porcell14

Steph, thanks for the comment about the rates and time of year. I'm getting married July 2nd so maybe my rates are higher because of 4th of July weekend. Oh well :-( For your Bachelor/Bachelorette parties, I haven't been to many clubs down there but did go to the Poop Deck one night (the one right over the bridge in Nassau - not the one in Sandyport). We were just having dinner there but wound up at the bar cuz they have a great shot menu! They had things like the "panty dropper", the "bra opener", "viagra" lol. It was alot of fun... even my usually-conservative-dad wouldn't leave until we tried them all lol. Depending on the atmosphere you're looking for, this could be a fun night starter for you. I don't remember them having music or dancing so not sure if you want to spend your whole night there. Oh and they have good drink prices! Heather

Steph, thanks for the comment about the rates and time of year. I'm getting married July 2nd so maybe my rates are higher because of 4th of July weekend. Oh well :-( For your Bachelor/Bachelorette parties, I haven't been to many clubs down there but did go to the Poop Deck one night (the one right over the bridge in Nassau - not the one in Sandyport). We were just having dinner there but wound up at the bar cuz they have a great shot menu! They had things like the "panty dropper", the "bra opener", "viagra" lol. It was alot of fun... even my usually-conservative-dad wouldn't leave until we tried them all lol. Depending on the atmosphere you're looking for, this could be a fun night starter for you. I don't remember them having music or dancing so not sure if you want to spend your whole night there. Oh and they have good drink prices! Heather

Wow guys, this feedback is awesome! Mrs. Weiss, you are a godsend - I had no idea what I was gonna do about makeup and your info about Mac and Bobby Brown is extremely helpful. It's good to hear feedback on Jose too. I'm sticking with him even if he is soft spoken - I'm thinking my guests will get each other going on their own :-) By the way, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get your group rates for Atlantis? I got rates through my WC and Beach Towers are $239/night (plus all those fine print fees)! I thought these were standard so I'm wondering if there's some trick I don't know about it! I am not sticking with one resort for my guests so I have a bunch of hotels that I negotiated rates for but not sure if we'll meet the 10 room minimum since my guests will be scattered. KrazedTrader, I am also having my reception at Luciano's. I've eaten outside there a bunch of times and have seen some very small weddings there while dining. I'm not too concerned about the other diners since I expect to have 50-75 people in my group so I'm thinking we'll dominate the patio area lol. The weddings I saw there were very quiet/intimate (like 6-10 people, no DJ) so it was totally different from what I'm planning! Also, if you are looking for a place for a rehearsal dinner, I had a few ideas in mind and thought I would share: 1. Columbus Tavern - it's down past the cloisters and has good food but a relaxed atmosphere. It's on the water and is covered but has no windows so it gives a nice outdoor deck feel. Not sure what their rates are, but it's a good location 2. Carmine's - it's in Marina Village and it's nice inside. I think with their family style platters, it could be an economical choice. Also, the marina village is so great at night! They have live music at Bimini Road every night and would make a great place for after dinner drinks! 3. Beach bonfire (our choice) - we are having a bonfire at Sunrise Beach. It's really more of a welcome party than a rehearsal dinner. The bonfire itself costs $850 (site fee plus bonfire fee for 3 hrs). We are still figuring out our menu but will most likely just do hors d'ouevres and cocktails. We are also just using our ipod so we don't have to pay a dj for both nights. You might be familiar with some of these places if you have been down there for the past 10 yrs (I have too - love it there!). I hope this helps spark some ideas for you!

Hi Mrs Weiss - I have some similar questions and some answers that may help :-) I will be getting married 7/2/11 in the Bahamas. Ceremony at Sunrise Beach on Paradise Island, and reception at Luciano's on Nassau. I already booked Jose Ageeb due to the extensive recommendations he received on this site. I actually looked him up on facebook (lol) but I have his email now: [email protected]. He is very responsive (he uses a blackberry) and he asks for 50% deposit. He also offers to do your audio/speakers for your ceremony if needed, and he has specialty musicians (like steel drum band, etc.). I think he charges $250/hr for those. I can't find the pricing info he gave me but I know we are paying $1450 total for 4 hours (just using Jose). So far, I feel very confident in our DJ choice since he has been so easy to work with. I'm not sure about my other vendors since I am using a wedding coordinator that is choosing the rest. Destinationweddings.com looks very good, but I went with Deanne Williams at weddingvisionsbahamas.com instead, as she came recommended by a family friend that got married through her a few years ago. So far, she has been pretty good... she definitely emails me back within 1-2 business days, even if it is to just confirm receipt of my email and say she is working on it. I prefer to be more hands on in picking out my vendors (which is why we strayed and chose our own DJ), but so far she has been very accommodating in getting whatever I want. I just send her pictures and she tells me she will duplicate it. As far as photographers go, I researched these and found that Ben Jamieson, Mark Da Cunha and Mario Nixon seem to be very good and are based in the Bahamas. Since my WC has someone else she uses, she is just sending our photographer the links to these sites so she can copy their photography style. I have read on here about other couples flying their photographers in, but I've learned that you have to pay for their expenses (flight/hotel), plus their work visa (since they are performing work for pay out of the country), all on top of their regular fees! I am also debating the hair and make up situation. I am lucky to have a friend who does hair but not sure what to do about makeup. I didn't realize there was a MAC store on Nassau - that could be a good option. I did read on another thread that someone used the services at the spa at Atlantis and said they did a good job. I would think they would be pricey though. Hope that helps a bit! Best of luck with your planning!!!