Kristo

So i'm looking at renewing my vows at the resort on our 2 year anniversary. We got married there last year and will be travelling back there in May next year. I've been trying to contact the wedding coordinator to see if we can lock down a certain time and day and i've heard nothing back. I've now emailed them twice over the past month and nothing. Can someone confirm the email addresses for me (the coordinator AND the assistant) and any tips you have for getting a timely reply? Thanks ladies, Krista

Hi there, yes these are satin. I was looking at the organza ones as well when I first started looking but I wanted more of a punch of colour. I'm not sure what the shipping/duties cost to get them to Canada as I had them shipped to a family member in the US and she brought them over for me. I just remember when I was looking, it was expensive. If you are interested in the satin ones let me know and I can check with the post office for the price of shipping tomorrow. Thanks Krista

I have 40 coral chair sashes 5 coral table runners They were bought from http://www.weddinglinensdirect.com/index.html and paid $60 for the lot when I bought them. I'll willing to sell them for $35 obo. I also have three big spools of coral ribbon that I had left over. I used it mostly for the wraps on our bouquets and then used them on our OOT bags to tie on tags. I paid about $15 for each one ($45 total) and I will sell them for $20 obo. They measure 11/2" 38mm and the other is 5/8" 16 mm. I live in Canada and shipping would be extra. If you do live in the US, I can ship there but it would be more expensive. Message me for more details. Krista

I am also dealing with Vinnette.  

Congrats must be very exciting!!!! How was your wedding experience at this resort? This is one if my choices for my 2015 wedding

Hey ladies, I hope all your weddings are wonderful! I'm actually considering going back to the Gran Bahia in May to celebrate our second anniversary and take our new little baby with us. Any of you know if they do anything special for anniversaries or renewal of vows? Can you please pass along to me the email address for the wedding coordinator... I don't have her email address anymore as it's been a year and a half since my wedding there. Is it still Chandlyn and Donnalee? Thanks in advance!

 No they don't do more than one wedding at a time.  Both wedding coordinators are there to help you during your ceremony, so there's no way there could be another wedding going on at the same time. 

Originally Posted by vanessa08 

Are there more than one weddings in a time period? For example, would there be one on the beach at the same time as one in the gazebo???
 

 I didn't ship anything down, just brought an extra suitcase full of wedding stuff!  I also used friends and family members suitcases that were travelling light.  Most people don't mind if they are under the weight allowance and will toss some of your stuff in their bag.  That way you know it's all coming down with you.  I think it only cost us $20 extra to check another suitcase. 

Originally Posted by FutureKeese22 

Has anyone shipped things to the resort before they left for their wedding? I think I may have to do this, but I am nervous to in case something gets lost.

We did our rehersal dinner at the Don Pablo and it was a terrible experience!!!  The service for our large group was sooo slow, it took about 4 hours to finish!  We did The Grill for our welcome dinner and it didn't go too badly.  They had to split the large group up into 3 tables but we were all beside each other and service (and the food) was great!

The buffet might be an idea as you can all sit together off to the side, and you can get food whenever you want. 

Originally Posted by cdnbridelinzy 

Hey everyone, I was wanting to plan a dinner for all of our guests the first night we are on Jamaica, any suggestions ? I cant decide between Don Pablo, Dolce Vita, or The Grill, or are there any other  options? I know I want to do Mikado with my bridal party the evening before the wedding, so that one is out.

 

Thanks ladies

 We had tealights as part of our centrepieces.. they were flameless ones though.

Originally Posted by Emi-Lou 

Hello!  Does anyone know whether they allow candles/tea lights on the tables for the meal?

Originally Posted by acw271011 

hi to all the brides to be that are here and a hello again to the two veterans that I see. Jayne and Krista hope married life is going well for you guys. I lurk here every once in a while and catch up. I'm in the same boat as exquisite02. I don't get regular updates anymore either so when I do have a minute to check things out there are usually several pages to look through.

 

our one year anniversary is coming up in just about 3 weeks - October 20th. can't believe it's a year already! the time has just flown by!  we've had some unusual things that have happened to us over the last 11 months so believe it or not we're thinking about a vow renewal already! possibly in 2014 if certain things go ok. we'll have to see what the next year brings for us.

 

 My inlaws actually brought them down in their suitcase from England.. but they said they didn't have any trouble at the airport.  And I don't know where they got them in England, sorry.

Originally Posted by JennS 

Kristo,

 

Did you have any problems at customs with bringing sky lanterns??  And did you get them through skylantern.com?

 

Jenn

Yes, I didn't use the bouquets that they offered in our package (we brought our own), so they did up two centrepieces which we used on the table where you sign the marriage certificate during the ceremony and then they moved them to our head table for the reception.    But I had to provide centrepieces for the rest of the tables. 

And we rented the gazebo after dinner.  So it worked out nicely that we finished dinner, and walked right over to the gazebo.  I believe we only paid $250 though.  Email her back and tell her you were told by past brides that it was cheaper than what you were quoted.  I did that, and they gave it to me for that price.  Doesn't hurt to ask! 

We brought our own ipod dock and ipod and when we got to the gazebo, we put all our stuff down and we went and set off our sky lanterns and then did our first dance.  The ipod dock worked perfectly and we had put extra songs on there in case we got the gazebo till later.  Worked out better than expected because they didn't end up turning the lights out on us until about midnight!  At which point we moved over to the disco.

And we didn't use the bartender.  A few of the guys took it upon themselves to ask each of our guests for a small donation ($10 or so per couple) and they went into town and picked up a tonne of liquor for us.  So it was set up with pop, juice, ice, and cups when we got to the gazebo.  You can request that set up (ice, pop, juice, cups and a table) for free and they'll do it for you.  If you're not comfy asking the guests to give more money, just work it into your budget and get some bottles of rum, vodka, beer, and wine (and don't forget the rum punch - tip a bartender during the week for a couple jugs on your special night!) yourself during the week. 

Hope that helps!

Originally Posted by JennS 

Hi Girls, thank-you for the info...you guys are both so helpful and its great to have people like you on this forum, most people I'm sure get married and then never come back on the share advice with the Brides to Be, so again thank you both!!

 

I have spoken to Chandlyn and the only place available to have a semi-private is the Grill, so that it is what we've decided to do.  With the exception of you JayKay, it sounds like most have gone with the Dolce Vita as it overlooks the ocean, but its unavailable to hopefully the Grill will be good.  We are also going early January but it will be over the Christmas/New Years period.  I am glad to hear that you get to choose your menu...and I'm glad you mentioned about the Kids and Vegetarian meals Kristo, I never would have thought of that either.

 

As for decorations, Kristo you have mentioned flower centrepieces...did they provide those instead of the bouquets since you didnt use the free ones??

 

 Not sure what colours the resort offers in terms of chair ties, but the covers are white.  You could always send them an email and see what colours they offer, or you might even luck out while down there and get chummy with another bride that is using the same colour as you.  You could share!

We used a wedding travel planner as well.  So all my guests from Canada booked with them, and then our friends from England booked themselves.  I just informed my wedding planner of the others confirmation numbers and arrival dates and asked if we could all be put together once we arrived.  It worked out perfectly and there was no problem with it.    And in terms of quoting the number of guests you have, you don't actually need to do that until you meet with Donnalee.  She will ask you then how many guests you have with you and you can firm up numbers then (adults vs kids).

Hope that helps!

Originally Posted by leannesmith 

Hi Brides and Brides to be!!

 

We are getting married at the Bahia on Sept 30th, 2013 and i am super excited and nervous. 

 

Has anyone had luck confirming what colors the resort offers for chair covers and decor?  i am looking for a deep red coral color (guava) but i am not sure if they will have this.

 

I am also using a wedding travel planner who will coordinate the bookings, etc.  But what happens if some guest book on their own and not through the wedding planner....has anyone had the same experience?  is it difficult to confirm the total number of guests?  what is the latest time you have to confirm this with the resort?

 

Has anyone used the piscus snack bar as the reception?  I am thinking of using this location as it is outside and can fit up to 150 guests.

 

Did anyone pay extra for the on site photographer to shoot for the entire day?  I am looking to see what the cost difference is to see if it is wort paying the vendor fee of $800!!!

 

Anyone with some useful information would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Leanne

 We didn't ask for semi-private, its just what they give you at the Dolce, so you should be fine!  Enjoy!

Originally Posted by SarahJ 

Hi Kristo - brilliant...thanks for replying. I was amazed that was a pic of the cake supplied by the resort it was beautiful...I thought we would just be given a simple one tier sponge/fruit cake! I hope I receive the same kind of treatment that you obviously received. I will make sure I tell my guests to eat it all otherwise we lose it or smuggle it back to our room! haha....I have booked the Dolce Vita for our reception so i'm really pleased I did now seeing your pics and reading your reviews etc. Although I havent booked it as a private reception its just whats included in my wedding package and I had a choice of restaurants. I'm getting so excited now - I cant wait. Thank you ) I hope your enjoying married life...x

 Thanks Sarah!   Yes the cake in my pictures is what the resort supplied.  I just told Donnalee what flavour I wanted, gave her my topper and the flowers I wanted it decorated with and they did the rest!  It was amazing and soooo tasty!  We never saw any of it afterwards though so I don't even know if it was all gone or not!  And yes, that's the Dolce Vita.. a perfect place for a semi-private (which is really private - in your own room, away from all the regular guests).  It's right beside the ocean as well!!

Originally Posted by SarahJ 

Kristo - I've been looking at your photos, you looked beautiful and so happy. I hope you had a fantastic day. I just wanted to ask, the cake in your pictures, is that the one the hotel supplied? And the picture of the tables laid out, is that the Dolce Vita restaurant at the hotel? Thanks for sharing your experience on the forum, I'd be lost without this forum, so thanks to all the brides :-)

 We had our semi private dinner at the Dolce and it was very private.  We got a whole room to ourselves so we even did speeches in there (no mic needed).  They didn't rush us at all... we had plenty of time between each course to squeeze in visiting with our guests, a speech here or there and took loads of pictures too.  The menu was different than what you'd normally get if you just went there for the a la carte.  You get to pick that once you get down there.  I had even forgotten to get kids meals and vegetarian meals so last minute they whipped something up with no advance notice. 

You can use all your own decorations if you want.  We had the flower centerpieces they made us (we didn't use the free bouquets in our package) and we brought down our own centrepieces for each table.  We also had our wedding favours on each place setting.  They added extra candles, the personalized menus and our chair sashes as well. 

Originally Posted by JennS 

Hi Gals,

 

Those of you who have already been married...can you tell me anymore about the semi-private reception dinner if that was the route you chose to go??  I am curious how long they allow us to be in the restaurant? Does it feel like your eating amoungst a room full of strangers or was is private enough?  Also, do they give you any special type of menu choices with the semi-private? and lastly, did they allow you to use your own table deco, table favours etc??

 

Thanks Jenn

 I still haven't gotten mine, but Donnalee emailed me last week to confirm my mailing address and has assured me it's on the way.  I was married at the end of May!  SLOW!!!

Originally Posted by FutureKeese22 

Past Brides -  how long did it take you to get your marriage certificate in the mail? I have heard of some people getting married in the states before they go and writing in the date they got married on their certificate? I don't know if you can do that or if it is legal...but anyway they did that because they were scared their married wouldn't be legal in the states or they wouldn't get their marriage certificate back in time. I just wanted to know! Thanks! ;-)

Sorry for the delay Colleen, I just sent you an email.

 Hey there, we brought over sparklers and sky lanterns and just packed them in our checked luggage.  So they went on the plane no problem.  And the resort allows both so you're good to go if you decide on them.  The sky lanterns were a huge hit with our guests!  They were beautiful when we let them off.  Even the ones that crashed and burned were special!    And we had sparklers for everyone when we did our first dance.  It was awesome to look around and see everyone around us lit up!

Originally Posted by FutureKeese22 

Hello! Sorry it has taken me awhile to get back to you! I ordered my dress in April and they said it takes about five to seven months for it to come it! Still waiting! I finally got my veil! It came in after almost 4 months! I would book the steel drum band ahead of time just to be sure. We already did. We just pay when we get there. I think we are doing the free wedding package, but we aren't for sure yet. Anyway, keep in touch! There is so much to think about and plan...all the small details!

 

Anyone know if you can bring sparklers and sky lanterns with you or do you have to have that shipped over before? I figured you could put that all in your bag that goes under the airplane?!

So the wedding is all over with and now I'm selling off some of my "stuff" 

I have 40 coral chair sashes

5 coral table runners

They were bought from http://www.weddinglinensdirect.com/index.html and paid $60 for the lot when I bought them.  I'll willing to sell them for $40 obo.

I also have three big spools of coral ribbon that I had left over.  I used most of it for the wraps on our bouquets and then used them on our OOT bags to tie on tags. I paid about $15 for each one ($45 total) and I will sell them for $35 obo.  They measure 11/2" 38mm and the other is 5/8" 16 mm. 

I live in Canada and shipping would be extra. 

Message me for more details.

Krista

Congrats!  You're going to love it!  It wasn't as hot as I thought it would be in my dress.  Mind you, mine was organza, so a very light material.  But once you get down to the gazebo there is such a nice breeze that you forget all about the heat!    I think I ended up wearing my dress for about 9 hours... but it really just depends on what time your wedding is at.  Mine was at 4pm so I was in it at 3:30pm and wore it until after our reception party at the gazebo at midnight.  I finally changed into regular clothes and headed to the disco.  Then I got back into it the next morning for my TTD session for a couple hours.  But everyone there is so lovely and you'll get compliments everywhere you go in it!  The lobby, the terrace, on your way down to the gazebo... strangers just can't help but tell you how great you look and wish you their congrats!   If I could have, I would have worn it every day for the remainder of our vacation for that reason alone!!

Originally Posted by Dizzypeacock 

Hi everyone,

My fiancee and I visited Gran Bahia Principle last July and had an amazing holiday - gorgeous resort, brilliant atmosphere and trips and just a truly fantastic time. We got engaged last November and are now planning are wedding for July 2014 at Gran Bahia Principle. I have read through most of this thread- thanks for all the advice and wedding pics which have been shared.

Just wondering if you could answer a couple of questions about wearing your wedding dress in Jamaica- How did it feel? How many hours could you wear it for? 

Thanks!

 Since we didn't hire the DJ it was all up to us.  So we brought an ipod dock with us, and then our ipod.  It worked out perfectly because we had sat down and picked all the songs we wanted for the night (worked out to about 3 hours of music) and put them in order as well.  So after the first dance, father/daughter, mother/son dance, it just played all night long, with our pre-set paylist.   Worked out perfectly!

Originally Posted by Geral 

Hi Kristo, you indicated that you used your ipod for music at your reception party at the gazebo....did you have to bring your own speakers, or is there some kind of speaker system at the gazebo?

 Hey there, we tried to get them in bulk but the company doesn't sell them that way.  We got them from Canadian Tire.  They are normally about $13 each, but each spring and fall they got on sale for $6.99, so if you can swing it, get them then as you'll be saving a bunch of cash!

Originally Posted by Geral 

Hi Kristo,

 

The Bubba Kegs appear to be a great idea. Did you buy the bubba kegs in bulk?  Where did you find them, and how much did it cost you?

 

 Thank you!  I wanna do it all again!

Originally Posted by Stay cee1 

Kristo...congratulations!!  You look stunning and your dress is beautiful.  Thanks for the review...!!