islandbride317

WOW, Melissa......so beautifull!!! And it really looks like you stayed true to who YOU are, and your wedding will stand out in the memories of all of your friends and families for many years to come! CONGRATULATIONS again

Hi, Shauna -- To echo the rest of the girls, this is indeed a tough question to answer. It really depends on what you WANT to do vs. what you CAN afford to do with respect to your budget. We are also getting married at SGOR (May 14, 2010), and instead of doing a full 2 or 3-hour reception (1 hour for cocktails/2 hours for dinner @ $75 pp including the bride and groom), we have decided just to do the $15.00 per person 30 minute reception Stephanie mentioned above if we end up not having more than 10 rooms (as it would be free at that point). Since every case is different, we've discovered that the shorter reception will work out perfectly for our situation because our ceremony is at 2 pm (roughly 20 min), then we are having our 30 min. cocktail, cake and cold hors d'ourves reception, which will leave our guests just enough time to run back to their rooms to reshen up if they choose to join us when we and our parents leave the resort at 4:30 pm with our photographer (Ocho Rios local Alain Hottat) for a beach and waterfalls photo shoot, followed by our TTD session at sunset. After we return, we might just grab a quick bite to eat and play it by ear, as the majority of our guests will be flying home the following day and would rather not party late into the night, and John and I will have to pack up for when we leave SGOR and head to Sandal Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay for our 3 day mini-moon. Plus, we will be more than making up for the mini-reception we're having in Jamaica by having a full-scale AHR 3 months later on Aug. 14th, so ALL of our friends and family can celebrate with us back in the U.S.! Good luck with your decision and feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

Oh, Ms. Alicia -- come out, come out, wherever you are.....!! Still hoping to read your SGOR review, lovely! I'll keep checking back daily to see if you've had some time to even post a few pics or further details about your fabulous wedding in November! I'm sure you're just busy enjoying being a newlywed, but I can't wait to hear all about how everything went when you get a chance!!

VICTORY IS SWEET! Finally, you have some phenomenal photos you can be super PROUD OF -- CONGRATULATIONS! What an excellent way to commemorate your 1 year anniversary with gorgeous photos (like something out of a Winter Wonder/Dream Land!) So THRILLED for you both and by the way...HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

OMG, Miss Ashly87.....now THIS is FABULOUS!!! It just might be EXACTLY what I've always wanted, but never knew existed -- it's themed, without being "cheesy", yet still has a modern kind of flair. What makes this cake even better is that it would go with the Brown part of my Aqua and Chocolate Brown color scheme ---- IT'S PERFECT! THANK YOU a million for finding, and (more importantly) sharing this photo; I can't wait to show it to my Mom, as we were just discussing yesterday evening how I haven't seen a cake for our AHR that has made me say "WOW"! Well, I just offically said WOW!

As the months November - early April are considered to be the "peak" season, I would venture a guess that she probably is just very, very busy with lots of other DW brides right now, and I think as long as she is readily available for contact from Feb. - April to prep for your wedding, you should be fine! SGOR does so many weddings, they should be able to handle any questions or scenarios you throw at them by this point, so try to put your mind at ease! And, you'll have to let me know how everything goes for your wedding on April 24, 2010 -- I am only going to be a few weeks behind you on May 14, 2010!

YES, LATOYA!! She is also our WC at SGOR, although I have yet to have any type of lengthy dealings with her so far since we booked back in May (and we are still about 5 months away from our wedding). When I did have contract with her via email, she was very pleasant and answered my questions rather promptly, but since we will be keeping it relatively simple with whatever add-ons (photos, we are only doing the 30 min. reception, etc.) we haven't had much contact with her up to this point. Let me know what you think of her as you deal with her more often, will you? GOOD LUCK -- and BTW, have you decided what date you will be getting married? I didn't see a date listed in your information...

Thanks ladies -- and now, sad to say, I have had to get a 2nd job part time to help pay for it all! Oh well, it will be worth it to share in a celebration with everyone we love

Quote: Originally Posted by girlkin To the OP--they both look great. Christie...wanted to thank you for amazing presence here. I hope (well I know) your FI really loves and cherishes the awesome person you are--because you just seem like that one person that is always in your corner. I wish there were more people like you Thanks for your kind words to all of us crazy brides on here. Ok....so I know I'm going slightly off topic, but I just wanted to say that I am so sorry that I am just seeing your post from October, but I had to tell you that that has to be one of the SWEETEST things that ANYONE (including my dear FI!) has ever said to, or about me! You're gonna get me tearing up here at work, girl! I love BDW and all of the great women like you that I have had the honor to meet through this incredible forum!!! Thank you so much -- all right, now back to the veil posting fun!

I'd feel like Santa called and told me every toy I'd gotten for Christmas as a little girl if my FI knew what my gown looked like....."disappointment" as a word wouldn't even cover it! As a matter of fact, John is mildly upset whenever it's mentioned because he feels like the only person in the world who he thinks hasn't seen it (sooooo untrue!) but he also knows that it'll be so awesome to finally see what the big secret was all about as I am walking down the aisle toward him on the BIG DAY! The anticipation is half the fun, but then again, I am also one of the women that will totally want to find out the gender of our child as soon as possible when we have kids, so I'm not really one to judge!

No Bridesmaids or Groomsmen for us either.....and I have YET to regret the decision! Actually, I felt like it might be unfair to ask our nearest and dearest to be in our bridal party, especially if it would be a financial burden for them to join us in Jamaica AND pay for all the other things that come with being in the wedding, so we decided to spare everyone the guilt, as keep it simple! Also, every time I watch a bridal show and there are these brides fighting with their bridesmaids, I breath a sigh of relief that that will not be ME! No one seems to be offended in the slightest, and actually John and I are each asking one of our best friends to give a toast at our AHR, so they will still be highlighted as meaningful people in our lives in that way -- we feel it'll be a win-win in the end! I say do what you feel is best, and you can't go wrong!

Glad to hear everything is going to work out for the best....and that "ShoeGate" is coming to a conclusion!

HAPPY WEDDING DAY!!! Hope it was a dream come true

Oh, Wow -- CONGRATULATIONS!!! They are magnificent, you both look fabulous, and you and your husband must be beside yourselves with excitement! MAJOR HOMERUN!!

Thanks for your kind words, ladies!

Thank you ladies! We were so excited to find something that we feel is a nice midway point between a really laid back backyard BBQ and a full-scale Country Club reception, you know what I mean? I've already booked our photographer for the AHR, and I'll be booking the DJ (if not a Videographer, as well) sometime this month! After that is the cake and then we'll be pretty much all set! We'll still be spending more than we really wanted to on our AHR, but since we will most likely end up with around 20 guests in Jamaica (including John and I), it's really important to us to have a celebration we can share with family and friends and be proud of when we look back on it for years to come!

What a wonderful program for deserving sevicemen and their brides to be! There should be more programs like this to say thank you for all that those in the military and their families sacrifice for their country... SO EXCITED for you and can't WAIT to see your pics after you get your dress back from alterations!

Yea, girls! WE FOUND AN AHR-DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH! So, I wanted to wait until I officially had pics to show all of you....but after many months of searching for something that fit the vibe we were going for (not to mention our all-important budget), we finally found the exact venue we were looking for!!! Our AHR will be taking place on Sat., Aug. 14, 2010 (which is funny because our wedding day is exactly 3 months earlier on Friday, May 14, 2010) and will be held at a place right on the Chesapeake Bay in Pasadena, Maryland. I figured if all of our friends and family couldn't come to Jamaica, a venue near a large body of water would be the next best thing, and give them a sense of a mini-getaway without going too far from home! The Bay Ballroom at Kurtz's Beach is a family-owned and operated banquet facility, and the owner's couldn't have been lovlier at the Open House I attended (so much so that I put down the deposit that very day)! Not only did the owner tell me that I'd get a better value opting for a LESS expensive meal package, but he also "threw in" a drink fountain because he thought it was cute that I was so excited! Now we can offer one signature liquor beverage (I'm thinking of calling it something like "Married in Paradise Punch" perhaps?) in addition to the beer and wine bar that comes with our package -- how's that for looking out for the best interests of the customer, right?!? YIPPEE! So, here are the pics I took from their website, and a few that I took during the Open House (too bad it was rainy that day but we loved it nonetheless)! The octagonal ballroom with high-domed ceiling: Sorry, kind of blurry... Here's the view of the Chesapeake, just behind where the head table will be: And here's a shot of the banquet/food service area: And here is a shot taken out on the patio looking out onto the Bay: For any other brides in Maryland or Pennsylvania looking for an "casually elegant" AHR venue, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out Kurtz's Beach -- it was really beautiful, and more importantly, won't break your budget in two!

Wow, Andi -- that's awesome, and you looked beautiful!!! I fully intend to submit a photo to the Sottero & Midgley website of me in my RSM1038after our wedding, and hopefully it'll get posted, as well! HOORAY for MAGGIE (& Midgley, too!)

Quote: Originally Posted by jamaicabride09 We are back!!! The resort and staff are amazing!! We ended up picking the Roman Gazebo as our ceremony location on the Manor side. Yes, it is near the main pool. However, you do not hear any of the noise from the main pool area. They set up white chifari chairs for us and a sound system. We did not hear any background noise on our DVD. I plan on posting a full review no later than Tuesday. Stay tuned and ask away.... Not to be pushy, but I'm so anxiously awaiting/chomping at the bit for your review and some pics, Alicia!!! SGOR brides unite!

It's official -- I will be carrying flowers done by Roberta for my May 2010 wedding in Jamaica! I contacted her a number of months ago for an initial quote, but wasn't ready to actually place my order until the end of November, and she actually REMEMBERED ME from just a few emails! Now THAT is outstanding customer service! I resubmitted my request with a few changes and things added from what I'd sent back in August, and she was able to regenerate a new quote, send me a payment request and emailed me the contract all in THE SAME DAY! This woman is a force or nature! And what's better is that I was able to order all of the following for just over $300.00, including shipping costs: (1) Hand-tied Bridal Bouquet (2) Maid of Honor Bouquets (actually to be given to my Mom and my Future Mother In Law, as I've opted not to have attendants) (4) Boutonierres (1) Hair Flower (consisting of 2 white Plumerias on a silver comb) for my sister (2) Wrist Corsages (one for future SIL and one for best friend to wear at AHR) Unbelievable, huh?!? I KNOW, RIGHT! Roberta told me that my flowers will be shipped in early April 2010, so I'll get them with plenty of time to spare before we leave for JA on 5/11/10 -- so exciting! Here are pics of what I've ordered from her website (EXCEPT ALL OF THE RIBBON ON THE BOUQUETS WILL BE IVORY, and ALL OF THE RIBBON ON THE BOUTS WILL BE GREEN TO MATCH GREENERY:) MY BOUQUET (ordered without Butterfly Bling): Mother's Bouquets (again, with Ivory Ribbon on Handles): What will be made into wrist corsages on the left, and Groom/Father's Bouts on right: I'll be sure to post pics of the actual flowers I receive in April when I get them! LET'S HEAR IT FOR ROBERTA & PLUMERIA'S WEDDING FLOWERS BOUTIQUE!!!

Married girls ROCK! Good luck to you all....

Just cast my vote....which was tough, because you are all so very deserving! Good luck, lovlies!

Tough call, but I think the 2nd dress is MARVELOUS! The beadwork is exquisite, and I love the elgance of the simplicity in the the design....just beautiful! Good luck

CONGRATS, MRS.!!! I'm sure your wedding day was amazing, and I hope it was more than you could have dreamed possible! Enjoy being a blissful newlywed!