DandM2013

Originally Posted by AngRiggs 

 

Your wedding sounds like it was amazing!! I'm getting married October 29. I also have Tamika now. I am trying to find out about upgraded chairs and she redirects me to TaiFlora who I've been trying to reach since March. How did you deal with your upgrades? Did you just choose them once you got there? thanks

 

I never contacted Tai Flora directly, I told Chandlyn originally what I wanted in an email. I told her how many bouquets and extra decor and she contacted tai flora and priced it for me. I have their catalogue somewhere in my old emails I can email it to you if you want. You can look at all the decor options.

I finalized everything when I was there. Honestly, do not worry too much about the emails... They can make anything happen in a matter of days...

Just come organized and prepared and give clear directions and you will be OK

Originally Posted by SarahInNS 

 

Question for the ladies who have had their wedding already! Which cake flavour did you get, and would you choose it again? We cant decide between chocolate, vanilla or coconut!

 

Also, for anyone who rented the gazebo or poolside after dinner, and chose NOT to have a DJ, what was provided, if anything, for you to play music on? Was there a fee?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Sarah

Hi Sarah,

My wedding cake was 3 layers ( we needed to feed 70 people)  and we choose a different flavour for each layer. Chocolate, Vanilla-Rasberry and Coconut. I got compliments on all 3 flavors. I only tried the Rasberry and it was great.

Originally Posted by Jenn83 

 

Those of you who had the steel drum band - do they play what you ask them to? For the ceremony or during the time after the ceremony? If they don't play what you ask, what sort of songs do they play? How long are they there for?

Hi Jenn

The wedding coordinator, at the meeting asks you what you want them to play when you walk down the isle etc. You can tell them exactly what you want. They were there before the ceremony, during and after- I would say 1 hour or so. They are great and people loved them.

The steel drum band was included with my package

Originally Posted by CdnBrideJoanne 

 

Dana, thanks so much for your review!  So happy that the rain stopped and didn't ruin your beach wedding.  You looked absolutely gorgeous!

 

Can I ask you what 'package' you went with?  And how much you paid extra for the upgraded bouquet? 

I went with the unforgettable package which for 2013 is their top package and we got everything promised. Room upgrade, romantic dinner for 2, steel brand band, flowers at reception head table, Moet champagne, gift baskets etc. It was worth the money. We also paid for a private reception.

For my flowers, we get a free bouquet and boutonier with the package so I gave my free bouquet ( which was very basic) to my maid of honour and ordered my own upgraded bouquet. I believe I paid 120$ for 1.5. dozen...I wanted the bouquet to be a central part of alot of the pictures and so I wanted to invest in a beautiful one and it was!  (I thought 2 dozen was too big but one dozen was not big enough so I asked if they could do 1.5 and they did and it was perfect!)

Dana

Hello Brides,

Another review for you. I was just at the resort from June 28 to July 5 and had my wedding on July 1, 2013. It was amazing!!!!!!!!!!! Let me break it down for you...

Hotel- Its huge, We were in room 18415 and had a view of the main beach and it was private and beautiful. Food was good. Beach is nice, pool is nice..... The only thing I got complaints alot about was the towels. They have a towel shortage at the hotel for sure. We got told to come back constantly when we tried to replace our beach towels. They really should order more! And it the room as well. Our room was always stocked but alot of my friends complained that the cleaning lady would take the towels and not give new ones. If you want to avoid this problem, pack an extra towel in case...

Wedding planner- Originally I had Chandlyn, then I had Donna Lee and when I got there it was Tamika who became my new planner. She was amazing and so accomodating. We met and went over every detail and she was wonderful. I told her my vision and she made it happen. We brought our own chair ties and decor and wanted it set up a certain way and she did just that. I made a plan on the reception ( a play by play list) for her and she found it really helpful. If you have anything you need from the planners, be specific and they will get it done.

Wedding Day- It was a beautiful sunny morning, shaping up to be a great day. Went to get my hair done at 1pm for my 4pm wedding. They did a great job and had mimosa's waiting for us. GOt back to the room at 3pm and Chris Lee was already there waiting for me. I invited him in and ofered him a soda while I continued to get ready, put on my dress etc. Then at 3:30pm WORST NIGHTMARE happened- It was pouring rain! Pouring! I was so upset. I kept looking out the window and praying for it to stop. The phone started ringing saying we are going to wait and delay a little bit etc.  I continued my shoot and Chris kept me calm telling me he knows it will pass. And it did!!! at 4pm the show was back on the road and everyone went down to the Gazebo.

Flowers- I got an upgraded bouquet #52 in the booklet i think and it was so pretty. We ordered 2 vases for the Gazebo and other flowers werealso placed there. Gorgeous work!

Ceremony- was short and sweet -15 mins tops and then a champagne toast and steel drum band was playing for my 67 guests. It was great and I cried as I walked down the isle. Took some family shots and a group shot and then we continued on our own for an 1.5 hour.

Photographer- As mentioned above, I had Chris Lee and the man was incredible. I was beyind happy with the gorgeous pictures he took. I will post some! He was a pleasure to work with as well.

Recpetion- Because we had a big group we booked the Dolce Vita and closed it down for a privat reception and the craziest dance party ever!  It was a blast, food was good, pspeeches, toasts and dancing until the walls were sweating!  Everyone cannot stop raving about the wedding and how beautiful it was.

All in all, it was amazing and they know what they are doing, My advice, plan your wedding and all the details and have alot of notes for the wedding planner and at the meeting and rehearsal make sure she "sees your vision". Don't worry about their slow replied to emails etc. Just know that they will pull it off as you want and hope! Relax and enjoy. The day passed so quickly it seems like a dream, try to take a moment when you can and soak it all in!

Dana

Originally Posted by Lola1974 

 

Does anyone have prices for hair and make up at the resort....thanks

I just got back and paid for the bridal hair and makeup and it was 210$ all inclusive and that included a free trial. They did an amazing job!

Originally Posted by mallenbride 

 

Hi everyone.  I'm getting married at GBP in May 2014 and I was wondering if there is anyone out there that has had a bigger wedding there and booked the private dinner?  I'm not talking huge wedding, but we are expecting about 75 at this point and I just want to hear some reviews on the bigger weddings and the private reception.

 

Thanks!

 

Hi Mallenbride

I will post pictures from my private reception when I return mid July. I am having my reception at the Dolce Vita and paid the 2,500$ to close it down for the evening and for the DJ.

I have 68 people attending my wedding and because of the size of the group wanted to make sure we had a private venue to all eat together and do speeches and dance.

I opted for the indoor venue because the weather at the end of June / early July is very hot and humid and figured the indoor venue would be more comfortable for my guests.

Congrats FutureKeese22!  Let us know how it goes. 

I leave June 28 for my July 1 wedding and I am sorting out all the final details now!

Let's hope everything goes smoothly and beautifully!

Hi Everyone,

Can anyone send me the email address of Stephany or Vinette? I have been dealing with Chandlyn for the last year and now that she is gone I need to ensure all the detail of my wedding are still good to go!  I am getting married in less then a month so its crush time!

Your help wopuld be great.

Any brides that were just at the resort and got married I love reading all your reviews and seeing the pictures!

I will make sure to post a review after mine.

Thanks,

Dana

cdnbridelinzy- Your pictures are just beautiful!

Again, I will ask if anyone has the contact info for the tour company you used for Dunn Rivers Fall group excursion?!

I am so happy when I read all these great reviews!

I booked my hair and makeup with the hotel, because I like the idea of a free trial before. I booked the free trail for Saturday night, which we hope to have a Welcome Dinner with everyone booked and then a mini Jack and Jill. So I figure I get dolled up for that night as well. 

I assume most of your did use the hair and makeup team from the Bahia Spa and were happy with their services?!

Can anyone post the contact information for the Karanda Tours Party Cruise?  I would like to get in touch with them and see if they offer group rates and can accomodate a large group ( 60 +)?

Thanks ladies!

For LisaK

I actually emailed her to ask what day and time worked for her. It ended up being 1pm that we got in touch with her! Don’t worry there is still a lot of time.  

Hello Ladies

I can’t believe it’s 2013 already! Happy New Year and happy planning! My Wedding is booked for

July 1, 2013.

Here is some advise that I have for everyone. Going back and fourth via email can be really crazy and confusing. I was having trouble trying to understand the packages and deposit and extras and everything. 

What I did was found out when was a good time to schedule a call to Chandlyn or Donna Lee.  I prepared a list of questions and although it took me a few tries to get them on the phone, I called in the morning as scheduled and they were busy with a wedding .So I called again in the afternoon…  Chandlyn took her time speaking to me and we sorted out a bunch of details.

I have 70 people coming to the wedding! ( OMG!!!... I was expecting a lot less but I am so happy so many of my friends and family are making the trip! )  Because we are 70- I am doing the private reception at Dolce Vita.  Despite the big numbers I wanted to keep it intimate and felt this was the only way.  It is 2500$ and it includes a set dinner, wine, beer,soft drinks … We are arranging to bring our own hard liquor and will pay a small uncorking fee per bottle.

What I would do is try to negotiate as much as you… if you take a more expensive package and you are bringing business to the hotel  more than likely they will be flexible flexible.

I would say to you – having all the extra’s does add up , so look at your budget and pick something that works for you.

It is important to iron out the details and then to do it in writing- I sent an email rehashing what we discussed and Chandlyn confirmed everything in writing.

Hopefully that helps… I would call closer to the wedding date because things change all the time and you have to be prepared.

Thanks

Dana

I booked my date with Chandlyn as soon as I picked it. I booked it in May 2012 for July 1, 2013.  It doesn't hurt to book it early.

I have not chosen any of my package details or any extras yet because it is all dependent on how many people are coming. I have given people an RSVP date of End of November 2012 - that gives us plenty of time,I would think, to pick a package and finalize all the details. Seems like everytime I email Chandlyn I get confused about something else.I might just opt to call her when I really get into planning.

I haven't started looking for a dress or anything yet, but in the fall there are lots of bridal shows coming up and I will start going to those and getting inspired. We cant decide what my groom Mike should wear, we will probably go with a khaki/linen paints, white shirt and vest look as well. I think it would be super hot to wear a traditional suit.

SarahJ -Yes I kinda want a fun entrance, especially since we are probably going to have a good number of people coming ( 50+) and we will close down one of the restaurants. I want to try to add a few personal touches to the day if I can. Nothing to over the top but we have a few ideas.

Here is a question for all you lovely brides and brides to be, probably directed more at  anyone that has already been married there or maybe you guys have already asked Chandlyn about this.

Me and my fiance are opting to do a private reception, because we are expecting close to 50 people and think it would be worth it.

The price I was told includes the Restaurant ( Dolce Vita)for 4 hours and the DJ for 2 hours.

Does anyone know if they will set up a microphone for speeches and if the DJ will be there for the entrances? Me and my fiance and our bridal party want to enter to specific music! haha

If the DJ only shows up later then I will need to bring some sort of IPOD dock or something for the music.

Thanks

Absolutely lovely! 

The flowers got me thinking... in the packages the flowers are suppose to be included... I assume the selection is not great. If you want to upgrade your bouquet with their florist will they at least give you a better rate? ( based on  the fact that flowers are part of the package)

Also seems like the photographers the hotel uses are not a hit. Any idea how much the pacakges start if you go through the hotel and how much a photographer from Merrick Cousley would cost instead?  Their pictures seem great. Hopefully they are affordable.

Have a good weekend!

Thanks Shimmer1614 for clarifying!  I will make sure to keep that in mind. 

What was everyone's opinion on Tai flora?  Did you get any flowers, centre pieces etc.  how was the price and were the flowers what you expected?

Anyone know what happens if the weather is not cooperating that day ( fingers crossed for all of us that it does!!!) but in case it doesnt, do they have an indoor setting?

I just got the 2013 packages emailed to me and their might be some changes. according to the "extras" section the chair covers are 5$ each chair and chair ties are 2.50$

I was told we dont have to pay for any extras until we get there, so we can sort these extras out in person at the Hotel when we arrive!

Thanks for the help

Hello out there to all the lovely brides,

My friend told me about this site and how it was a god send to her when she planned her wedding last year in Mexico!  I am finding alot of info on this site already!

I am planning to get married in 2013 - I have emailed Chandlyn who sent me the 2013 packages and from what I understand you have to put down a deposit to confirm the date. THe deposit is 25% of the package cost.

So one question.... if the package cost 700$ for example but there is 250$ minister fee (standard fee) as well- is the deposit 25% of 700$ or is it 25% of 950$. I assume its too early to pay for all the extra's , I have no idea how many table clothes and chair covers right now! lol

I want to try to fill out the deposit form properly the first time around! thanks

Dana

Hello Everyone

My name is Dana. I'm from Toronto. My friend recommended this site to me, it helped her alot planning her wedding in December 2011.

I am hoping it can do the same for me!

I am getting ready to confirm my Date for July 1, 2013 at the Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica.

I have heard some grerat reviews about the place and look forward to the entire process!

Looking forward to reading everyone's tips and experiences!