Cherie

Quote: Originally Posted by stei0419 Oh, thank you! Pictures would be great! I am really excited for this resort, although the nightlife does worry me a little. My FI wants there to be nightlife, and I could go either way, but I think we'll be okay! HI! I just returned from my honeymoon at Sandals Whitehouse this weekend. I can tell you after a fun, action-packed time at RIU Ocho Rios the week before, the Sandals Whitehouse was somewhat of a let down. If you and your FI are into dancing and having fun at night...this is definitely NOT the place to stay! However, if you are looking for a relaxed, laid back honeymoon, it is perfect. The grounds are absolutely beautiful, and the food was really great. There were very few younger (20-30s) couples (it seemed mostly couples in their 50-60s) therefore, the youger crowd all kind of migrated towards one another. We basically made our own fun at night by karaoking, watching the shows, etc. The "nightclub" was always empty. We mostly hung out at the pool by the French village, as there was a swimup bar and pool volleyball every day. Let me know if you have any further questions! By the way...make sure you go with the concierge package in order to get into all the restaurants. We felt sorry for the couples without the concierge that had to wait an hour+ for a reservation. Cherie

Thank you everyone! I have pictures of the wedding ceremony and what the reception table looked like...but am unsure how to upload them. Can anyone help?

Yikes...that was quick!!!! I'll be more than happy to write everything. We are still in the process of downloading our pics...but PM me if you want something specific and I'll try to figure out how to send them. It's hard to know where to start! I think I'll break it down into categories... Riu Resort: Absolutely beautiful! The entire resort from the lobby area, to the restaurants, to the rooms were completely immaculate. Chandlyn: She is definitely a busy lady. Our day alone had FOUR weddings planned. That woman is ran off her feet; but she always made time to meet with us. She was very nice, helpful, and wants your wedding day to be beautiful. Be patient with her! Room: We bought the Royal Package, and I hoped and prayed we would get the upgrade to the suite. We were already booked for the Junior Suites, but I wanted the room I saw in the pictures! Well...we got it! I have never stayed in such a palatial room EVER! My husband has traveled the world twice, and he agreed with me. Everything was marble, glass, dark wood, etc. I took pictures of every aspect of the room; while my husband thought I was crazy...but I never wanted to forget it! (I'm a wee bit sentimental) Our room was 1364 with an huge veranda that overlooked the beach, ocean, and where the weddings took place. Amazing! Flowers: I looked through the entire flower arrangements email sent out and couldn't find one I completely loved. Therefore, I took magazine pictures down of bridal bouquets in colors I wanted. Chandlyn took the pics to the florist, and at an additional cost, I had the most beautiful bouquet. There were burgundy calla lillies, blue orchids, burgundy roses, greenery, and it was wrapped in a gorgeous ribbon of turquoise and pinned with pearls. It was beyond my expectations. Cake: I actually didn't care too much about the cake. At most weddings I've attended, nobody really pays attention to the cake. Therefore, I went with the "free" cake offered. My husband had one stipulation...it must be chocolate. Therefore, we ended up with a vanilla/chocolate cake with white icing and beautiful purple orchids on each of the three levels. Again, beautiful beyond my expectations. Beach Wedding: We were married on the beach at 4:30 pm under the hoopa. It was wrapped in soft, gauzy white cloth which was then lightly wrapped in real vines. A beautiful greenery arrangement with some of the same flowers from my bouquet were set on the top of the hoopa. It was larger in the middle and extended out and tapered to the sides, which then wound down the edges. It's hard to describe, but I'll eventually try to post a pic. Sheldon, the minister was wonderful and had a great sense of humour. The vows were very easy to follow and quick! It was over before we knew it! Reception: The reception was at the Plantation as we had about 60 people attending. We had the upstairs level completely to ourselves. It is shaped in an "L". Chandlyn, my mother in law, and mother put the bridal table in the middle of the "L" and tables of the guests extended out either side. There was a space in front of the bridal table for speeches, dancing, etc. It was perfect. DJ: We rented the DJ for four hours. We had so much fun at the end of four hours, we rented them for another one! They played perfect dining music, and after dinner, played a great mix for all of the age ranges present. You could take your own music...but they did such a phenomenal job, we never once used our own! Food: I have to admit, I barely ate at the reception! I was enjoying everything else so much, I forgot to eat! The food at the RIU is what you would expect from all inclusives. It was pretty good, but started to taste the same by the end of the week. I really enjoyed the fruit shakes every morning at St. Ann's. Photographer: Ok, I went in expecting terrible things from Michael the photographer. I had read about his bad attitude, how he treated some other brides, etc. I LOVED HIM! He was so very nice, professional, and VERY good at what he does. I believe you are treated only as nice as you treat someone else. I can understand his problem when others are coming into his shop expecting him to do their wedding and he takes 300+ pictures. Then in the end they walk out with only ten pictures. He explained that he looks at his photos as his art, and people are always expecting him to sell them at next to nothing. Anyways! He had so much fun at our wedding...he ended up taking 1200 pictures. That's wonderful and all; but when your wedding is Thursday, and you leave on Saturday for another resort...it was tough! We had to go through all of the pics and narrow them down to the package we picked. My husband finally kicked me out of the photoshop because I couldn't let any of the pics go...I loved them all! RIU OVERALL: The staff at the RIU were absolutely wonderful. Everyone was so friendly and always willing to go out of their way to help. The entertainment was better than anything I have seen at any other resort. Try and catch the dance troupe in action; it was intense and beautiful with story and plot. I was mesmerized! If you have enough people, try to rent the catamaran that travels to Dunne's River Falls and back. It was so much fun! We had the entire boat to ourselves. I think you need at least 35 people to rent the smaller catamaran. One other excursion is the Canopy Tour; or ziplining. It was pure fear and adrenaline...wonderful! That's all I have for now...let me know if you have more questions! Cherie

Hi Everyone, I wanted to let you know I just returned from my wedding and honeymoon in Jamaica. I loved everything single thing about the RIU and everyone there that made my wedding amazing. Let me know if you have any questions or possibly need a picture, and I will try my best to help! Cheers! Cherie

Quote: Originally Posted by jmhein CHERIE!! Your wedding is SOOOON!!! Very exciting! I KNOW!!!!! It's crazy how fast it came up. It's been a whirlwind with Christmas...after talking things over with my FI, I think I'm going to go with the steel band regardless of the price. We would like to walk back down the aisle with that cheerful music playing! By the way, if anybody needs a picture of anything at the ROR, let me know. Cherie

It is a lot of money...I think when we get down there and have our meeting with Chandlyn on the 14th, we'll see how it fits into the budget. It's either the steel band if we can afford it, or the DJ. I hope it fits...I'm starting to feel the stress!!

We were quoted $350/hour for the steel band. Is this correct? It seems unreasonably high to me, and I have about 10 days to make a decision. Sorry, as I know this is a redundant question. Thank you! Cherie

I made an appointment at Sephora, and someone did my makeup for me. I told her that it was for my wedding and she helped pick out the colors that would work best for my eye and hair color. She even helped me pick out foundation that would work if I had a tan. I bought everything she used...it was great! It is definitely not cheap though... By the way...I also bought the Bare Escentuals...and it IS amazing!!

I'm not exactly sure of a date. Maybe talk to your TA and see what they recommend. One thing we wrote on our reservations was a disclaimer to make sure everyone booked as soon as possible, as available seats were limited (which they were for those flying out of the west). If they took their time and booked too late, then someone else would get their seat. It's not only members of your wedding booking, they have to be aware other individuals are booking to go to Jamaica also. If the seats are full, then there's nothing the TA can do, or the price may go up for another flight. That really worked for us in getting people to book quickly. What we said was basically true for Canada...not sure how it would work in the States.

What if you gave them a date (fictitious or not) that deposits HAVE to be in to reserve their seats? Just an idea...

Hi J&M, I live in Canada also, and it only took a couple of weeks to verify my address and do an echeck. Once everything is verified, everything goes very smoothly. Now you can start shopping on Ebay!

My FI and I decided to put down approximately 12 $150 deposits in order to save seats for guests and immediately get the group rate. We urged our family and friends only to book through our TA as she was giving the best and/or comparable deal out there. We now have about 56 people confirmed, and my FI will get the money back by the time of the wedding in January. My TA also offered the group rate to other clients of hers; therefore our numbers were increased and all of the deposits were quickly used up. The higher our numbers, the more additions are given by the agency we're booking the flights and rooms through (ie. free flights). I agree about Christmas coming up. We felt bad getting married so quickly after New Year, but what better Christmas gift than a trip to Jamaica!!

That's great then...PayPal is a wonderful thing!

Quote: Originally Posted by MoBride Now that I just went through the whole thing here I would definitely suggest making your salon appointments ahead of time. It is really small and they can only do two hair do's at a time so if you have BM's and stuff that need their hair done you will need to start early. I had Nicole do my hair and make up and I loved it. I went to Sephora at home and had my make up done the way i wanted it for the wedding then bought all the stuff they used. I took that make up to the salon and they did it exactly the same way Sephora did. I was very impressed. Audrey did some of my BM's hair and they were all happy with their updo's. That's too funny Mo! I also went to Sephora and bought all the same makeup they used on me. It was pricey...but worth it, as I am not used to wearing a lot of makeup. The way they put it on, you couldn't tell I had tons applied! Would you recommend trying to book Nicole or do you think all of them are quite competent?

Shouldn't your travel agent be handling all the deposits and problems for you? I don't even think about the deposits and/or payments, as my TA wants everything to be stress free for me. Is this true for everyone else...or am I being spoiled??

Hi ladies, I haven't been on this forum for a bit...sorry! Well, I went and purchased some "real" hair from a salon. It is the POP kind in the lightest blonde available. I call it my "real, fake hair"! I have played around with it a little, and it looks kind of funny. My hair is poker straight...so my hair cuts off at the shoulder, and then drops off from there. I think you have to put some wave or curl in your hair and the extensions to make it more believable. That could be a problem for me, as my hair does not hold curl well. I'm not sure I'll be able to wear these again outside of the wedding! I think I'm going to make an appointment and have a hairdresser show me how to put them in properly. Has anyone else figured out the knack of making them look good?

Oops sorry...you're absolutely correct. It is located on a fabulous long beach...but not the seven mile beach. My bad!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by junebride2b Really..the sandals next door is the one my TA is suggesting we switch too after the wedding...Yikes..I need to investigate that further. Hi Junebride, After our wedding week at the ROR, we are heading over to the Sandals Whitehouse for our honeymoon. It seems to be very romantic and it's located on the seven mile beach. Thought I'd give you somthing else to consider! Good luck

drhubby! Let us know if you need anything!!

Have an amazing time Mo...we'll be thinking of you while you're having the time of your life!!!

Let us know if you need anything!!!

I already booked all of my appointments for myself, the bridal party and mothers. I gave them all a certain amount for their bridal gift that they could spend on getting their hair, manicure, pedicure, massage, etc. I did pay the 50% deposit through PayPal and it was really easy. Also, for us Canadians...the exchange rate is really good right now! I feel better knowing the appointments have been secured and that I don't have to worry about them when I get there. Pauline also quoted 5% off the cost if you book online, and 10% off (I think that's regardless of how you book it) for the bride and groom. Only 10 weeks to go!!!!

I would love to see both of your pictures!!!! What brand of hair did you end up buying? Does it match perfectly to your own hair color? I think getting the clips in small pieces is the way to go...I really don't want it wrappping around to my eyebrows lol! Where exactly did your hairdresser put them...at the nape of your neck or was it higher? Does the clip feel heavy on your head? Sorry for the bombardment of questions...but I've never done anything like this before and it worries me!!

Quote: Originally Posted by KarenON I'm looking to do the same thing Cherie. I was at Sally Beauty Supply last night and for human hair at 14" length it would cost $82.00, this brand had the clips in them, which is what I want and what my hair stylist recommended. Might be worth checking out. I definitely want to use the clips, and that will cut down on cost. I would like to use real hair, but would this keep the curl in it? How are you planning on doing your hair with the extensions Karen? Will you be putting them in yourself, or would a hair salon be putting them in for you the day of your wedding? I'm worried the salon in Jamaica may not be able to put them in, and I know I'll probably be useless at it!!! beachbride: I think I will go with the real hair...however, I am worried about it drooping in the humidity.

Hello, I was looking for some advice regarding hair extensions. I have shoulder length, very fine, straight, blonde hair and would love to have some volume on my wedding day. I would like to either do my hair half up/half down...or wavy and loosely pulled back in a low ponytail or bun. Does anyone have any advice on which brand works best? Real human hair or synthetic? Would synthetic work better if I want to keep loose curls (I am getting married in Jamaica which is humid)? I've never worked with extensions before. Are they fairly easy to use? Last of all, how much do they usually cost as I have a very strict budget (FI the banker!!) Thanks!!