StThomas2011

They took about 10 days to get there. I would try to give yourself more time and for piece of mind I would get insurance and delivery confirmation. It really helped me from worrying.

@Kim, I responded before, but they quarantined my message because I'm a "noob." I sent down 3 boxes...2 boxes of towels and 1 with the rest of the welcome bag stuff. I paid extra for delivery confirmation and insurance, just to be safe! All that stuff cost a ton of money to buy in the first place! Also, make sure to let the people at the gate know you are carrying on your dress...they are all really nice and will let you and your fiance preboard!

@Kim, I shipped down a total of 3. 2 were boxes of towels and 1 was all the rest of the welcome bag stuff. I did end up packing some stuff in my suitcase, but that was more because some stuff wasn't ready until the weekend before we left (my laziness...ha!). Another piece of advice...I also carried my dress on (im sure most brides do), and I just waited until I got to the airport and was at the gate and asked if I could put my dress into the closet (if they have one), but they always let me and my fiance pre board! So then we were able to have our bags and my dress right by us on the flight. Made me feel better. The first leg of my flight down there didn't have a closet, but I just put it on top of the luggage in the overhead bins. The second one had a closet, so that worked out. I took down a portable steamer with me, so I wasn't so concerned about it getting wrinkly. I'm so jealous to not be planning a wedding now.....

@kim, I did ship stuff down to Janelle and yes it can cost a bit. But Janelle was very sure to let me know 2 important things to keep in mind. 1. DO NOT ship UPS or Fedex. They consider St. Thomas international (which I know it is not) and it costs a fortune! A friend of mine shipped down 2 bottles of sunscreen (special stuff for her sensitive skin) and it cost her $80! 2. Also, shipping USPS Parcel Post is the cheapest, but it can take forever to get there (a month and a half) and you risk it not making it in time. Janelle, recommended to me to use USPS Priority and though it was more expensive than Parcel, everything made it down in time! Your other option is to figure out how much you have and pay the extra baggage fees to check a bag on the airline. It might honestly end up being cheaper. I personally didn't want to deal with carrying that many bags, but I've heard of other brides doing this.

We used Elisha....for about 8 hours during our stay (we did engagement, wedding, and trash the dress) Here are a few from her blog http://thatstalk.elishaorin.com/?p=3679 I definitely recommend her.

Hey ladies! I just got married on February 25, 2011 and I used Robert's for our welcome dinner. And while the food was phenominal and they even set up our tables/chairs on the beach, they were terrible about communication. In the beginning I kept calling and emailing and calling and emailing, but my WC (Janelle with Island Bliss) assured me that if they said we are booked, then we had nothing to worry about. Now, with that said, I would be hard pressed to book my wedding reception there, but having a casual beach BBQ there was perfect. Their prices were really low too compared to Iggys. If anyone has any questions about what we got for the price, message me and I'll give that to you! I used Villa Botanica, VI Desserts, Elisha Orin, Passion Fruit Catering and Sugar and Spice Artistry. If anyone wants to know any specifics about any of them feel free to PM me

How many people are you having? Lindquist is beautiful, but depending on the tide, there isn't much space for chairs.

I got married on February 25, 2011 and we used Elisha Orin as well. She is a sweetheart and does amazing work. We had our first at home reception last night and had a slide show of around 250 pictures and everyone was saying how absolutely stunning her work is! We spent over 7 hours with her....1 hour two days before for engagement/getting used to her style pictures, 5 hours day of the wedding (got married at Villa Botanica, but I wanted pictures on the beach beforehand) and 1 hour the next days for TTD. I couldn't be happier with the amount of pictures we have and how they turned out! She is amazing! And keep in mine, these prices are high, but you get the disk to keep for yourself. You can print them and use them however you like! A lot of photogs make you order through them which can cost a fortune.

Ridley...Janelle is awesome and so is Villa Botanica! I saw it when I was there last and can't wait to have my wedding/reception there. Paradise pictures does great work, but I chose to go with Elisha Orin....her style was more "me." 3 months and 2 days until my big day! I can't freaking wait!

For my welcome dinner on 2.24.2011 I just put down my deposit at Robert's American Grille at Cowpet Bay. For a "Casual Beach BBQ" they charge starting at $28/person for the food and then you can do a drink package or you can do based on consumption. I'm gonna do consumption because I don't think it will be worth it for all you can drink for the welcome dinner. If you have any more specific questions, let me know!

I'm using Janelle with Island Bliss and she has been wonderful!!! I was having a hard time deciding the location for the welcome dinner (and I'm on a budget, so some places were a little out of my price range) and she gave me SO many options and we located one that is PERFECT for me and my FI!!! One the beach and reasonably priced!!! Â She always responds quickly and gives me great feedback! Â

I am getting married on 2.25.11 at Villa Botanica. My guests are staying at Sapphire Beach Resort and Sapphire Village. It's not a hotel and each unit is privately owned. So it's a little bit of work to book them for each guest, but honestly, I'm happy to do it for everyone (they are paying, im just finding places for them). It's cheaper than a hotel and the beach is gorgeous! Â I have been to Havana Blue and that restaurant is amazing...I was on a budget, so we chose Villa Botanica and it is a really beautiful venue!

My WC recommended Villa Botanica for the ceremony/reception. It's not a beach wedding, but the prices seem pretty low compared to a resort. My fiance and I will take pictures on the beach before we head up there, so we can have some beach pics, and then the next day we'll do TTD on the beach.

I've been looking at Bolongo Bay and it seems awesome, but SO expensive in my opinion!

1. Name - Amy 2. Where are you from - Chicago, IL 3. Where are you getting married in St Thomas - Villa Botanica 4. When are you getting married - February 25, 2011 5. Who is you WC - Janelle Scott with Island Bliss Weddings Reading all of your posts just makes me that much more excited for my wedding!! I'm still in the beginning phases, but I just can't wait for it to be here (plus who doesn't love to travel to St. Thomas!) We are having our ceremony and reception at Villa Botanica (we are planning on having around 50 ppl), we plan on using Passion Fruit catering for the food, possibly Bolongo Bay for the rehearsal/Welcome dinner, and Sugar and Spice for hair and make up. My list seems a mile long right now and I'm hoping to cross some things off soon! So far we've booked Villa Botanica and we've bought our plane tickets...but that's all! If anyone has any thoughts, comments, recommendations on any of those vendors, let me know! Amy

1. Amy 2. 2-25-11 3. St. Thomas, USVI @ Villa Botanica! I am so excited for my own wedding, but also very excited to read about ideas from other weddings that are similar! I am using a wedding planner on the island (Janelle @ Island Bliss Weddings) and her blog has been most helpful in coming up with cute and unique ideas! I am open to suggestions from any brides who are in the process of planning or have already had their dream wedding!