82turtles

Hi JayKay, I was there about a month ago just for vacation and can help with your questions a bit. The two properties are right next to each other, and so it seems like more or less one place. Either side will be fine as it's super easy to go between either. The spa, fitness center, and tennis courts are on the St James side, whereas basically all the restaurants are on the Wild Orchid side. There is one lunch spot by the pool at St James though. So if you're looking for more convenience to the food/night club/coffee bar, go with the Wild Orchid side. And if you're looking for a quieter time, you can go with the St James (since not as many people walking around there). But really either is fine!!! They have activities and such at both pools throughout the day and walking from end to end of the two properties probably takes just 5-10 minutes or so. Have fun!! Quote: Originally Posted by JayKay Hi there. I'm not getting married at this resort, as I was married in Jamaica in January. We are considering this resort for our honeymoon later this year and was wondering if anyone can tell me if there are any major differences between the two and which would be better to stay at?

While there are a couple other outdoor locations for a reception, the Beach and Tequila Terrace seem to be the primary ones. We saw a couple other wedding receptions on a deck outside a restaurant. They did what they could to put up linens to kind of block it off and make it more private. We did the Beach Terrace, and it was a perfect location for our group! The one drawback I would say is you're a little bit further from the restrooms -- have to either go in the lobby or go in the restaurants. We went to the lobby one because there was a wedding on the Tequila Terrace at the same time as mine, and I didn't want to walk through their party as a short-cut to the bathrooms! Really wasn't a big deal. As for the privacy -- the Tequila Terrace is right outside the buffet (separated by glass windows only), so there will likely be people watching from the inside. Other brides have said it didn't bother them, and they hardly even noticed. The Beach Terrace is nearer to the main pool, but it was more private due to the fact that after 5 pm when the pool bar closes, most people head back to their rooms to get ready for dinner and evening activities, so there aren't really people around. We did have some observers of the ceremony since our start time was 4 pm (early sunset with it being November). At first I thought it would bother me, but honestly I didn't even notice them -- little more focused on our own thing!! And lastly, the Beach Terrace was an awesome place to dance!! No one had to worry about heels or falling in the slats, and lots went barefoot without having to worry about splinters as they would on the wood deck of the Tequila Terrace. I assume it all depends on if there's another wedding booked for the same day/time as yours, but if you get there and another reception location seems like a better fit once you see the options, I'm sure they let you change. Really, both spots are fine -- it's more about you, your spouse-to-be and all your guests having a great time! Quote: Originally Posted by RFinger I have a question, are there only two options for the reception? Beach Terrace or Tequila Terrace? I have read a few comments saying that people thought the Beach terrace was a better option because it wasn’t as close to the restaurants and that the beach terrace was a better location to dance.. what is everyone’s opinion? Thank you, Ryan Quote: Originally Posted by joda As far as I know, those are the only private outdoor locations. Otherwise you have the ballroom indoors. We are doing the tequila terrace, which I think is more popular, based on what it looks like and that I have read people didn't notice other people. I think neither of them are perfect for privacy because the beach terrace I thought was right beside the pool? So there will still be people around. The beach terrace is better if the ladies want to wear heels (tequila has wooden slats, no good) and might be larger, although I am not sure about that. Hope that helps somewhat!

Yep, alcohol is definitely included!! They brought us shots ALL night long! And although the information doesn't say it, you get a private bar set-up right by your reception if you do the Eternity or Divine package (included in the price), which is convenient for your guests and for the waiters. Quote: Originally Posted by Traci7642 Thanks for all of the examples ladies. Another question, when you purchase the Eternity or Devine package, is liquor included? Obviously it's included during the cocktail hour but is it included during the dinner/two hour reception, or do you have to purchase it a la carte for those hours? I can't imagine my friends and family only wanting to drink during the 1-hour cocktail lol.

Hi Traci, While the resort's wedding package does include a lot (and in my opinion includes a lot more than a number of other resorts for the price), there are still a lot of items that can have additional costs, but it all depends on what you want and how many people you have. For example: - extra people over 25 will cost extra for the chair, dinner, cocktail hour, cake, and toast (roughly comes out to about $95-100 per person after tax and service). - decorations: the standard decor is in all white, it will cost extra if you want color chair ties, color linens for dinner, different chairs, table centerpieces, etc - flowers: your bouquet and his boutonniere are included, plus an extra bout or corsage dep on the wedding package but if you have a larger wedding party (or want smaller bouqets for your bridesmaids) or want flowers for parents this will cost extra - music: iPod system is included for the ceremony or the Divine package includes some ceremony music now I heard, but if you want other special music at the ceremony or music at the cocktail hour or reception, that will be extra (can either rent an iPod system which is what we did, or hire a DJ) - length of reception: there are 3 hours included (more or less 1 hr for dinner, 2 hours for dancing or whatever), but if you want it to go longer there is a change of $10 per person per hour plus tax, which can add up quickly if you have a lot of people and want a long reception - extras: they can provide you with additional lighting, tikki torches, paper luminaries, lounge furniture, and more, all for a fee of course Really it all depends on what you're looking for in your wedding! It can be easy to get carried away and spend much more than the package price. The number of people you have there is probably the biggest factor in additional costs, so be sure to factor that in when planning your budget and guest list!

While it's true you can't cut tungsten, you are able to get it off in an emergency with vice grips. It would shatter under the pressure and free your finger. You just wouldn't be able to solder it back together like you could with a white gold ring. Quote: Originally Posted by Cateyedcutie Damn it...back to the drawing board. Quote: Originally Posted by mrssemenuksoon FI has white gold, he had wanted tungsten, but changed his mind at the last minute...I love the look of tungsten, but the whole not being able to cut it worried me.

Just got an email from this site that they are having a Valentine's Day sale and thought I'd share - all rings are $39.99 through Tuesday, January 17. Just enter code "VDAY" at checkout

Hi SparksFly, We went with tungsten for my husband, and he loves his ring. He works in carpentry, and wouldn't wear a ring to work anyways, so we were free to pick a ring of any metal, with the style he liked. If you are really considering tungsten, I would suggest you check out this website: http://www.tungstenfashions.com/ The price is hard to beat!!! I think regular price it's $65-70 or something close, but we got ours on sale for $54.99 (another sale is going on now, too). The free shipping was SUPER fast - like ordered it Friday late afternoon, and it arrived at our house mid morning the following Monday. Plus the quality is great, and they have a lifetime guarantee if it breaks, needs polished, or you need another size (as someone mentioned earlier, tungsten cannot be resized). You just mail it back with a copy of your original receipt and they send you out a new one. One of my BM's works at her family's jewelry business, and she said that she couldn't find anywhere that beat the price (not even their suppliers were getting tungsten rings at that cost). Her father the jeweler inspected it when we got it in, and said it was of very good quality. I found the EXACT same ring at a local Jared's jewelry store, and their price was $339! We figured at those prices we could afford to try it out, and if it wasn't good, we had enough time to pick out something else, but we were extremely pleased with the purchase. Here's the one we ordered:

So little late in seeing this thread, but think I can help a little with the original question.. I was there for 2 weeks for our wedding in November. First off, it's not actually seaweed washing up on shore. It is 'seagrass'.. doesn't hurt and isn't prickly, just feels like dried grass when you walk on it. They have tractors that go up and down the beach to clean it up several times a day. I think it will always be there, just because of the reef. Storms may kick up more 'muck' in the water, resulting in more or less of the seagrass depending on the time of year, but I would DEFINITELY not let that stop you from booking a wedding/vacation here!! It was one of my initial concerns having a pristine beach, and I'm SO glad I didn't let it dissuade me from choosing the resort. Everything was so perfect there. Outside vendors do cost $300 per category (ex flowers, decor, cake, DJ, etc); however, having an outside photographer will only cost you $65 (basically just charging you a day pass). I used an outside photographer (Gonzalo Nunez -- he was AMAZING!!), and used the resort for everything else. Yes, the flowers are expensive and overpriced, but when I looked at the cost of an outside one plus the vendor fee, it just wasn't much of any savings nor was it worth it to me to have to bother with communicating with and coordinating another vendor. The resort did a fantastic job with my flowers, and I have no complaints there! Quote: Originally Posted by Llkrik1010 Hi Everyone, I believe the original question in this thread was about seaweed in the ocean. I visited the Now Sapphire in early June 2011 and am getting married there June 30th, 2012. There was seaweed in the ocean and it did wash up on shore. I can say that they have machines clearing it off the beach a few times a day, but you can't avoid it in the ocean. There was a pending storm when I was there, so I am not sure if that was the reason for all of the seaweed. I was hoping to hear from someone who has been there more recently to see if they also had the seaweed problem. I believe the seaweed is there because one of the largest barrier reefs in the world is nearby?? Anyway, I have chosen my ceremony on the beach and cocktail hour/reception on the Tequila Terrace. My wedding coordinator is Ramon and he was very helpful and responded fairly quickly as I was booking everything. I have kind of been at a stand still and really haven't contacted the resort more recently though, as my wedding is still far away. I am going with La Luna photography for the wedding. When my FI and I were there visiting in June, we got a private dinner on the beach (FYI the food was delicious and we really enjoyed it). The resort photographer took pictures of us, and we were really very disappointed with them. As a result, I decided to look elsewhere. La Luna is pretty expensive, but photography is important to me, so I thought it was worth the extra money. To answer some more questions, they do allow up to 2 weddings a day. Neither of the locations are completely private, as there may still be guests in the pool area if you choose the beach location and there may be guests in the restaurants or walking on the beach for the Tequila Terrace. Honestly, I think I will be so excited to be getting married I won't even notice! I believe outside vendors cost $300, except for a photographer who only costs $65 (although I have heard different things). I have 35 guests confirmed right now and may have more and we were quoted at $105 extra pp over 25 people. Let me know if you have any other questions. I posted pictures of the resort on another thread as well and have more if anyone is interested. For those brides getting married soon, Enjoy!! Lauren

Yes, time really does go by quickly, and before you know it you'll be on your way to Mexico to get married!!! Please don't hesitate to ask any questions.. I remember what it was like right before going down there! It was a kinda frustrating and stressful there at the end, as I had thought/expected the wedding coordinators to contact me a couple months out or so to finalize everything, but I didn't hear anything from them. At one point about 3 weeks before the wedding date I sent them an email with some final questions and to send them my planning form to go over, so I could get a quote. They answered the questions but didn't send me a quote. I had decided at that point that I was going to pay by credit card, since I didn't want to travel with that much cash, so decided not to worry about it anymore. I had made my own spreadsheet of costs, so I had a pretty good idea of where we would be anyways. Thought it would be nice to have heard from them that my estimate was accurate! My biggest suggestion is to be organized on your part and have an idea of what you want things to look like -- fill out that planning form, listing out any and every detail you want, and paste in pictures to that form if you have very specific things in mind. I found bouquets and arrangements that I wanted, as well as the cake design, so I put those pictures in the form, and they recreated everything exactly. Trust me, we are very lucky to have a resort that uses such a form.. One of my co-workers got married in Playa del Carmen, and her resort didn't have anything like that, so she was left with a lot of guessing and last minute decisions on things that she hadn't even realized were options. When you have your meeting with the wedding coordinator, they will go over that planning form from start to finish, so the more details you can give them, the better they can envision how you want things to go and then make it happen!! Quote: Originally Posted by AmyG Thank you for all this information. I feel like me and a few other brides on here have weddings there at the beginning of 2012 so they are fast approaching....all of this feedback is so helpful and appreciated!!! :-)

Hi Jeunesse, Picking the menu was hard, because the descriptions weren't necessarily easy to understand! Here's what we used for our menu (Eternity package): Cocktail hour apps - Goat cheese mousse and sundried tomatoes Prosciutto ham bruschetta Mini cordon bleu Ginger scented crème brulee The mini cordon bleu and creme brulee bites were sooo good! The proscuitto ham bruschetta was also good, and while the goat cheese mousse was okay, it wasn't my favorite. Dinner: Appetizer or Salad: Spinach salad with goat cheese, roasted apples and walnut confit, mustard dressing Soup: Mushroom & squash blossom soup with parmesan cheese Entrée: Chicken supreme, spicy almond sauce, fettuccini and sautéed vegetables Desert: Strawberry cheesecake Everything was just amazing. Like almostmarried said -- the wedding meal was the best meal of the whole stay (and we didn't have a bad meal at all in our 10 nights). The spinach salad just wasn't what I was had expected based on the description -- was more a leaf or two of spinach with the roasted apple on top of it and the walnuts and dressing drizzled on top, but tasted wonderful. Cake: Tres leches Everyone loved the cake, no complaints there at all, just wish we weren't so full by that point, and had room to eat more of it! Think it was already answered, but the standard/base decoration are white covered chairs. They look fine that way on their own, but I did add a colored chair bow since I thought it could use some color. As for music, I think they probably have some stuff you could borrow, but we just loaded up an iPod with 4 different ceremony playlists: 1. Guests seating (8 songs) - but i have no idea how many of those they actually made it through 2. Groomsmen and bridesmaid entrances (1 song) 3. Bride's entrance (1 song) 4. Recessional as we walk out and as guests leave (2 songs) We went with classical sounding type music versions of popular songs. Vitamin String Quartet if you want to look it up on iTunes or something (we picked "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for the guys & girls entrance, "I'm Yours" for my bridal entrance, and "Don't Stop Believing" and "Orinoco Flow" for the recessional). Just some fun songs, but they sounded very nice as instrumentals! Hope this helps. Sorry I haven't had time to do my review yet.. between two AHR's, Thanksgiving, and trying to get ready for Christmas I just haven't had time!! Feel free to ask any question though, I would love to help out! And I know it sounds cliche and everyone says it, but just try to relax and not be stressed about it. They really do know what they are doing and do an absolutely AMAZING job of it!! thanks, Sarah

Just wanted to chime in.. I also brought down chair bows, and had the resort people put them on the chairs. I had been told previously that it would be $3 per chair, but it ended up only being $1 per chair, so it wasn't a big expense at all. Guess it all depends on what time your ceremony is, but I know for ours at least - they had the chairs and stuff mostly all out when we went to do pictures at 2 pm for a 4 pm ceremony. However, I would suggest you have them take care of all the set-up. They do a fantastic job, and then you won't have to burden one of your guests with any work!!

Where in Kansas are you? I grew up in Salina.. haven't seen many brides from Kansas on here!

Don't forget about the 11% tax and 15% service that is on top of that $48/pp dinner fee.. it actually comes out to about $60.50 for each additional Eternity dinner. If you add in the extra cost for dinner, cocktail hour, cake and champagne it comes out to about $95 per person after tax and service for guest numbers over 25. You can possibly save from not paying for the overage on cocktail hour or cake, since it seems they have enough either way, but for budgeting/planning reasons I'd suggest you plan around the full $95/pp for numbers over 25! We struggled with that added cost, and for that very reason limited the number of people we invited. While it does sound terrible, when we had a few people have to back out at the last minute for work reasons, I wasn't too upset, knowing we'd just saved about $300! Good luck!

Thanks, we are having a great time! Getting really excited for the wedding!! Most of our family/friends arrive today, so ready for the real fun to begin! Ah, nice, glad we missed out on the snow! Hopefully it's melted by the time we get back *fingers crossed*. Or maybe we should just stay here!

Hi Amy, Thanks, yes having a great time!! Not sure if they were supposed to, but they upgraded us to a Preferred oceanfront room -- very sweet!! The resort is really nice, and so far, we haven't had bad food at all. But this is my first all-inclusive so maybe I just have nothing to compare it to. As for 'substitutions', I didn't ask for any specific ones, other than using the resort photog at our welcome dinner tonight instead of at the wedding, since I have hired an outside one. They were more than fine with that, so I think if you can keep it along the same lines they may go for that (like no hair/make-up maybe a facial or something spa-related, etc). I will say they seem more relaxed and lenient once you get here and go over your planning form in your meeting. If you can have that filled out very well, with picture samples pasted in the document, that will make things go smoothly. There are some things that I had thought were more expensive than what they ended up charging me, and Ramon did some work-arounds to save me some money -- in all we are $1000 under my estimate, although that doesn't include extending the reception by an hour (~$350-400). We decided to leave that off for now, and see how the party is going - if we can move to the lobby or night club, or go ahead and decide to extend at the time. Hope that helps!

I'm actually at the Sapphire right now, so if anyone has specific questions, I can try to answer them or find out. Thanks!

I bought some personalized towels for my bridesmaids from http://gifts.personalcreations.com/gifts/Colorful-Beach-Towels-30024720. There was some kind of discount at the time, which I don't recall the details of, but the total came out to $25 per towel after taxes/shipping. They are GREAT quality and have super cute little embroidered designs. They had 5 different color/design combinations, and I have 5 BM, so it worked out well!! The one drawback is you can't pick the color and then pick the design - they are pre-set combinations (i.e. flip flop design is only on green towel). I also looked on Etsy and a few other places online, but after reading the details of the quality of material used and the size of towel, I decided to spend a little more and get a much better quality beach-sized towel. Some places use very thin material that wouldn't be functional as an actual towel - more for show. Good luck with your search!

Thought of a few country father/daughter dance options: Tim McGraw - My Little Girl Rascal Flatts - My Wish Trace Adkins - Then They Do

It's getting soooo close, I can hardly believe it!! I have my first dress fitting today after work. Eek!! Makes it feel a little more real. And still so much to do...

BDW Name Real Name Departing Wedding Date Location JoanneIreland Joanne November 6th November 17th Mexico Alysam4785 Alysa October 30th November 5th Mexico Carrieb258 Carrie November 6th November 10th Mexico Pucca Eun-sil November 6th November 11th Mexico sxcT Taryn November 15th November 18th Mexico JBean Janine November 5th November 10th Mexico! Danitha Danielle 11/07/2011 11/11/2011 Playacar Palace 82turtles Sarah November 8th November 12th Mexico

Hi kthun, Try checking out the following thread to get some ideas on what people thought were good or bad additions to the OOT bags: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/35759/my-oot-bags-the-big-hits-and-the-things-that-weren-t-used Good luck! It's hard not to go crazy on the OOT bags when there are so many cute ideas out here!!

My WC had told me they are the 6 foot round tables, which seat 8-10, but that I get to pick the number.

Oops, missed the part where you said she thought they would come. That kinda changes things. Well, can you see if maybe there is an AI resort with multiple properties where one is kid-friendly, and the other is adults-only? One of my co-workers got married at an adults only place where the adjacent resort is kid-friendly, so people could choose where they wanted to be and no kids *had* to be left out. Can't say I'm that familiar with the DR or Costa Rica's resort options to give a specific suggestion though..