ashley490

It's only $1350 for the Blissful pkg if you're getting married in 2011, if you're a 2012 bride you'll get the lower price. The package information comes from Chandlyn at GBPJ. Hope that helps!

I'd start by picking the wedding package you like, booking the restaurant, and the entertainment you'd like, if any (i.e. steel drum band, hat field dancers, gazebo and dj, etc). It's been my experience that the restaurant and entertainments gets booked up rather quickly so the sooner you put in your request the better chance you'll have of getting exactly what you want.

It's my understanding that these rates are only for weddings in 2012, however, they will adjust the minister fees from $400 to $200 in 2011.

Congrats Keriltz! The photo is beautiful I too am wondering if you had your hair and makeup done at the spa? If you did, would you recommend the spa to other brides?

I'm going to be using Sungold Photography, but I'm using Paula and Damian rather than the associates. From what I've seen though, the associates do wonderful work. I'm sure if you asked they'd be able to provide you with references.

We've hired Paula & Damian from Sungold Photography. They're more expensive than Merrick Cousley but I think their work speaks for itself. You can have a look at their website www.sungoldphoto.com They seem to shoot a lot of weddings in Jamaica and appear to do a wonderful job every time. They've also been fantastic to communicate with via email. If you have any questions for them don't hesitate to send an email to Paula. She was super helpful when I was deciding who to hire for photography. Here's some of the information I gathered from her before I made my decision: They shoot in RAW format (which most professional photographers do but it's good to confirm) which allows for all kinds of editing options. They shoot with Nikon D3's and D700's and they have an abundant amount of lighting material including umbrellas and soft boxes. I think that glass lenses make for a much better picture and upon speaking with Paula, she agreed. Just make sure you really investigate whoever you decide to go with because as the saying goes, pictures last a lifetime. Happy hunting

greatbritain - Congrats on selecting your destination! I know picking a resort can be a challenge. When I was comparing resorts I was really wanting the Iberostar, however, after discussing it with my travel agent she suggested I consider the Gran Bahia Principe because the cost was lower for pretty much the same thing. I also found that other resorts in the same price range as the Gran Bahia weren't as nice (either 3-4 stars compared to the Bahia's 5). In the end it was a no brainer for me and I chose the Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica. It's also really close (about 5 minutes) to Mahoe falls which is a beautiful location for waterfall wedding photos because it's not nearly as busy or as expensive as Dunns River. If you're looking for photographer suggestions, I'm personally going with Sungold Photography. They are a little pricey but I thought they were worth it. You can have a look at their website if you want www.sungoldphoto.com Paula and Damian have been fantastic to deal with through email and over the phone. Keep us posted on what resort you pick. If you end up choosing Gran Bahia you should definitely join the thread that's over 190 pages already that I believe Jaykay or Dutchie had mentioned. The ladies on there are fabulous and the information is so helpful!

I know this was already talked about on here but I don't recall seeing any specific answers so ...... does anyone know who all should be tipped and what's a good amount? Minister? Chandlyn? Steel Drum Band? Photographer? Anyone else? Thanks for the thoughts in advance ladies!

ames9782: That's a beautiful dress! I look at mine online all the time too and I'm unsure if I love it as much now as I did 6 months ago in the store. My FI says I just have to try it on again to remember what it actually looks like on me then I'll love it again, but I'm still worried regardless. I suppose once I try it on again if I truly don't love it, I'll just have to buy another one lol! Too bad money doesn't grow on trees though haha!

I really like style 3076. The lace up back is a nice feature. Mine has a lace up back and it makes me have an awesome silhouette. But like some of the other ladies have said, try on all different types of dresses, even ones you might not like on the hanger. Sometimes it's good to know what you don't like in order to find something you love. I'd say don't try on too many dresses all at once though, I found all the dresses started looking the same after a while. it's it

That's a great price! Especially since the Canadian dollar is doing well. I'll have to check out the other favors there now, I'm curious

Wow, you must be getting so excited tris...only 2 more weeks!!! I'm excited for you lol! $1500 is a great price especially if you've been booked for awhile already, not to mention that WestJet is awesome! It does suck a bit seeing the prices drop, but like you said not much we can do about it.

I definitely don't mind...copy away! lol! I've found it a little difficult to find cute little things like this to give away so I thought I'd share in case anyone wanted to buy them too

Thanks lmarie! BusyBee123: I bought them from Michaels Craft Store for $4 each, it's a pretty big chain. As far as I can tell you can't purchase them from Michaels online, but I'm sure there must be one close to you seeing as how you live in Ontario. They also have a sale on their fans right now, I bought 18 turquoise fans for $22. I got them to put on the chairs for guests at the ceremony. Also, if you keep your eye out sometimes they have really good coupons. Right now they have a coupon to save 40% off of one wedding item and tomorrow there's a coupon to save $5 for every $25 spent (or something like that). Here's their website if you want to have a look at their deals, flyer, and other wedding items http://www.michaels.com/

Welcome ahehr! I'm getting married the same week you're planning for, I'm on the 18th at 4 pm. I've read that the ceremony is quite short, about 15 minutes, so I thought that would be lots of time for pictures before dinner at 6:30pm. I'm flying out of Winnipeg with Air Canada Vacations. We got a price of $1860 taxes in, plus every 11th adult free. Again it's high season so it is more money, but I figured it was worth it. Also, my travel agent advised me that it was at least $100 cheaper to fly between Jan. 1-14, so as long as your departure date fits within the first 2 weeks of January your price should be a little cheaper.

I was told that while there is no vendors fee to bring outside photographers into the resort, there is a $75 day pass that must be purchased. It appears for the most part that this is a consistent message for most of us. On another note I just bought these great little luggage tags to give to my guests. I'm so pumped about them I thought I'd share a pic

Hi Ladies! My boss just got back from his daughter's wedding at GBPJ. He gave me some feedback on how he liked the ceremony and what not, so here's what he said... The minister was great, easy going, and didn't drone on and on like some do at weddings. The wedding coordinator (I can only assume he meant Chandlyn) was good, and had everything set up the way the bride requested. He said the resort photographer was horrible and absolutely recommends bringing your own. He said it was tough for his daughter to pick out the photos that she liked because most of them were not good. They had their reception at the Grill, and while the food was good he didn't care for the way their group was set up. It sounds like they were in a large semi circle and since their group was 60 people, the guests on the ends were very far away from each other. He said the Grill restaurant was very big and their group didn't even make a dent in it. They had a mic set up for speeches during the dinner reception which didn't really bother any of the other guests since it wasn't very busy there which coincidentally worked out for the wedding group. He also noted that none of the other restaurants were very busy during their stay, so I can only assume it shouldn't be hard to get the restaurant you request for your dinner reception. He did mention that he ate at the Dolce Vita but did not care for the food there and preferred the food at the Grill (they had the lamb for the reception). They went on the Dunn's River Falls excursion which he liked quite a bit but did say it was quite a workout for an old guy (lol! he's probably about 60 yrs old). Overall he said they had a great time, but then again how could you not when you're in Jamaica?

Congrats Stephanie! You must be so excited!! I can't wait to read your review and get any extra tips/hints that you might have to share. Enjoy your trip, and most of all your wedding

I was able to book the gazebo in advance for my reception. Chandlyn confirmed it for me in addition to the hat field dancers and steel drum band. Maybe just send Chandlyn an email and ask her to confirm if you have the gazebo booked for your reception, she usually answers with "confirmed" if it's been done.

I received an email back from Chandlyn today. Here are her responses to my questions (I know some of these have already been answered but I thought I'd share the whole email anyway). 1) Is it possible to have one large table set up for everyone to sit together rather than the traditional head table?We can do one long table 2) Is it possible to mix and match items from menu 1,2,& 3? For example, chicken ceasar salad, beef & vegetable soup, mix grill, and cheesecake? This is possible 3) Do you have a list of songs the steel drum band plays so that I can select one to walk down the aisle to? I don't really want the traditional wedding songs so I was hoping to have some selections to browse.I will obtain a list and forward to you. 4) Can you please arrange for a bar to be available at the gazebo during the dance?Confirmed at a cost of uS15 per person per hour 5) Is there still a beach party on Tuesday nights? If there is, what goes on during the beach party?We no longer have a beach party 6) I think we're actually going to go with the Free Wedding Package. Is it possible to still get some of the options from the other wedding packages? This can be arranged at an additional cost For example, can we still have the accompaniment to the wedding gazebo, and the fresh elegant floral decor on the bridal table? If this is possible how much would these two items cost? Accompanied to the gazebo is at no additional charge. The arrangement is US80.00 If anyone has a list they can share of songs the Steel Drum Band plays, I'd love to see it. Also, I find it interesting that in the wedding packages (with the exception of the free package) accompaniment to the gazebo is listed almost like an added bonus but from the email above it's free with any package. Just something to think about for any brides who are paying for their wedding packages...perhaps it's cheaper to go with the free package and just add on anything else you'd like to have...just a thought though.

I've been nursing now for 4 years, but it's so cool that there are several nurses (or future nurses) in one forum!

I'm in the same boat Tris. We had a ton of people tell us they were coming even up until a month ago, then when the time came to put deposits so many people bailed for different reasons. I had two single people say they were coming so I set them up to get the double occupancy rate. When it came time for deposits one booked and the other didn't. Now the one that's booked is ticked off because she's either got to pay an extra $500 or forfeit her $300 deposit. I feel bad because I told her the other person was going to book and now hasn't, so I think I'm going to soak up the $300 loss and give her the money back. It's all so frustrating! Quote: Originally Posted by tris In regards to the restaurant... I'm getting pretty irritated about this! I mean, you can't tell everyone something different! It's like they play favorites or something. People bailed for a variety of reasons. One friend bailed because of the price (this was after I paid his $200 deposit for him because he couldn't afford it.. so yah, I lost $200, fun). Then my sisters long term BF bailed because he dumped her 2 months ago.

That is super weird. My wedding isn't until January 2012 but Chandlyn has already confirmed the Grill Restaurant for me. I guess it's one of those things where half of us are told one thing and the other half are told another...sooo frustrating!

jaykay & acw - I guess it's my turn to confess as well. I've actually had my dress bought for months now. I purchased it back in September, it has arrived and everything, and I've still got 10 months to go lol! Oh well, at least that's one less thing to worry about

Great choice going with GBPJ! I think the Bahia is a better choice as I was also previously debating whether I should go with the Riu or the Bahia, but my travel agent advised me that the Riu has recently been having a lot of trouble with their groups department and as such she has stopped recommending that resort to her clients. All of the ladies on here are super helpful as I'm sure you're aware after reading all 119 pages (yikes!) lol! Anyway, welcome to the forum