weddingaway

We are just under $10,000 including the honeymoon. We are trying to keep things simple, but I wanted the private reception which is over 20% of the budget and he wanted an Oceanfront Junior Suite at the RIU. Savings: bought wedding dress at tent sale, most OOT bags fillers come from Dollar Tree, girls' OOT bags were 2 for $1, buying decor from other brides and Photographer is a friend so we are paying her room and materials. It is really scary to see the big number but half the budget is resorts and airfare. Airfare 1100 RIU Negril 1200 Couples San Souci 2430 Transfer 180 Reception 2000 Flowers 500 Photographer 550 Linens, Décor 60 Dress 50 Alterations 150 Shoes 100 Jewelry 100 Hair/Makeup 200 Suit 250 Shoes 50 Fees 250 Tips 125 OOT Bags 350 TOTAL $9645

We are not paying for dresses, BUT we are loaning/giving money to help pay for several friends and family to attend our DW, and I am not putting many restrictions on the BM dresses - they don't have to match, must be a shade of blue between baby blue and aqua, and must be mid-calf or shorter. I knew that we weren't going to pay and I wanted them to pay for a dress that they really like and will wear again, and were comfortable in. And they live hundreds of miles away so it is easier this way.

I am in a similar situation although we do need to upgrade some household items. I looked into the honeyfund - it is a cash registry disguised as a honeymoon registry. Just pick out excursions, massages and such so people think they are contributing to that but really you get a check in the mail or by Paypal, then make up a story of how much fun you had doing whatever. I know that it is not honest but whats the difference between them paying for a scuba session vs a tv? Sometimes what people don't know won't hurt them.

I paid for my dress, but that was bc me and FI had been talking about really getting married and there was a tent sale with super cheap wedding dresses that I stumbled upon. Neither of our parents have a lot of money, though, so it is all on us but that was the plan from the start. I also wanted to note that with money comes a trade-off of decision-making power so then your mom or FMIL has a legitimate say in what you should wear. By paying it yourself, you can make all of the decisions.

Hey, ladies! I finally got a reply to my initial inquiry to Tai Flora - it took over 2 weeks! The good news is that they supplied me with their bouquet catalog which I am passing on to you. The pdf is too large to attach so it is available through this link. I have included my quote to give a good idea of their prices. BRIDAL FLOWERS 1 Bridal bouquet Std- (12)Ivory/ white Roses, Blue Hydrangeas with Dendrobium Orchids -handheld $84.00 $ 84.00 1 Bridal bouquet DLX (24)- Ivory/ white Roses, Blue Hydrangeas with Dendrobium Orchids - handheld $156.00 Bouquet can be viewed in attached catalog # 52 2 Corsages - Rose with Blue Hydrangeas $25.00 $ 50.00 5 Boutonnieres - Orchids $15.00 $ 75.00 2 Bridesmaids - smaller version of Brides (6 roses) $42.00 $ 84.00 6 Centrepeice - White Roses with Blue Hydrangeas in glass vase with limes $84.00 $ - Delivery & Set up fees to be added upon confirmation of items /order $ - All Prices are quoted in US - Dollars ! US - SUBTOTAL $ 293.00 Set Up & Delivery Payment Instructions: 17.5 % GCT TAX $ 166.78 Make all checks payable to RIU RESORT US - TOTAL $ 459.78

I found the best TA online, Mitch from TripGuy.com, and he guarantees the lowest price which I have already tested once for the honeymoon and he came through! And we have a group contract with all of the perks offered by the hotel, too. Something that I have noticed, airfare is cheapest when prices are first released and you may luck out booking the week before the trip but you will probably lose that cushy non-stop flight as they book up early, so our 3 hour flight could take 8 hours including layovers. No thank you! We are actually right past the 6 month mark, and I have noticed a significant drop in hotel prices so I have contacted the TA again, and am waiting for his response. It is around a 20% price drop. I am so excited because it will help ease everyones' minds about money.

Bondgirl, your table is now my inspiration pic! Thanks so much for the input. I am getting so excited but I have to wait another 6 months!!

Initially, I was planning to do a rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding which falls on the 2nd day of most guests' trip, but after some thinking, I realized that the day my guests are arriving they will probably not be able to score any reservations for dinner and will be "stuck" at the buffett. So I am thinking we will do a rehearsal/welcome dinner the first night which introduces everyone (most of our families have never met) and that allows everyone to make their own plans for the next night. Plus we only have 30 guests and as part of our group rate we are allowed one group dinner reservation (not counting reception) at one of the regular restaurants.

Hey, ladies! I have been exchanging e-mails with the wedding coordinator at the RIU Negril, and it turns out that for smaller groups like ours (30 ppl) they usually do one long table or a u-shape or a t-shape. FI and I have discussed it and it seems that it is harder to be social for the u- and t-shaped tables, so we want to go with one big table. My question is how should we present the seating chart since people won't have table numbers? I was thinking of just placing their names at their seats or will that just end up in people wondering around or switching their seats?

We have a 3 hour gap so we are having a cocktail hour with appetizers and a band immediately following the ceremony since there is a natural tendency for guests to linger, then just letting everyone do as they please until dinner. Plus, our group has kids and older folks that might appreciate the break especially into some cool A/C. If there was more time, I looked into doing a tour - it was priced at $12/person for Negril, Jamaica. But you could always schedule optional activities (ping pong tournament, poker, crafts)- and people might like to see your photo session as long as it isn't too racy.

We are in the same boat - didn't want to have a registry since everyone is shelling out so much to be there, but we have had had a lot of gift inquiries so we decided to do 2 versions - 1 is a traditional registry and the other is something I thought of...a DIY registry where I give guests some wedding projects and the responsibility of transporting them to JA. I am asking them to keep it under wraps so the other guests are still surprised, but we'll see how it ends up. Also, we are planning to have frames that say "Many Thanks to ______ for This Amazing Contribution" or "Lovingly Created by ______". It will take a huge load off my shoulders plus I love the idea of family and friends putting their energy into creating our wedding.

Interested in the turquoise sashes if they are still available.

I am interested if they are available.

Interested in the Hibiscus Totes - PMing you.

Bobble head cake toppers! What a cute idea! I have been thinking that I knew what to get him but I am not sure if set the right tone. I wanted to give him a bottle of 150 year Gran Marnier (worth over $300) - he has had it a few times and really likes it but doesn't want to splurge on a whole bottle. Is it tacky to give liquor? I have always been a practical kind of gift giver and he doesn't need a watch, or uses cufflinks much, and he is picky about his wallet. Please give me some feedback, ladies!

I ended up creating a new one that combined #3 and #4, even though I liked them all. But I tried to go with more simplified colors so if we end up using it on travel mugs or totes, we could use a black and white version to save $$. I am at work now, but will post the finished product soon. Again, if anyone needs help with creating your own monogram, let me know! Thanks for all of the great feedback and support!

I didn't even think of that! Thanks for the input.

Hello, ladies! I happen to be very fortunate to have such generous people around me.... A few months ago, my sister offered for me to use her veil from her wedding a year ago. And I really liked the idea because we don't have heirlooms or anything so it would be nice to incorporate something from my family into my ensemble. Well, just recently, my FMIL (who has no daughters) offered for me to use her veil. It is over 30 years old, and may or may not be in good repair (I haven't seen it yet), but it is very significant that she even offered so I would like to try to use it as well. I know some other BDWers have mentioned that they have had old veils altered into something else that isn't a veil, but now, of course, I can't find anything about it. What can you convert a veil into? Any ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hey, ladies! Several months ago JCrew was having a "tent sale" in my area and I happened to find a simple wedding dress for a ridiculously cheap price so I bought it right away figuring that I would decide later whether I wanted to wear it as my actual wedding dress or not. So I have decided to use it as the wedding dress but have it altered to dress it up, and I was hoping to get some suggestions from my fellow BDWers! Also, does anyone have suggestions for a professional tailor/alterations shop that is local to me in NC?

We always traveled to Mexico or Jamaica every year, so nobody was surprised that we wanted a DW when we just got engaged! We are the first in either of our families and friends to have a DW, but everyone seems really excited since the first moment...well, everyone except my brother who is a missionary and has almost no extra spending money, but when he found out that we had planned to pay his way he was more than thrilled. We decided that if we really wanted certain people to attend then we either needed to offer to pay or accept that they may not be able to afford it, but many more people can afford it than we had planned so it has worked out well! As a consolation, we also told everyone that since we are asking them to pay so much in order to attend our wedding, that we don't want gifts...although, to our surprise, many people really want to buy us gifts anyway. And since we are the first ones to have a DW, nobody really knows about the cool OOT bags that we are giving them and all the other fun DW stuff (wedding program fans, welcome booklets, etc.) so hopefully they will feel like we tried to make it up to them when they arrive. Now I just have to deal with estranged friends and family coming out of the woodwork to ask for an invite when I literally haven't seen or spoke to them in over 5 years!!! Insanity!

Sorry to be confusing. I was thinking of giving everyone a gift card to this place (as the wedding favor) so they can eat before they have to board the plane to return home, plus it is a way to kill time since the shuttles get you there so early.

We were already planning to give our guests rum cream or coffee, depending on if they drink alcohol or not, in the OOT Bags. I agree with LisaandDre that most favors probably aren't appreciated. I was thinking that doing a group photo (by resort photog) on the first night, and bringing down engraved frames, so that would be a good keepsake, as along as they can be printed out in time. But now I am thinking about food stuff...So the last time we went to Jamaica, I remembered a tip from tripadvisor that said on your return trip to the Montego bay airport is a really good fast food-style restaurant that does jerk (chicken, pork, etc.) and a lot of other Jamaican specialties, called Island Grill, and the shuttle services always gets you to the airport super early so you have time to kill after checking your baggage, and we really liked it so maybe a gift card for everyone? You can take the food with you through security and onto the plane if the airline allows it.

Congrats, Lua! I'm glad to hear it went so well. Where did you have your ceremony and reception?

I found the palm tree by extensively googling and scouring. I also found a more flourished palm tree on the forum that I ended using for my return address labels. I am posting the images and the files for you. The instructions that already posted shows you how to alter the colors. Enjoy!

Lua, Congrats! Where did you have the ceremony and reception?