50 replies to this topic

[alexisinjamaica]

Hello BDW!

 

As you've probably learned by now, when you say the word "wedding" the cost for items and services tends to go up. This is generally just part of the process and we learn to suck it up, but every now and then you come across a charge while dealing with a vendor that warrants a minor vent. I just got back from my wedding at Secrets St. James in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and everything was amazing and just how I wanted it. But during the process I had to laugh when I asked the florist (Tai Flora) how much it would cost for 10 shepherd's hooks to hold pomanders along the aisle and they told me it was $25/hook. $250 for some hooks I'd be borrowing for 20 minutes when I was already spending over $2,000 on flowers?! No thank you. I ordered some from eBay and spray painted them silver for about $40 for all 10.

 

What service or item(s) were you surprised to hear the cost of? Did you just pay it, get crafty and DIY something, or just let that wish list item go altogether? Let's hear it!

 

Here's a pic of my shepherd's hooks on the cheap in action.

 

[KK2013]

20 glass hurricanes with water and rose petals... $1000!!!!!!

[EVKnowsitall]

Paradisus Palma Real has a ridiculous outside vendors fee of $1,000 per outside vendor plus the cost of a day pass. It forces you to use their in-house vendors. We bit the bullet for photography because we simply did not want to use their photographer. It's still a ridiculously exorbitant fee. The only way around it is to book  room for your vendor at the three date rate which fluctuates- for us- that was $570. Cheaper than the $1,000 rate but still excessive.

 

Also- I was trying to skirt using centerpieces and go for small glass votives with a single rose for each plate. I have seen these votives 2/$1 in the 99 cents store, so I thought it would be a nice touch and cheap enough to make...the florist asked for $25 per votive! For 40 guests that's $1,000!!!!!!!!!!! I definitely had a good chuckle with that. I am making my own centerpieces now. I refuse. The point of  DW is to save.

[KK2013]

Originally Posted by EVKnowsitall 

Paradisus Palma Real has a ridiculous outside vendors fee of $1,000 per outside vendor plus the cost of a day pass. It forces you to use their in-house vendors. We bit the bullet for photography because we simply did not want to use their photographer. It's still a ridiculously exorbitant fee. The only way around it is to book  room for your vendor at the three date rate which fluctuates- for us- that was $570. Cheaper than the $1,000 rate but still excessive.

 

Also- I was trying to skirt using centerpieces and go for small glass votives with a single rose for each plate. I have seen these votives 2/$1 in the 99 cents store, so I thought it would be a nice touch and cheap enough to make...the florist asked for $25 per votive! For 40 guests that's $1,000!!!!!!!!!!! I definitely had a good chuckle with that. I am making my own centerpieces now. I refuse. The point of  DW is to save.

You are lucky!  At the Paradisus Playa del Carmen the rate is $900 something for the room!

[alexisinjamaica]

Both of these are ridiculous! It's crazy how the gouge you!!

Originally Posted by KK2013 

20 glass hurricanes with water and rose petals... $1000!!!!!!

 

Originally Posted by EVKnowsitall 

Paradisus Palma Real has a ridiculous outside vendors fee of $1,000 per outside vendor plus the cost of a day pass. It forces you to use their in-house vendors. We bit the bullet for photography because we simply did not want to use their photographer. It's still a ridiculously exorbitant fee. The only way around it is to book  room for your vendor at the three date rate which fluctuates- for us- that was $570. Cheaper than the $1,000 rate but still excessive.

 

Also- I was trying to skirt using centerpieces and go for small glass votives with a single rose for each plate. I have seen these votives 2/$1 in the 99 cents store, so I thought it would be a nice touch and cheap enough to make...the florist asked for $25 per votive! For 40 guests that's $1,000!!!!!!!!!!! I definitely had a good chuckle with that. I am making my own centerpieces now. I refuse. The point of  DW is to save.

[moodyc82]

I have to say the $66 per person extra over 20 guests.....it's an all inclusive resort!! Why do I need to pay you an extra $66 a person on top of the thousands I'm paying for the wedding?! And to rent the tall vases for the table is $10 a piece......seriously?!

[shannonmarie]

Originally Posted by moodyc82 

I have to say the $66 per person extra over 20 guests.....it's an all inclusive resort!! Why do I need to pay you an extra $66 a person on top of the thousands I'm paying for the wedding?! And to rent the tall vases for the table is $10 a piece......seriously?!

I agree with this. It's ridiculous! And it's $66 if just for the reception, that doesn't include cocktail hour apps or anything else! Insane. I feel like the more guest you have, the package price should cost less! We are bringing the resort 64 guest for the week!! That's thousands and thousands of dollars we are bringing the resort for that week! It's so frustrating!

[Jenny2014]

Originally Posted by shannonmarie 

Quote:

Originally Posted by moodyc82 

I have to say the $66 per person extra over 20 guests.....it's an all inclusive resort!! Why do I need to pay you an extra $66 a person on top of the thousands I'm paying for the wedding?! And to rent the tall vases for the table is $10 a piece......seriously?!

I agree with this. It's ridiculous! And it's $66 if just for the reception, that doesn't include cocktail hour apps or anything else! Insane. I feel like the more guest you have, the package price should cost less! We are bringing the resort 64 guest for the week!! That's thousands and thousands of dollars we are bringing the resort for that week! It's so frustrating!

[heather1214]

I'd have to say that paying thousands for the "ceremony" that only included only 8 people (my dad did the ceremony, and we rented chairs, so the did not have to provide those either)... then to pay $18 extra for everyone else at the ceremony, then pay to rent the restaurant, and paying for the bar was a little ridiculous (and we went to get our own liquor bc they didn't have some of the bottles our guests enjoyed).  All of my guests would have been eating and drinking somewhere for free anyway!!  It ended up coming to about $125 a head... which is about average for home... except I didn't have to invite 300 guests. 

 

Flowers are also ridiculous! But I doubled my girls bouquets for some of the centerpieces and just splurged on a few tall ones to alternate.

 

 

...but my guests made a great sacrifice to come to Jamaica, so in the end it was all worth it!!

[Billandstina]

:thtwck: I agree completely! $85 extra per person over 20 is just ridiculous... to the point I am not longer doing the wedding package with reception. I am just getting the free one, and doing a dinner on the beach. So stupid..... especially when you have to rent the sound system anyways and rent a dance floor and lights on top of it.

Ohhhhh don't get me started on this! As our numbers went up I clearly had "American ATM" stamped on my forehead!! And those fees started changing willy-nilly all the time. Several were: Cost for local guests, cake and champagne toast costs changed, cocktail hour" was apparently "champagne hour" (why would they think we want this when we're having a champagne toast begore??) when our numbers went up and it was time for final decisions so another $5/person was added on top of the $10/person for open bar which isn't even premium (AND WHY AM I PAYING FOR THIS WHEN IT'S AN ALL INCLUSIVE ANYWAYS????), and the straw that broke this camel's back and caused me to tell them I was going to pull my entire 60 person wedding and go elsewhere was the final payment being due and THEN they tacked on a "privacy fee" per person of about $25-30/person when all along the prices quoted me were for a private function. After bringing that many people to their resort for a week stay to then be treated like that was a slap in the face!! As soon as I told them I was finished with their price gauging and was going to move locations they were on the phone calling me to fix things in 2 minutes!!! It was still a HUGE fight but when I showed them 8 months of emails they were nice enough to bring those fees down to a more reasonable obscene amount! Lol! After that headache I wasn't going to give them another penny for things like decorations ($5-10 to RENT a chair sash???? HAHAHAHA) so we'll be taking all our decorations with us!! Bought over 70 table linens and chair sashes for about $40 and some fabulous lanterns so hopefully it'll all work out! Another ridiculous fee that I refuse to pay is $7 per bag to deliver the OOT bags! Oy vey!! Stick to your guns girls and keep EVERY email!! Talk to past brides to learn and gauge how far you're being taken advantage of and then don't back down! And lastly...ASK FOR ITEMIZED INVOICES BEFORE PAYING A CENT!! I went to pay a deposit and there was an extra $1,000+ on there and when I called them on it demanding an itemized list the charge mysteriously disappeared and they never even acknowledged it!! Wonder who would have pocketed that mulla had I just blindly paid! Praying hard that everything goes smoothly in 2 1/2 weeks and there aren't anymore nightmares! Lol! Good luck girls!