moemarx

I purchased MIB supplies from the below post back in January. I paid $45.00 (w/ shipping) at the time and have now decided to reduce the number off DIY projects I have on my plate. For sale are 22 glass bottles w/ corks, 6 lbs of crinkled kraft paper, a 1/2 roll of raffia, & a bag of seashells. PM me if interested! http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/67344/3-14-new-prices-oot-bags-luggage-tags-real-touch-flowers-raffia-fans-cake-jewelry-place-settings-candle-holders-message-in-a-bottle-stuff-more.

Hi MrsZtoB I'm not sure if you have something specific in mind, but assuming no traffic... The airport is 5-10 minutes north of Charlotte Amalie, Charlotte Amalie is then 20-25 minutes from either Red Hook on the East End or Magens on the Northside, and then Red Hook to Magens Bay would be 15-20 minutes. Hope this helps

Hi Girls! My fiance and I took a trip down to St. Thomas last week. We were there for 4 days and 5 nights. We had an incredible time and although we got a lot done, we were also able to get a good amount of relaxing in as well. We can not wait for our wedding next year!!!! Sorry if this post is a bit long winded but I wanted to fill you all in on my experiences. Janelle put us in contact with a woman who manages several rentals at Sapphire Village and she gave us a great price for our accomodations. The unit was nice and very clean, plus the view was great. Sapphire Beach was nice, and the pool at the resort was quiet and nice. There was a small bar/grill serving salads, sandwiches, and cocktails. Food was OK, but pricey. $15 for a cobb salad, $8 for a hot dog. This pricing seemed to be par for the course everywhere we went for food. We rented a car through Dependable car rental who I would not recommend. The rate was only slightly less than the one I got from Amalie Rental and Budget...and boy do I wish we sprung for the extra $30 bucks. The car was falling apart and not well kept. We really enjoyed the East End/Red Hook area. There is something for everyone in terms of shopping, restaurants, and nightlife. So we thought this area will be great for our guests. The Elysian Resort in particular was our favorite. We found the grounds to be really beautiful and we will be suggesting this and the Cowpet Bay area to our guests. They have two restaurants and watersports on site. Studio units are managed by the Wyndham are are roughly $170/nt. in May. There are also 2 and 3 BR units which are privately owned. I have bookmarked several on vrbo which I will add to our wedding website and the pricing for these range between $250 and $300/night. I found this to be really reasonable since these will likely be shared between family and friends, and split as such. We had dinner at Caribbean Saloon, Big Bambooz, Roberts, and the Old Stone Farmhouse. Caribbean Saloon was OK. My pasta was too salty and his steak was overcooked. Dinner came to $100 and we only had 1 drink and no appetizers. Big Bambooz had fun ambiance, but dinner was only OK. My fish tacos were OK, but his fish and chips were not. He was nauceous for the rest of the night. Roberts and the Old Stone Farmhouse were fantastic. Robert's had awesome food, friendly staff, and a piano player taking recommendations for songs. The feel was upscale but by no means stuffy. There were families with children and couples having a romantic dinner. I found the prices comparable to the others on the island. We actually only paid about $20 more for our meal here than for the one we had at the Caribben Saloon and we ordered more food and drink! Though we didn't have time to meet with the owner Kevin while we were in town, the location for the beach BBQ is really really nice and I believe the pricing is fair from what I've heard. I would highly recommend this as a spot for a wedding or a welcome dinner. Dinner at the Old Stone Farmhouse is a must for a romantic night out. Although, its located on the North side of the island (not too far from Magens Bay) the grounds and building were absolutely stunning! Dinner was delicious and the chef invites guests back into the kitchen, to choose their protein from the fresh cuts that they have for the day. They have different cuts of meat such as elk, oxtail, buffalo, and ostrich, in addition to the more traditional pork, veal, and steak. We both loved our meals and can't wait to go back. I think we will get the parents a gift card for here to thank them for everything. We met Elisha for engagement photos at Lindquist Beach. We loved her and can't wait to see the photos!!! She was so nice, so much fun, very organized and extremely creative. She really was a pleasure to work with and worth every penny of her service. Lindquist is awesome! So secluded and beautiful. Definitely our favorite beach on the island! Some other beaches we checked out for ceremonies were Elysian, Magens Bay, Sapphire/Pretty Klip Point, and Lime Tree. In the end, although the beaches were nice, we decided on the Oberservation Deck at St. Peters Greathouse for our ceremony. We thought the proximity to the villa, as well as the experience and views fit what we are looking for. We also had a tasting with St. Johns Catering. We took the car barge over (which was simple) and Mat, the owner, was really great and down-to-earth. The food was fantastic and we hope to work with him going forward. We ordered some cake samples from Stacy @ VI Desserts (which were great) and Mat @ St. John Cetering provided an additional option for desserts. Her name is Cynthia and her website is www.islandsweetstuff.blogspot.com. Though we did not reach out to her while we were there, her work looks really beautiful. Plus he advised us that her pricing is pretty reasonable and she is the pastry chef at the Old Stone Farmhouse. Since we were having dinner there that night we had the opportunity to taste test her dessert there and it was defintiely very good. We will likely get price quotes from both for our cake and desserts table. Hope this could be of help.

Thanks for sharing your experience Amy. How long did it take for your package to arrive?

@Kim - Thanks for the tourism link. I"ll have to send them an email as well. I'll definitely let you know about the cake when I get back. VI Desserts does not have a shop, but if you request particular flavors she will make samples for you to pick up. We requested white almond cake with hazelnut cream filling and chocolate ganache, as well as the red velvet with mascarpone filling and vanilla buttercream frosting. YUMMMM :-)

Thanks for the tips! How long did it take for your packages to arrive and was it expensive?

Hi Girls, I haven't been on the board much recently, but my fiance and I are getting married on St. Thomas on May 5, 2012. We are hosting the reception at a villa and have booked planning with Janelle@ Island Bliss and photo with Elisha Orin. We haven't decided on a ceremony location or caterer yet, but we are going down to visit in just few weeks. I can't wait and would be happy to help you girls if I can. I plan to take lots and lots and lots of pictures. :-) We are staying at Sapphire Village and will checking out Lime Tree, Magens, Lindquist, and Pretty Klip Point @ Sapphire for possible ceremony spots. We've also scheduled tastings with VI Desserts for the cake and Mat @ St. John Caterers for Catering. Elisha will taking engagement photos at Lindquist so we wil be able to meet her. @FlyBird2012 - Villa Botanica was a consideration for us too. However, per both the Villa owners and our planner I was told that event bookings have been put on hold due to some zoning issues. Not sure if you reached out to them yet, but hopefully this will change soon. @Travel Bride14 - Roberts is on our short list for welcome dinner spots. We were planning to go for dinner while we are there. As for communication, I have had similar experience. I emailed Roberts a week or so ago and haven't heard back yet. I'll let you know how everything goes when I return as well.

13 years

Great Links! You girls are the best!

Welcome and Congratulations Tracey! I'm working with Janelle as well and she has been so sweet. Good luck and happy planning! You will find so much useful information on here.

No. I have not placed an order from them yet. Still waiting on a better idea of head count before I place it. Orders over $99 have free shipping and they do allow returns. I also came across the 2 below on papermart.com. I'm going to be ordering the boxes for my MIB invites in the next month or so from them and will include the striped ones in that order. I'm considering getting the striped ones for the bridal party and the white and yellow from jones for the guests. I've never ordered a tote from papermart, but did use them for packaging supplies several years ago when my sister got married. They were very easy to work with and the quality of the boxes were great. Hopefully, their fabric bags will be the same. http://www.papermart.com/Product%20Pages/Product.aspx?GroupID=22749&SubGroupID=22747#22747 http://www.papermart.com/Product%20Pages/Product.aspx?GroupID=26949&SubGroupID=26938#26938

Hi Girls. Tara your site it gorgeous. What website program did you use and was it easy to use? How much did it cost if you don't mind me asking? My fiance and I we're trying to think of a way for the guys to have an island look but at the same time still be somewhat formal. We've decided on either nayy or grey linen suits, with the groomsmen wearing pants and a vest with a shirt and tie and my fiance wearing the same but with a jacket for the ceremony as well. I posted a picture of what we're going for but in either navy blue or grey. This suit in the picture is from JCrew and not quite what we want but you girls get the idea. I came across a thread on here last night about a company that offers custom linen suits made to order for $99!!!! The thread is about 65 pages long and has tons of brides who posted reviews and pictures...so it seems totally legit. I mentioned it to FI this morning and he agreed that it could be worth our while to order his suit to make sure we happy with the quality and service. I've heard that about flowers prices on the island. How expensive are we talking? I don't even know what to expect and am a bit nervous about it. I came across seashell bouquets on etsy and thought they could be a fun idea for the bridal party to cut down on the floral cost. Maybe even a possibility for a DIY project. Have you girls found etsy.com yet? It's incredible! I can get lost on that site for hours looking at things...there are so many talented people on there. And you can find such incredible deals.

Hi Beth, I am PMing you about the glass bottles and their accessories. If they are still available I am definitely interested. Danielle

Hi Girls! Congratulations to all of you!!! I'm a Jersey bride planning a May 2012 wedding in St. Thomas! I'm loving this forum and the entire planning process so far! Tenny, If there are still spots open I would be interested in learning more about the BD shoot in NYC this summer. My fiance's birthday is in late August and that would be an awesome surprise for him. Plus by doing it several months from now it gives time to get into fighting shape LOL. I checked out the site and her work looks beautiful! Great idea getting a group together to share in the costs. I will PM you shortly for more information.

Thanks so much Ginger! I'm in love with her LOL

Hi Tara! Another 2012 St. Thomas bride!? How exciting! Are there any others on here? I imagine we'll start filling up soon enough if not. Thanks for your compliments on the Stardust. I had my heart set on a villa and after a ridiculous number of hours online I was beginning to get discouraged. Everything was either too expensive (even with us splitting the cost with my family who would rent it with us) or I just didn't love it. So when I found it, spoke with the owners, and realized that not only could we afford it... but we could afford it staying there by ourselves my head nearly exploded from the excitement LOL!!! We also reserved with Janelle @ Island Bliss for the coordination and she has been very helpful. Within 24 hours of our placing our down payment with her she forwarded me vendors and the applications for our license. I have not booked anything else, but Janelle has suggested that we start with photography to increase our chances of getting who we want before they book up. My favorite, from all that I received is Elisha Orin and I hope to book with her. I'm not sure what her 2012 prices are though, since we haven't requested those rates as of yet. She then suggested that after photo we should decide on catering and that this should be done by late summer or early fall for a Saturday night wedding. In a perfect world, we would like to be able to take a scouting trip this summer to try food, find a ceremony location, and confirm that the guest accomadations aren't roach motels in disquise...but we'll have to see if we can do that. I've never even been to the island? Have you? Anyhow...My current project is guest accomodations. I am planning to send out save-the-dates in late April/early May and prior to doing so I would like to have decided on 2 hotels for the group rates and have a website setup with the travel suggestions. I just reached out to a travel agent that one of my bridesmaids recommended today and we scheduled a call for next Monday to discuss. Assuming all goes well, I will let you know what I learn about the 2012 group rates and I'll send her info your way if you're interested. BTW...Good question on the RSVP's. I've been wondering about that myself recently. I guess it's somewhat dictated by when we need the final headcounts for the caterer but the sooner the better...right? I figured I would do a little searching on here and then if that failed I would email our trusty coordinator. Have you booked your venue or any other vendors yet? If so, I'd love to hear the details.

Quote:Originally Posted by TaraBinki MoeMarx- Wow the Stardust Villa looks amazingg! That's going to be so so pretty! Congrats!! have u decided on a photographer or dj? or any other details?! Has anyone received 2012 rates from any resorts or hotels yet for the rooms? How are they looking if so? I'm super nervous the rates are going to be outrageous for the guests... I just want them to be like semi affordable for the people who really want to attend! I also have been hearing mix feedback from the cleanliness of Bolongo Bay...has anyone else seen this either? We were thinking of doing two blocks of rooms at the Marriott & Bolongo to give people options and Yesss 2012 seems SOO FAR Away somedayss! haha Especially July! Has anyone set up wedding websites? Or decided how to do the whole invitation rsvp thing? when its so far away ~Tara

I couldn't agree more Irish and look forward to hearing about the Wyndham. For the most part we've been pretty fortunate with our bridal party. The party is pretty much siblings so we haven't had to worry. It includes my fiance's brother, my brother and his girlfriend, my sister and brother in law, and my best friend who lives out of state. The biggest concern will be my friend who will be a mother of 3 by the time the wedding gets here!!! Though I know she going to do anything she can to make it happen, due to cost she'll likely have to leave the kiddies behind for longer than she ever has before. Plus she lives in California and just learned that flights are 12 and 14 hours long to get there!!! EEK! I feel terrible, but I had no idea! Can you believe that!!!

I just came across this great tote bag online and thought I would share. I have attached the link below. Price starts at $4 a bag and decreases depending on how many you buy. However, it looks expensive and comes in 7 different colors! http://www.jonestshirts.com/product/7002

Sorry Ladies...This is the first time I'm posting an image so it took me a couple of tries LOL.

Good Luck and Enjoy your Trip!

May is a great time and it would be so nice to be able to do it on your anniversary. How long have you been together? I liked that we would be able to take advantage of the summer/hurricane season rates without the risk of a hurricane. We live in Union County. I agree with you, prices and expectations around here are crazy. If we had a wedding here we would have to invite nearly 200 people! This would include extended family members who will tell me they haven't seen me "since I was this big", bosses/co-workers, and parents friends. Before you know it....you've spent $40k, you barely ate, and it's all over 5 hours later. Not to say that the traditional wedding isn't gorgeous. I just knew it wasn't right for me and when I told my fiance he, of course, couldn't be more relieved. We just don't have the money to save money for a home and have the big fat Jersey wedding. :-) The estate is called the Stardust Villa (www.stardustvilla.com). It looks stunning and the owners have been so nice and very easy to communicate with. I'm not sure if you've considered a coordinator (I know some resorts won't allow outside coordinators), but I can't say enough good things about the girl we booked with. We are working with Janelle from Island Bliss weddings (www.islandblissweddings.com) and it feels safer to us to have an "advocate" and point of contact on the island. She is from the states and I believe she moved to St. Thomas after planning her own wedding down there several years ago. I found recommendations from other brides on here for her and my experience so far has been great. She is friendly, professional, and most importantly very quick to respond. We found her fee to be very affordable...plus she works closely with most of the vendors on the island and receives better pricing than you or I would be able to get on our own. I'm so happy to see another 2012 bride on here...especially from nearby. Doesn't it seem like it's so far away? I hope everything works out for you in your search. How was the pricing for Bolongo? Did you find it affordable for you and your guests?

How incredibly creative!!!!! Thank you so much for posting this!!! What an incredible idea! I've been going contemplating which of these types of invites to do...and this combines them all for an extremely affordable price!

Not sure if you've booked a villa yet but my fiance and I just booked the Stardust Villa at Mahogany Run. It is absolutely beautiful, will allow you to host an event, and is reasonably priced. The website is www.stardustvilla.com. Hope this is helpful to you.