Chayil

On the way to Beaches Negril for my special day!!

Don't freak out, don't freak out!!!  lol  I've got 15 days left and I can't believe I am still holding it together.  At least I think I am.  Can't vouch for what next week will hold though.  OMG!!  But yeah, I can feel your excitement.  Congrats!!!

Originally Posted by mjwedding1111 

Thank you. Leaving in less than 2 mths. Starting to freak out. Ian requesting you on fb. Live to see pictures

Couldn't she just attend as one of your guests and do you hair?  I would think that if I chose to go that route that a photographer and/or hair or makeup person would be listed as a guest to help take care of my needs.  How can anyone complain about that?
 

Originally Posted by Sllefebvr 

Girls.... I know we are not allowed to bring in outside vendors but are we allowed to bring in an outside hair/makeup stylist?? I am in the process of booking Chasity Edwards.. and I don't want to do my 30% down if she can't come to the resort?!?

Congratulations!! So excited for you.  I am also getting married at Beaches Negril....but I got 20 more days!!!  Yay....so I know exactly how you ffel.  Hopefully the resort wont be too overflowing with people as a result of the other resorts being closed due to the Hurricane damages.  Enjoy your trip to the fullest and congrats again.  Look forward to your pics....by that time...i might be out there already.

Originally Posted by Trimalusta 

I'm getting married at Beaches Negril on 9/24/2011. 10 more days!! We are staying at Sandals Negril, with wedding at Beaches to accomdoate our families with kids. It's been a long haul since two weeks ago when Hurricane Irene closed down Beaches Turks and we were squeezed into Negril.  I'll definiltey do a review and post a few pics once we return.  Good luck to you all planning!

I suggest you look around for more reviews on that excursion before you decide. Just like reviewing movies, people always have different opinions.

My fiancee has already done the zipline canopy and said it was awesome....you should look at the one too!!  I'll have to ask him about the Jungle Tubing...don't remember him mentioning that one.
 

Originally Posted by Sllefebvr 

Yikes... It looks so fun okay that excursion is out!! What facebook page were you talking about?

 

 

I've been trying to get ready for my up and coming wedding by working on my body for an awesome fit in my dress as well.  Like you, i've already been a size I am happy with but wanted to tone up and i wasn't happy with my midsection although my fiancee thinks i'm nuts.  Anyways, a friend of mine is a bodybuilder in NYC and has a Facebook Group called Art's Diet and Fitness that has been a Godsend to soo many people. I followed up on other people's successes and decided to follow his diet to reach my own goal.  In actual fact, his diet wasn't a diet as I expected at all. It meant changing my terrible eating habits from twice daily to having something 5 times a day with moderate exercise and cardo.  (I was killing myself with insanity too when didn't really need to)  Anyways....I've lost 5 pounds since August 1st which is about what i wanted to lose to start and I am working on my inches.  All I had to do was be disciplined to eat what I was told and eliminate what I was told. Having something 5 times a day was hard at first because i didn't eat a lot to begin with so I was sooo full. Now, I can't wait till it's time to eat something because my metabolism has sped up tremendously.  Hardest part for me was eliminating sugar, dairy and flour from my diet...lol  I've got 1 month to go and will be slipping on my dress next week to check my fit but people have already commented on the difference they've seen.  So....while it's all good to do all these exercise tapes and stuff.....they really wont give you the results you want unless you change your diet. Dieting is 80% what you eat and 20% physical exercise.

Originally Posted by jszy10 

Hey ladies!!!  I did p90x before my wedding and saw awesome results...but I have now spent almost 60 days not working out (due to wedding/honeymoon/AHR/laziness), and even though I am still at the same smaller size, I added almost an inch back to my belly :oP.  In the final week of P90X, my upper back pain flared up big time, so when I tried to start it back up a week ago, I was in a lot of pain...SO, I purchased Jillian's 30 day shred and I just finished day 1!!!  Any feedback on the results I should hopefully see?  Are you all 'dieting' as well??  I am 5'4, 120lbs and a size 4, so I'm not looking to really lose much, but this belly has got to go!!

Thanks so much. Wish you all the best and save travels for everyone. I know how excited you are.  I'm still kinda calm but i know that as it gets closer that I will be a basket case. That, i have no doubt because I am already and overly emotional person...lol  Right now, certain songs I have chosen for my wedding have me in tears...lol  But yeah....I am trying my best not to worry and stress out about things i have no control over.  It's all part of memories right?  Enjoy every moment.  God Bless. Look forward to the pics.
 

Originally Posted by 1783lovely 

Ladies I leave today at 10:40pm I'm  really excited now!!! My sister and five of my guest arrived yesterday the called to report that weather is perfect so am praying it will stay that way until the big day. Sept 3, 2011

 

Chayil I know how you feel I was going crazy this week about the weather, but my TA cheer me up, she has been to Jamaica over a hundred  times and she says we will be fine.   

 

I will take pictures of everything and everybody so all you wonderful ladies will know how everything looks like with the improvements.. 

I will be back on the 8th so wish me good luck see you ladies  when I get back. happy planning

 

 

 

 

I am terrified that a storm will affect my wedding and I still have 37 days.  I heard that they have already closed Turks till Oct 6 and closed Bahamas till Sept 29. This probably means that Jamaica will be packed with people by the time I get there. I hope not.  I pray that the storm is not affecting anyone on here.....the thought of a Plan B scares me.
 

Originally Posted by 1783lovely 

Thanks ladies I needed  that support. Now i turn on the Television on today and all that is on is this Storm OMG am leaving on Wednesday I hope it does not affect my wedding.

I hope the Storm is not affecting any of you ladies ?

 

Unfortunately, keeping who you have will not be an option as of September 30th. Your new WC will be working out of Jamaica and not Miami. If you have not been introduced to your new WC yet it should be happening soon.  Lots of changes happening and they are doing their best to handle the transition.  It'll work out!
 

Originally Posted by beachesSB1412 

OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!  I do not want someone new!!!!!  Yes I am stomping my feet and pouting!!!!  I have just called Chloe and left her a voicemail to email me to confirmt this change and to give me "Shane's" email if he is indeed who I now need to communicate with.  GRRRRRR!
 

 

What kind of bug spray did you have?  There are all kinds and i wanna make sure that i get one that will do the trick.  I've already picked up something called Muskol with deet lotion....but i wanna pick up something else as well for a backup...any suggestions?
 

Originally Posted by tayrob11 

Here is some advice everyone for Beaches Negril....take BUG SPRAY as much as you can take!!  If you are doing OOT bags put it in for your guests!!!  I had bug spray and used it and still got bit up!!  There are sand fleas on the beach at night and in the resturants there are mosquitos.  I can't say it enough just make sure you have the spray!!! 

Excited is an understatement!!!  I sooo can't wait!!  And my wedding ceremony is the day before my birthday so its gonna be the best birthday yet!!

Trying not to let things I can't control stress me....easier said than done....but other than that....anxiously counting down the days.  I've been to Rick's Cafe before....took everything in me to jump off that damn cliff...lol  But, i will try to do it again.  Has anyone used the Beaches Wedding Website/Registry?  I've been using it and updating my blog with all my comings and goings...lol  it's been quite fun actually.

Originally Posted by stluciabound 

The countdown for you and Chayil is getting so close!!! You  both must be really getting excited!! Congrats!! As far as posting pics... When you are any of your responses there is a tool bar right above it where you can change your font, size, color,etc. If you scroll over top of each one it will tell you what it is. 5 icons over from the left of the smiley is a little picture that will say "insert image". Open tht up and hit the "browse button" You can then search your computer for wherever you keep your pics, click on the one you want and hit Upload. Hope that helps and good luck!

 

OMG!!! Thank you sooo much for sharing. I can't wait to share your pics with a few others that are travelling with me and were curious.

The gazebo is totally awesome and I think will be perfect for my dress and heels. Thanks so much.

You guys looked great!!  Wow!!   48 Days for me!!

Did they write their own vows? I've been trying to decide if I should. Are there different types of vows to choose from or do they just use the traditional?

Did I mention your pictures are gorgeous?  lol   

Thanks again
 

Originally Posted by stluciabound 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you thank you thank you for your input.

I am so sorry about the passing of the new husbands mother....that is so sad.  I am sure she was there in spirit anyways.

I am taking your suggestions and will email by fiancee about making changes to the reception time. Thanks. I'll also have him check on the right bed for the honeymoon suite too...but i'm pretty sure he was on top of that one.  He is the one that did all the bookings..lol

I am sooo excited.  49 days to go for me!!!

Question...where was the ceremony? On the beach, gazebo?  I am thinking of doing the gazebo because i really want to wear these nice sexy heels i purchased. lol

Originally Posted by stluciabound 

Hey Ladies!! @ FutureMrzMalone and Chayil.... yes, if you stay 6 or more nights the BB theme is free so long as you stay in a concierge level or higher. I actually just called my friend to double check with her and she said they booked the lowest level "concierge" room and they threw everything in for her.  The resort also does their very best to upgrade once you are there, especially if you are the bride and groom. The concierge level is awesome. Not only do you have 24 hour room service, but they literally also give you a liquor menu and will bring you bottles of wine, champagne, and liqour for free whenever you want. For instance on the morning of her wedding I surprised her with bottles of champagne and orange juice and we drank mimosas while I gave her her wedding gifts and we got ready... one experience we shared that we will never forget...

Do yourself a favor though... since you are staying at Beaches, it is a family friendly resort and each of the categories comes with both king size beds as well as 2 double beds. When we went my fiance and I booked one of the "honeymoon suites" and ended up with 2 double beds and ended up either having to sleep seperately or totally uncomfortable. I was so upset and addressed it with the resort, but was informed that all the king sized beds were already taken up and we should have confirmed that before we arrived. This was my only real complaint of the week. In my mind, I thought "honeymoon suite" spoke for itself, but apparently it did not, so don't take any chances

 

As far as the dinner... no we did not make reservations despite what they try to tell you. We ate dinner at the restaurant that you had to walk up the stairs to get to (sorry, I can't remember the name, but it is the only one where you need to walk up stairs... you will know what I mean when you get there). It was the fanciest one. I don't know what time your wedding is, but I think it opens at either 5 or 6 and we just arrived as it was opening and had no trouble all sitting together and it was awesome!! There is a bar/lounge at the bottom of the stairs that is nice so you can all gather there while you wait to go in. At worst you may end up with 2 large tables next to each other, but that's no different than a formal reception anyway.

 

As for her music... I believe they did end up burning a CD, which they used for the ceremony and reception. There was a sort of DJ or MC that kept the flow going though. The processional and recessional went perfect as did the symbolic dances along with a tribute to her new husband's mother who passed away just days before the wedding

 

Also, I might suggest switching the 30 minutes to an hour. I want to say the first 20-30 minutes we all kinda got settled and grabbed some drinks/food while they were nearby on the beach getting some nice photos done. The second half hour was when they were announced, did their dance, cut the cake, and we all got to celebrate a bit together before moving on to dinner at the restaurant. It was a special time I would hate to have rushed on you or for you to miss due to getting pictures.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions, I am happy my little bit of experience has been able to help Let our countdowns continue!!!!!

Hello, 

Thanks stluciabound for the info. I am getting married October 6 at Beaches Negril. I've also got a very small guestlist. I'd be surprised if it hit 15 people but i know for sure there will be 10 of us. So, at this point I have booked the Visions in White package with the half hour reception because I figured that there would be so much to do on the resort that we would really just use that time for congratulations and pictures and stuff.  Still toying with whether i should change that 30 minutes to an hour.  Hoping that we can probably eat together as a group at one of the resort restaurants afterwards. It just didn't make sense to me to pay that extra money for the extra private reception time.  Do you know if reservations were made in advance for the restaurant?

I was intrigued by what you mentioned about the music though. Because I have been trying to come up with my own list of songs I would like to hear.  What did you mean by your friend using a hybrid of a dj?  lol  And, thanks for clarifying that an Ipod can be used. That's awesome. It would be so much easier to just create a playlist instead of worrying about burning a CD although I will probably do both. Did your friend use their own music for the entire time? I was wondering if i was just supposed to put together a few songs for processional, first dance and reception or if i could actually put together several to play until we are done.  I'm excited.....51 days!!!
 

Originally Posted by stluciabound 

Hey ladies! @Future MrzMalone: My friend was working with a pretty limited budget and a fairly small guest list (about 12 or so) and did the BB theme with a one hour reception. She used a hybrid of a dj and their Ipod. It came out great! The h'ourderves (I know I spelled that totally wrong, sorry were very good, they had champagne ready for all of us, the servers/bartenders were excellent and attentive (I think there was almost more of them than us!!). They made everything very personal,included some local Jamaican touches, and provided a microphone for speeches. I really can't say a bad thing about any of it. For her situation I thought the timing was fine, they kept everything flowing but we never felt rushed. We all then went to the fancier of the restaurants and all sat together and had an excellent meal. Depending on the amount of guests you are having and how important it is to you to have your dinner very private, the 2 hour may be the better option. I am sure the 3 hour is very nice,but honestly, with how much fun the resort is I don't know that it would be worth the extra money, unless of course you really had a lot of guests. For our wedding next April I think I am aiming for the 2 hour with a steel drum band (just spoke with another bride who really enjoyed them, and they do play everything current and any requests). I am also going to do the BB theme, but with upgrades such as a flower petal aisle, arch, and paper lanterns, etc. I think it is a lot more economical especially since the other themes are $500 each added table whereas BB is only $100. That way you only pay for what is really important to you and plus you can mix and match. Also, don't let them pressure you into booking ASAP, because they are going to want deposits and payments, which is silly considering it is never too late to add anything, even once you arrive!

 

On a side note,I don't know how many of you had had the opportunity to visit any Sandals or Beaches resorts before, but you are in for a treat. This will be my third trip and I am hooked. From the moment you arrive with a silver platter of champagne and cool wash cloths during check-in, to how special they make you feel at every encounter, you won't want to come home. I know I never do when I am there and am always planning my next trip in my mind before I even leave. I know I mentioned it before, but try to make your way to Rick's Cafe and the Catamaran cruise, they were so awesome! We also did the ziplining, which was a blast. Congrats and good luck to all of you and let me know if you have any other questions!!!

Hey Honeylime,

I was trying to figure the same thing out. I'm actually expecting about 12 people. What i decided to do was instead of putting all that extra cost into a private reception (after all, it is an all inclusive resort), I went with the Visions In White Theme and put my money there....for a reception, I chose the cocktail reception to give us time to take all our photos and stuff. The question really would be about all the little extra's you are thinking of...are any of those extras you are thinking of included in another theme?  

Originally Posted by Honeylime 

Thanks Brandy. I'm just trying to wrap my head around how much the free wedding will actually cost by the time the little extras are all included. The beautiful beginnings package is quite plain but I don't know if it will be worth it to upgrade to a theme with for just 17 people, including bride and groom. Hmm...decisions, decisions.

Originally Posted by heatheroconn 

 

Hi Ladies!

 

Who all is getting married at Beaches Negril this year?  If so, where are you at with the planning and what month are you getting married?

Hi,

I'm getting married Oct 6, 2011 at Beaches Negril.  I've already spoken to Renee and have decided to go with the Visions In White Theme as well as the Cocktail Reception just not sure if I will do the 30 minutes or the 1 hour. I've already bought my dress which is NOT white but a Champagne color and now have to find a dress for my daughter. I've sent out Official Engagement Announcements as I only got engaged in May but still on the fence about how to notify my extended family of my intentions to have a DW because I am planning an intimate wedding that would exclude and upset a lot of people. Other than that, I am still waiting on confirmation from the selected few people that I actually have invited so that I know how many people will be there.  And.....i've started doing my countdown!!!

Thank you sooo much for such an awesome blog. Appreciate your sharing. You've helped tremendously.  I've been tossing up with idea of beach vs gazebo ceremony....think the gazebo for me will work out great.

Hey, I'm also from Toronto booked at Beaches Negril for Oct 3-10.   These threads are helping to put me at ease also.

Wow, thanks so much Brandy for posting those pictures. I am getting married 10/6/11 and now I feel even better about my choice of the Visions in White package.  I'm still wondering about location though...Beach, Garden or Gazebo.  I know we pick that when we get there but i'm trying to get an idea of what might be nicer with my dress and help me in selecting shoes..lol

Hi Ladies,   I'm getting married 10/6/11 and just getting into my planning now. Have already spoken with Renee to pick and theme of which I have decided to get with the Visions in White.  Already got my dress and trying to figure out if i'll want to be actually ON the beach for the ceremony or maybe the gazebo. Thinking the gazebo might be better because of my dress.  Happy to have read several of these threads and someone's wonderful blog of their experience...has helped to put me at ease.  Mine is expecting to be very intimate...no wedding party, my adult son and teenage daughter and a few guests so i'm looking at maybe 10 people if i'm lucky.  Getting excited. Congrats to everyone. Has anyone set up a Beaches Registry?

Hey,  I will be getting married there on 10/6/11.  Trying to sort all the details out myself for something intimate. I know that we get to pick locations once onsite but i'm already trying to figure that out from now so I know what kind of shoes to wear with my dress.  I was originally thinking to do it on the beach but the gazebo is sounding more classier. This thread has helped a lot with other things i've been wondering.   Anyways, congrats.....see ya out there!!