ROR Brides - I need your help!

[Sunny]

I am getting married at the ROR in March 2009. I am soooooooooooo confused about the whole process currently. If someone (anyone!) could point me in the right direction I'd really appreciate it.

 

Here's what I want:

1. Wedding in the beach gazebo (I clicked "beach" since beach gazebo wasnt' an option)

2. I want decorations from the resort of some sort.

3. I want to rent the chair covers - I also want the chair covers at the reception.

4. I think I want a private reception. (I'm not sure on this - input?)

 

My questions:

1. I booked the "free" wedding package online because I really do not understand the options available. Do I get a reception of any sort with the "free" wedding? I hardly saw any difference in between the packages but some make reference to the number of guests so I wasn't sure.

2. Does anyone know what options are available for receptions?

3. Do I just contact the wedding coordinator with these questions? Can I change my mind on anything - ? There was no way I was clicking the boxes on the site for flowers and whatnot with absolutely no idea what they looked like!

 

Any input would really be appreciated - thanks!

[Spazz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunny I am getting married at the ROR in March 2009. I am soooooooooooo confused about the whole process currently. If someone (anyone!) could point me in the right direction I'd really appreciate it. Here's what I want: 1. Wedding in the beach gazebo (I clicked "beach" since beach gazebo wasnt' an option) I don't think that will be a problem at all, you just tell Chandlyn that's where you want it. There is only 1 wedding at a time so it's not like someone else will have it reserved. 2. I want decorations from the resort of some sort. You can get flowers, chair sashes, an aisle runner, candles, etc. from them. Each thing has a different charge. What are you thinking that you want? 3. I want to rent the chair covers - I also want the chair covers at the reception. I can't remember how much these are, but I'm sure someone will chime in. 4. I think I want a private reception. (I'm not sure on this - input?) If you have more than 50 guests, you can rent out the Plantation Restaurant for $250/hour (this is what I am doing). You can also have it on the beach at Seagrape Beach Bar and I believe this is $50/person. For all of the above, you should email Chandlyn and let her know. I would contact her as soon as possible if you want a private reception because they tend to book up fast. My questions: 1. I booked the "free" wedding package online because I really do not understand the options available. Do I get a reception of any sort with the "free" wedding? I hardly saw any difference in between the packages but some make reference to the number of guests so I wasn't sure. If you have less than 50 guests, you can have a "semi-private" reception for free at Mammee Bay. If you have more than 50 guests, ou need to use the Plantation Restaurant or Seagrape Beach Bar and those are an additional charge. There really aren't many differences between the packages that I could see. I also went with the "free" and am adding on different things that I want. 2. Does anyone know what options are available for receptions? Plantation, Mammee Bay, Seagrape, and the disco 3. Do I just contact the wedding coordinator with these questions? Can I change my mind on anything - ? There was no way I was clicking the boxes on the site for flowers and whatnot with absolutely no idea what they looked like! You can definitely change your mind. From what I can tell, you can do it up until your meeting with the WC when you get to the resort. Any input would really be appreciated - thanks!

Hope this helps!

[Agape Gems]

Don't worry too much, you have plenty of time! I didn't start planning any of the resort related things until January when I found this site and realized how much I hadn't thought about, now I'm 2 1/2 weeks away and pretty much everything is handled.

[Bride010101]

Lizz did a great job of answering most everything for you.

 

I figured I would chime in w/ my reception plans since you asked for input. We are trying to keep the budget low so we are going to use the free semi-private dinner at Mammee Bay and then use the Seagrape (beach bar) for the dancing/partying part of our reception at $10/person + dj.

 

I think the reception depends on what type of feel you want for it. If you are leaning towards the more traditional with different tables and private atmosphere.... the plantation or the beach for dinner is the way to go. If you really don't care about the meal portion setup then Mammee Bay is a less expensive (free) option but won't be your traditional wedding reception. Hope that makes sense.

 

 

And as everyone said you have lots of time. Most things can be changed up to the wedding and a lot can be arranged once you get there. From what I've read the most important thing to figure out ahead of time is reception stuff... as there are only so many spots.

[JUSTUSTWO]

I think Lizz pretty much answered all of your questions. Oh, I believe that the chair covers are $10 per cover.

You can also change your mind about anything, at anytime. Just because you picked a certain package online, doesn't mean that you can't change that once you get to Jamaica.

 

Try to relax a bit. You really do have a lot of time. As you read thru all these threads about ROR you will probably find a lot of answers to your questions. There are many reviews, lots of pictures and lots of help from all of us!!

 

And you can ask the WC any questions that you have. She may take awhile to get back to you, but she will.

[Sunny]

Wow - you guys are awesome (and quick!). Lizz, thanks for spending the time to reply in so much detail. I really appreciate it!

 

Becky, what is the Seagrape like?

 

Does anyone know what the menu at the Plantation is like? I know at the Mammee restaurant you can order off the menu...

[Bride010101]

Seagrape is the beach bar. It closes at like 5 or something... so thats the $10/person charge to keep the bar open. The reception itself will actually then be on the beach in the sand. I beleive they will bring down some tables for you and have tiki torches to light up the perimeter of the area.

 

Using the search function (upper right corner) do a search for seagrape and you will find lots of info.

 

One of the most recent ROR brides that came back has some photos... check out page 9 of: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t15662-9

 

Also take a look at the Jamaica thread... you will find tons of info on ROR. Also, if you look at the wedding review section there are several recent ROR brides.

 

I have found most of my information thus far on those threads. It saves a lot of time asking the wedding coordinator simple questions that other brides have answered. I suggest grabbing a notebook or something to jot down notes as you find them (and titles of threads)... because it can be difficult refinding stuff sometimes because there is so much info.

 

Good luck and let us know if you need anything else!

[Bride010101]

If you search plantation you should be able to find an idea of the menu. I know I have seen it somewhere before just not sure where. Maybe in the big (like 50 page) Riu Ocho Rios thread in Jamaica. (?)

 

Also, not sure if you've seen it but I attached a map of the Riu. Gives you an idea where the restaurants and Seagrape are.

 

 

Riu Map.pdf

[christenew]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunny Wow - you guys are awesome (and quick!). Lizz, thanks for spending the time to reply in so much detail. I really appreciate it! Becky, what is the Seagrape like? Does anyone know what the menu at the Plantation is like? I know at the Mammee restaurant you can order off the menu...

When I first signed up for this site I was so confused. I joined so early that all the pros had everything figured out. It took me 2 days to read through all the posts and I was so confused. I cried because I couldnt figure out what to do first. After a week of freaking out I came up with a plan. This is how I decided things step by step, maybe it will help you

1. I tried to figure out how many people would be coming. I made a list of all the people I figured would come from my invite list so that I had a rough guideline to go by. I invited 115 people and I figure I will have around 40 people attend

2. My fiancee and I decided what kind of wedding we wanted. We wanted a very informal wedding

3. Then I decided which location we wanted to get married. I choose beach before I realized that we could switch when we got there.

4. I looked at the dinner options for the number of people we were having. Then we decided whether we wanted to pay extra or not

5. We then looked at the reception ideas. I had to rely on all the fabulous brides on here to see pictures and hear their reviews. I am still not competely settled, but the ladies here sure help with answering any questions.

6. When it came to decorations etc we decided that these aren't as important to us so we will decide when we get there.

I attached a copy of a menu that another bride sent to me. Hope it helps.

 

 

Wedding Menus.doc

[Agape Gems]

Also, just a tip for navigating the site- anytime to post a reply to a thread you will become "subscribed" to it. If you click on the link at the top left that says User CP you can see all the threads that you have subscribed to. I didn't figure that out until like a month after I joined! I'm sure it's in the instructions somewhere, but I never read instructions