sndorsey

First, you made the right choice to marry in the Bahamas! The license requirements are simple and everyone speaks English, so your marriage license is in English. This is a long post, but scroll to the bottom for the best vendors in the Bahamas! Message me if you want more details about wedding stuff or tourism in the Bahamas. Here's my personal recommendation to all of you who are looking for an AI resort wedding in the Bahamas. We planned to stay and get married at the Riu last July. About 6 weeks from our wedding, I got so nervous about our Riu wedding. I was not getting any service from Debbie, read a few nightmare stories about Riu weddings, and I started getting sick about it. There were many things that got me concerned. I cancelled our Riu wedding (although the day BEFORE our wedding in the Bahamas, Debbie called me and asked when we could meet to get the details set!! I had cancelled and hadn't talked to her in about 6 weeks!) I did an Internet search for Bahamas wedding planners. I found Monique Glinton, who, in just a few weeks, planned us a PRIVATE wedding on Orange Hill Beach in Nassau for an incredible price. All of our guests stayed at the fun, affordable Riu (which is next to Atlantis). The Riu allowed us to have a rehearsal dinner in the steakhouse during the late seating (for free because we were all staying at the Riu). I got my hair done in the Riu spa too. Then, at 5 pm (when it is MUCH COOLER than wedding times at the Riu), limos came and took all of our guests to the wedding. I stepped onto the private beach, that was designed for us. It was far beyond what I could have imagine. Then the limos took us to Provence, a local restaurant where we had an amazing reception dinner. This was the only time we ate away from the resort and it was well worth it. You could even have a reception back at the Riu if you wanted to save more money. Trust me. It's worth it to have a PRIVATE beach wedding. We saw 3 weddings at the Riu while we were there. The music came through the pool sound system while the pool was packed with people. One wedding was at the bottom of the stairs that lead from the pool to the beach. They blocked off the area with pool side chairs and it looked so tacky. It wasn't romantic or personal at all. The weddings were also earlier in the day, instead of at sunset. It is HOT in the summer. Although Monique was completely unorganized and messed up a few small things, she got the big things right. And she did it all in about 5 weeks. And she offered the best prices for what we needed. She was over $1000 cheaper than Ann Marie (but I guess you pay for it in service). BEST THINGS: www.marionixon.com HE IS THE BEST!!! You can see our wedding on his blog and several others at other locations. USE HIM no matter where you get married in the Bahamas. Check out his Facebook page too. He is truly an artist, and was extremely professional and nice. http://www.swisspastryshop.com I sent Monique a picture of a cake I liked and Swiss pastry delivered a perfect, DELICIOUS cake to our reception site. A few guests didn't tend to like wedding cake, but they said they loved our cake. http://www.provencerestaurant.net/TheBuzz.htm This was our reception site. It overlooks the water. It doesn't look like too much, but it is in a private, gated community, and the food was outstanding. They brought out so many selections that were served family style. I definitely recommend this restaurant. PLANNERS: http://www.weddingsinthebahamas.com/ If you can afford Ann Marie, use her. She is so professional and organized. We got quotes fro her and she spent a lot of time helping me with details, but the price was not in the budget with the switch from a hotel wedding to off site wedding. http://www.bahamasdreamweddings.com/home.html Monique's site. Just be very clear about what you want. Like I said, she gets the BIG things right and is very affordable. She customized a package for us. Overall, the planning was TOUGH that last month, but the wedding was perfect and we had a great time with our families and friends. AND we have AMAZING pictures and memories to cherish forever. See Mario's site for more pictures or message me!

We made these invitations at Lotus Moments. Lotus Moments The website is very basic, but give them a call or email, and they will create whatever you want for a great price. Renatta helped me with the planning and design, and Trent does the design work. They are a great, PROMPT team and can create anything out of paper. I wasn't able to upload a picture of the entire folder invite, so you'll have to imagine the main invite in the center of a white folder and the inserts were layered sideways on the right side of the pocket folder. They also made a flap for the outside that matches the inside artwork. They made matching stickers for me to put on nice plastic cups for the welcome bags too. They are also making matching circle fan programs for our ceremony. ALL ARE GREAT PRICES for custom work! You choose and/or imagine the design and wording, they do the work. I wrote the wording for all pieces with the help of some internet searches and wedding forums. I also included our at home reception invitation. It is just a 5 by 7 card. Let me know if you have questions about the invites or about Lotus Moments!

Forgot to mention, we got the small plate. It is perfect for our 20 guests and will be easy to travel with. It will also look great in our house after the wedding.

Serendipity Crafts - Creators of personalized signature platters and special occasion plates. Elizabeth and Henry with Serendipity Crafts make signature plates in different shapes and sizes. They will use a custom image, your own design, or one that they have in stock (ours was stock). After finding this site, there was no way I could go and buy a plain plate or guest book. SO...I emailed her on Saturday, worked on the design, she made the plate on Sunday, and she sent it on Monday!! She is very busy (and of course doesn't like too many last minute orders) but she got ours made over the weekend and shipped it this morning so we can have it by the time we leave for the Bahamas next Tuesday. She was prompt with emails and sent this picture for me to review before she shipped it. She accidently overcharged me $5.00 for shipping and even refunded it! I never would have known or cared. Find them on Etsy or the website above. Look at all of their work and you will want one too!

We are using Mario Nixon. Bahamas Wedding Photographer | Mario Nixon Photography, Nassau, Paradise Island, Atlantis, Grand Bahama, Eleuthera, Excellent prices and I love his pics. He has packages OR you can hire him for $200/hr and he will give you a CD with all your pics and you own the rights and can print them yourself. I'll be at the Riu one month from TODAY!! We are getting married away from the resort, but I'll send you a review of the hotel. Good luck and I hope Debbie takes care of all of your wedding needs!

Thank you for your input! It's hard to know what your'e getting for sure when you put all of your faith in a complete stranger. I did finally get some answers, and the plans and vendors are great. But we are only 5 weeks out, so I was getting anxious.

Who is your Nassau wedding planner and what kind of communication do you have? Does your planner send you or call you with confirmations when things are booked (ie from florist, bakery, etc?). How far out are things reserved/booked? Thanks for you help!

Congratulations! How was the wedding? We have booked the Riu for our July wedding, but I am having second thoughts (about the Riu wedding) for several reasons. I may plan our wedding at another location. Let me know if you have reviews, opinions...and help would be great. Thank you!

Also, who is your planner for the Cloisters ceremony? Thank you!!

Congratulations and nice choice on the ceremony location! We are also staying at the Riu, but haven't decided if we are getting married there or at another location (like the beautiful Cloisters). How does the Riu reception work if you aren't getting arried there? Are you having a private reception or dining at one of the restaurants?