iGotsGills

Hi Lauren - Hopefully you got an answer to this already, but I am just seeing this now: the photographers in the package do NOT stay for the reception. I am sure you could pay more to have them stay, but we chose not to. As far as the centerpieces/flowers go: other than the flowers on the altar (paid extra) and the bouquets (this was a huge point of contention), we brought all of our own centerpieces, decorations, etc. I hope this helps!

Unfortunately I didn't get any professional shots, but: and: The flowers actually weren't supposed to be so scattered, but I didn't even notice until now.

<<She didn't like the idea I was giving guests two hotel choices, but I want them to decide if they want a budget hotel or a nicer one. >> I think that's a really good idea. We encouraged everyone to stay with us (our contract sort of dictated that, actually) but were lucky enough that the the hotel next door was cheaper so people could stay there and still easily be a part of all of the festivities. That being said, only one person stayed there, but it was good to have the option. <<She told me not to worry about the std's because they send you a pdf one with all the informationa bout the resort, the island, and everything they need to know>> I liked doing my own. I didn't put any info on my Save the Date other than the dates (we had a home reception too) and the fact that the wedding would be in the Bahamas. I hadn't decided where I was doing everything yet at that point, but I wanted to be sure people blocked off the dates and had enough time to save money if necessary. I just did postcards, also from VistaPrint, and they looked like this: <<I plan to copy and paste it on to my passport style info booklet>> Yeah, for sure! Passport booklets are totally awesome, I wish I had been able to do them. I went more traditional though, just because it was easier on me. <<She said they don't do flights if everyone is comming from different places but if guests want to book with her they can - but the prices won't really be cheaper than what they could book online>> A few of my guests got some reaaaalllllly good deals through BookIt.com. You may want to tell yours to add that site to their list of places to search. <<Did you post your stationary on here? I wanna see!>> I didn't, but here it is: These are obviously not to scale I sent them in white pocket folds with yellow satin ribbon as belly bands. <<No day is perfect! You married your love so it was amazing!>> This is absolutely true. And the fact that it was a destination wedding where everyone got to vacation together was really awesome. I wouldn't change that aspect for anything. <<so when they announced cars were being towed most people left and didn't come back- before we got through dinner) and I told everyone if something like that happens on my day I will be pissed and I will not get over it! So I understand how you feel >> Oh my gosh I would have freaked!!! A ringing endorsement for taking automobile travel out of the equation, if I've ever heard one! <<She promised I would have information by the end of next week so all I can do is wait. Patiently >> I'll be really interested to see what she comes up with!

Good luck, Arielle! Don't be afraid to ask to amend the contract to ensure that you are safeguarded for everything you want, if you do end up going with Sheraton. And I am happy to give insight anytime you'd like a sounding board To paraphrase what I just posted to another thread, I did not hate my wedding; I definitely have a lot of great memories from it. It was not, however, the best day of my life and I am coming to peace with that a little more everyday. A lot of what was great about it absolutely DID have to do with the Sheraton. Everything that was not, however, also had 100% to do with the Sheraton. C'est la vie!

<<Did you use a travel agent?>> I did not. I think this would have been a good idea; it was a real hassle to deal with the hotel in making sure that my guests were getting the best rates, as there was always some new deal coming out that eventually dipped BELOW the rates they promised us. I think a travel agent would have been really helpful. That may have also been a good way to get a handle on airfare; I just kind of left everyone to their own devices as we had people coming in from all over the world. Maybe that was rude of me << if I order from VistaPrint I don't want to pay for rush shipping>> Haha! I did all of my invites and announcements from VistaPrint too! They came out awesome. <<I'm sure your wedding was great (despite the hiccups) and could have only been a teensy better >> It had its moments. I have a lot of great memories from my wedding, but it was definitely not the best day of my life. I'm coming to peace with that, a little more every day.

<< I found out talking to DJ Jose last night that unless we book all the rooms guests will complain about the noise.>> Yeah, that's probably a true statement since most people go to B&Bs for R&R. But the good news is: it's not that many rooms, so it's less of a hassle to do that <<I'm sad we didn't get a chance to "internet meet" before your wedding.>> I know, me too! I feel like mine would have turned out completely differently, in a good way I seriously can't wait to see what happens with yours

One more and then I'm done! The lighting in the Dolphin Grill is not dim-able, so you have about this level of light throughout:

Also, some of the outdoor wedding facilities are a little worn, which wasn't a *huge* concern to me (i.e. some of the fans weren't working in the reception area, you could see rust on the lighting, etc) but if you don't plan on doing a site visit and perfection is important, I thought I'd tell you in the name of full disclosure. I thought a few pics that weren't done for sales purposes may be helpful for you to see: (The ceremony itself was beautiful) (The part of the beach they cleaned up for photos was in use by the other couple, so we had to have ours taken with the seaweed) (Looking in before we arrived) (View out!) (You can see how close you are to the pool here. That group stayed in and around the pool for our entire reception, and felt free to wander in and out) (Reception later) (Standard linens, I brought the floating candles, vases, and loose orchids for the centerpieces myself) (You can sort of see the rust on the speakers in this shot; just providing for full disclosure. This didn't really bother me) (My favorite part of the night was watching my guests work together on this!)

My guests definitely did have a good time! The hotel accommodations were great for all of them! And the food was quite good as well. Another thing that I would caution is to be sure that there is some sort of plan for keeping uninvited guests out of your reception. My planner did not do a very good job of this; we had our reception in the Dolphin Grille, which is next to the pool. We kept having people screaming over our toasts (no, they do not close the pool for the reception) and kids wandering in asking to partake in the festivities. So that was a bit of a negative. Everything that was non-wedding related was great though, and the ceremony location was awesome, it just started out badly because of bad planning. Also, the photographers in the package were very "meh." When I look back, I wish I would have had better shots (to be fair, a lot of that was due to the fact the the other wedding was shooting in some of the locations we wanted to shoot in, but they photographers didn't do much to process the raw shots either). I guess it all depends on your planner and the time of year you book. I can, however, say say don't work with Tekeyo. He will tell you everything you want to hear but you can never be quite sure if it is the actual truth. I would rather have it given to me straight than be unpleasantly surprised when its too late to change anything.

Hi Arielle - My wedding review (linked in my tagline below) has a lot of info on the Sheraton. I did my wedding there. I wasn't thrilled.

<<So what's the max you think I can fit there?>> I think you could easily accommodate 120ish there, so there is absolutely no worries at approximately 40. << I'm not sure what area I like best, I think the pool area is prettier. I can imagine pretty floating lights in the pool. But I like the seating on the deck.>> Maybe you could do your dinner on the deck and your party by the pool? Just a thought. <<I want to find out if I can have a dj set up - and if so which spot is better.>> You could definitely have a DJ (at least the space allows for it, and I am sure they will let you do it). The pool space, I think, would be the better area for it. The deck/pergola space that I referred to earlier would be a really good spot for a DJ. <<So when you stayed you were happy with the service?>> Yes we were happy with the service, it was verrrry laid back and that's what we needed. The dinner service was pretty slow though, but we were there at a down time of season and they weren't booked to the gills. I would ask the owners (Chris and Lisa; we dealt with Chris as it appeared Lisa was away) how many staff they would have handling your event, including kitchen/chef staff and waitstaff. That would make a big difference. <<Thanks so so much for answering my questions!!!>> My pleasure! I'm enjoying it quite a bit... I totally wish I would have done it this way now!

Just another "proceed with caution" on the Sheraton to any other readers who stumble across this post. Glad it worked out well for you though, md2002!

And for my "duh" moment of the day, you could absolutely, easily get 40 people into their garden space too. It's not ocean view, but it's very pretty. Here is the view from one side of the pool, but there is more space to the left and back of where I am sitting, including a sort of gazebo-ish deck/stage/pergola area:

Congratulations! I can't wait to see how it all turns out for you!

<<40 people won't fit because of the size of the rooms? >> Yes, at least to stay there. You could probably max out at 25 for accommodations. You could definitely do a 40 person reception there though, as long as the weather cooperates! Here are a few pics of their restaurant/deck space: (This is taken from directly above; there is more restaurant space under where we are standing to take the photo) (We are sitting in lounge space directly under where the above photo was taken; there is restaurant space behind us and indoor breakfast space directly to our left) <<What did you think of the place?>> Loved it. Classic. Very intimate atmosphere. << All I really need is dinner,>> This might be a good choice for you. The food is absolutely excellent. It is a little pricey though. << I also liked that there rooms were less than $200 a night.>> Well, that's sort of true. SOME are less than $200. The room we stayed in, for example, is $235. The owners may be willing to cut you some kind of break if you book the whole place though! <<I read your review - that's crazy - I'm so sorry that happened to you.>> Thanks, I appreciate that I can't wait to hear what you decide!