*The official St. Lucia Brides CHAT thread*

[adpilegcy]

BondGirl ..... So glad to hear that you liked the plantation.  I'm very excited but nervous at the same time since I can't go there and see it for myself.  eeek.  Any tips for things around the Plantation to do or see while we're there?

[gojordan]

Nice pics, very helpful, thanks!

[jjjemma]

Hello future brides!

I'm fairely new to this forum and not quite sure if I'm even allowed to post here but just wanted to let you know that I'm a wedding photographer from Vancouver(Canada) and that I will be vacationing in St. Lucia in Mid Nov for about 9 days this year, which means if anyone of you are there when we are there, we are more than happy to do a photoshoot with you guys! We are up for anything, weddings, engagement sessions, TTD session, etc and we do have experiences shooting destination weddings

 

You can check out our work at

www.stephaniekoo.ca / www.stephaniekooblog.com

 

Please forgive me if I'm at the wrong place to post something like this! I'll delete it right away.

Thanks and happy wedding plannings!

[bondgirl0072010]

Hey! To be honest, we were only there for a lunch so we didn't spend a ton of time there. I would think they could offer some suggestions to you. Have you contacted them or the St. Lucia tourism board? Another idea is to "like" them on Facebook & Twitter for ongoing updates.
 

Originally Posted by adpilegcy 

BondGirl ..... So glad to hear that you liked the plantation.  I'm very excited but nervous at the same time since I can't go there and see it for myself.  eeek.  Any tips for things around the Plantation to do or see while we're there?

 

[Sara Carroll]

Hey St-Lucia brides!

 

I would LOVE to get married in St-Lucia but my only draw back is if it is affordable for my guests. Which resort have you booked and roughly how much do your guests have to pay to attend the wedding?

 

Thanks for all your help,

 

Newbie Bride-2-be

[Leah22]

Hi Amanda,

 

I am considering the Windjammer for a June 2012 wedding.  Although I have nothing booked and I still haven't been able to decide on a location (I'm still not even sure about St Lucia)!  How has your planning process been with Windjammer?  I have considered renting the villas to help save my guests some money.  Are you have the ceremony and reception on the property?  Alternatively, I was considering Bay Gardens Resort or just renting private villas (we are anticipating 30-40 guests).
 

Originally Posted by amanda2286 

Hi britmitros,

 

I'm getting married at the Windjammer Landing in St. Lucia next June.  When I started planning I thought the best thing was to go through a travel agent, but I also got no help from the travel agent I met with.  I have planned everything myself with the wedding cordinator at our resort.  You really don't need a travel agent!!  Good luck with your planning!!

 

[poohbear1201]

Thank you for your wonderful tips for St. Lucia...my sister is getting married there December 1, 2011 Yay, so excited!! Would you consider sharing what you put in your airplane survival kit?? I think that is a fantastic idea

[Leah22]

Has anyone had any experience with The Landings Resort?  It looks beautiful and they offer villas on the property (which will be more affordable for my guests).  I am also consider the Windjammer for the same reason. I just got engaged and I'm trying to plan a wedding for ideally June 2012...and St. Lucia is my front runner at the moment.

[plagefille]

Bonjour Saint Lucia Brides, past and future!

 

I am new to this thread, but excited to have read through all the suggestions, ideas, thoughts, etc etc ... of the last 54 (!) pages.

 

My finace and I will be married this Nov (2011), near month end, in Saint Lucia.  Our planner is ACW (well cited throughout this thread, and we agree, very good at what they do).  The ceremony is on Pigeon Island, with beach refreshments after, as well as photos near the water and ruins after.  Then everyone is whisked to Fire Grill Restaurant for more merriment. 

 

I have not heard any mention whatsoever of Fire Grill on this thread, and wonder if I should be concerned?  There has been mention of The Edge, which is its sister restaurant.

 

Our wedding is both simple and complex at once.  Simple in that it's the beach, in the sunshine, with our families and best friends.  Complex because it's a destination wedding and as such pricey for both guests and us.  Also complex in that we will have over 100 people in attendance, which greatly limits our options in terms of locations for various events.  And complex because all events do not happen in one place, so we have to whisk guests around from place to place, which can be pricey.

 

We hope to have a pre-wedding "meet/greet/reconnect" event the evening before, maybe a cocktail reception.  We're hoping for something chic and by the water or with water views, but have struggled to find good places that can accommodate our party size at a reasonable price.  Cap Maison is an option but quite, quite pricey, and not especially flexible on what they offer.  Villa Capri has a wonderful offering but is potentially not large enough for our party size.  We'd be grateful for suggestions here.

 

Our post-wedding event the day after will be the much raved-about day-long catamaran cruise that stops in Soufriere.  I wonder if anyone has any words of advice/caution/etc on this.  Anything one should bear in mind?

 

We are hoping for a few days of solo R&R at Jade Mountain post the festivities.  Is it really worth thousands of USD per night?  Do the rooms really only have 3 walls?  Anyone know what that feels like in late November, which technically is still hurricane season?  How is the service?  The reviews on TripAdvisor (of which I, too, am an addict) are mixed.

 

As for decor items for the restaurant reception, it seems a lot of it has to be imported, which comes with stiff duties and other costs.  Any advice on sourcing decor/favor/etc type items more cost effectively?  There is always lugging it all in our luggage, but there is risk of breakage/theft/seizure/airport taxes/etc with that as well.

 

ACW recommended this site to me for decor ideas.  Thought it may be helpful to you as well.

 

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/

 

Has anyone sourced their own alcohol for their reception?  Seems less pricey than the open bar rates at the fancy restaurants, especially for 100+ people.  If anyone has experience with wholesaling the booze, would love to hear the pros and cons.

 

Has anyone sourced their welcome bag items locally?  Would love to hear ideas on this.

 

The ceremony on Pigeon Island is open air.  Anyone have strong views on whether it is crucial to tent an open air ceremony?  We love the open air feel but also don't want to be rained on in late Nov.

 

Any strong views out there on hair/makeup vendors?  Or hair/makeup for Saint Lucia in general (considering the wind/humidity/etc)?  Seems that up-do's make more sense considering the strong winds that blow through the island. 

 

There have been many questions about photographers.  A classmate of mine is an extremely talented photographer and he and his sister will shoot our event over the course of about 4-5 days.  See adagion.com for examples of their work.  Stunning stuff, can't wait to see what they will conjure up in Saint Lucia.  They are over the moon to shoot on the island.

 

If you are able to post photos of thge various bits of your wedding, we'd be so grateful to see how things look on magical Saint Lucia.  I will do same after my event is over.

 

Overall, we and our guests are pretty excited, and the above are small details that need to be worked out.  Your advice/words of wisdom are greatly appreciately, and I will continue to offer mine as well if I think it can help you.

 

All the best,

Plage Fille

[bondgirl0072010]

Hi britmitros! Congratulations on your engagement and the start of your wedding planning! It can definitely be overwhelming at first. I had a destination wedding in the Riviera Maya in 2010 and after working with brides on a daily basis, here are a few starter questions to help you with first steps:

• Budget
• Are you looking for an all inclusive resort?
• How many people can you estimate will attend?
• Are you looking for a proximity to night life or are you planning to stay with your group within a hotel and it's grounds? (We had our wedding at a resort that was basically self-contained which was great, but after a few days it would have been nice to venture out to some different areas). 

 

There are definitely a fair share of super luxe type resorts like Jade Mountain, Anse Chastenet, etc. and also more of the larger hotels like Sandals, etc. St. Lucia is obviously naturally gorgeous and there's a lot to do, so hopefully those first few questions help narrow something things down? Good luck and if you have any specific questions, please let me know. I honeymooned there

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by britmitros 

Hi!  I am recently engaged and looking into a St. Lucia wedding!  I am super excited and still trying to figure things out and want to thank you all in advance for all the ideas and advice! I contacted a travel agent-- which was no help and is only making this decision harder.  If anyone has any tips on just getting started I would love to hear them!!!!