zuzelh

Also, I didn't see or hear of any beach receptions that were available.. Only the beach ceremony.

Tiffany, The reception at the Blue Lagoon DID include an open bar - but all the packages include that... no matter where you do it! (even at the specialty restaurants). re: flowers.... you can see in our pics how the setup was: Blue Lagoon - "U" shaped set up on Flickr - Photo Sharing! ... we just had a lot of rose petals around the table, and there were three centerpieces (we didn't even know we were going to get those!). the flowers didn't match our colors, but that's alright. It still looked fine. I would ask Nina when you get there if you get flowers with your set-up. If they aren't included, you can just ask her for some I didn't get back an actual contract to sign when i first signed up.... I sent in my credit card information, and a form with all my wedding information on it, and that was it. A few days before I left for Jamaica, I got a confirmation email and there was an attached contract to sign. If the deposit was taken from your credit card, and she already confirmed your dates, then you should be fine. Quote: Originally Posted by tiffandmarv Zuzelh, Since I have lost all contact with Nina and Lori again can I ask you some more questions: 1) Did your reception at the Blue Lagoon include an open bar or is that an additional fee? 2) How were your tables deocorated, did every table include a flower centerpiece? Did you pay extra for that? 3) I provided my credit card information to Nina and I see they charged my cc but will I be getting an actual "contract" to sign and return? Any help will be much appreciated. Thanks Tiffany

I definitely would say the Blue Lagoon is nicer.... It overlooks the pool and had a great oceanview. the Poseidon was a lot smaller and didn't really have a view as it was all blocked by trees. If you don't want to go private, you can do your reception at any of the specialty restaurants, also. But I definitely think the additional $300 for the Blue Lagoon was worth it. Quote: Originally Posted by palmtree Hi, I just called and was told that because I have 20-30 guests, I could book either the blue lagoon on the poseidon for my dinner. I would have a set menu. Does anyone know which one is nicer to have the reception in? I'm not planning on making it private. Also, I should be getting the menus in my e-mail soon. I'll post them once I receive them!

I brought the wedding cake topper with me... It only cost $7! AC Moore and Michael's sell them. If you use their 50% off coupon, it comes out really cheap! (I also got my veil there for $8 - no one could tell whether it was a designer veil or not.... I only wore it for the ceremony - so why spend more?)

The only document I gave Nina was a copy of our marriage certificate. I actually just brought it with me to Jamaica, and gave her the copy a few days before the ceremony. I don't know what state you are in, but it took about two weeks for me to get my marriage certificate from my town. So, you probably don't have to worry about the marriage certificate until a week or two before you leave. also re: the ceremony.... I brought my own minister with me to Jamaica, so I don't know what the minister in Jamaica will say during the ceremony .... they are really easy-going in Jamaica, so I'm sure if you ask Nina that he not mention a "renewal of vows," he won't. But you'd have to ask her beforehand. also - it seemed like less of a hassle when I got married in my town. My job requires me to hand in my marriage certificate within 60 days of getting married. I was afraid that it would take too long for someone in Jamaica to send me the marriage certificate (as other brides have complained about this) and... I didn't feel like I missed out on anything by doing the "Silver Love" package. I really didn't care about the fruit basket delivered to my room or the honeymooner dinner (it's an all-inclusive resort, so why bother?)... also, it was only $20 to get my wedding dress steamed.

Tiffandmary, With the Silver Package, we rented out the Blue Lagoon for 3 hour, which cost an additional $300 (the rate is $100/ hour, with a minimum of three hours). However, I'm sure you can rent it for 4 hours, if you pay extra. We chose from the menu at the Italian restaurant. I don't remember what's included in the traditional bridal package, so I can't compare my package to that one. Which services specifically did you want to know about ? just let me know and I'll tell you whether it was included or not.

I know how frustrating it must be to not get any answers! especially when all you want is a confirmation... Nina definitely knows that communication is an issue - and is trying her hardest to make things better... hopefully they hire the additional WCs soon!

Quote: Originally Posted by debbmach Zuzelh...thanks so much for your review. It's so reassuring to here that things go as planned when you're down there! Did you tell anyone that you got married back home before leaving? You have me thinking of doing that now, especially since it's a lot cheaper! I've also tried contacting the WC a couple of times in the last few weeks, and I got an initial email back from Nina. She sent me the information about the different wedding packages. Now I'm trying to confirm an actual date and I haven't heard anything. I know a couple of you guys are having the same issue. If you do finally hear from Nina, can you please post what worked...email or phone? debbmach: No one knew that we had been married already.... Only the minister! lol. it saved us a lot of money. I always reached Nina via email and it usually took her a few days to get back to me... however, when i was in jamaica, I noticed that she was always in her office in the mornings - so maybe try giving her a call on Monday or Tuesday mornings! I'm sure she doesn't have many weddings on those days and probably won't be tied up.

Hey guys! I just got married at the GP on November 5th and wanted to post a review... I see a lot of you are worried that they WC hasn't contacted you, but I assure you that everything will work out great! I had barely any contact with the WC before I left and it really didn't matter. I also included some pics from the wedding: Grand Palladium - a set on Flickr .... I will post my professional pics whenever I get them! We arrived at the hotel a few days before our guests arrived, which was a great idea, since it gave us time to prepare for the wedding. We arrived on a Sunday, and our wedding was scheduled for a Thursday. It was great because Nina, the new wedding coordinator, was able to give us her undivided attention, as she didn’t have any weddings on Monday or Tuesday and seemed to be less crazed. A few days before we arrived in Jamaica, we had received an introductory email from Nina… She was asking us for our guests’ menu choices – which were a little hard to get, especially since it was a few days before we were leaving, and we were so busy with other things! But it worked out fine and wasn’t a huge deal …. I think we could’ve told her our menu choices even when we got there and it wouldn’t have been a problem. We also emailed her a list of our guests and asked that they be put in the same villa. Upon arrival to the hotel, we were greeted with drinks and smiles. Everyone was so pleasant and accommodating. When we checked in, we found out we had been upgraded to a one-bedroom suite. The room was amazing. We were in villa 26 and had great oceanviews. The hotel is gorgeous! I kept reading bad reviews on travel websites, but it seems like they did some renovations recently, because I didn’t encounter any of those problems. The rooms were great – and the staff was more than helpful. However, some of my guests on the first floor complained of bugs in their bathrooms – so try not to get rooms on the bottom floor! Also, at check-in, make sure you tell them you are getting married and ask them for the VIP red bracelet instead of the regular bracelet. The service is really great for all guests, but supposedly, you get “faster/better†service with the red bracelets… It was hard to tell if the bracelets really did give us more service …. Since we went in November, the hotel wasn’t that crowded, and everyone got great service. (I definitely recommend having a wedding during this time! I can’t imagine what the hotel is like when it’s April-June and there are 4 weddings a day!) At check-in, the front desk manager was able to set up an appointment with Nina for Monday morning at 10am. Monday morning we met with Nina – she is very very nice, and seems to be organized. She apologized for my lack of correspondence with the previous wedding coordinator and mentioned that the entire wedding department was being re-structured from scratch. They even plan on hiring more wedding coordinators. We were able to meet with Nina and Lori (the other WC) a couple more times before the wedding, and she was always pleased to help. Side note: Lori is definitely not as organized as Nina. I gave her my place cards and seating chart, and they were lost. Also, Lori never followed through with some of my other requests. Our guests arrived on Wednesday, and were all placed in villa 26 – which is on the Lady Hamilton side (even though they all originally booked on the Jamaica side). We arranged with Nina for them all to receive gift bags full of goodies that we brought with us. Most of the bags were delivered to the right rooms… a couple were delivered to the wrong room and I had to chase down their location. Two of the bags disappeared completely (my mother’s and maid of honor’s bags). All the guests really appreciated the snacks/goodies we got them…. I feel like this was a great idea, but I think that maybe we should have hand delivered the bags ourselves, as it was hectic trying to chase down the bags that were missing. We only had 24 guests, and I can’t imagine how hectic this process would be if we had more people. The welcome dinner went very smoothly – We ate at El Mariachi dinner (which Nina set-up for us) and the food was great. However, they weren’t able to seat all our guests together… we had two tables of 12 people each. All the guests loved the Mexican food. I had to choose a set menu for everyone, but the chef was very accommodating to the few people who had allergies or were vegetarians. Just a side note about the a la carte restaurants – the food is very good. However, we found that some of the food was a little “off.†They were good, but had some added ingredients that made them taste a little funny…. (which is understandable, considering we are not in America and can’t expect the same recipes). Of all the restaurants, our favorites were the Italian and Mexican– they were phenomenal. The steak at the steakhouse was good – but, again, the appetizers were a little “off.†I don’t recommend the Asian restaurant. Re: a la carte restaurants. We were also given a hard time about seating when we had a group of 13 go out for dinner … We were told that we needed to make reservations before 2pm and we all had to have the same entrees. We were able to get around this by offering to tip them …. as soon as we mentioned a tip, they were more willing to seat us together. We ended up giving them about $30-40 each time. Re: the spa. I made my reservations online at Renovaspa - Beauty, Health and Spirit because you get a 5% online discount, as well as a 10% wedding discount. Once I arrived, I went to the spa to change some of the services I wanted done on my wedding day. They actually had no record of me in their system and did not have my appointments booked. Advice: definitely confirm your appointments upon arrival and make sure to print out your vouchers before you go! It was a bit of a hassle to try and change the services I wanted, so try not to make changes unless you have to…. They seemed very confused by everything. Re: internet. There is free wi-fi available in the lobbies, but it was VERY slow. You can also get wi-fi for $20/day, or go use the computer labs. I found it was great for me to have my laptop so I could email my guests before they left for Jamaica – it was good to give them last minute information. Also, walkie talkies were so useful! They were awesome to have. On the wedding day, I made many last minute changes because one of my guests missed her flight and had a later arrival than anticipated. Nina just kept saying it was “no problem†and was really understanding. Even the spa was understanding that my hair appointment had to be pushed back. I ended up just getting my hair style done at the spa and did my own makeup (the week before, I went to a makeup counter at Bloomingdales and asked them to show me how I could apply my makeup for a beachy wedding. I only had to buy $50 worth of products for the demonstration). My mom got her makeup done at the spa and I don’t think it was worth the $60 she spent. My hair came out exactly as I wanted and it only took her 30 minutes to finish…. My wedding was held at the gazebo. Half hour before the wedding, the guests were supposed to be picked up at their villa, but the shuttle was late. I guess it’s understandable considering I changed the times earlier that day (originally the ceremony was at 4pm and it was changed to 5pm). Nina was no where to be found on the day of the wedding, and I mostly had to deal with Lori, the other WC. The ceremony was perfect. They played every song I wanted, and it was set up exactly as we had discussed (Nina had asked that I pick out four songs for the ceremony: Procesional, bride’s processional, first kiss, and recessional – definitely come prepared with the songs you want in mind! I feel like I wasted too much time trying to make decisions that I could’ve made at home if I had been notified earlier). We created fan programs and they were all placed on the chairs, along with bubbles we had brought. We also brought our own minister (he was also the best man) to perform the ceremony, so that was a nice touch. Also, we brought our own photographer from NJ and paid for all his expenses. He was great… I saw the hotel’s photographer taking pictures around the hotel, and they were really posed and traditional shots. We wanted something more artistic, so we brought our own photographer (we paid for his hotel and airfare – which we were told we could do). The reception was held at the Blue Lagoon and we had food catered from the Italian restaurant. We went with the “Silver Love†package (which is a renewal of vows package), and only paid $20 per person (above the 8 people that are included in the package). I definitely recommend getting married by your town before coming to Jamaica, and then getting the renewal of vows package, as it is considerably cheaper! You don’t even have to tell your guests that you are technically already married! Plus, I saw in the forum that some people who get married at GP don’t get their marriage certificates until a few months later. Like I mentioned earlier, the place cards were not on the tables and the set up was not as I had discussed with Lori – I wish I had talked to Nina about those arrangements as I’m sure she would not have forgotten. I was a little annoyed because it made me seem disorganized and that I didn’t know what I wanted…. But, the waiters/waitresses all assisted in moving chairs around to get the set-up I had asked for, and it all worked out in the end. The food was awesome… we went with the calamari, minestrone soup, lasagna and chicken stuffed with cheese as the entrees. Everyone was raving about how good the food was. Also, the cake was phenomenal. I’ve never had cake that good before! We picked vanilla for the bottom tier and chocolate for the top tier. Both were good – but vanilla was everyone’s favorite. We also used their sound system with my ipod. It was great – I created playlists for “eating†music, as well as “dance†music and just kept switching between the two during the night. However, if you have really good speakers, it’s worth it to bring them. Just remember that the Blue Lagoon is outside and the speakers really need to be powerful. We also hired the steel drum band to play for an hour - also a huge hit. Throughout the forum, I read that some brides had the band play at the ceremony and then complained that they weren’t able to enjoy them…. At the reception, we definitely enjoyed them! And they can really play anything you request of them. They were a lot of fun and even let my husband play bass with them. After we had cake, everyone must have been a little sloshed, because most of the guys (and some of the girls) jumped into the pool that is below the Blue Lagoon with their wedding outfits on!! Those drinks were strong! So, the night ended up with most of the guests in the pool and hanging out poolside for the rest of the night… SUCH A GOOD TIME! WISH I WAS STILL THERE!!!! Definitely recommend it!

Does anyone know about ATMs on the resort? Do they have any and does it give you Jamaican dollars?

Quote: Originally Posted by danalauren22 We also did a U shaped set up. We made our own place cards and I gave the WC a diagram of where I wanted everyone to sit. It was set up perfect when we arrived. Danalauren: So did you gave J your place cards for everyone's seating and she just placed them at the tables (according to your seating chart?) The reason I was asking is cuz I was thinking of using sand dollars as the place cards with table numbers on them (Sand dollars Personalized, hand written Sanddollar Escort Cards, seating place cards Gulf sand dollar, Florida Keyhole sand dollar, Arrowhead sand dollar, shells). But I would have to put them in a basket because they won't stand on their own. So I'm guessing this idea wouldn't work out if you end up giving your place cards to J and she sets them up on the actual table.... .

Danalauren or Petals: Petals - I saw that you did the "U" shaped reception.... That was all one table, right? So did you have table numbers for each person? Or place cards? Danalauren: I think you had less people at your reception, right? How did you handle the place cards/table numbers?

Danalauren: tha a la carte restaurants are included in the all-inclusive package? that's awesome news! I didn't realize that and thought that "a la carte" meant that we were paying for each menu item! So you just booked the dinners when you got down there or did you try to set it up beforehand with Jascynthia ?

Danalauren: I just had a few questions about your post. For your spa appt, did you JUST get your hair done? They are also charging me $300, but that includes my hair, makeup and pedi/mani. for the "trash the dress" session - did you actually use the dress you wore at your reception? I want to do something similar, but I need to use the dress when I get back to Jersey for the reception we are having with the guests that couldn't come to Jamaica! Group dinner: how much did you spend on the group dinners (and how many people were in your party?) Steel drum band: did you tell them what songs to play, or they just played whatever they wanted during the ceremony? again, your pics look great! I think your photographer was wonderful.