What I would and wouldn't do again...

[nicitica]

What was the polish on the toes? I am considering lime green on mine to match the decor and to be fun... any thoughts? would I regret that

These lists are so helpful as I consider things such as wedding cake, DJ/band, etc. Awesome.

[Jocy]

I think someone put "I" on one big toe and "Do" on the other!! It was extremely cute!!

[Willsbride]

I was married at Tensing Pen in Jamaica a little over a year ago. Here's my list of what I would and wouldn't do again....If I think of more, I'll add.

 

What I would do....

 

Destination wedding - I couldn't have asked for a better wedding experience. It was wonderful having all my friends and family together for an entire weekend in paradise

 

Choosing a non-AI - I loved having a small hotel where my guests took over the entire place. It was wonderful being the only bride for that weekend.

 

Having a wedding planner based in Jamaica - I used Jamaican Journeys. Ari made the planning process extremely smooth. In addition to selecting the wedding vendors (except for photog); she also handled booking rooms for my guests at the hotel and ensuring that we had reliable transportation from the airport to the hotel.

 

Flying in my photog - I can't say enough about how much I love my wedding photos. They are absolutely amazing!

 

Videographer - The day really flies by. The wedding video really helps me relive my wedding. I had the videographer film only the ceremony, cocktail hour, first dance, toasts and cutting of the cake. I loved being able to share it with my family and friends who were not able to attend. To cut down on costs, I only bought the raw footage and edited it on my computer.

 

Filene's Basement Running of the Brides- I was able to get a beautiful designer wedding dress for only $299. I recommend going in the afternoon. There are still a ton of dresses to choose from and not as many brides.

 

Write our own vows - Made the ceremony so personal. On our anniversary we re-read our vows.

 

Palm Fans - I provided palm fans to my guests. They loved them! It was so hot during the ceremony and they all used them.

 

Not have a program - Nobody missed it and it saved me a lot of stress in the end

 

Weekend Guide Booklet and OOT bags - My guests used the booklet I created to find local restaurants and things to do in the area. It also included a timeline of activities for the day of the event. The OOT bags most of my guests used to carry their things around when they went to the pool.

 

Steel drum band - Loved them! Use them for my ceremony and cocktail hour. Honestly, I would recommend them to anyone. They were AMAZING! We used a DJ for the reception, which worked out great.

 

Sandals Whitehouse - Great honeymoon destination.

 

Wear my hair up - It was so hot! My hair would have been a mess if I left it down.

 

Wedding Website - It was helpful for guests to keep track of updates and find information about the hotel, etc.

 

 

 

What I wouldn't do:

 

David's Bridal - I bought my first dress (two dress bride) from DB's. My mom offered to buy my dress and I didn't want her to pay a lot so I settled on a dress from DB's. It was not well made at all and I just didn't feel good in it. As my wedding got close, I panicked and decided I needed a new dress. Luckily, Running of the Brides came to town and I was able to find a gorgeous dress at a bargain price.

 

Stress so much before the wedding - Everything fell into place and I would have saved so much grief if I would have just relaxed. I didn't even really eat before my 4pm ceremony.

 

Gave myself more time to get ready - I underestimated the time it would take for me to get ready. It was a bit stressful and would have really liked the time to relax

 

OOT bag contents - I think my guests would have been happy with just the bag and the weekend booklet. I filled the bag up with bathroom items like tooth paste, bath salts/scrubs; deck of cards, sunscreen, etc. I would have saved money and a lot of headache if I would have just given the bags w/booklet.

 

Cake - Don't get me wrong, my cake was absolutely delicious. I just wish I would have gotten a bigger one. It was two tiers, which I thought was enough for my 40 guests. However, it was only enough for one serving and it didn't really feel like a wedding cake because it was so small. I wish I would have added one more tier.

 

 

Parasols - I bought one for all the female guests. Looking back it was really unnecessary. Most guests didn't use them. If I could go back, I would only get one for me and my bridesmaids. It made for a good photo prop.

 

Expensive invitations - I spent way too much money on invitations. I wish I would have skimped more and used it on something else.

 

Kinkos- I totally got ripped off from Kinkos. It was my fault for not asking for a price quote before asking them to print and bind 40 6-page booklets. It ended up costing me $400...so not worth it at all!

[isaidyes]

Thanks for sharing. That's good to know about the bonfire. I was considering it myself

[jdrewett]

Great thread! I just read about half of the posts and have so much useful information now! THANK YOU!

[dallasbride]

Your dress looks amazing in the picture don't regret it!!! Thanks for these tips. We are thinking about a bonfire for the rehearsal dinner...do you think it would be worthwhile if separated from the reception night?

[Melidell]

Thanks for the post, Willsbride. It sounds like your wedding was beautiful! I've been wondering how much time I may need to get ready and I'll be sure to take your advice and give myself more time than I may think I need.

[RaychelRae]

This is great! There have been handful of topics that I have went back and re-evaluated due to the responses from this thread...biggest topic - CAKE! (That is the one thing I have really kept putting off just because I thought it was necessary but didn't want to look at the prices of most cakes!)

[affiwin]

Thanks for posting ladies. This thread is so helpful to those of us that are deep in the planning stage. Great tips to watch out for. Looking forward to hearing from more of you (and of course will add mine after the big day).

[alkoch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnnR Ok, I thought I'd do one too ... I'll update this as things come to me. I WOULD DO IT AGAIN: Las Caletas – YES! After this decision was made, I couldn’t go wrong! Video – I am glad we got this; it wasn’t the best video but it let me see things that I missed either because I wasn’t feeling well, or because I just wasn’t around when it happened. And if there are any guests that couldn’t make it that want to see, they’re able to watch the video. Welcome Dinner – I’d do the dinner again; but I would make sure the details were clear. I’d also maybe have it more casual (well, technically this is what I asked for!). Marilu screwed up about everything! It was nice for everyone to be in one place and meet the day before the wedding. Bus to the Marina for Wedding- it was so nice for all of the guests to arrive in one, easy way. DJ – I just didn’t want to deal with any of the music, especially on the wedding day. Paul had made some CDs and he played some from those, and some of his own music. He did a great job of reading the crowd and playing some fun music. Trio – Everyone said they were good, and I briefly heard them before I walked down the aisle, but not much beyond that. I am sure it was great for the guests as they were arriving and during cocktail hour – so I am glad I did it. Maybe I’d ask for them to be closer to the ceremony if I did it again. Chuppah - I’m glad I went with the bamboo chuppa and decorated it the way I did – it was totally us, and I thought it looked nice. Rose petal toss It made for some funny pictures when the petals went down my dress! Dreams – Everyone loved this place! It was perfect for our group – it had everything we needed. Leigh Miller – This is one area where I don’t regret spending the extra $$ - so happy with our decision here! Not only because of her work, but she’s a great person too – fun to be with and hang out with! OOT Bags – Guests loved some of the contents, and some didn’t get used as much. But it was fun for everyone to get a bag w/their little gifts. Laid back attitude – For the most part, I let Nicole (the WC) run with everything. I had given her some pictures of what I liked for the cake, bouquet, centerpieces, chuppa, etc. and she did a fabulous job. I am so glad I never got all stressed out about the minor details! I WOULD CHANGE: Cake – Not that I wish I had skipped it, but it really wasn’t necessary if I was looking to cut back. Paul did want the cake cutting pics – but beyond that, not sure it needed to be there! OOT Bags – I’d do these again, for sure, but I’d do them a little differently. I’d get the soft-sided coolers I think, something more useful and practical. I don’t know that any of my guests will be keeping their bags – not sure I even will! TTD We bailed on Leigh the night before because we weren’t feeling. Part of me just wished we had sucked it up and done it – those pics would be so fun! We’re still going to do it though … Flight Schedule – We left the day after the wedding for Hawaii – I totally wish we would have had one day after the wedding to relax, and say goodbye to all of our guests. Dress – I’m torn on this one. I loved my dress, but I really didn’t need to spend as much as I did on it to feel the way I did. I can honestly say that I think it would have been just as amazing had I worn my $99 David’s Bridal dress. That could be because I didn’t feel like a million dollars that day (sick), but I wish I just would have gone with something simpler – it wouldn’t have taken away from the whole experience.

Ann - What company did you use for the bus? I need a bus to the marina from our hotel also!