nsblum

You guys are funny! Brianna, we had 40 people attend, exactly. A lot of people stayed next door at The Sibonne, some stayed at Royal West Indies, 2 at Club Med, and some at The Somerset. The Somerset is super expensive so I knew that I needed to find cheaper alternatives for my guests and right next door was The Sibonne. The Regent Palms, on the other side is just as pricey, so I didn't even suggest it. If they were going to stay there, then The Somerset was fine and at least we could meet the room minimum. We also thought we were going to have about 75 people, but when the RSVP's started coming back, people started backing out. Do you know for sure it's 75? I imagine you didn't send your invitations out yet. Just a heads up so you are not disappointed! I will say that 40 was a great number, but I have nothing else to compare it to except for my friend's weddings and there are like over 250 people, I couldn't even imagine! I felt overwhelmed with 40! Â As for shoes, I am not a heel person. I like heels for dinner, to and from the car and that's it. I didn't for one second want to complain that my feet hurt or anything like that. My husband wore nice dress shoes, not flip flops, and I wore pretty Prada silver sandals, for ceremony and reception. I told all my guests about the grass because you definitely will sink in with regular heels. And clearly you can't not wear heels on the sand, even wedges Janine! =) Â I am going back in exactly one month from today! Can not wait! Â xoxo

Oh that song, True Companion, gets me everytime! I am trying to pick a song for my wedding pic slideshow and there are so many good ones! I love that Bruno Mars song that's out right now, it's like all about HER, her lips, her eyes, its sweet, but very trendy now so will probably be forgotten about soon!

I am scared it is going to ruin my dress and although I had no plans of selling it, I don't want it ruined from the water or anything either. Plus, my husband can re-wear his wedding suit, it's just a beige suit, so he is def not going to get into the salt water. AHHHH!! What do I do? I want to have fun, and not worried over every little move, splash of water, etc. I can not buy another dress either, that's just not an option although I know many people who have gone that route.

Oh you guys are making me sooooooooooooo jealous! I can't believe all the fun you both have planned. My wedding was probably a combination of both of yours! We did a special family dinner on Weds night at Coco Bistro, then Thursday when most people arrived we had a welcome reception at The Somerset with a couple of platters and drinks before dinner, then Friday we did a catamaran snorkeling cruise with lunch thru Sail Provo for whoever wanted to attend, then Friday night we did a beach BBQ with Kissing Fish w/ a bonfire for all, then Saturday was the wedding, and Sunday we had a brunch.... I miss it so much, it goes sooooo fast! You have to promise to keep me updated pretty please!! Â Brianna- we did mushroom rissotto as the veg option, and I agree the cesear salad is beautiful. Next time you speak to Lauren, say hi from me! She is due to have a baby soon, so I'm not sure how her schedule will be in the upcoming weeks/ months, just an FYI. Â XOXO

Hi Brianna! That sounds EXACTLY how I had my tables. Too funny! I will 100% be honest and tell you that not one candle stayed lit, so just a warning. Also, the tall vases made it hard for people to see the other people at the table, so everyone just moved them to the side, and some even to the floor. The LED lights were nice, but they aren't very bright. We had that with sparkling water and a loose floating orchid blossom. As for the steel drum player, he was the only one on the island, and I am happy he was there in terms of idea, but he wasn't very good in terms of playing. I felt he was very pricey, and he took lots of breaks and used his computer a lot. At one point I remember wondering why New Kids on The Block was playing. I mean I love NKOTB, but not for my rehearsal dinner with a steel drum player. You know what I mean? Â When you did the tasting did you do canapes tasting or just food off the menu? We also did a cake testing, and it was yum. They actually messed up on our cake, because we wanted choc/vanilla and then vanilla/choc and instead they did vanilla/vanilla and choc/choc, if that makes sense. It was still delicious, and everyone loved it, but I said something to Monique, and wrote Lauren an email and just got an email saying sorry. Well, sorry wasn't good enough, haha, so I asked for a discount and they actually deducted a portion from the final bill. My advice, if you are having 80 people, do a cake for 60 or something. That seemed to be the last thing people wanted, they were stuffed! Â Where are you located in NY? I am in NYC, are you close? We could meet for coffee if you'd like! Â Talk soon!

Hi Kim, I had my wedding in Provo this past June. Everyone is still raving! You will have an amazing time, let me know if you have any questions since I've been there and done it! It goes so fast, so enjoy! There is a girl Meagan on here who got married at Beaches in May I think, and she is very knowledgeable. Try to search around for her. Good luck!

Update for anyone looking for band in Provo- we used Press Gang. They were great! Would def use them again and recommend.

Hi Brianna! So excited for you, and so jealous! I wish we could do it all over again! We used Press Gang, and that wedding in June Monique is talking about is US! She told us about a bunch of different bands, and I wasn't feeling their style, so we took a chance on these guys and they were great! I honestly don't remember the type of music they played, but I wanted a band that knew covers to common songs, and they def did. It honestly goes so fast that I don't remember what they even played, but people were telling me how good they were. And I felt comfortable with them. I didn't want Caribbean/ Calypso for my wedding, I had that at my rehearsal dinner when we had a steel drum player- who I didn't really like, but that's a separate issue! Â Anyway, we also used EA for our flowers and I wasn't too happy with the final product. It was pricey in the end, the candles did NOT stay lit, the centerpieces were a bit bulky and guests couldn't see eachother at the other side of the table, but what I will say is they are very responsive and easy to talk to. I probably made them crazy with my one million emails, and they answered each one very professionally. I am also my own worst critic, so I'm not sure how they compare to other flower shops on the island, but they are def not your typical, local island florist. Â I did not use TI for pictures, which was a terrible idea and I think about that everyday! So, good job going with TI, you will not be disappointed. We are going back down in October and doing a Trash the Dress session with Ileana, and I am beyond thrilled! What else can I say? The rooms are GORGEOUS at The Somerset, just be aware of ants, make sure you remind them to spray. As for food during cocktail hour, whatever Lauren says, add more! It was not enough, but the food is amazing and people are still talking about how amazing the food was. Let me know what else I can help with! Good luck!

Hi all, I had my wedding at The Somerset in June and used Press Gang. I actually didn't even realize it was their name, but they were great and I'm glad we booked them. I would kind of describe them as a bunch of local guys who jam together on the weekends, if that makes any sense. I think the bass player was the island yoga instructor and the singer was the head of the cultural center! Of course I did not see a play list beforehand, and I was totally okay with it. You have to remember you are going to be down in the islands, and things are different then up here in the States. No formal play lists, it just goes how it goes. They were great, highly recommend!

Hi Heather, best of luck! Enjoy enjoy enjoy, it goes soooooooooooooooo fast! Wish I could do it all over again!

This is amazing, I saw it posted on The Somerset's facebook page- which is where I got married in June. Unfortunately, the airfare prices are super high, but so are the hotels =( They are amazing, but to go during the winter months which is ideal since it's so nice and warm there, and cold here in the States, the prices are through the roof! I think that alone deters people from vacationing there. I tried to get a family friend to look into it, and they spend a lot of money on vacations, and she called around and was like no way.

Hi, so fun looking at all those photos! We did not do a TTD session right after our wedding back in June, but we are going back down to Turks & Caicos in October and are doing it then. I just can't believe I have to repack and bring my wedding dress with me on the plane, etc. Jannae, was that a different dress you wore for your TTD? It didn't look the same as the one you wore for your wedding. I don't want to ruin my actual wedding dress, but just get amazing photos from the session. Do you think it's possible? My husband also does not want to get into the ocean or get sand on his suit that he wore to the wedding, so what do you suggest? I am getting my hair and makeup professionally done which is a bit silly since it will get wet and sandy but at least it will look nice for the beginning of the shoot. Can't wait to hear back!

Hi guys, yes, our wedding was at The Somerset. No cards, actual keys. So was Sibonne next door and Regent Palms on the other side. All actual keys. Miss it!

YES YES YES! I'm in! I do event planning here in NY and I told Janine that if she wanted me, I'd do it for free and just have her pay my air and hotel. I WOULD LOVE TO GO. Janine is my buddy now! WOOHOO! hahah.

Ladies, does it sound crazy to do these as my thank you cards? I am dreading writing them, and all that space, so if we did postcards, it would limit the amount of space I have to write in! Ha! Also, I can put a picture of us on the front from our wedding? What do you guys think? Cheesy, obnoxious? Then I can save money on postage and on envelopes!

They weren't just loose keys, they were attached to a keychain that had the hotel name, etc. It was pretty bulky, it woud def not fit inside a key holder.

Hi ladies, well this might seem crazy to say after reading almost 50 pages of comments, but I did not do OOT bags. Our wedding was in Turks & Caicos in June, and I thought it was crazy to bring all that stuff with me down to the island. I thought about shipping it all, but everyone on the island told me it takes months to ship stuff and apparently you pay some extreme amount to not only ship but on taxes once it gets to the island. So, I asked the hotel about it, and we had a bottle of white wine delivered to everyone's room with a welcome note. At the hotel where the wedding was, they placed 2 glasses next to the bottle for an added touch. Throughout the course of the wedding we did give out flip flops for when people arrived at the ceremony (on the sand), personalized fans placed on the chairs at the ceremony, pashminas for the ladies placed randomly on tables throughout the reception, and offered cigars with personalized matches. We also did a catamaran trip and on the ride I gave out personalized spf lip balm. As for sunscreen, aloe, hand sanitizer, tylenol, visine, tissues, tampons, imodium, pepto, bug spray, bandaids, etc, that most usually add to an OOT bag, I made my own kit, in a plastic bin and brought it with me on our group excursions. I made sure everyone knew I had it, and people kept joking that the one thing I forgot was condoms! Even the rabbi was joking saying, wow, way to think of everything! It was great and things didn't get wasted. As for bringing all the stuff down that I did give out, I gave some to my mom for her luggage, some in mine, some in my fathers, so it was spread out well enough to not add extra weight. And, all those items got used on the spot! Nothing was wasted and as for the kit, I kept it with me on our "mini" moon for the rest of the time we were on the island. Hope that helps!

One thing to be aware of. I got married in Turks & Caicos, and none of the room keys were those magnetic sliding key cards. They were all actual keys that you had to put inside a lock at my hotel. Some of my guests stayed next door at a cheaper hotel, and it was the same thing, actual keys, so keep that in mind. Sounds so cute though, but it wouldn't have worked for our wedding.

Bring it on, I'd love to help! I am a little jealous though, not going to lie! =)

I did NOT use Ileana for our wedding, and it was the biggest mistake I ever made. Trust me, I look at our wedding photos now which are nice that another photographer took, and just WISH that Ileana had done our wedding. We are trying to plan a trip down in October and I hope to have Ileana do a shoot with us. Perhaps a "Trash the Dress" shoot, but not really trash it! I loved my dress! But since we can't retake our wedding day photos, this was an idea Ileana came up with. Do yourself a favor and choose her, you won't go wrong! If there was one thing I could redo, this would be it! Her work is UNREAL. =)

Hi everyone, I am just reaching out for some support. I know it may sound silly, but our wedding was 2 months ago at The Somerset. I am so sad it's over, and I think about it daily. I actually am trying NOT to think about it, because it just makes me sad. All the planning, and it went sooo fast. Did this happen to anyone else? Is this normal? Does anyone have any advice or suggestions for me? I think we are planning a trip back down there for October, before the room rates go up for a "Trash the Dress" session. I am just looking for any excuse to get back into my gown! Am I so pathetic? =) Thanks!

I really want to start doing WW. My friend just started and she lost 14 pounds in 4 weeks. If I am getting married next June, how much weight do you think I could lose by then? I am scared to go dress shopping because I know their sample sizes wont fit me!

What about Marc Ingrahm? I'm not sure if I am spelling it right, but I want to go there. I hear they are super sweet and have lots of choices.

Hi guys. I'm confused. What does OOT stand for? Sorry! I was thinking that instead of doing welcome bags, that I would have bottles of wine delivered to each person's room with a note saying it was from us. And, also like a pamphlet with the activites of the weekend. I'm just not sure if I should buy the wine down there in bulk- which I think might be a lot of money because everything there is imported or see if I can get a case or something sent from a preferred vineyward. I don't know if that's even allowed to have cases of liquor shipped into the country. Not sure!

The hotel is still TBD, but it's between The Somerset and The Regent Palms. Do you have any suggestions for me? I mean I know of the basics, Correy Forbes, Stanly Roots, NADA, but like I said I wanted something more traditional, like a 5 piece band. Who knows if that's even possible.