Now Sapphire Weddings Formerly Paradisus Riviera

[Noxx]

Originally Posted by LTLFAITHY 

 

Does anybody have any advice regarding whether or not to use a TA?? We have been in touch with one of the TA's from this forum (Teresa) and she has been great! We are just waiting for the contract for the room block to come back from the resort (Now Sapphire). Today however, I was looking at some online travel sites and it looks like booking a "Flight & Hotel" package is less expensive (by between $70-$100) than if guests book the hotel through the TA and their flights separately......................has anybody else run into this?? I'm super confused about what to do now. 

 

For anybody who booked their rooms through an online travel site where there any additional hotel taxes that you had to pay once you arrived that weren't included in the Travelocity, Expedia, Hotels.com, etc. pricing??

 

Thanks for any suggestions on this. We are really trying to be conscious of making this trip as affordable as possible for our guests.

i am going through a travel agent that specializes in weddings. they will help you recieve promos some hotels offer example book 16 rooms get the 17th free something to look into 

[leigh3124]

Heather, Thanks for the info! My wedding is at Now in less than 2 weeks! I was starting to freak out about all the add on prices of their nickeling and diming! I would love your florist info. I thought I was going to have to cut flowers all together with the prices the resort is charging. Thanks, Erica

[Noxx]

Originally Posted by leigh3124 

 

Heather,

Thanks for the info! My wedding is at Now in less than 2 weeks! I was starting to freak out about all the add on prices of their nickeling and diming!

I would love your florist info. I thought I was going to have to cut flowers all together with the prices the resort is charging.

Thanks,

Erica

2 more weeks thats exciting!!!! 

What location did you choose to have your ceremony at?

I am having mine on the beach i was wondering if i need to pay for the upgraded set up for the arch on the beach. I like the arch with the white or colour but im not sure what comes on it or if you have to pay. im trying to keep costs down as much as possible but finding it extremely difficult. Any suggestions? i still have 10 months to go

[LTLFAITHY]

Originally Posted by Noxx 

 

i am going through a travel agent that specializes in weddings. they will help you recieve promos some hotels offer example book 16 rooms get the 17th free something to look into 

 

We did decide to book a TA, we're working with Teresa who we were connected with via BDW. I think it was definitely the way to go! When is your wedding?

[sunnymylene]

The online pricing does not include transfers to and from airport, and it's about 22$ per way per way. I called Bookit to obtain this info. My TA includes transfers, and most TA do. Hope that helps !

[LTLFAITHY]

The prices we've contracted with actually don't include transfers, but I have reached out to our TA about setting up something so our guests can arrange/pay for airport transfers when they book their rooms. 

[craftygal]

I am also interested in getting the contact you used for flowers. I had read on another blog that they had done the same (getting the flowers off resort and meeting the florist in the lobby) and I've been interested in that idea ever since. 

Thanks for your pictures and your mini review, I feel better and better about my decision. Now if I could get conformation back from the resort about booking our date I would be very happy!

[AmyG]

Welcome back HeatherViolet and CONGRATS on your getting married!!!  I'm so happy that you had a great time there.  I loved your decor and your color choice!   :-)

 

I'm sad to hear that you were caught off guard by some of the add on fees.  I would have mentioned the hourly rate for the speaker rental in my previous posts but it did state that charge in the wedding guide.  I only needed to use the speaker rental (at $150) for one hour during my cocktail hour because I used the DJ for reception that was included in the wedding package at the time I booked my wedding date. 

I did not mention the tax before because it did state the tax/gratuity charges in the info I was sent from the previous wedding cordinator.  Tax is added onto everything pretty much anywhere you would have a wedding so any future brides/grooms should know this.  I did not think there were any other hidden costs but my guest number was 25 so I did not have the extra add ons for the additional guests over 25. 

 

I also had my reception on the Beach Terrace and I was also so happy with that decision.  I can not wait to see your pictures!!  

 

-Amy

 

Originally Posted by HeatherViolet 

Hey Everyone! 

I just got back last weekend from my wedding at the NOW Sapphire!  I am here to answer any questions you may have.

 

Couple things.....

 

I didn't use the resorts photographer... I used Gonzalo Nunez Photography, and he was AMAZING!  I heard comments from almost every one of my guests on how awesome he was.  He took pictures of EVERYTHING!  I would highly, highly recommend him!  He also speaks great English so he is easy to communicate with.  We also did TTD pictures with him.  What a blast!

 

I also did not use the resorts flowers.  I emailed them a picture of what I wanted... 5 bouquets and 5 bouts, and they quoted me $1000!  Yikes!  So, I ended up using "Flowers by Lucy".  Her name is Liz, I can get any of you her email if you are interested.  She did the 5 bouquets, 5 bouts, 5 centerpieces, and a bag of rose petals all for half the price of the resort!  The pictures I emailed her were exactly what I ended up with for flowers.  The resort wants $300 for an outside vendor fee.... BUT, if you meet her in the lobby and have some of your friends place the centerpieces on the tables for you, you can get around that fee.  I just played dumb when they asked me why I didn't need flowers for the wedding. 

 

As far as a DJ goes.  I didn't want to pay $350 an hour for one, so I brought my IPod.  It worked out great!  Just some info I wish I had known earlier though.  They charge you $150 an hour for a speaker rental for your IPod.  The ceremony part is free, but the cocktail hour, dinner and dancing, they will charge you that speaker fee.  I told them that was insane that they want to charge that, so they knocked down the price a bit.  It was great.... and a lot cheaper than a DJ.

 

I had the Now to Eternity package.  The appetizers were amazing... but I ordered the fish for the main dish for dinner, and it was icky.  Super, super salty.  I don't recommend ordering that.  Everything else we ordered for the dinner was great! 

 

We had our wedding on the Beach Terrace and I would highly recommend that..... it was beautiful!  People have said that the Tequila Terrace had wide slots in-between the deck, and it does.  If your guests had on heels, they could easily get caught in them.  The Beach terrace is stamped concrete...easy to walk, dance.... whatever!

 

One more thing I wish I knew... the price they quote for the packages DOES NOT include tax.  If you add that, the price for the Now to Eternity for just 25 people is $2,440, not $2,199.  Everything else you add on the tax and service fee you to death.  I had 8 people over the 25 (they include the bride and groom in your number) and it is about $100 per person over that number.... plus tax and fees.  If you want me to go over that more, I can....

 

I don't have my pictures back from the photographer yet, but I did take some pics of the Beach Terrace and the Tequila Terrace for you all to see.  I will put some up for you!

 

Overall... I am SUPER happy with my decision to get married here.  Ramon was WONDERFUL to work with.  You will all be very happy you chose the Sapphire!

 

Heather

[LTLFAITHY]

I guess the only reason that I didn't think that there would be tax on the price of the packages is because all the rest of the fees have in parenthesis "plus 11% tax" - and I've never seen that next to the package pricing, so I just assumed (incorrectly) that tax was already included in that price. Is gratuity also included in that price? We'll definitely tip extra (I waited tables for MANY years), but I'm just wondering if I should be budgeting for more............. 

 

@ HeatherViolet, I was just looking over some of the papers that I've gotten from Anel, and what I have says "Sound System Equipment per Event $150" ~ just might be something you want to look into

[leigh3124]

2 more weeks thats exciting!!!!  What location did you choose to have your ceremony at? I am having mine on the beach i was wondering if i need to pay for the upgraded set up for the arch on the beach. I like the arch with the white or colour but im not sure what comes on it or if you have to pay. im trying to keep costs down as much as possible but finding it extremely difficult. Any suggestions? i still have 10 months to go

We chose the tequila beach for the ceremony and tequila terrace for the reception. I am trying desperately to keep costs down too. I am still figuring everything out. Hoping I have some negotiating power once I am there (for example, I think charging $150/ hour to use their AV for the reception is insane). I will tell you what I discover when I get back.