CHAKLIT

Quote: Originally Posted by BachataBride I hope this isn't affecting any of our B2Bs!!! Or any of our members for that matter!!! http://www.gotravelsouth.com/index.cfm?Lang=EN&gID=OTT That's really sh*tty that you have to dispute the charges...suppose someone used their check card?? gosh!

Quote: Originally Posted by msmoodyr So this wedding has been a lesson of trial and error .. I ordered brochures through Vistaprint and they were nice but not as detailed as I wanted b/c of size and me having writers block I drafted up this pre-travel newsletter today using some language from a previous brochure on here .. and i thought I would share since the template was so great .. Hope it can help a bride to be in need .. I sanitized the pertinent info Good job...I have a quick question tho...did your guests use a TA or not? Just wondering since it looks like their transportation might not have been included in their package.

Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover Hi, I just wanted to let you know my experince,doesn't mean anything. I booked my wedding here at first. I was so excited to be going to Jamaica, especially for my wedding. I put my deposit and had constant contact with the WC, however whenever I'd ask a question I'd get a reply back more confused then when I sent the question in the first place. I was willing to let it go,just wait to meet her to arrange everything (I though it was a good reason to have a DW, not to plan much) But I kept reading all the reviews trip advisor and any other web site that has reviews and they were 90% bad .. I was will to take a lot of it with a grain of salt until I read a new review. A couple had gone there for their wedding. a group of 6 or 8. All of them except for 2 people got food posioning. Pictures of them hoocked up to I.V's in their hotel room. They were so sick, they didn't even feel well enough to want to get married. It was a trip from hell they said. I cancel my wedding right away (I was able to get my deposit back!!) I wil not allow this to stop me from visiting a SJG resort in Negrill tho!! excited for that.. hopefully our first year of marriage. Good luck with you. hope you find the perfect resort for your wedding. Wow...outta control!

Quote: Originally Posted by One Love Brownie Hiya, Thanks ladies. I've also in my search come across the one in Kingston & saw the review of them at Coyaba gardens which looked spectacular. I have recently been in touch with Caribbean Pantry Catering Runaway Bay who were quite prompt in sending a quotation detailing all costs down to the last spoon! However Im not totally convinced & feel their pricing is too high for the type of meal Im requesting (mostly regular west indian food) even if it is a wedding. Almost makes me feel like Id be just paying them to cook the food as anything else beyond that seems to rack up another charge. Just wondered if anyone else finds it unusal for a catering company to include hire fees for necessary equipment to provide a service, serving spoons/tongs, trestle tables etc, transport for their staff & food. The company is based in Runaway bay just up the road from Discovery Bay where Im planning to host my reception. Im having trouble uploading the quotation but here's some info on what was quoted: Option 4 Hors D’Ouerves Honey Jerk Chicken Wings Shrimp Cocktail Ackee Puffs Hot Food Station (1) Jamaica Rum Glazed Spareribs Garlic Butter Snapper Fillet Curried Goat Pumpkin Rice Pilaf (made with coconut milk) Roti Festival Salad Station Tossed Garden Salad Sweet n Sour Caribbean Slaw Dessert Station (1) Tropical Fruit Platter Assorted Jamaican Pastries Citrus Cheesecake[/size] TOTAL FOOD COST: $45.00 US/PERSON Total Food Cost *$2250.00 ($45.00 US/PERSON) Total Cost for Equipment Required by Catering Company$138.39 Rental Equipment$646.58 Wait Staff$466.67 TOTAL COST$3,501.64 Damn! I know ya'll are tired of hearing me say this, but " I know I'm cheap!" lol What I'm looking for is a company to serve and rent us equipment. We are cooking our own food. There's too many aunts & cousins on both side who said they want to cook! The only issue we have is table/chair rental and catering equipment. I'll send them a msg...thnx

Quote: Originally Posted by One Love Brownie As NegrilLB has suggested a good option is to go with a villa location. I've searched many villa rental companies and have found it does pay off to shop around. A word of advice. A villa can be featured on many different sites. Some even have their own company site where you can contact them directly. Depending on which rental company you enquire with the price & what can/cannot be accomodated varies so shop around. (Im having approx 50 guests & have negotiated a 3 night stay for a pro rata rental fee directly with a villa in Discovery Bay). For example some rental companies say the minimum rental term is a week while others have 4 night minimums for the same villa with a 10% surcharge on nightly rates less than a week. Also many villas will charge a $15 fee per guest not staying at the villa which I suppose is like a day pass. The Jamaican Treasures site has an extensive selection of villas & include event planning, specific wedding villas etc. Also good to research locations out there. If you know there is something specific you want it's likely it can be negotiated fairly close to your request. I sent out the same email to some companies of what my specifications are & requesting a quotation for services. Their responses were varied some more dramatically than others especially as each rental company are familiar with their own vendors/planners etc. Best of Luck Good Info! Thanks!

Looks cheesy...sorry!

Quote: Originally Posted by butterflyweddinggal84 I agree with the above poster. This was not an area my fiance or I wanted to gamble on. we got a lot of recommendations for destination wedding photographers, along with some great deals. We ended up choosing Heather Parker per the above recommendation since we did not want to go with the a resort photography company and end up being stuck with an Associate photographer. Heather's photography speaks for itself and she has experience with Jamaica. she noted to us that she was insured for international shoots and was a member of the professional photographers association. one of the nice things we liked was that she offered a slideshow of our wedding that is going to be set to music. her blog has really nice photojournalism pictures on it which my fiance felt really was important. i think for me having a US photographer was what it ultimately boiled down to. its nice that she is published a lot too. I concur!!

Travel agent...check out the travel forum and read some of the horror stories!

Congrats!! I can't wait until it's my turn!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by mrs2009 Hi, I have a similar situation, I have about 50 people fr canada and usa and the rest of my guest is in jamaica. I'm getting married at sunset jamaica grande, ocho rios in september. the day pass fee is waived if you are having a private reception, your guest will be allowed on property 30 mins before the wedding. they need to arrived dress for the wedding. if you are not having a private reception you have to pay $90-120 for a day pass. i have all the info and the wedding co-ordinator patricia is wonderful so let me know if you need help. Mrs2009 Wow...I did not know this!! I need to look into this!

Never heard of it...but this looks nice...I think I'll give them a call.

Quote: Originally Posted by negrildreamer we ended up looking in the knot's magazine and though I guess she doesn't advertise, we found one that got some award by the readers and then looked her up on Yelp. One of the recent DWs she did is here Moon Dance Cliffs / Moondance Villas Weddings I know depending on the location she offered some brides on the knot free destination shoots as long as the trip and hotel was covered. We didnt get that deal but its worth a shot I guess just to see. What is seems like is one of the top photographers that is in the states (blog says she shoots in chicago and new england and then destinations). hope this helps anyone who is looking at lower cost options. Thanks Negrildreamer! I thought her work was excellent and she's now my photographer!! -CHAKLIT

Quote: Originally Posted by One Love Brownie Hi all, Im planning my off resort wedding reception at a villa in Ocho Rios & have had these caterers recommended to me by the villa owner. I cant find reviews on them & wanted to see if anyone has used their services before. Caribbean Pantry are located in Runaway Bay I think. There are approx 50-60 guests in our party I've searched the web & browsed these forums for caterers but have'nt yet found what Im looking for so suggestions will be well appreciated. Thanks One Love Brownie Can I have some contact info for them?? I'm doing an off resort wedding in Ochi as well, and in search of a catering co. Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by sunkissedleah Hey, I live In UK too and my jamaican fiance and I are planning a wedding in Negril at Moon Dance Villas for 100 guests. For a moment we almost changed it to another venue in order to accommodate more guests and I was looking into catering and vendors on my own as well. I googled a lot! Not sure if this is the same company but I know of a Karl Hart and his "Pantry Catering". They did Beenie mans wedding and they also did his son (Stephen Hart) wedding (pics at chrisbaltazar dot com). Hope this helps. If you need chairs/tables any other rental stuff try novelty party rentals based in Kingston. I think the one Mr Hart own's is in Kingston.....might not be the same one as in Runaway Bay.

Quote: Originally Posted by blumenthale Hi Ladies- RIU just posted some rate decreases on their website. The decreases are for certain travel dates so go check it out. I just had my TA rebook us and my guests and we saved an average of $500 per couple. I did not check to see if the other RIU's in Jamaica are also having sales but take a look non Montego Bay brides. Good luck! Wow! That's cool!

Quote: Originally Posted by negrildreamer we ended up looking in the knot's magazine and though I guess she doesn't advertise, we found one that got some award by the readers and then looked her up on Yelp. One of the recent DWs she did is here Moon Dance Cliffs / Moondance Villas Weddings I know depending on the location she offered some brides on the knot free destination shoots as long as the trip and hotel was covered. We didnt get that deal but its worth a shot I guess just to see. What is seems like is one of the top photographers that is in the states (blog says she shoots in chicago and new england and then destinations). hope this helps anyone who is looking at lower cost options. I need to check her out...I like her work

I agree with the pricing and I was thinking of taking on one of the associates as well....I just want my pics & video to be perfect!!

Quote: Originally Posted by MoBayBride We worked with Paula and Damian from Sungold when we were married in Montego Bay on June 6th. They were AMAZING!! They captured the essence of the day and I couldn't be happier with the images they sent (all 915 of them)! They are a husband and wife team that truly understand the importance of documenting every moment of your day. They were so fun and made us feel comfortable instantly like we'd know them for years. They just posted our slideshow on their blog and I had to share! SunGold Photography Blog | Captivating Your Mind with Timeless Images They are my first choice, but when I saw their rates, I don't know if it's in our budget! I'll need get a PT job to take of that portion b/c my FI was not very impressed with the numbers!!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by whitechocolate I didn't realize so many people were considering jumping the broom! Our marriage will be interracial (FI is black, I'm white) and I can't decide whether jumping the broom would be a nice incorporation of his culture or if I would be "butting in" where I don't belong. Thoughts?? I say go for it...the ceremony is about the two of you coming together as one! Jump the Broom!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by TaniBBurwell Hey all! I am getting married at the Riu MoBay on 10-15-10. I know that they have a policy in which 80% of the guests attending the wedding must stay at the resort. So... how did you guys meet the 80% policy? Did your guests book their stay on their own? Did you establish a hotel contract with the Riu? Thanks a bunch! Are you expecting guests who will not be staying at the RIU?

Quote: Originally Posted by msmoodyr The one I know of is in Kingston but they will deliver to Ocho Rios for a fee google novelty party rentals Thanks, I was all over their website when I first started looking, but I was hoping to find a closer vendor to save the delivery fee! That site has great wedding music.

Quote: Originally Posted by Shakara Hello all you Lovely people! So I'm sitting here at work (obviously not working) and I just became flooded with excitement of my wedding!!!! I CANT WAIT!!! I've been getting excited ALOT lately and I feel like no one really shares my enthusiasm. I have so much I want to share... so I'd figure I'd share it with people who are going through the same!!!!!! Soo I'm patiently waiting for my dress to come!! I must've tried on like 30 until I found the ONE (sottero and midgely ASM 3184 in diamond white without the sash) Figures the one time I actually try on the dress I want, I forget my camera! My Bridesmades ordered their dresses last week!!! YAYYYYY!! (alfred angelo 7045 in butter) I still have to get the flower girl dress... I should prolly do that soon.. they said my bridesmaids dresses won't come until May I'm reserved for the semi private dinner and poolside reception with bartender after wards- Thanks to my wonderful TA Maureen!! I found Grande Garden (Thanks to an awesome thread!) I'm going to order flowers through them!! HOLY CRAP guys I really need to show you a picture of my cake (once I figure out how to)... my mom picked it of course! My family is Jamaican and I have tons of family there so I guess my great aunt (never met) has someone who is going to do this ginormous cake 5 layers with a tier separating the top two and the topper in between. It really is pretty but DEF over the top (thats my mom for ya). I was watching WE tv... (GREAT CHANNEL) on like wedding sundays or something and I saw a great idea that think I might steal for the table center pieces they were vases with sand and seashells and a lit candle in the middle... it looked sooo PRETTY!!! (Can I just say DVR is great cuz I must've pressed stop and rewind a million times on this channel... my FI refuses to watch tv with me haha) OH YEAA bachelorette party.... CANT WAIT for that either!! Me n the girls are headin to Atlantic City!!!! Register- so my MOH is saying I should DEF register even if it is a DW because so many people are NOT going and who wouldnt want presents if someone wants to buy them for you?? Sooo I think I just might! Maybe like Target and Macys or something... Well thats really all for now... whoo I feel so much better now! I hold all this in around people cuz no one really cares that much... I use to get the 'will u ever stop' look (YES even from the FI) so I decided not to share any more. Thanks Everyone!!!! Shakara Who's going to do your cake? Will it be a black cake?

They look really nice!

I picked other...our family is from Jamaica and I knew that's where I'd marry! We're off-site because of the size of our guestlist...also most folks are already there!

Party Rental places close to Ochi Rios...any response are appreciated! Thanks!