monkey

Welcome - its good to see more Canadians here!

As a fellow Canadian, I would say your money is better spent at one of the many all-inclusives. Especially with our dollar going down. I second what Bisha said about paying for everything (and it is all expensive - imagine if the only places you could eat in Edmonton for an entire week were the Fairmont and Hilton hotel restaurants) and aside from snorkeling (which again is expensive because you can't do it from shore) there really aren't any excursions. I was there for a week and although we generally aren't partiers we were bored. The only nightlife was gambling at the casino. There really isn't anything to do but lay on the beach or around the pool. I don't mean to slam the Bahamas, it is still a pretty island with warm weather (no snow!), but if it wasn't for having to accommodate family from all over Canada and the US I would have had my wedding in Mexico or DR.

I can't say for sure that is how it works but I know I saw something on one of the many boards I watch that said something like that. It did sound like you had to talk with someone on the ship ahead of time so that they could have the documentation ready (not a wedding coordinator but personnel that would have the captain sign something). I know what you mean about the TWE person, but I find that with most of the people on that site. If any on posts anything negative they are jumped all over and a million excuses are made or the OP is attacked. If you can overlook that stuff it is an amazing site for information. I would have been lost without it before we cruised.

Thanks - I will add him to my list to contact. I find it odd that websites are not a big thing down there (vendors, restaurants, services). I saw a lot of people with Blackberries and the planners all carried laptops and were able to connect to wireless, so its not the lack of technology. I think if a really creative person with vision and the ability to create web pages went down there they could make a fortune as a wedding planner!

Does the quality or ease of use matter which program you use? I am familiar with all of them but thought before I got working on my invites I would ask which program is the most user friendly and allows you to do the most. There are some amazing designs on here - the bar is set quite high! Also, for those who took them to a professional printer, does the printer care what program they are in? TIA!

Welcome to the forum - there is so much information here!

Congratulations! St. Maarten was one of my favorite stops of all our cruises! As added bonus, if your guests have time before the wedding the jewelery shops give you picalos of champagne just for looking!

The locals kept warning me it was too cold in January to have my dinner outside but I don't think they realize I come from -30 degrees (or can even comprehend just how cold that is) so even the low 70s will feel balmy! My parents were down there last year in the middle of January and they said that they found it perfect - not so hot during the day that you couldn't anything and very nice at night.

I think I read somewhere that you can have the captain of the ship verify you are in the Bahamian waters to establish residency. It doesn't have to be Nassau that you in, just the Bahamas. Have you been to the Cruise Critic website yet? There is a section for weddings. If you have any other questions though, those people are SERIOUS about cruising and can answer almost any question you have! When are you planning to get married? I think my mom is going down a few days ahead of us to do the scouting for me on the best place to get flowers. She is a compulsive list maker and writes down all details, so I will pass on anything she finds as to the best place to get flowers and anything that may come up with the license. Have you decided on a place for dinner yet? Luciano's is always recommended by the wedding planners. I think it is right downtown and at night has a view of Atlantis in the background. Cafe Matisse was also recommended but it is a courtyard in the middle of town, so not on near the water (which is what I want). If I remember correctly I found photos of both of these on Webshots.

OMG!!! You did a lot of research! I am going to be very busy - thank goodness they don't monitor internet usage at work! I LOVE Del Sol's work. It was one of the reasons I wanted to have a wedding in the Mayan Riviera! There is no way I could ever afford to have them come to Nassau unfortunately. You might be able to bring some nice fresh flowers on board and then cut the stems and make the bouquet there (or it may travel). I actually used just white carnations (which I normally hate but they were cheap to practise on) and loved how they made a nice uniform ball. I think if I get a nice crystal pick it could look pretty good. Are you taking care of your own liscense arrangements? I was going to hire a coordinator, but she is asking for $1000 and really all she is helping with (at this point) is getting all the paperwork done - I am the one talking to hotels, the restaurant and probably booking the bus. I am starting to think I won't use her, but feel a little guilty since we have exchanged a few emails already. It is so nice to have someone to talk to on this board!

Thanks, I am addicted to this board - unfortunately i guess I don't have enough to add yet :-( I don't seem to have problems opening any other files so I thought maybe ppt files required more points. I only have 65 days until my weding so I think it might be easier on my blood pressure if I just pay someone to do my invites. The more I read and see the other ones the more stuff I want to add to mine and it gets so overwhelming!

How many points does it take to open PowerPoint files? I didn't realise how many points I would lose doing all my research (ok, maybe not research but curiosity caused me to look at every picture possible). Is it possible to send me the power point in an email or is that agianst the rules?

We have to get married in Greek Orthodox church (non negotiable form his side of the family) and then I have contacted one the restaurants we had dinner in (the Beach Club Cafe) to see if they would do our reception. I am hoping they will since it won't be a 'typical' wedding - no speeches, no dancing, etc. I would love if you had a list of photographers who would trade the photography for travel! I have contacted a few in Toronto since its relatively cheap to fly form there (I am Canadian so every time I pay in US funds it hurts just a little bit more). I bought some flowers yesterday at the local grocery store and played around with them to see how hard it would be to make my own bouquet - turns out its pretty easy (since I want something really basic). As much as I wanted to have a simple wedding where I just showed up and didn't have to do anything, I think I may take this one task into my own hands. I would rather spend the $150 on something for my guests.

I am not sure if Nassau is not a popular destination or attracts people who aren't addicted to the internet (as I am) because its really hard to find any information out there. They clearly have not caught onto the DW trend like Mexico and DR. You saw the cloud photo too! That pretty much sealed the deal for me to look for an outside vendor - and the kicker was that the amount my coordinator quoted me that photographer was $2500 for 1 hour and 75 pictures! We have decided to not do the cruise now and go down for the weekend instead. We will be married in January of 2009, so I may have more info for you after that. Right now I am finding everyithing really expensive - my very simple wedding bouquet (and I mean simple and small posey of roses) was quoted at $150 and $80 for my bridesmaid.

RedDiamond had a bunch of pictures in her planing bio from when she did a location scout. I am having a really hard time finding a photographer who's work I like. I will pass on any info I come across. We are getting married Jan 17 in the greek church,, which is cute blue church with a courtyard so I imagine we will have quite a few taken there,

manlie_photos - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting Here are some photos of places I checked out (Breezes, Hilton, Sandyport and Beach Club Cafe).

We came across a restaurant called the Beach Club Cafe and I think it would be perfect for a wedding. It is right beside the Poop Deck. Their decor is already 'wedding themed' in that it is all white with turquoise charger plates. It seems you could probably have the wedding right on the beach or in an area right beside that has a smaller sandy area. We saw it on our last night there so didnt' talk to the manager about if they do weddings, but I found it odd that not a single planner mentioned it. I will try to post some photos.

I did meet with Karen - I liked her and I am sure she will be a great coordinator. I tried googling the 3 different companies I met with but there really isn't much info out there. It seems the other countries are more popular for weddings. One thing I did notice is that they all recommend the same venues (mostly Poop Deck and Luciano's) but seem to only offer 1 photographer (but each company had their own recommendation) and don't really seem that great at thinking outside those parameters. I asked about bringing in my own photographer and was told it would be another $1000 for a work visa. I may have unrealistic expectations of what a coordinator does but I was hoping for more input on what would make my wedding unique to me and give me a tropical, romantic feel. I don't know how to explain it, but I felt as if I would have to do all the research online, tell them which restaurant I want and they would just take care of the talking to the vendors. It wasn't until I went into town that I saw they have horse drawn carriages offering tourist rides. Not one of the coordinators mentioned that, which to me seemed odd (especially since the one I saw was white and perfect for a wedding). I had to ask about fire dancers and a junkanoo (which I only knew about from being online). Maybe what I really want is a party planner?

Has anyone been married in the Bahamas while being on a cruise? It says you have to be in the country 72 hours before, so I am not sure how this would work. Any advise woudl be great!

When I was there one of the consultants recommended The Cake Box. Their website doesn't have much, but you could probably contact them. We aren't interested in an elaborate cake, so didn't pursue it much. I have to touch base with the coordinators I met regarding what vendors they use, if they send me any other suggestions I will let you know. Home Page

I did check out RIU but not on an official visit. I had initially ruled anywhere on Paradise Island out since I heard it was very expensive, but I did find I liked the beach much better there. The hotel was very nice too from what I saw. Maybe with tourism going down (it was very quiet the week I was there and the cab drivers didn't think it was going to be a busy winter) there will some good deals coming up in the next while. I think part of my problem is that I would really prefer to be married in Cancun/Playa Del Carmen, but since there isn't a church there (which is the ONLY request his side of the family has) it isn't an option. I may remember it as being more beautiful than it really is, but to me Nassau wasn't very pretty, the beach was small and I always felt like I was going to be run over whenever we ventured out (no sidewalks and they drive very fast). Oh well, it will all come together. :-) For someone who always said they wouldn't stress about wedding stuff, it is funny how much you change once that ring goes on your finger!

I am back! I will post pictures shortly - although I don't have that many great ones. Overall I wasn't wowed with the Bahamas. It was initially on our list because it has a Greek Orthodox church (a necessity) and it would be easy enough to travel to for all the members of our family. I met with 3 wedding coordinators who were all very nice, but I only felt really 'good' about one of them. I was extremely disappointed in any of the photographers sample photos I saw. They were all so cheesy - one even had the couples face super-imposed in the clouds circa 1980 (and I don't think it was taken that long ago!). I met with the coordinator at Breezes - she was very nice but I wasn't impressed with Breezes as a resort. I am rethinking Nassau as our location now - which has me kind of depressed.

I am recently engaged and had a trip booked with my family to Nassau for this week. So now it is turning into a site visit/location scout. I will take lots of pictures of everything and try to psot them when I return. If anyone has questions about Nassau/Paradise Island and want me to look into it, I will do my best. I have already set up appointments with 4 wedding co-ordinators (Atlantis never did return my emails so they won't be on my list). Breezes and Wyndham are on my hotel location list but I will also be meeting with Karen from Professional Bahamas Weddings and Phyllice of Personal Touch. I have already cancelled 2 other appointments I had set up with a company that wanted a $300 consultation fee and then someone else who wanted me to pay for thier car rental, which I just thought was weird.

I have been lurking on this board for 2 months now and am so excited to finally be registered! I am from Winnipeg, Canada, marrying into a Greek family (which is overwhelming in and amongst itself). We don't have a date or location set yet but are aiming for January or February of 2009. I am doing a site visit in Nassau, Bahamas this week, so if anyone has any questions or sugestions for things to look out for there, let me know!