ErinB

I would say the first thing you need to do is establish a budget. You've probably seen lots of prices so shoot for somewhere in the middle. Then make a list of what all is included, video, second photog, lighting, travel, proofs, album, etc. I think once you see what all is included it isn't so bad. No matter what, I'm sure there is a photographer out there that can work within your budget. Just be sure to thouroughly research your vendor and see lots of samples of his or her work. I had a local photographer go for the cost of the trip to build her portfolio. Beach weddings are a lot different than normal weddings so I didn't get some of the shots that I really wanted and we had some minor issues with lighting. I also didn't have a second shooter. Most of the time you get what you pay for. Good Luck!

I LOVE IT!!!! You have the best hair person! I still remember how pretty your hair was in your e-pics. I need to make my appointment for the big chop!

Ooh, another good one... I don't know who the guy was, if he was a friend or relative. But he went around all night pretending to be retarded (sorry to be policially incorrect)! He was talking to all the girls getting them to kiss him on the cheek or dance with him. While they were dancing, he was feel them up! I swear I couldn't make this stuff up if I was trying!

I'm telling you, I have a million wedding stories! One was years sgo. I don't even think I was old enough to bartend, but I had a groom hit on me! He was so hammered, I don't know if he knew what he was doing. I think he was asking for one of the GMs like a let's go hang out kinda thing, but it didn't come off that way. He was all "So, what are you doin' later..." Wierdo! GM's GF got pissed and I don't know if she was talking about me but she gestured drunkenly in my general direction. She screamed at the top of her lungs "If you like her so much then go f**K her!" I was mortified! #1 we were in the middle of a wedding! #2 I was definitely a virgin at the time and shocked that someone would think I would do something like that! LOL

Quote: Originally Posted by nathanielthompsonphoto I've seen a lot with all the weddings I've been to...the Oh @#$% award for me went to a beautiful bride that had a few too many drinks. She seemed fine for most of the day, but then in a span of 15 min. it all hit her. She was so drunk, she fell over while dancing - fortunately I was close by and caught her before she hit the floor. But, I wasn't able to catch her the other 6 times she fell. The last time was the last straw as she went face first so hard into the dance floor, shattering her drink glass. I thought she was going to be knocked out cold, or a complete bloody mess. Fortunately, she only had a small cut under her chin, and popped up ready for more drinks and dancing. Plus, she still had to cut the cake, and do the garter and bouquet tosses. The coordinator finally sped up the show and helped her through the last few events before having her make a speedy exit. Moral of the story - make sure you can handle your liquor - at least at your own wedding. Here's my trick for this one. If I am bartending and I see the bride or groom going down this road, I don't put alcohol in their drinks or I water them down as much as possible!

Just because you are on a budget, doesn't mean you have to be tacky. I get calls at least once a week from brides who want their wedding catered for less than $10 per person! What kills me is that these are the people who still spend $3000 on the bar or will buy a $2000 wedding gown, they think food is the place to cut back. I know this story is somewhere else but it is so crazy I have to post again! We have a friend W. She has a bit of a problem with self control when she is drinking. Last summer another friend S had a beautiful outdoor wedding. Her entire conservative family flew in from Hong Kong. Not all of them spoke english. Well, W proceeds to get beyond drunk. At one point she grabs S's dad and drags him out onto the dance floor and starts freak dancing up on him! Later she had to pee, so she just hiked up her dress, scooted to the edge of her chair and went, right there under the dinner table!

Welcome! I used to be an Erin C! LOL Now I am Erin B (obviously) The forum is a great resource. Have fun searching!

VitalChek Express - Birth Certificates, Death Certificates, Marriage Records, Divorce Records and Vital Records This is a great site for ordering certified/notarized copies of your birth certificate. That is where DH and I both got ours. The fee is different for each state. Mine was about $20 (KY) and I think his was $8 (NV)

What a great review! I'm sure your detail will really help future brides. I'm off to check out pictures now!

Have you tried contacting the resort directly? I would e-mail and call, but be prepared for it to take a week for an answer. My first thought was to talk to the stateside planner and explain the situation and have her send one, but if that hasn't worked then you might need to try something different.

Cathrine, I don't know how I missed this! I'm so sorry you're having a hard time right now. I think you need to look at therapy, not as something that will dammage your pride, but as something that requires great courage and self awareness. You are a strong woman. I know this because you would not have been able to handle such devastating losses without going completely crazy! You are a loving mother. I know that from the way you speak of your little boy. This is just a bump in the road, it might be a big bump, but it is nothing you can't overcome. You know yourself well enough to recognize there is a problem and that you don't want your life to continue in this way. By seeking help, you are saying that these feelings can't and won't keep you down, that you are better and can rise above it. I wish you the best of luck and we are always here if you need to vent. Please keep us posted on your progress. **Big Hugs**

You need to look for dresses that you like. IGNORE THE SIZES! You might want to wear some Spanx and leave your inhibitions at home. even though a dress my not zip, you can still get an idea of how it will look. (you will have a little skin showing. Corset back dresses are a good option as they are a little more adjustable. Be sure to take your mom and a friend who can help you out. Someone might need to stand behind you and hold a part of the dress so you can see what it will really look like. I am also a 12 street size. I had a horrible time dress shopping! I am really busty and almost no dresses would zip over the girl! Also, the designers all run differently. In one company I wore a 12 and in another I was a 20! I probably wouldn't try on anything smaller than an 8 or 10, ONLY because it will be harder to envision. I took pictures of every dress I tried on and in most of them I have my arms squished down to hold up a dress! LOL It can be a frustration process, but you will find the perfect dress, I promise!

Heather, I am really sorry you had to go through all of this. You wedding is supposed to be all about you and your FI. You DO NOT need to be babysitting the emotions of anyone, much less a vendor you are compensating. Thanks also for your honest, civil review. This shows that you can post constructive criticism and don't have to be dramatic or hateful or hurtful. I sincerely hope that [photographer name removed] can learn how to act in a professional manner because she is VERY talented. Morgan ROCKS, but we all knew that already!

That sucks Amy! I'm boycotting PETA now!

Please use this thread only to list your wedding dates. Carly will keep the original posting updated whenever new dates get added. I'd also like to include links to important threads here as a central location for Couples Resorts. This will help new brides along in the planning process. So please post any threads that you feel are important, with a reason why (if it isn't obvious from the thread title), and I will keep this posting updated. _______________________________ Check out these threads for helpful info on Couples Resorts http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t39034 _______________________________ BDW Weddings Taking Place at Couples Resorts June 2008 Brides User Name: ErinB Couple: Erin and Mike Location: Excellence Riveria Cancun Wedding: June 21, 2008 in Jamaica June 1 - June 23 March 2009 Brides April 2009 Brides username: memz couple: sophie & sebastien location: couples negril wedding date: april 15th 2009 negril, jamaica May 2009 Brides June 2009 Brides July 2009 Brides August 2009 Brides September 2009 Brides User Name: Dayla911 Couple: Dayla and Randell Location: Excellence Riveria Cancun Wedding: September 19, 2009 in Cancun 9/16-9/23 2009 User Name: MixyVixen Couple: Aurelia & Andrew Location: Couples Swept Away Wedding: Sept 23,2009 in Jamaica 9/20-9/30 October 2009 Brides November 2009 Brides User Name: Vikki Couple: Vikki and Brandon Location: Couple Sans Souci Wedding: 11/2/09 4:00 December 2009 Brides Username:RN2B Couple: Eugene and Tiffany Location: Sandals Grande Ochos Rios Wedding Date: 12/12/209 User Name: Tiva12 Couple: Janice & Simon Location: Grande Ocho Rios Sandals Wedding: December 18, 2009 in Jamaica 12/16-12/23 2009 January 2010 Brides February 2010 Brides User Name: shyk3 Couple: Krista and Jesse Location: Couples Negril Wedding: February 20, 2010 in Jamaica February 18th - 26th March 2010 Brides April 2010 Brides glc006 - Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Gemette and Victor April 3, 2010 Username: ringlis Couple: Rachel & Todd Location: Couples Tower Isle Wedding Date: 04/15/10 May 2010 Brides Username: Sara1371 Couple: Sara & Robyn Location: Couples Negril Wedding Date: 05/05/10 June 2010 Brides Username: tawneytobe Couple: Jeremy & Sheena Location: Couples Swept Away Wedding Date: 6/26/2010 July 2010 Brides username - sunstarsmoon couple - Chris & John Location - Couples Sans Souci Wedding Date - July 8, 2011 August 2010 Brides September 2010 Brides October 2010 Brides November 2010 Brides username - stacey0423 couple - Stacey & Scott Location - Couples Swept Away Wedding Date - November 13, 2010 December 2010 Brides January 2011 Brides February 2011 Brides March 2011 Brides April 2011 Brides May 2011 Brides Alicia & John May 21, 2011 Couples Tower Isle June 2011 Brides July 2011 Brides August 2011 Brides September 2011 Brides October 2011 Brides November 2011 Brides December 2011 Brides

You get that to Debbie ASAP. It reserves your wedding date and time and covers the cost of your license, processing, shipping, etc. FYI- If that fee isn't received a minimum of 30 days before you arrive, there is an additional $150 fee for expedited service.

And where are your pictures, missy ma'am? You know how we are! LOL Thanks for letting us know they work! Good to know you can't seen them.

Welcome! I was a CSA bride so I'm a little biased. With 4 great properties to choose from, you can't go wrong! Good luck and happy planning!

Welcome! I was a CSA bride so I'm a little biased. With 4 great properties to choose from, you can't go wrong! Good luck and happy planning!

Have you checked out the Couples message board yet? It is a great resource. I was married at CSA and loved it. We were married on the beach but had our cocktail hour in the garden so we had the best of both worlds. Though I have only been to CSA, my understanding is that it is a larger property and the beach is much bigger. CSS has lots of cliffs so is still pretty, but the beach is small. Search the forum. There should be reviews from each.

OMG! I am a caterer so I could go on and on and on with bad wedding stories! I had one with an orange bride. The poor girl looked like an oompah loompah! She made me swear to never use a self tanner. I had an outdoor wedding on the hottest day of the year. It took over 3 hours to take pictures! While waiting, her cake icing melted and it collapsed. She had live fish in her centerpieces that were literally cooking. I was filling up the bowls with ice cubes trying to cool them down. I swore to cap pictures at an hour. At one wedding the guests were all supposed to release butterflies. Too bad most of them were dead or sleeping so the guests were just throwing dead/lethargic bugs up into the air (of course they had to come down!)

Quote: Originally Posted by FutureMrsLewis I read "The Word of Mouth Manual: Volume II" (I'm a BzzAgent, any other agents would probably have read this too) and they actually mentioned the Head-On commercial in the manual. The commercial is VERY annoying, that's obvious, but it's also VERY effective. First, you need to hear about something three times and then you remember it (although they say it WAY more than three times). The first time, you ask "What is it?" The second time "What of it?" and then the third time, you're fully aware of it. Also, because the commercial is SO ridiculous, and it drives you up the wall, you end up talking about it (like you ladies have been doing throughout this thread) and therefore spreading news of the product through word of mouth ] So this is why I am singing the Safe Auto jingle, LOL?? I hate when I get stupid things stuck in my head!

Congrats and Welcome! Couples is wonderful. I was married at CSA and if the service is any indication, you will have an amazing wedding!

I want JM for my wedding! Oops I'm already married...maybe I'll consider that vow renewal/divorce thing, LOL. I was like Abbie and didn't think the picture thing all the way through. That's how I ended up with no posed pictures of me and DH together! Maybe I'll just get another dress and have bridal pics taken? I'm so happy you loved your pics and had such a great time, Jen! I can't wait to see the finished product!

Welcome! I was a Jamaica Bride, too! You'll find lots of answers here on the forum.