October Bermuda Bride

I see that there are a few of us out there, and quite a few of us from Jersey! I am getting nervous because I see that no one is mentioning the Surfside, and when they do it's not very good. I am planning to get married there in early October of 09. I am only having the ceremony, followed by a cocktail party, then back to the ship for dinner. Is the Surfside really as bad as the reviews I am hearing? I looked into all of the other resorts, and they are sooo much more expensive for such a basic package. Am I going to be disappointed with my choice?

Hey there... I'm a Bermuda Bride too!!

 

A few friends of ours stayed at Surf Side and they had great things to say! I haven't had any experiences with them so I can't speak from first hand experience. I'm sure it's going to be wonderful... You'll be in Bermuda!!

Do you mind me asking what your wedding package includes and how much? I feel like I may need to switch venues if I keep hearing bad things.

The one bad thing and the main reason I didn't choose Surf Side, was due to wanting to be married on the beach. The ceremony would have had to be on grassy terrace over looking the ocean.

 

We are using our own planner, so with that we're paying a venue fee. We decided on using 9 Beaches. The venue fee was the same for Surf Side and 9 Beaches.

Congratulations! Yay for Bermuda Brides!

I think the only real concern with Surfside is their lack of a real beach. There is a small patch of beach area, but not something that could accommodate a wedding. For me, a beach was a necessity for the wedding, so doing Surfside was not an option. You will still have great views of the ocean and greenery of the island, and if you only want a beach for some photos you should be fine.

Don't let negative reviews turn you away, there really isn't a bad place on the island, just different places that appeal to different tastes.

Good luck with your planning!

Thank you everyone for all your help! I am still stressing out though. The pics of 9 beaches look much nicer. Cattie, you said that you only have to pay a venue fee? Do you mind telling me what that is? I will tell you what I am getting at Surfside. I am doing a vow renewal, and got last years price because I booked it back last May. For $1400 I am getting use of the site, the minister's services, and 1 hour of photography including the disc with all the pics, then I have to pay $60 for chair rental. In addition to that I am having a cocktail party for my guests (26 people so far, including the two of us.) The cocktail party will only cost $535 and consists of 8 different hors d oeuvres. I am paying the bar tab at the time, so I have no clue what that will be, but that would be the same wherever I went. I chose Petals for my flower vendor, and for my bouquet, 3 bridesmaids bouquets, a corsage, cake flowers, and 2 arrangements for the front 2 chairs is about $600. A cake will be $130-$150 from the bakery I spoke to. I am still undecided about using a violinist at $275 or steel pan player at $350. It looks like without including the bar tab, my total will be around $3100. Could I have done better elsewhere?

Sure Estella,

 

We're paying $600 for our venue fee, that includes using there site and having them set up chairs. We're also going to do cake and a champagne toast, but I'm still waiting on prices from my wedding planner.

 

We're sailing in on a cruise ship so we're also paying for taxi's for the group from the port to hotel, that's running around $650 for 20 people. She is also taking care of the minister which is around $350. I decided to get the photographer for 2 hours, so we're not so rushed for pictures, that's running about $1000. I'm not doing fresh flowers on the island due to my wedding being the day after mothers day, so we're doing silk flowers and taking them with us. They're running me around $400ish. That's for my bouquet, MOH bouquet, 2 mothers bouquets, and 2 boutineers.

 

We plan on doing dinner back on the ship at the gourmet restaurant. So that's $20 per person, which I'm not worried about. Music wise, I'm bringing a CD.

 

That's about all I can think of atm. Feel free to ask away any questions!!

I have to say that dealing with Surfside has been great so far, and the manager is so accommodating to what I have been asking for. I was having some fear over the bad reviews I have read, but disregarded them because of the good experience I have has thus far. I am now somewhat concerned with the fact that you say a ceremony can't happen on the beach there. When I put my deposit last year I was told that I could have my ceremony on the beach. I just emailed the manager to ask about that and confirm if that is the case. If so, I am going to be really upset. I may need to make some back up plans, perhaps at 9 beaches just in case.

Best of Luck and keep us posted!!

Ok, good news. I just got my response about the ceremony on the beach. The manager said that if their beach is not large enough at the time, there is a beach 2 miles away that they will do it at for me. What a relief. Good luck with your wedding and thanks for your help!