La-am
It is very hard to put a ball park on what a destination wedding will cost as there are so many factors involved (location, type of ceremony, number of guests, private vs. semi-private etc). $10-20K is a great budget for 50 guests. Always remember that if floral is not important to you, then you can put that money towards a fantastic DJ (just as an example). Just remember that just because it is a destination wedding does not mean that it will instantly cost less - it is all about what you are looking for! We plan weddings for brides with budgets from $1000 and upwards and have seen it all.
Happy Planning! -
Have you had a chance to look at the RIU Vallarta? Is is beaufitul and they have a fantastic wedding team there! I know Sunwing has some great rates to Riu Vallarta and a weddings department you could email for more information on rates to PV for your family and friends! [email protected]
Happy Planning!
-
Hi Carley,
Have a look at Azul Sensatori (they have a SkyDeck Ceremony Location that is just to die for!) and another great ceremony location is at the Grand Sunset Princess! There are a lot of pros and cons to a Civil Ceremony as there are quite a few costs associated (and yes blood work!) with this, BUT you do get to be officially married then and there. Civil ceremonies will be preformed in Spanish, with generally your wedding coordinator preforming the translation into English. At Azul, they actually do your blood work right at the hotel - so very very safe and comfortable for you
We highly recommend Claudia Rodriguez or Lori at Sweetfire Photography - both are fantastic and such a pleasure to work with!!
Happy Planning! -
Hi Carolyn,
Two great locations!! Aruba is simply beautiful for weddings and everything is so close - if you want to go into town, visit some local restaurants etc. it is within walking distance of the resorts. If you are looking for an all inclusive option in Aruba, you should check out the Riu Palace Aruba. We have planned many weddings there and they are simply beautiful!
Good luck at your site inspections in the Dominican! Make sure you bring a list of your questions, and book meetings with the onsite coordinators in advance.
Happy Planning!
Post here if you are getting married in Jamaica
in Destination Weddings in Jamaica
Posted
Hi Kara,
If your officiant is able to become ordained in Jamaica, then he/she would be able to preform a legal ceremony. However, this task might not be as easy as it is here. They would have to be able to legally preform marriages in Jamaica in order for you to have an offical legal wedding. If it is very important to you to have a close friend of your preform your ceremony, we would suggest have a renewal of vows in destination, where they could preform what you would like (make sure this is ok with your resort first!!!) and get legally married at home prior. No one would even need to know that you are already "legally" married - you can stage a real wedding, document signing and all!!
Happy Planning!