KimB81

Quote: Originally Posted by SPhippsRN Hi everyone! Well our trip to St. Thomas was awesome! It was way too short, and we didn't want to leave. We stayed at the Marriott, which was excellant... We had booked a cheap room through expedia but when we checked in they upgraded us to a Morningstar room right on the beach! It was gorgeous. The first day we rented a Jeep and checked out some of the hotels and wedding venues we had researched.... Wyndham, Bolongo, Secret Harbour.... Then we had a tour with a coordinator through the Marriott who showed us their facilities and wedding spots...April was super friendly and we loved her. After that we met LEslie from Perfect Weddings who showed us Villa Botanica, Magen's Beach, St. Peter Greathouse, and a couple other places. We really loved Villa Botanica, and if our wedding was a little larger we probably would have chosen that but the Marriott had more of what we needed in one spot, and we could cut costs of transportation, etc. The Marriott has a pretty gazebo overlooking the ocean and plenty of good photo places: rocky point, beach, green oval area.... We plan on a cocktail hour after the ceremony while we take pictures, and then we will have our dinner reception at Havana Blue...which is walking distance from the ceremony. It'll be nice if guests need to go to their rooms for anything or want to change. Elizabeth from Havana Blue was awesome as well and gave us plenty of options as far as how to do our reception there.... We might even have a little beach party after dinner with tiki torches and a mini-bar. Other restaraunts we tried were Mafolie, and East End Cafe...both were good, but couldn't compare to Havana Blue. So I'm so relieved we have everything booked and now I'm working on Save the Dates. I'm doing them through Allurements by Rebecca- She is unbelievable! I love her! Well that's about it for now.... feel free to message me if anyone has any questions about places I saw, etc... HAPPY PLANNING! I got married at the Marriott and had my reception at Havana Blue last December. Both April and Elizabeth are AMAZING! Let me know if you have any questions. Our guests loved both the Marriott and Havana Blue. I can also send you a link to our pictures as well. Good Luck! Kim

I just mailed my invitations which actually had two small very fragile starfish on the actual invitation and also a ribbon around the envelope that I glued a sand dollar onto. We mailed these in colored padded envelopes. We got the blue ones from this website. Fastpack Packaging - Shiny Shippers - Bright Color Bubble Mailers Envelopes I have only heard from one person that one of the starfish broke. The others have all arrived in one piece! Everyone loved the invitations and the packaging. They were a little over $1 to mail. Kim

Quote: Originally Posted by IslandLover MissE- No Beach Wedding? So sorry!! you could always have a reception at the beach!! KIM- Looked into Havana Blue and Elizabeth is GREAt!! Think we may just get the Pravado room like you suggested...I like the atmosphere a lot Now Im trying to decide b/t Oceana and Havana Blue What did Havana Blue have to say about having dancing and a DJ to you? Thanks As far as the dancing was concerned they told us you had to rent out the whole place to have your own music and dancing all night. They are letting us come early at 5 PM though which is 30 minutes before they open to start the cocktail hour and to do the first dance and all those other special dances ahead of time. Kim

I am having my reception at Havana Blue. While I LOVE Havana Blue, it may not work for you if you want to do alot of dancing. You would have to do a buy-out which is really expensive if you want to be able to have a dj or band to play your own music. If you only have 25 people, the buy-out price is just way too high. Our reception will just be a cocktail hour in their bar area and then a dinner. We will not have the restaurant to ourselves because the buy-out was just too pricey. We will all be sitting near each other though. Since you only have 25 people though, they may be able to seat you in their Privado room which is more private. It is a really beautiful place though and the food is delicious! Let me know if you have any other questions about it. Kim

Yes, I am really worried about this too because we don't have alot of people booked yet and the airfare prices are getting very high. I am getting married in St. Thomas. When we decided to have our wedding there like 9 months ago the prices were reasonable and now they are outrageous! I am worried alot of friends won't be able to come now because it is getting so expensive. Also, we are really trying to encourage everyone to book through our travel agent because my parents and fiance's parents all had their flights cancelled already! Luckily the travel agent was there to deal with everything and work it all out. It just makes me nervous. As if we don't have enough to be nervous about already! Kim Quote: Originally Posted by niels408 Hooray for Dec '08 brides!!! I am getting married Dec. 7th, 2008 at Dreams Tulum. I am so thankful you started this thread so that we can all keep eachother on track & share ideas! Our ceremony, as of now, is set for 4pm. I feel like I should be doing alot right now, but then the resort tells me to wait until @ 3months before to start planning the resort details (cake, flowers, etc.). What else should I be doing? I've gotten STD's out... Have you all already ordered or purchased your dresses? I'm going this weekend, just haven't found one yet that's "woo-ed" me. Lastly, are any of you feeling the stress of this "airline fuel costs" & companies going under or bankrupt? I have people afraid to book bc they aren't sure what will be when Dec. rolls @. Thanks, looking forward to chatting with you ladies, LOTS!!! Laura

I am getting married December 6. We have been engaged for one year today and I always thought I had so much time to plan, but now the months are going by so quickly! I am searching for invitations now too. How long does it generally take to get them? I feel like I still have so much left to do! Kim

I am a meeting planner for an event planning company. All of our staff works from home full-time from the meeting planners to sales people to graphic designers and IT. It is nice but sometimes I miss the social interaction that comes with being in an office. I talk to people on the phone alot but it's not the same! Kim

I just stayed at the Marriott in late October and stayed in the rooms in the MorningStar section which is right on the beach. Our room was beautiful and was not musty or old at all. Hope that helps from someone who just stayed there a couple months ago! Kim

Quote: Originally Posted by S2BLennon The reception site looks yummy! I love it! I may have to look into it when we go in a few weeks! It is near the Marriott? We were going to check it out along with the Sugar bay while we were there. Yes, it's right on the beach at the Marriott. If you are really interested, you should set up a time to talk to Winifred Mclean. She is the Events Manager there and is great to work with. Her email is [email protected]. We went down to St. Thomas in October and had the best time so I cannot wait for the wedding!! Kim

I am still here too! Just been very busy with the Holidays and all. 1. Name- Kim 2. Where are you from- originally from Orlando now in DC 3. Where are you getting married in St Thomas- Marriott Frenchman's Reef 4. When are you getting married- Dec. 6, 2008 5. who is you WC- Haven't decided whether to just use the hotel coordinators, but I am also still considering Paradise Bridal Consultants Our reception is at Havana Blue which is the restaurant that is privately owned but on Marriott's beach. It is AMAZING! Exactly what we were picturing for our wedding, very tropical and excellent food! Are there really no more St Thomas brides??

I bought mine from Jessica McClintock at Tysons Corner. The best part was most of their dresses were under $600. The sales people were all very nice and helpful as well.

My name is Kim, and I just recently got engaged a little less than 2 months ago. I am getting married in St Thomas but am still working out the details of when and where. It will be sometime in December 2008.