acw271011

i'm a Jamaica bride, but a different resort in Runaway Bay. Welcome to BDW! You'll find a ton of information here that will help you out with tips and ideas. Check out the resort reviews and see what other brides have said. Good luck and happy planning!

You'll find that this site will be invaluable for information! Definitely take a look through the resort reviews to see what past brides have said about the resorts you're interested in! And a travel agent will be a huge help too! Good luck and happy planning!

Good to know!! thanks for that!! See - that's what is so great about this site!! I'm going to check out your other post!

Oh if I had a nickel for all the times I've seen this now, I would be rich!! First thing - relax!!! Gosh - I've said that to quite a few brides. It will all work out. You have a lot of time yet for starters. Lucky you if you don't have to worry about your budget! But I would still advise that you get some numbers in mind. And get a travel agent!! You don't say if you're in the US or Canada but either way a travel agent will make things so much more stress free, and leave you to work on the things you want to work on. Another thing - read through this site. All the things you're asking have already been asked, in many forms. Use the search bar at the top. I guarantee whatever you can think of, you'll find it. Check out the resort reviews and see what past brides have said. That will help make a decision a bit easier. Read the photographer reveiws too. Whether you take an outside photographer will depend on a lot of things, buget for one. And your resort for another. A destination wedding is fun if you let it be, and this site will provide a ton of information and tips and ideas, and the brides here are more than willing to share. Take a look through the site, and enjoy! Good luck and happy planning!!

Thanks! I just received the info on Dean Sanderson about 10 days ago actually so I'm definitely looking at him. His prices are a little higher than what I wanted, but we'll see. Did you find out what the current outside vendor fee is? Has it changed from the $350 that it was? I have to admit that I'm rather nervous now about the comment that was made last week about how busy the beaches are. I'm trying to remember who made it and which forum it was in. I don't want a beach ceremony - I really like the gazebo - so I don't know if it's as much of an issue with the gazebo or not. I spent part of the weekend looking at other possible resorts just because of it. I don't mind a few people around. That's no big deal, but I really would rather not have a bunch of gawkers, and if they can't ask the old guys in the speedos to move along so they aren't part of the ceremony, then I really would rather look at another resort.

I agree with everything said. A lot of things to think about. And the last thing... check www.preownedweddingdresses.com and see if that dress you're in love with is there. It's a fabulous site and they have tons of stuff, even stores that are selling samples! And all designers. Check it out. It never hurts to look, especially before spending that kind of money!! Good luck!

Which photographer did you end up going with? I've had quotes from quite a few, plus one that I've tried several times to get in touch with and they just aren't responding. I think I've made up my mind who I'm going with, but I still have to wait for a while before I can book anything. One more hospital stay to get through and then I can move forward with plans.

I think you should wear whatever you want to wear! Having said that, yes, you definitely want to be comfortable especially for something as important as your wedding day. I don't think a train would be that much of an issue if you are able to bustle it. That makes it easy to get around after your ceremony and pictures. But a nice train always looks nice in photos. As to weather in December, I'm also in the Toronto area so am familiar with what our summers can be (hot!!) Mexico weather is wonderful, and you don't get the humidity in December that you get during the summer months. I think you'll find its quite comfortable, but it can also be very warm. You don't want a great big heavy dress definitely. Anything in chiffon, or organza would be comfortable, or some of the new light satins would also work. I think if you don't have a ton of crinoline, you'll be more comfortable. Mermaid and trumpet styles are very popular now and I say if you have the figure to wear one, go for it!!! If you go to a bridal salon, I'm sure the store clerks would be more than happy to help you out with styles that will work for a destination wedding if you tell them that's what you need, as well as a dress that will travel well. Just my humble opinion. Good luck and happy planning!!

David's is really good about returning things, but you would have to return it in the US if you need to. Wedding dresses generally fit a size smaller than usual. I live just outside Toronto but bought my dress at Davids in Buffalo and had to get a size bigger than what I normally wear. There is another site you can check if things don't go well. It's www.preownedweddingdresses.com They have tons of stuff - new, used, and samples. All designers, all colours. Some of the ones they have are gorgeous and a lot of them are being sold for 50% or less of what the retail price is. and they have a system for payment so that nobody gets ripped off for either money or a dress. Definitely worth checking out for anyone that is on a budget. You could always go and try a store dress on then check the website and see if what you want is there. Good luck with your dress!!

I got married in Jamaica in October and we were concerned about hurricanes. We were told that Jamaica hardly ever gets hit! lol At least that's what the Jamaican's like to say! In a way, they're almost right lol With the general track of most hurricanes they don't often hit Jamaica. With wind patterns and so on. most of the time they miss them. Yes - June is the start of hurricane season but hurricanes are dependent on a lot of conditions and if you look at past seasons, it's unusual for hurricanes to really get up and fired in June. That's not to say they don't but your peak hurricane times are usually August and September. We had friends that refused to go with us for our wedding in October because they were worried about a hurricane and we had one day out of our entire week that we had a little bit of rain for about half an hour. I can't see that you will have a serious concern about a hurricane for a June wedding. You could always talk to your travel agent and ask them right up front what happens if the flights don't go due to weather for your wedding. And get it in writing!! Good luck and happy planning!!

Check out the vendor reviews. There may be some info there that helps you out. As well, there are links to the side that make it easy to check out vendors that are BDW sponsors. Happy planning!

Not sure where you're travelling from, but March and April are both expensive times to travel from Canada. Most people seem to book, or set their fare about a year in advance, so if you're looking for April, you're almost there. The other thing you can look into is a one time price drop. It will allow to lower your fare just once for your group, within a certain time frame. Not all operators offer it, so shop around, and definitely get the services of a travel agent! They'll work on your behalf. Good luck!

I would highly recommend printing out the paper and taking it with you! It's your reference to everything that was discussed! If you signed a wedding contract, I would also strongly recommend that you refer back to it too. Sometimes it says that things can be changed by the resort without notice, which is a tough one to work around. Unfortunately Mexico has a bit of a reputation for not sticking exactly within the law.... theirs or anyone else's!! Good luck!

Hi. Thanks for the info on GPR. I just wondered about the gazebo? I don't want a beach ceremony (sand in your shoes and all that stuff) but I'm in love with the gazebo! Is it relatively private? I'm not too worried if there are a couple of people watching, but from the resort photos, it looks like the gazebo is away from the "action" just a little. Is that right? Thanks again!!

I'm a fan of long dresses but in a flowy fabric like chiffon so that they move and aren't too hot. Even on the beach I think they look classy, and still give your beach wedding a little bit of elegance and fun! I'm pretty sure it's what I'm going to have my daughter in law wear, in a nice hot pink!

I hoping for the same thing!! I was signed up for it as well, and still have a ton of things I would like to ask about!

How about checking out the resort reviews and see if that helps with your decision! That way you're getting first hand info on what the brides thought of the resort. Happly planning!

I'll second both of these suggestions! I did the webinar on here a couple of weeks ago on Playacar Palace and it's really gorgeous! My first choice is for Gran Porto Real, and I'm still holding out for that. The photos on the website are beautiful, and the packages look pretty decent. I would say either one of those would work for what you're looking for. There is also the option of resorts that are really close and maybe only a 5 minute taxi ride into PDC. Something else to think about! Definitely go through the resort reviews on the site and see what other brides have had to say. Oh and definitely work with a travel agent! That will make everything SO much easier! If you're in the US, Wright Travel from this site are destination wedding specialists so would be great to give you the information you need. Good luck and happy planning!!

I had the problem solved! lol I didn't have any attendants!! The two wedding coordinators signed our marriage licence! I will admit when everything went wrong I was hearbroken. but in the end it was my husband that laid down the law and gave me a choice. He didn't want everyone else ruining our plans, and in the end he was totally right (geez I hate to admit that!!) We wanted Jamaica on a certain date. In the end we were just the two of us, in Jamaica, but with all the stupidity I didn't get my date. Close enough though. The most important thing is that we got married in a beautiful spot with the beautiful blue water in the background. It did all work out in the end! And it will for you ladies too! Just don't let anyone else bring you down! Happly planning!!!

I got married in Jamaica, so I had steel drum music, but we went with the traditional up the aisle and down the aisle. I found a website that does the pre-recorded steel band and it had several different popular songs that we played while signing the licence, etc. Our first dance was I Promise You sung by Ronan Keating. I still love that song... lol There is a forum here on first dance songs if you want to do a search and read what other brides are dancing to. Good luck and happy planning!

You should be able to get the order of the ceremony from your WC. And believe me, they're short unless you're doing a full catholic church wedding! 15 to 20 minutes tops. They pretty much follow the standard outline, and you could get that online by googling wedding ceremonies. There's a forum on here about writing your own vows with a wack load of suggestions, and I know that a few of them incorporate the ceremony outline. Take a look and see, but definitely check with your WC. Tell her it's because you want to do programs and you just want to know the order that the officiant will be using. It won't vary much if at all from the standard. There really is nothing to it! You'll wonder what you were worried about afterwards! It will be over before you know it. I stood there and waited for more... lol It was like.. is that it? Then he said kiss each other so I knew it was over. Plus depending on how much you personalize it. We added a prayer and the wedding poem at the end so it added like one more minute.

Happy planning!

We got married at 1pm and had dinner at 6:30, but Jamaica, not Mexico. And we were just 2, not a group. For us it allowed us to go offsite to a park that I wanted our photos done at, which was about 15 or 20 mins away and that helped a lot to kill the time after doing our resort photos. It's a tough dilemma. You can only stretch taking photos for so long. What about an extended cocktail hour? Someplace where your guests can be comfortable and spend time together and have snacks. It will be lunchtime so I'm sure they'll be getting hungry. It would also give them time to return to their room and freshen up if anyone feels like doing that. Good luck!

Thanks a lot! We've been to Mexico several times and love it. We got married in Jamaica only because we're both divorced and Mexico's rules are stricter on the paperwork and translation and so on. We fell in love with Jamaica completely, but I want to go back to Mexico for our vow renewal. I've looked at resorts until I'm cross eyed and I've seen so many posts here of brides that are having a tough time with added expenses and fees. The resort that just seems to have everything I want is Gran Porto Real. I looked at The Royal but the price point on it is a bit higher than what i'll ask people to pay so GPR just seemed a better fit. I love the RM area and we love the bars and restaurants in PDC too so I'm familiar with the area and all the different things to do. I just wondered why out of all the other resorts, why you picked GPR? So many brides seem to go for the other ones. I've had a hard time getting reviews on Gran Porto. I'm hoping Tammy will be able to reschedule the webinar. Thanks again for your comments!

Welcome to BDW! I would highly recommend checking out the other forums for Dreams. This site is full of information that should help you out! Happy planning!!