Mrs. LowUFO

Wow sorry to hear your wedding did not go as planned; however, the pictures look lovely and I am happy to hear you have been compensated. Â I absolutely love your cake! Do you have an email or website address for the person who did your cake? If you don't mind me asking was it expensive? I am getting married at Couples Swept Away and I am a little worried about how the cake might turn out but also don't have a huge budget for the cake.

 Congrats and welcome to the board! There is so much information on here and made choosing Jamaica an easy choice for us! We are getting married next year at Couples Swept Away as I have heard nothing but good things about it. We are fortunate in that we don't have any children to bring because it is an adults only, couples only resort, but I have heard many people go with Riu because they are family friendly and hold so many weddings.  If you are looking to have your legal ceremony abroad, I found Jamaica to be one of the easiest places. For example, in Mexico you have to get blood tests taken there. Cuba or Dominican require documents to be translated into Spanish. Although these aren't huge inconveniences it was enough of a reason for us to not choose these countries.  Good luck with the planning!! Â

I had my shoot 2 weeks ago and I am soooo happy I decided to do this! I think how comfortable you will also come down to the photographer. The girl Erin who shot my pictures was so incredibly awesome and made me feel so at ease. Â For anyone who thinks they might not have a confidence or are too self conscious you just have to remind yourself that your b/f, fiance, husband LOVES you and will be thrilled to think that you have stepped out of your comfort zone for them! The photographer I had asked if there were any "problem areas" that she should avoid to try and make me feel more comfortable so I say all girls should just DO IT!

We decided not to have a wedding party for a variety of reasons. I was a little worried about how my closest girlfriends would react to this so for the girls who I would have asked to be in my wedding party if we were going that route I wrote them each a little card explaining our reasons and letting them know how important they are to me regardless of not having a "bridesmaid" title and how much it will mean for them to just be there enjoying themselves! Â They all really loved the gesture and there were no hard feelings.

Username: Mrs. LowUFO Name: Nikki & Simon Wedding: May 16th, 2011 @ 11am Location: Beach Hotel: Couples Swept Away  So excited!!

I am hoping past brides or guests of Couples Swept Away can lend some advice here... I am getting married there next May and we were thinking of going on the catamaran cruise that is provided by the resort for us and our guests after the ceremony. Has anyone been on the cruise and know how many people the boat holds? How easy is to book ahead of time and would I be able to do it for everyone all at once? I have been given a quote by an outside company for the same service at $52USD per person. Although this will be a firm booking if I can avoid this additional cost and use the one through the hotel I'd be really happy =) Any info? Thanks ladies!

I am getting married at Couples Swept Away next May. I have seen pictures of the cakes the resorts offer and they look a little too "icingish" and traditional, if you know what I mean. I just want something clean looking, with ribbon at the bottom and maybe some flowers. Have any brides been married at this resort and requested something different than the standard cake? If so, would you be able to show me some pics of what they might be able to do. Thanks very much

Quote: Originally Posted by ashley1316 anyone know of a BD photograher in the Toronto Ont area? Hey...I live in Toronto and will be doing my BD pics with Renaissance Studios on July 30th. Another one that I had contacted prior to booking with Renaissance was Honeybourne Intimates (I think they are located out towards Pickering/Ajax).

Hey ladies...I have an upcoming BD photo shoot coming up next week and I'm getting so excited especially after seeing some of the pics on here! For any ladies who have done a BD shoot I am hoping you can lend me some advice...how many "outfits" should I bring? How many times did you change? I have looked through some threads already on here and on the internet and I've read anywhere from 2 to 8! Any tips would be greatly appreciated...thanks

Congratulations! I got engaged Feb 2010 and looking to have our wedding May/June 2011. You want enough time to research, figure out what's most important to you and your FI and also have time to change your mind, if need be. All the best with the planning!

Erin! I can't even begin to tell you hopefully this thread was...thank you so much for the time and effort

Wow! That's so exciting! Congrats and I hope everything goes just as you imagine it! You'll have to let me know how it all went.

Quote: Originally Posted by andrewdolphin Can't comment on the Princesa del Mar and I think you'll struggle to find many people who have been to both. What I can say is that you won't be disappointed with the Paradisus Rio de Oro. It's a beautiful resort, and I'm sure the same could probably be said for the Princesa; we're going to the Rio de Oro for our third time this year and have chosen it as our wedding venue. Oh really? When are you getting married? We are looking to do it May 2011. My fiance is actually from England and we will be inviting some guests from there so hopefully they will be able to find decent packages. I am a little worried about the food, but most reviews seem pretty positive. How is the beach??

I've been considering this as well since my fiance is divorced. It seems like quite a bit for the translation and then having to translate the Cuban marriage certificate into English when you get back. If you get the Ontario Marriage Licence for $130, then you just need to perform the ceremony and I assume that will cost whatever that particular person charges?

Haha I know! I have lost track of everything I've seen and read!

Congrats! We are actually considering the same resort for May 2011, but of course I have a million different ideas running through my head!

Welcome and congrats! Been on the forum for only a few days now and have already come across a wealth of knowledge!

Hi ladies...I am hoping you guys can clarify a few things. Mexico is a possibility for our wedding and I am confused as to what I need to do to get married there. I know we will need valid passports and birth certificates. My fiance is divorced so we have a copy of his divorce certificate. I have been told that you need to get blood work and x-rays done once you arrive. Is this true? I thought it was only blood work? Is there a flat cost for the blood work or does it vary from place to place? Any idea on the costs involved in the medical requirements? Do we need to have anything translated, such as the divorce certificate or will they accept an English copy? thanks soooooo much

Thanks for the info - that totally helped!

Quote: Originally Posted by Dmitri_Markine Aren't they in different Provinces? Princesa is in Varadero and De Oro is in Holguin. I've been to Princesa a few times and it was an excellent resort(...Cuban resort). yes, they are in different parts. I was just curious as to what people's thoughts were of the actual grounds of these 2 places. I'm sure both places are beautiful.

Thanks for posting this information. I am sorry if this is a stupid question, but I just want to clarify what is actually required for getting married in Cuba. You need: Valid Passports Birth Certificates My fiance is divorced so we have a copy of the divorce certificate What do we need to have translated? Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by StephAli Hello!! CONGRATS!! I would/did personally pick Jamaica! Why are you debating between those two? I kinda made a list that ruled out places...(ie mexico, cuba, dom rep, etc until i got to jamaica....it basically came down to its a place nmost ppl want to go to, but cant justify b/c its just that bit more then the other places....buts its way cheaper then some of the other islansds.... Hope that helps!! We are still not sure as to where we'll end up; however, there is no way my fiance will agree to the blood work Mexico needs - I pretty much have to clobber him over the head just to go to the doctor here! Due to the budget constraints of some of our friends we want to keep the cost to $1500 CDN or lower per person so figured that Cuba might be one of the best places for that. All the places I've looked at in either Montego Bay or Jamaica seem to be getting closer to $2000. But this pretty much why I joined this forum to get feedback and advice from girls going through the same thing! Thanks everyone for the warm welcome

Hey everyone, I'm from Toronto, ON and newly engaged (as of Feb 12th)! We are both over the moon and cannot wait to get married! We're still in the early stages of planning but are looking to get married sometime in May 2011 either in Cuba or Jamaica...I look forward to getting tips and advice from this forum and look forward to hearing about everyone else's big day! Congrats to all you brides! Nikki

Hi ladies! I am newly engaged (Feb 12th) and have decided on a destination wedding for May 2011. Taking into consideration the budget of our guests we have decided Cuba would be our best bet to ensure the most amount of ppl can come. With that being said, I think we have narrowed it down to Paradisus Rio De Oro and Paradisus Princesa del Mar. If any of you can give an opinions/advice on what resort might be better I'm all ears. We do not have any young children attending so that is why we decided to go with an adults only resort. I look forward to hearing from you. Congrats to all the fellow brides-to-be!!