SarahTD

Zoe, I imagine your wedding planner will help. Ask her when you meet with her. You're going to have a great time!!

Hi there... I'm happy to share my thoughts. My best friend and I did my hair and makeup, but I know several people who were very happy with the service. I did hear, though, that you will want to make an appointment for even earlier than you think you should as they run a little behind. I liked the photographers very much. They are very open to what you want. This is important because they have pretty standard photos they take so let them know if you want anything different. They took a ton of photos. They are very expensive as I am sure you know. I had several friends taking pictures also and I also had it videotaped which I recommend. Best Wishes, Sarah

Hey SGA brides. I just got married there in June and will be happy to answer any of your questions. It helps to have someone put your mind at ease. Let me know if I can help. Sarah

For the record, I also thought Dania was useless. Alex, who was your on-site coordinator?

I had 10 guests so there were 12 people total. We did the 1 hour reception and that was plenty long for us. It gave us a chance to go back to our rooms and change and go to the beach bbq (we got married on a Monday). My honest advice is that it's an all-inclusive resort and the party can go on wherever you want. I think a 2 hour reception sounds really long and expensive. Those are my thoughts on it.

Hi there...Thanks very much. I loved the steel drum band! It's $300 for an hour which made it the most expensive part of the entire thing, but I really liked it. My advice is to maybe make a list of requests because they can play just about anything. I didn't do that and, while it was fine, they did play "Hot Hot Hot" for about 15 minutes. The conga line got exhausted It didn't ruin anything at all and steel drums just say Caribbean to me so, even though my husband thought I was crazy, I thought it was totally worth it. I had the hour long reception which was plenty. I thought the photographers did a fine job and took a ton of pictures. They work on commission so they want to take as many as possible that you will like so you will end up buying more so I found them very thorough and we ended up buying several even though I have a ton my friends took. I love my beach pictures. Anyway, that's the scoop. Glad to help with anything else. Sarah

I know what you mean. Mine were kind of like that because we were going for the sunset. If you want to forgo the sunset and get blue water, I would do it before 4. My wedding was at 4 and we took pictures on the beach around 5 or so.

Connie, we got married in the large gazebo by the reflecting pool. We had 5 other couples with us and they all got to sit down for the ceremony which was nice. They also set up our reception in there so we had shade and the steel drum band set up right outside. It was really wonderful. We still had some pictures taken on the beach at sunset. I didn't choose a photo package beforehand. We actually didn't choose a package at all- we had several people taking pictures for us so we only chose a few of the Sandals photos which were wonderful. I don't know if you are taking anyone with you, but this is a nice option. Either way, I didn't let Sandals make me choose until I saw their photos. We did have the ceremony videotaped which was $500 but I felt it was very worth it since not very many people got to go with us. It is really a beautiful place and lots of great areas to take beautiful photos.

Hi Connie, I just got married at Sandals Antigua and it was fantastic. I didn't get married on the beach because all of the beaches there are public and I wanted a little more control over who was in the pictures and what music was playing right next to me. That being said, it seemed like most people on the beach were pretty respectful of weddings going on so don't necessarily be discouraged from it. I found this site so helpful before my wedding, I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Sarah

Thank you We didn't get married on the beach because of Caroline's warning also. There were times when it didn't seem very busy so you might want to check it out before you make any decisions. We got married in the pavilion by the reflecting pool and I absolutely loved it. We had 10 people with us and everyone could sit comfortably and that was where we had the reception right afterward. We stayed in the Honeymoon Oceanview Suites in the Caribbean side and the room was fantastic (though we did not have an ocean view). It was so centrally located and very close to everything, even the restaurants on the Mediterranean side. Let me know if you have any questions. I will be happy to try to help. Sarah

Teara, I just got married there on June 6 and loved it! It really is as easy as it sounds. I'm excited for you You're going to have a ball.

Hi everybody! Vickie, you look fabulous! Your dress is just gorgeous and you look great in it. Alex, it looks like you had lots of fun at your hen night. Married life is awesome to answer your question from a while back, Vickie. Marcelo works out of town so we see each other on weekends right now which keeps the honeymoon going. I am perpetually confused as to what my name is, though . Every time I have to sign something or introduce myself, there is a pause which I'm pretty sure looks like I don't know who I am. I am looking forward to getting used to that. Changing my name was so much easier than I thought it would be as far as banks, social security and drivers license. I'm so excited for you guys! I can't wait to hear what you think of the resort and everything. Yay!!!

That's cool! I saw a bunch of people out on their balconies. I hope you were one of the people I waved to I know I didn't get asked what kind of ceremony we wanted. Maybe Marcelo did while they were waiting for me. I hope you had a great wedding and congratulations!

Here is the butler request sheet: Butler Request Sheet October 30 – November 6 Drinks – please keep our refrigerator stocked with bottled water and Diet Coke, also Diet Dr. Pepper if you have it Snacks – we like a snack delivered on the beach each morning (around 10:30 or 11am) and in our room each afternoon (around 4 or 4:30pm) Our favorite snacks include: Fruit Shrimp cocktail Cheese and crackers Chips and salsa Anything chocolate Lunch – we like lunch delivered on the beach each day (around 12:30 or 1pm) Dinner Reservations – we like to eat dinner early each night (around 6:30 or 7pm), also please RSVP for us for the Sandals Select dinner Spa – please book an appointment for Eric for a sports massage and for Shannon a hot rocks massage on Sunday afternoon (around 4pm) Tours – we have an all-day tour booked for Tuesday, November 2 (7:30am til 5pm) and we would like to have our breakfast in our room that morning and dinner on the balcony of our room that night Departure day – we prefer a late check-out if available and would like to have access to our bags up until the time we leave

Vickie- So exciting! 30 days will go by so fast. You're not going to believe it. We were in a butler suite- the Oceanview Honeymoon Suite (we had no view of the ocean, though the room was wonderful) on the Caribbean side. We didn't use our butlers as much as they probably would have liked, but our room was so close to everything that it was easy to pop back in for something. We did have them bring us pizza to the pool a couple of times and once to the ping pong table while my in-laws were having a tournament. We often came back to our room to find snacks and champagne and lovely bubble baths. They also made a "rehearsal" dinner for 12 at Mario's happen. Not sure how we would have swung that on our own. I had asked the advice of someone who uses butler service every time and she sent me a list they always give the butlers when they get there. It was a little structured for me, but I'll be happy to track it down and I can send it to you on Facebook, I think. I'll send it to Alex at the same time.

Vickie, It wasn't the ocean front private dinner I was talking about. The night of your wedding (or another night you pick), you get a "special" dinner at Mario's or Bayside where they decorate your table and all of that. We didn't do the private dinner so that is still probably very cool. My sisters got us the Scents of Love couples massage and it was lovely. We followed it up with facials for both of us and that was also wonderful. The only downside is that you're barely sitting up and still naked when they are trying to sell you products. They take no for an answer pretty quickly though. I do recommend the spa. I love my video and I'm really glad I have it. You might consider it since it will just be the two of you. Hope all is well with everyone. I'm so excited for you!

Vickie- I don't think there is any shortage of photographers there. We had several just at our wedding and they don't do 2 weddings at the same time so I don't see how there wouldn't be any available. Ebony may just be pushing, but I don't know for sure. My husband (tee hee) and I are both advanced open water divers. If you are certified, you are certified for life. The rub, though, is that if you haven't dived within a year, you have to have a refresher course which is about $70-$80. Before I went to Jamaica a few years ago, I hadn't dived in 10 years or more and I did the refresher at a nearby dive shop, got my log book signed and it was not problem. They also offer the refresher at Sandals, but every dive shop there I have ever dealt with are very strict about their rules so, because it's been so long, I would see if you could do the refresher course near home before you go. It only takes a few hours. If you choose to go through the whole certification again, I would actually recommend doing it at the resort because they do it faster, you're diving in the Caribbean instead of a lake and I don't think it's any more expensive.

This was the start of the conga line. That's Sasha behind me. More conga. Not the most flattering picture of me, but I was really hot! Alex, I think that size would still work perfectly for you. They had the bar set up already and then I guess they set up the table while we took a few pictures. I came back and it had appeared. It may have been tucked away by the bar because I'm not honestly sure when it popped up. I didn't really direct the photographers. They told us what to do and, if we thought of something we wanted, they were very easy going about everything.

Hey everyone! Please feel free to ask me any questions. I know how helpful this was to me before I went and I'm happy to help. First of all- it was AWESOME! The resort is amazing and the people were so friendly. I loved every minute of it. Okay, now down to the important part THE WEDDING: It was incredibly easy. We met with Sasha who really knows her stuff and is very friendly. We decided on the large pavilion by the reflecting pool because everyone would fit and we could also have the reception inside it. Great for 12 people, but probably won't apply to Alex and Viki so you will have more options. We didn't commit to any photos until we saw them and no one pressured us at all. We did have it videotaped. Very steep at $500, but I'm so glad I have it. We had several friends taking photos also and they saved us a lot of money. Sasha walked us through everything so don't worry that you'll be left not knowing what you're supposed to do or where you're supposed to go. The ceremony was wonderful. I thought I would be nervous and teary, but I wasn't nervous at all. I felt very relaxed and I had no idea how much fun I would have during the ceremony. Vaughn was our officiant and he was funny and kept things light. I got a little teary, but it was very joyous. The flower ceremony was a bit of a letdown and I think it was my fault that I didn't make it clear to Sasha ahead of time that I wanted a big deal made of it. Vaughn just kind of said they want to give flowers to their moms and then we did and that was it. They were dressed roses and our moms appreciated them, but it just felt a little passed over and not as special as it should have been. The reception was great. We had the steel drum band and it was really good for a large group. I will confess that there was even a conga line. The food was pretty good and the drinks flowed. Here are the only negatives: We picked our menu and time for the morning after breakfast in our room and it never showed up. We gave up and went to Bayside which is where we wanted to eat anyway, but it was a pain having to wait for it and not have it show up. Also, we picked the menu for our special wedding dinner. We could choose between eating from the menu at Mario's or a special menu at Bayside. We chose Bayside and what sounded like a delicious meal. It took 2 hours! There was a 40 minute wait for the entree and we didn't even care by the time we got it. We were wishing we were with our friends and family at Barefoot. Now, those are really the only negatives so that isn't bad at all. Oh, this is important- watch where you're standing for the pictures. The photographers put us in the grass by some flowers and I ended up standing in an ant hill. I got 17 bites and there are photos of my new husband pulling ants out of my dress. It wasn't a big deal and it didn't put a big damper on things. The nurse visited and put some alcohol and caladryl on the bites and we moved on. That was even before the conga line! Makes for a good story anyway. Overall, I loved my wedding and I'm so excited for you guys because you've really made a good choice. I can't wait to hear about your experiences. Viki: The reef in Antigua is not very pretty honestly. We saw some rays, lobster and urchins along with some barracuda and other fish. I feel any day spent under water is a good day, so we still enjoyed the diving, but this is not the place to go to expect great diving. The dive guys are really nice once they warm up. We were able to store all of our gear there so we didn't have to lug it back and forth. Please let me know if you have any questions about wedding, resort, etc. I'll be happy to help!

Viki, Yes, they will. Arrange it with the wedding department and they will deliver it back to your room. It was no problem.

Ack! So busy at work, but I want to write everything down and answer any questions, but this should tide you over The officiant was very entertaining. The day before the wedding.

Hey everyone! We just got back today and it was awesome! I will write details tomorrow.

Well, I packed up all of my OOT bag stuff last night and gave it to my mother to bring so that is one really big thing crossed off my list. Yay! This weekend is going to be spent packing us both up and trying to figure out how I am going to take my dress with me. Getting very excited! How is everyone else?

Heather- have a wonderful time!!!