Stay cee1

Quote: Originally Posted by tram13 Yep! That sounds about right. I am going to be renting the Piscis for a private reception. The dinner is roughly two hours, where apparently they only serve beer and wine...and it comes with 2 hours of the DJ afterwards for dancing, etc. If one wants an open bar for the two hours after dinner, I believe they quoted me something like $23 per person for the 2 hours. I kinda think charging on a per person basis is ridiculous, if all we are paying for is the bartender's time. It should just be a straight rate. That's just my rant and opinion though! @Tram13 - Sounds like the frustrations are setting in with the planning process. To be honest with you...if you are using the Pisces, it is an outdoor venue, so don't bother spending the extra money on an open bar. You can arrange for someone to go to the bar and pick up what you need...they will even give you cups, and mixed drinks. One of the couples that got married while there had their dad pick going back and forth with big jugs of drinks...LOL. If you can meet with an arrange for one of the bartenders to help you out a day or 2 before your wedding...that's even better. It's an all inclusive resort...what would be the point in spending extra money for an open bar when they are all over the resort? Hope the tip helps!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Novr2013Bride Hi Ladies Wondering what you girls are all doing for wedding favors? I can't seem to be able to decide what to do.. Also any good idea's for bridal party gifts? I'm completely at a loss right now as what to get.. Thanks Hi Novr - I got my BM's matching bracelets with a pretty bow that went well with their dresses. I also got silk robes from Macy's on Black Friday sale for $10 each. I personalized them with iron on rhinestones purchased at the local fabric store. For my MOH, I splurged and got her a new Pandora bracelet with her first charm. She loved it!! For my mothers I got them Swarovski crystal earrings (bought during Black Friday sales as well). For the guys we bought them all matching shirts for the wedding, the Best man was given personalized silver flask. Start buying early and watch for sales during the Holiday season....our wedding was in July, and we bought all our bridal party gifts during black Friday sales in the US. Happy Planning

Quote: Originally Posted by mallenbride Ya, it wasn't the best experience, but they agreed to just wait and get my deposit closer to the date...not sure how that will help. It was just a deposit on the package I think. They didn't really say. I was confused when I got the forms and asked what the deposit was for and she just it was just to hold the date and that it was $400. So now I have not paid any deposit and they are still holding the date...go figure. Hubby and I paid for everything on our CC when we arrived. We just felt more comfortable with that once we finalized everything with the WP. You can choose that option as well!! Just communicate your concerns to the WP and they will accommodate you...shouldn't be a problem.

Plain...meaning I chose just the white coverings..

Bonnie - The chairs are your usual banquet chairs...and they are quite ugly. They do provide standard white coverings which is very pretty...some brides add their chair sashes...I left it plain and it came out very pretty in pictures.

Quote: Originally Posted by CristalyneAnkit Hey STemple, I was quoted $2500 as well but after reading a few of the Brides comments on here I'm going to call them tomorrow and tell them I was told it was $1700 by one of their previous planners (since it's never the same person answering) and make sure they note it down. You're lucky you got the Canapes menu I'm still waiting to receive it! Would you mind posting it on here so I can take a look? If it says Canapes and Cocktails are "included" that would mean they're included would it not! My Fiance and I were talking today and feel like even though it's all inclusive we still have to shell out money to get food and drinks for our day. He did bring up the point that it is fair for the resort to charge the $2,500 fee to privatize an area since it is after all an All inclusive resort where other people are paying for as well and sectioning something off is unfair to them BUT that $2500 isn't really going back to compensate other travellers and I really don't see why we need to pay another $2450 for the Romance Extravaganza Package. If we didn't section things off workers would still be there to bartend and serve food right so what's the difference here???? It's quite frustrating I agree but honestly I feel like no matter what resort you go with you will encounter these little stupid things that make no sense. I'm also using Rashel. Her work is fabulous! At first I was told I would only have to pay for her day pass. Then I was told the Spa might charge me a vendors fee, which hasn't been confirmed yet. Now I THINKKKK I might have found a way to avoid all these vendor fees. If I'm not mistaken everytime I call to speak to someone and mention Don Pablo they tell me it's basically a resort within the resort and is it's own entity. This would kind of make sense why they can't upgrade you there as it's technically a different resort even though it shares the same grounds. Now I read from another Bride she bypassed the fee because she somehow luckily got upgraded with her entire Bridal party to the Don Pablo section! How? I have no clue and I'm dying to figure out the secret as well! BUT because she was with Don Pablo, even though Arrefice chased her for that $800 Photo Fee she said Don Pablo told her that Arrefice isn't an on resort vendor and hence she doesn't have to pay. Another Bride posted a message she got from Arrefice stating the fee was to be paid by the actual Photographer and Videographer, not you. I would assume this applies to all Vendors including Rashel. So if the Vendor doesn't pay them, what are they really going to do about it? I also read another Bride got Rashel in for free no day pass needed and no fees! I think it all has to do with who you speak to and how friendly yet stern you can make yourself come across through the phone if that makes any sense. My plan is to upgrade my Fiancee, I and our Parents to the Don Pablo section. We would technically be guests under Don Pablo, a separate Resort from GBP as they all claim and hence no vendor fees! I'm not planning on telling the planners or resort or Arrefice this and if anyone makes a big deal about it guess what the Vendors will be gone way before anyways! I haven't yet decided on Arrefice or not as I really think their video sucks. If they give me a good deal for my 4 day Wedding though I may go with them for Photos. If I do decide to bring my own guy in he's basically my cousin attending the wedding who happens to be a professional photographer. I'd be paying for his room so to bad so sad for Arrefice if I go that route. As for Rashel, she's a long time family friend who's attending my wedding and yes she is doing my makeup, if anyone decides to have a problem with that on the day of a Brides Wedding they really is a shame on them and really I doubt they'd have the nerve to ruin your day. If they mention later on hey you used someone else you need to pay the vendor fee, well guess what the vendor fees are paid by the vendors and she's no longer here, what are you going to do about it? That's my schematic plan for now lol. They've already screwed up with me enough that if they tell me I need to pay more money for something else, hell I'll buy a ticket fly to Jamaica tomorrow and give them shit in person! Hope I could help give you some insight here. We had 3 personal photographers...they are family members or friends who traveled with us for the wedding. We never had any issues, or hassles from the wedding or photography department when it came down to it. There is no need to bring this up with the resort. Your guests are allowed to take pictures...don't even let this part stress you out. The only vendor fee you will have to worry about is anyone that isn't staying on the resort. You can purchase a day pass for $75 US on your wedding day for that person. Once that person arrives, they will have to go through the security check point to get on the resort...I recommend that you do not let your planner or the spa know that this person will arriving to do your hair or makeup...this is where the vendor fee can be tacked on, and upon entry to the resort, they will require the vendor to pay...especially if they show up with equipment. Rashel can arrive as a day guest, where you or someone can meet her in the lobby and you all can work out the logistics as to where you wish to have her complete her services. The resort is huge...so you really don't have to worry about that. Remember the key to a Destination wedding is to pack, fly, enjoy!! I canceled my spa appointment after walking in and seeing the work they do...wasn't happy with it...no charge!! I went off resort to get my hair done and I had no issues whatsoever. I never discussed my plans with the spa...i just told them a family member is doing my hair. They will accommodate you as much as they possibly can..but I will say this much...friendly...not stern!! Stern gets you no where fast on the island...friendly gets you everything every time.

MelB, my wedding was July 9th. It was Blazing hot, hot, hot and dry during our stay. I enjoyed every minute of it too!! I wore a full wedding dress, organza material, which had a bit of a trumpet style, so not much room for air under the dress. I never had an issue with chafing or sweating between my legs...I showered right before putting on my dress, and added baby powder which had baking soda in it...picked it up at the drug store...i think it was even a store brand one too. The gazebo is very windy so you won't even have to worry about the heat much...everything goes so quickly...before you know it...you've finished your walk, your ceremony and pictures are finished, and you are sitting down to dinner.

**I meant our 3rd monthiversary to follow up***

Hello ladies, It has now been 51 days since our wedding...and our official marriage certificate arrived by DHL delivery. I think that's awesome...and wanted to share this with the future brides. I wasn't sure what to expect..I just set a reminder for our monthiversary to follow up with the wedding team...so this was a pleasant surprise...now to get that name changed!!!

CdnbrideJoanne - I know the feeling! I had the same concerns going in to do my final fitting when my dress arrived. I arrived, totally expecting it to be a bummer...and I ended up falling in love with my dress again. Don't worry about the dress number they told me...bridal gowns fit small...as well, regardless of the size, you want it to fit all your assets perfectly..!! No matter what anyone says, everyone goes to a wedding ceremony to see the bride and her dress..!!! LOL. To all the other future brides..I can tell you guys without a doubt that you will have a blast! The one thing I found out when I arrived is alot of the smaller details were not necessary...however, I was happy that I added personal touches like my wedding program fans, favors, treat bags (I ordered Jamaican treats from my now sister-in-law that lives on the island and brought the bags and bows and tags with me...spent only a couple hours before prepping them). The planners took everything and had it all set up perfectly for me. Another tip I can offer is to set up Dropbox in order to get all the pics everyone took...it's the easiest photo sharing site...it's better than a whole bunch of your wedding pix showing up on facebook which we were totally against. Happy planning for the Future Brides.

Mel...don't worry about the slow RSVPs..as time goes by, others will start jumping on the bandwagon. Ask your family, or friends for a used suitcase to transport your wedding goods...I did the same and left that suitcase there...It saved us the extra cost with the airline coming home.

I did the top layer of Vanilla and the bottom Vanilla-Raspberry. It was delicious and I would choose it again!!

We didn't go with the video, but they did capture some really great pix. I went with the free pics and purchased an additional 10 once we reviewed everything. Try their website...i do believe they may have videos there.

CdnBride - I will be happy to give you the contact information for the off-resort salon...inbox me if you would like the details!! Just note that the staff on the resort is not able to give you referrals anywhere else...it goes against their policy...they will instead refer you to the onsite spa services. Leaving the resort becomes your responsibility to get information and travel on your own. I would recommend that you communicate with this stylist closer to your wedding date, to ensure the timing and availability. One tip i can offer is to speak to the security desk in the lobby about the taxi drivers bringing you into town...and they will give you a quote. Usually to travel there it would be roughly $3000Jamaican dollars which is $30 US (taxi driver takes you and waits for you to bring you back)...not bad. The salon is located in Brown's Town which was about a 20 minutes drive.

Now that I’ve had some time to settle in and semi-unpack...i thought I would take the time to post my review. We arrived Thursday July 4th and stayed until July 16th. We enjoyed our time to the fullest extent. Flight: WestJet treated us great. They offered us pre-boarding because of the dress....which helped a lot as it was a full flight. Dont feel bad about making this request...!! We travelled with our hand held steamer...but I couldn't stomach squishing my dress between luggage bags before the big day...! Since we were the only wedding couple on board and the flight crew kept treating us to snacks, complimentary champagne and rum punch. We arrived in Jamaica with a party mode and all juiced up..LOL. Check-In: The front desk treated us to a sweet and cool drink as we approached the desk, and our check in was seamless..the staff had our vote from the start. Resort: We stayed in room 17404 which turned out just fine as we were near the beach, and the pool. The resort is big, so be prepared to do plenty of walking and stairs climbing. After day 2, we started using the elevators as much as possible..our knees were on fire....LOL. There is no complaint about the food...there was certainly a lot of it...the drinks at the lobby bar and patio was always good and I loved how very liberal they were with the rum too!! We enjoyed the buffet and the variety it offered daily. We even ended up cancelling one of our dinner reservations to one of the restaurants and just ate at the buffet instead. The Piscis snack bar at lunch time was awesome...the staff made sure you had lots to drink, and the jerk chicken was divine!! The pool was awesome. We spent much of our late afternoons there after leaving the beach...its also an excellent gathering spot if you need to catch up with any of your guests. If I can offer you any advice it’s to write down your guests room numbers....we had 42 guests...it was hard to keep track, but once we had a list of everyone’s rooms, we pretty much found it easy to call and book breakfast with one bunch, lunch with another, and dinner with the rest. Once we got around to everyone, we pretty much left them alone to enjoy their vacation...everyone was fine with that!! Wedding Info: We got a call from Donnalee with the appointed time and place to meet. We went over all the details (she was very thorough and walked us through what the day would be like). She ensured we knew what time to be dressed, where we should be, and took all the information related to our guests (head count on and off the resort), names of each person arriving that were not staying on the resort, noted food allergies, food preferences for our vegetarians, as we made our meal choices. She was sweet, patient, and very accommodating. We handed over our suitcase filled with wedding items and she asked our vision, and assured us she would take care of everything. Hair & Make Up: I went to a local salon and got my hair did for 1/3 of the cost the resort spa offered. For anyone that needs hair pieces added in, please ensure you bring your own. They couldn’t accommodate me with this, and when out the day prior to the wedding purchasing hair pieces, I came across a salon another local bride just walked out of looking simply divine!! I walked in, got an appointment for 9am on my wedding day, complete with a driver...they guaranteed I would be back on the resort by 11am, and they kept that promise. For the driver, tip for the stylist and driver, my hair, and eyelashes, I spent less than half of the quote I got from the resort spa. Make up for myself an all the girls were done by my friend who travelled with us....we were all very happy with her work!!!! Our Wedding day was Tuesday July 9th. With my hair done by 11am, I had enough time to get my nails re-polished at the spa on the resort for $20 US, sit down for my make up by 1:30, and was in my dress by 3:15 for my 4pm wedding. A friend of my husband did our photo shoot which included my mom, my sister, and all the girls prior to the start of the wedding in the lobby. Vinnette was the assistant that met me in the lobby, and guided myself first along with everyone else in to the golf cart for our trip down to the gazebo. The décor to match our colors was perfect...The music was queued right on time...the wedding team guided through every step of the ceremony, including the minister who was flawless in his delivery, and personalized everything which suited us just fine. Our guests commented how magical and beautiful the ceremony was...it felt like a dream come true for both of us and was very emotional. Don't worry about all the little details...it comes together so great..and even if a few small things fall apart...they are so well trained and professional...they will ensure everything comes together smoothly for you!! Our reception was held at The Grill were we found the staff very easy going and accommodating. With the exception of the soup being way too salty, and the service being a bit too slow...we enjoyed ourselves!! We had the coleslaw, salmon with tequila reduction, apple crumble...everything was delicious. The wedding cake was a hit with everyone too! The left over was delivered to our room along with all of our personal items (centrepieces, candles, flowers...ect). After this, we all went back to change...some guests sauntered off to the bar...we all met later at the disco for the after party which was good times as well!! Overall, I would recommend a destination wedding to anyone. I loved the magical feeling of not having to stress about too much..and even if stress comes your way...its easy to tune it out with the island vibe!! If I could have changed anything it would have been my seating...not knowing how the set up is in The Grill, and not having a mike, made speeches hard. Other than that...everything was great! We are still in the process of going through our 1500 photos...but wanted to share just a few with you all.