stluciabound

When you go on the site there are 3 levels of room categories with multiple options within each... the bulk of the rooms fall into the standard category, the highest level is denoted by the "butler" category. It is the upper middle level which they state is the concierge level, which is what is required to qualify for the free BB theme. Just go on sandals/beaches site and plug in your dates and you should see what I mean, if you can't see it let me know and I will figure out a way to send you a link

I DID IT I DID IT I DID IT!!!! Last night I finally told my FI that I had enough and we went over to confront his family once and for all!!! His dad ended up not being home so we had a sit down with his mother. At first he wanted to go alone, but I went with my gut and insisted on being there so they couldn't manipulate him anymore. Thank goodness I did. For the first time ever she actually displayed her aggressiveness in front of me so I could address it, rather than playing nice to my face and then guilt tripping him behind my back. I can't possibly replay a 3 hour conversation (yes it was that long ugh!), but I will try and hit the hight points. She basiclaly said that they (his side of the family) has been "left out" and that it's my fault for shutting them out and not coming around. I told her not to be confused why I don't want to be around them after everything they have done it should be no surprise. She went on and on about how weddings should be a "family affair" and how could we do this knowing they couldn't make it. I didn't let her get away with any of it. She just started to cry,which obviously is her weapon of choice with her kids when she doesn't have a valid point, fortunately after all the pain they have caused us her tears didn't mean a thing to me. That might sound harsh, but I just saw it as attempted further manipualtion. She then told me that she was glad that the rest of the family wasn't there because they would be so upset that I was "doing this to her". I shut that down too. I said, "nobody is doing anything to you,you are being selfish and dramatic". I then told her that as much as I never wanted to be a "Bridezilla" she has forced me to be blunt... I AM THE BRIDE, IT IS MY DAY, AND NOOOO YOUR OPINION ULTIMATELY DOES NOT MATTER!!! She just started to cry again. I told her that I love her son, he loves me, and our day is no longer up for discussion. They can either get on board or get out of the way. She just cried and said that this is her son and she wants it to be a certain way. My favorite line of the night came next...I said "look at your son's face... look at what you are doing to him... he is MY HUSBAND... I know you wouldn't let anyone come into YOUR home and mess with YOUR family, so hear me now... Don't MESS with MY HUSBAND,don't MESS with MY MARRIAGE, quit messing with my family, and quit messing with me. I then told her that "I run this hen house now so BACK OFF!!!" I honestly don't even know where that came from,but damn it felt good. She just froze. She had nothing. She just said, well I guess that will be true when you get married... and I said, NO that was true the day he put a ring on my finger, the rest is just a technicality. Your reign is over. Sorry. Oh my Jesus could you hear the crickets. In any event, after not letting her get away with any of her antics she once again started to cry, pulled me to the side and said that she loves me, I will always be part of the family, and that she is sorry. She admitted to guilting the rest of the family to the point that they were terrified to attend our wedding and that everything was her fault. With that his father came home. Oh God. He gets psychotic when he is stood up to so I thought... ok here comes the rest of the disaster. To my unbelieveable pleasant surprise, his mother opened with... "We need to start being more enthusiastic about their wedding and I now believe that the animosity in the family is because of me and my own guilt". Holy S***t!!! Did I just hear that right??? After 9 months of torture did I seriously just hear that??? She then asked me to email her additional trip info so that they may try again to come. Don't get me wrong, quite frankly after all they have put us through I was getting quite fond of the idea of them staying the hell home, but I am happy for him. I could tell for the first time he felt accepted by them. Pretty sad that that is what it took, but still I was happy for his sake. When we left he said, "thank you for doing that, I finally feel like I am able to get excited". A bittersweet triumph, but it felt so good. I DID IT!!!

Hey Ladies!! @ FutureMrzMalone and Chayil.... yes, if you stay 6 or more nights the BB theme is free so long as you stay in a concierge level or higher. I actually just called my friend to double check with her and she said they booked the lowest level "concierge" room and they threw everything in for her. The resort also does their very best to upgrade once you are there, especially if you are the bride and groom. The concierge level is awesome. Not only do you have 24 hour room service, but they literally also give you a liquor menu and will bring you bottles of wine, champagne, and liqour for free whenever you want. For instance on the morning of her wedding I surprised her with bottles of champagne and orange juice and we drank mimosas while I gave her her wedding gifts and we got ready... one experience we shared that we will never forget... Do yourself a favor though... since you are staying at Beaches, it is a family friendly resort and each of the categories comes with both king size beds as well as 2 double beds. When we went my fiance and I booked one of the "honeymoon suites" and ended up with 2 double beds and ended up either having to sleep seperately or totally uncomfortable. I was so upset and addressed it with the resort, but was informed that all the king sized beds were already taken up and we should have confirmed that before we arrived. This was my only real complaint of the week. In my mind, I thought "honeymoon suite" spoke for itself, but apparently it did not, so don't take any chances As far as the dinner... no we did not make reservations despite what they try to tell you. We ate dinner at the restaurant that you had to walk up the stairs to get to (sorry, I can't remember the name, but it is the only one where you need to walk up stairs... you will know what I mean when you get there). It was the fanciest one. I don't know what time your wedding is, but I think it opens at either 5 or 6 and we just arrived as it was opening and had no trouble all sitting together and it was awesome!! There is a bar/lounge at the bottom of the stairs that is nice so you can all gather there while you wait to go in. At worst you may end up with 2 large tables next to each other, but that's no different than a formal reception anyway. As for her music... I believe they did end up burning a CD, which they used for the ceremony and reception. There was a sort of DJ or MC that kept the flow going though. The processional and recessional went perfect as did the symbolic dances along with a tribute to her new husband's mother who passed away just days before the wedding Also, I might suggest switching the 30 minutes to an hour. I want to say the first 20-30 minutes we all kinda got settled and grabbed some drinks/food while they were nearby on the beach getting some nice photos done. The second half hour was when they were announced, did their dance, cut the cake, and we all got to celebrate a bit together before moving on to dinner at the restaurant. It was a special time I would hate to have rushed on you or for you to miss due to getting pictures. Let me know if you have any other questions, I am happy my little bit of experience has been able to help Let our countdowns continue!!!!!

Hey BarbieBride! I can't download your attachments, but I totally agree with you. I may be bias, but I don't like it when mothers of the bride look like they are going to a prom. When my mom asked me what to wear and whether or not she needed to "match" I just told her to try and stay within the color family of the theme and be dressy yet comfortable given the beach setting. Our colors are turquoise, lime, and fuscia. She ended up going with a flowy patterned turqouise dress with hints of the fuscia, which I think will really represent her relevance without "stealing the show" and will still look great in pictures. Maybe just hint to your mom how warm it is going to be and that maybe she would be more comfortable in more beach friendly attire? Either way good luck and I think it is awesome that your mom will be giving you away. That will be such a special moment untitled1.bmp untitled.bmp

Hey ladies! @Future MrzMalone: My friend was working with a pretty limited budget and a fairly small guest list (about 12 or so) and did the BB theme with a one hour reception. She used a hybrid of a dj and their Ipod. It came out great! The h'ourderves (I know I spelled that totally wrong, sorry were very good, they had champagne ready for all of us, the servers/bartenders were excellent and attentive (I think there was almost more of them than us!!). They made everything very personal,included some local Jamaican touches, and provided a microphone for speeches. I really can't say a bad thing about any of it. For her situation I thought the timing was fine, they kept everything flowing but we never felt rushed. We all then went to the fancier of the restaurants and all sat together and had an excellent meal. Depending on the amount of guests you are having and how important it is to you to have your dinner very private, the 2 hour may be the better option. I am sure the 3 hour is very nice,but honestly, with how much fun the resort is I don't know that it would be worth the extra money, unless of course you really had a lot of guests. For our wedding next April I think I am aiming for the 2 hour with a steel drum band (just spoke with another bride who really enjoyed them, and they do play everything current and any requests). I am also going to do the BB theme, but with upgrades such as a flower petal aisle, arch, and paper lanterns, etc. I think it is a lot more economical especially since the other themes are $500 each added table whereas BB is only $100. That way you only pay for what is really important to you and plus you can mix and match. Also, don't let them pressure you into booking ASAP, because they are going to want deposits and payments, which is silly considering it is never too late to add anything, even once you arrive! On a side note,I don't know how many of you had had the opportunity to visit any Sandals or Beaches resorts before, but you are in for a treat. This will be my third trip and I am hooked. From the moment you arrive with a silver platter of champagne and cool wash cloths during check-in, to how special they make you feel at every encounter, you won't want to come home. I know I never do when I am there and am always planning my next trip in my mind before I even leave. I know I mentioned it before, but try to make your way to Rick's Cafe and the Catamaran cruise, they were so awesome! We also did the ziplining, which was a blast. Congrats and good luck to all of you and let me know if you have any other questions!!!

Welcome Peach and congrats on your engagement!! Such an exciting time!!! I am sorry to hear that your mom is acting that way. In a perfect world we of course would hope to have all those special moments to share. Although my mom and I do get along she lives across the country so in that sense I understand how you feel going through everything without her. It's great you get along with your FI's mom, hopefully she lives closer! My best advice to you is to keep moving forward, gravitate towards those who are supportive and as for those who aren't... that is their problem and either they will come around or they won't. Your best power is in not letting it get to you, the debbie downers feed off of feeling like they are getting to you to see if they can "win". The stronger you are the less fun it becomes for them and they will either come over to your side or move onto their next "victim". One of my biggest mistakes was continuing to allow these people around me for so long (I think I just did because I felt sad for my FI that his family was acting so awful). They stole the first 9 months of my engagement, but I have 8 months left and no one is going to get me/us down! Don't make the same mistake I did. I do hope your mom comes around. As it gets closer hopefully the sentimenal feelings will win her over. If not, you have a second mom to depend on and love. Best of luck to you and happy planning!! You have come to the right place to learn, vent, plan, and get excited!!!!

Hi ladies! My Avatar picture is actually form my best friend's beach reception at Beaches Negril last June. It was beautiful and none of you will be disapponted!! And yes, the resorts are just about 5 minutes apart. We stayed at Negril, but there were guests that a stayed at Sandy Bay and they came back and forth frequently. The only thing is the shuttle does stop at a certain point in the evening so you could need a cab. I know you will all have beautiful weddings so try not to stress!!! Side note: Make sure you go to Rick's Cafe!!! The sunset and water is to die for!!! Also, go on the Catamaran cruise if you can. We went on the sunset one actually with some Sandals couples and it was one of the high points of our trip. It is a blast and you get to see parts of the island you otherwise wouldn't. Ours actually did stop at Rick's as well, which was awesome because we loved it there so much!! Happy planning!!!

Thanks Sarah! That is great advice. I really was looking forward to the steel drum band so I am happy to hear they are as good as what I am hoping. I will make a request list. The WC did say they play a lot of current stuff and do a good job of getting the guests involved so that is exciting! If you don't mind me asking, how many guests did you have? I am trying to decide between the 1 and 2 hour reception with sit down dinner. Any input would be great. Thanks again and congrats!!

Thank you SO much ladies!! All of your kind words have really made me smile. I sincerely don't know what I would do had I not found these forums. I just wish I had found them sooner when the bulk of the craziness was going on and I wish I could have him read some of the stories on here... I just don't want him to see my vents To respond to some of your comments... we are NOT having an AHR. Mostly because the people refusing to come CAN afford it and are choosing not to, so I will not be further strapping us finacially to appease their selfishness. I have discovered that Sandals offers live streaming of the ceremony so I told my FI that if they are so worried about missing it then they can log on and watch from home and feel like idiots for not being there. There will be no local "pre ceremony" as they have been insisting upon and we will not be footing the bill for some party when we get home. At this point, after all the horrible things they have done (and believe me I have barely scratched the surface) they should feel lucky if we even give them the password to log on That sounds catty, I'm sorry,but it's really that bad. And no,he has not always been ok with all of this. For a solid 6 months he was trying to defend and appease them, which caused more fighting,yelling, and crying then I will ever care to admit. We went from the most loving, trusting, compatable relationship to actually questioning the wedding at one point. That's when I put on the brakes. I was not going to lose the love of my life because his family was acting like a bunch of children. It was at this point, about 2 months ago that I made a daring move. Without him knowing I added the days to the beginning of our honeymoon to accomodate the wedding date and legal grace period. I rebooked our wedding for the same time, on the same original date as the one here locally. There was only one time slot left so I couldn't wait to convince him and I just knew I had to do it. I then said to him "if you love ME and want to marry ME I will be in my dress in St Lucia on April 14th so I suggest you board the plane on the 12th when I do." I was scared to death, but I was at my breaking point and I knew he was just responding to their bullying and not seeing the big picture. Talk about a leap of faith. Well, that did it. He finally realized that he was going to lose me if he didn't get his family in check and start honoring "us". It was then that he finally went to his family and told them that this was once and for all our final decision. Needless to say, as I described in my last post, they have continued their nonsense, but I have my best friend, my FI back. We are us again and he realizes that as long as we are there then that is all that matters. He is finally getting excited. AMEN!! I would like to also share with you ladies the story of my best friends destination wedding situation from last June in Jamaica. It has really helped me to keep things in perspective. She met her fiancee while in grad school in San Diego. He was the last of kin to his mother who was living alone in NC. When they got engaged she was supportive and even suggested they get married in Jamaica. When they looked into it they liked it and told her that's what they would do. Well, in a stunning turn of events she told them that she would disown him/them if they didn't have a traditional wedding in NC. Huh?? When they explained they couldn't afford that she suggested that my friend drop out of Grad school to get some more jobs to give HER the wedding she always wanted her son to have. She also was not contributing a dime. Wow. At that point they were disowned and her poor FI had to have devastating conversations with his mother, who even went so far as to curse out my friend saying that she was a b**** and was "stealing her son". My poor friend was devastated. They spent months dealing with this until finally, after offering multiple times to pay for her trip, that she agreed to go. This was about 2 months before the wedding. She would be the only person he would have coming on his side. Well, now for the eye opening part of the story... about a week before the wedding he was having trouble getting a hold of her. He called a neighbor to go check on her (sometimes she justs wouldn't answer the phone if she was throwing a temper tantrum). They couldn't get a hold of her either. Knowing that she was a bit older with some health problems they called the police for help. When the police got there they found his poor mother dead in her bed. They received a knock on their door in CA at midninght to tell them the news. This was 5 days before we were all set to arrive in Jamaica for the wedding. As devastaing as this was the next day they had to find flights to get to NC so they could hunt through her home to find her will and begin to get her affairs in order. My friend had to pull her dress with incomplete alterations,never got to even try it on, and had to get on a plane to go there. I don't know how they did it. In the end, we all ended up in Jamaica and they had a beautiful wedding, during which a thoughtful tribute to his mother was given. The whole thing was horrific. They never got to truly make amends with his mother. The situation they went through helps me to keep things in perspective, but it makes me angrier sometimes when people do act so selfish. Life is too short to be so cruel. Anyway, here is to hoping all the negative people in our lives either come around or get the heck out of the way! And thanks again everyone for your support!! You ladies are the greatest!!

Oh my goodness we are in the EXACT same situation. What is the matter with people?? I have vented on some of the other threads so I won't bore everyone with the whole story again, but the long and short of it is that my FI has no one on his side coming. To make matters worse his brother had agreed to be his best man and his sister agreed to be my maid of honor and now even they are both refusing to come. It's weird though because when we announced the location they just mentioned they wouldn't "be able" to go (which is a bunch of crap), but that was a few months ago and they don't even have the decency to call either one of us to confirm that they won't attend, or to step down from the roles that they agreed to. They just don't call at all. Sadly, up until now him and his siblings had been super close. All we get is the occasional crying phone call from his mom telling us how selfish we are and how much we are hurting the family. She keeps trying to convince him how miserable he is going to be on his (our) wedding day when none of his family is there. I just want to scream "news flash lady... it's about us, not you!!!" My FI was really upset at first, but I think the crazier they act the more he realizes that we are the only ones that matter on our special day. It does make me sad for him though. Also, like your situation, his older sister got married a few years back, which was of course tended to in classic princess style and completely paid for by them. How parents can justify spending 30,000 on one child's wedding, but refuse to even spend 2,000 to merely attend the other's makes me sick to my stomach. And we are the one's that should feel guilty? I think not. I am glad that you guys are sticking to your guns and not alowing his family's selfishness to get you down. I know how hard it is sometimes. At least we know that no matter how small each of our weddings ends up, the people that are there truly love us. That makes it as special as can be. And I am just so thankful for this site. It has truly saved my sanity!!! Happy planning ladies and never forget who's day it is

Hi Ladies! @Sunshine2680... Your situation is so similar to the one I have been dealing with!! Please allow me to return my vent so you can see we are really not alone!! So I will start by saying that my FI and I are paying for our own wedding so cost has always been a concern, however since we both had always imagined a large at home wedding we began our planning that way. We sat down with both our families to see if they planned to/would be able to help at all. My parents committed to a certain amount that represented the very best they could do, as they are not wealthy and already put me through college. His, much wealthier, parents acted confused that we would even ask and refused to contribute even $1, despite the fact their family is huge (mine is EXTREMELY small) and they expected they would all be invited representing about 80% of our guests. Ok fine. We worked very hard to try and make this wedding happen to please them and even went so far as putting down deposits at the venue, photog, etc. We even made his brother best man and HIS sister made of honor, a kind family gesture, I thought. Well guess what? When we were honest with ourselves we realized WE CAN"T AFFORD IT!!! So, we decided to extend our honeymoon in St Lucia at Sandals and invite close friends and family to join us, giving them over a year to plan. Once we decided we were so excited... until... his family's freak out. His sister (who by the way their parents paid all of her wedding's $30,000) threw a temper tantrum stating they would not be able to go, despite us offering to help with the cost. The rest of the family just followed right along saying that NONE of them would come. So, we went back to the drawing board trying to find money we didn't have to accomodate their oversized, clearly selfish family. I had originally posted a comment when we booked our honeymoon. Apparently that was a mistake, because they (without taking the time to even congratulate us, as at this point we were still having a local wedding) took it upon themselves as a family to log onto the sandals site and "mock up" our honeymoon with room category/length of stay to price it out and decided it was too expensive and they should plan a "family intervention". WHAT?!? If you were not worried about us footing the bill for Auntie Jean that I've never met and the 14 cousins twice removed then don't you dare worry about what we are spending for our honeymoon!!! Well,this was the last straw. We forfitted all our deposits and moved the whole damn thing to St Lucia despite their original objections. I was ready to write them all off at this point, but for obvious reasons my FI was having a harder time believing that his supposed "close knit loving family" could act like such a bunch of jerks. It took him weeks to prepare himself to go back over and break the news that we were definitely cancelling the at home wedding and moving it to St Lucia. Of course we focused not on their behavior, but the fact that despite our best efforts, we simply couldn't afford it. Well,needless to say all logic and reason was lost in that conversation as they spouted off more and more cruel, mean,nasty, and unrealistic remarks. They refused to even look into the cost and said that no matter what, they would not come. They then told us we would have to get married in their backyard before we go so that the "family" could be there. Their family by the way. Not my family, because they live 1,000 miles away and are already joining us in St Lucia. But that didn't matter. Forget the people actually making the effort to go. Needless to say they haven't stopped there. Since then there have been various phone calls telling us how selfish we are and how much we are hurting them. If I ever do put anything on Facebook they say I am "rubbing it in", yet I have also been accused of not calling them enough to discuss wedding planning. WHAT?!? Can you say bipolar? Not to mention his brother and sister (to remind you, the supposed maid of honor and best man) have not made a single phone call in months to either check and see how we are OR to step down since they are refusing to come. Obviously, behind the scenes we have made other arrangements, but seriously, who acts like that? OH! And I almost forgot, his mother also recently "informed" us that we are "not allowed" to send invitations to our wedding because it is rude. RUDE?? Ahhh, the irony just goes on and on. Needless to say, the deposit is down on the invitations and they will absolutely be sent out the moment I receive them. I hate to sound like like I am being spiteful, but I just feel like if I give in to their bullying now then I am setting myself up for a life of bowing down to their selfish demands. I refuse to live like that. And seriously, this is only about 10% of what they have put us through in the last 6 months. It makes me sad because we were all so close before. Oh well, no more.I just want to get excited. And, like you, the very mention of the word wedding around them sends a chill through the room like no other. It's just not right. I just don't know how a group of intelligent adults can act like a bunch of children. Ugh! Well, I am also now done venting!! Lol sorry and thanks for listening! I will say that as time goes by and you just make a conscious decision not to surround yourself with the debbie downers, it starts to get easier. Also, another bride on this site said something that really resonated with me. When people say they "can't afford" to come, 9 times out of 10 what they are really saying is,"I don't want to spend my money on that". Unless they are seriously dead broke, giving someone over a year to save up for something (a dream vacation let's not forget) is more than resonable. That is, if they care enough to do it. So now, when someone says "We can't afford it" I choose to hear, "Your wedding is not important enough for me to save for". Which, by the way is fine, but then they should surely understand that we don't want to save to spend $100 a plate to feed a bunch of people we don't know so they can complain that their steak wasn't cooked properly and the DJ didn't play the right songs! No thanks! Instead,we will be in paradise with the people that really love us. And it's going to be great Thanks again for allowing me to rant and good luck to you and all the lucky brides!!!!

Amen Branya2012!!! We have been going through the same nightmare with family members... well, his family to be exact. They are currently boycotting us having a destination wedding and refusing to come. They only want to come if we have an at home "traditional"wedding. That's a funny request coming from people with an enormous family and who are refusing to help contribute at all. They have spared no words trying to convince us how selfish WE are being. So ironic. Anyway, good for you for standing up to whomever is giving you trouble!! It IS definitely only about you two and it is your day. It is amazing how quickly people tend to forget that. Just keep standing your ground. Hopefully they will come around, but if not, it will defintely be their loss. Good luck to you and happy planning!!! PS There are several blogs on here dedicated to this which I have found to be very therapeutic whether you want to vent or just hear other brides stories to make you feel not so alone

Hi Dymond6! I was in my best friend's wedding last June at Beaches Negril (my FI and I are going with the Sandals Grande St Lucian next April). She got married in the gazebo with the BB theme and had a one hour reception with a DJ on the beach (actually my current profile pic). It was great. The food was good and the service was way beyond expectation. They took such great care of everyone. We all then went to one of the resort restaurants for dinner (I can't remember the name right now, but it was the only one where you had to walk up the stairs to get to, it was italian/steakhouse inspired and was excellent!).There were about 15 of us and they arranged 2 tables so some did not sit at the main table, but the majority of us were able to sit together without issue. It was all so very nice and I am sure your experience will be the same. Let me know if you have any specific resort/location questions. Also, make sure to go to Rick's Cafe one day for at least the sunset. Simply amazing. However, do NOT use the taxi the resort suggests. They say it is $20 (for a 10 minute ride) which seems reasonable, but they really mean per person. They wanted $160 for 8 of us to take a 10 minute ride. You wouldn't even pay that in NYC. There are reputable drivers that you can call that will charge you per vehicle,not per person. Use them.There is a designated license plate color for drivers certified to be safe that you can trust. Also, travel the island! It is so dynamically different from place to place. You won't be sorry. Anyway, let me know if you have any questions and happy planning!!!

Hi ladies!! Congrats to SarahTD on being a newlywed and ConnieMarie on your engagement!! We are getting married at the Grande St Lucian April 14, 2012 and I am also trying to plan all the details. I am wanting to hire teh steel drum band and was wondering how they were for you Sarah. How long of a reception did you choose? Did you find the photographer still did a thorough job getting shots even though you didn't select a package beforehand? Any inside info is much appreciated!!! Thanks Sarah and happy planning ConnieMarie!!!

Hello! I just saw your post and was wondering if you received the wedding kit yet? We are getting married at the Sandals Grande St. Lucian April 14, 2012 and I do have the kits if you still need them. I also attended my best friend's wedding last year at Beaches Negril (all the same wedding packages) so I have a bit of extra experience from that also. It was beautiful by the way!! I also have been to Montego Bay a couple times (once at Sandals) so let me know if I can be of any help!! Looks like we are on a similar wedding countdown too!! Happy Planning!!!

Hi Ladies! Ok so here are the current quotes I have received from them (planning to do BB with upgrades). We did already upgrade to the twilight ceremony for $600, but here are the other quotes: 9 paper lanters: $75 Sprinkled petal aisle: $300 Each bag of petals for tossing (they recommended 6 for me): $50 each Orchid Bouquets: $125 each Orchid Boutoneire: $20 each DVD: $500 Steel Drum Band: $350/hour 18 images on CD: $395 Makeup Session: $75 each Hair Session: $70 each I have not committed to anything yet other than the twilight upgrade, which had to be paid in full in order to book. From what I understand for the rest they require an immediate deposit and final payment is due 60 days prior to arrival. This seems silly to me to commit to considering it is never too late to decide on any of these options, even once you have already arrived. I would rather keep my money and options open as long as possible Well, hopefully some of that helps and I would love to hear any updates you all may have along the way!! Happy planning!!!

Hi Ladies!! I am so happy to have found other Sandals St Lucia brides in the planning process. We are getting married at the Grande April 14, 2012. How far along are you in the planning? How many guests are you expecting? This is the biggest variable for us right now. It is hard to plan the reception options without having a good feel for how many people will be there!! Hopefully we will start getting definitive answers from people soon

Hi hmpinma! We actually are booked to get married at the Sandals Grande St Lucian on April 14, 2012 for a twilight ceremony. My experience so far has been very good. It will be my third trip to a Sandals resort, so obviously I am a big fan in general. I have not yet been to St Lucia (other 2 trips were to Royal Caribbean Montego Bay and Negril). From what I have read though I am sure they will not disappoint. My only issue I am concerned about is the photography. I have found a local photographer I really want to hire, but understand they are pretty strict about that, but I think it is a bunch of crap and plan on finding a way around it.... any advice from anyone would be great (I am aware I can pay for him to stay in a double occ room for 3 nights,but that is ridiculous at a current minimum of about $1600). Anyway, I think St Lucia is the PERFECT place to have your wedding and would love to have another fellow bride to get excited with and share advice!! There are a lot of great videos on you tube not only from vendors, but from past guests that have really solidified the choice for me, try to check it out. Anyway, happy planning and keep us posted!!

Hello fellow April 2012 brides!! We are booked for a sunset ceremony April 14th in St Lucia at the Sandals Grande St Lucian. Can't wait!! We are also worried about attendance. So far my parents are booked as well as my best friend and her husband. For me, those were the most important so I am happy, but in general and for him, we are hoping his family will come around (they are currently boycotting the trip) and the people that say they will come actually will book. Stressful! I am also anxiously awaiting the call that my dress is in!! How do you all feel about a TTD? I am really starting to like the idea, but I think I might get a decoy dress. I am about to send out my STD's,too. I saw some comments about the coconut oil.That sounds neat, how is that working out? Any and all advice is helpful! Happy planning ladies!

Congrats to the 2 newly engaged!! Welcome!! I did get engaged this past December and will be an April 2012 bride, but just found this forum a bit ago and it has already been a life saver!! Whether you are looking for ideas, inspiration, advice, or even just to vent about the stresses that come along, you have found the right place!! Congrats again and happy planning!!!

Thanks so much for the support!! We are now half way through our engagement (8 1/2 months to go) and his family still has not come around. They are nice to my face and then call and torture him when they think I am not around. I think they will eventually cut the crap, but honestly at that point, who the heck would want to be around them anyway? In any event, he is finally realizing how wrong they are acting and that at the end of the day we are the only ones that matter on our own wedding day! Finally!! As long as I have him, my best friend, back on board I am happy! The rest will work itself out I am sure... On to happier subjects... As far as Sandals goes,I am a huge fan. I don't know if you have ever been to one of their resorts, but you will not be disappointed. This will be my third experience with them (first time in St Lucia) and I can't imagine haveing it anywhere else or in any other family of resorts. My last experience was actually as a part of my best friend's wedding at Beaches (their sister resort) in Negril, Jamaica. They use all the same themes and options so it was a rare sneak peak. They did the BB theme with the one hour appetizer reception with DJ and it was very nice.We then all went to dinner at one of the existing restaurants and it was also very nice.We had no trouble all sitting together (about 10 of us), despite the concerns they may give you. As for our wedding, we also are going with the BB theme but adding individual upgrades. I think I am going to go with the 2 hour reception,steel drum band, and some extra lighting and decor. We are also opting for the twilight ceremony. As far as our room goes, we are going with a Butler level room. I have never had that before. In the past I have always at least gone with a Concierge level and have been extremely pleased. I opted for the Butler this time just to try and make it extra special and luxorious, but also because I think he will end up being really helpful with all the details and guests once we are there. I think we ended up getting 55 or 60 percent off at about $950/night. Depending on the resort and time frame you might also get them to throw in a night or two for free. I am hoping we find the extra cost to be worth it, but I have to say I have never heard a negative comment from anyone who went this route. Fingers crossed! Also,don't let them pressure you into booking any "extras" right away. Once you book them you have to pay for them (or at least a portion) and then, from what I understand,there is no going back. However, it is really never too late to book them, even once you arrive. They have everything at their disposal at the resort, so why not take all the time you need to really be sure of your guest list, budget, and vision. For us,due to the family commotion,I have no idea what our guest count will be. Right now my parents and best friend and her husband are booked. That's it. There are many people saying they will go and some saying they won't. I have a feeling it will end up somewhere in the middle. I am just trying to hit the magic "10 room" mark so Sandals will through us in the fun extras. Make sure to set up your group code so you get credit for everyone. Well, I hope some of that helped and at least we are all going through this exciting, yet stressful time together so we are never alone! Happy planning!!

Thanks so much for your kind words and wonderful information! We are flying in on Wed.and getting married on Sat., the same length of time you guys chose,so I hope it isn't to early. Even as it is we had to pay the expedite fee, as I knew that I definetly didn't want to arrive even a day earlier than we already are. I also wanted to arrive a day before our guests just to take it all in and get prepared for thier arrival with the OOT bags and such. The resort told me they can't pre-deliver them because they don't know what rooms everyone will be in util they arrive. How did you handle that? And, I definitely share your stress with making sure the dress has the perfect fit... I already had my designer add a corset back so I have a little bit of forgiveness Did you end up hiking Pigeon Island at all? I have seen some pics and it looks beatiful.It is definetly on the to-do list. Did you do any of the other excursions? I have heard that Simon Says has a great tour to the volcano/mineral springs that I am anxious to hear more about. Also, did you make it to the Friday night jump up downtown? I am hoping to enjoy that with my guests but want to make sure it is of course, safe, but also as fun as it sounds. Which location for the ceremony and reception did you go with? I am thinking the gazebo and the gardens. What do you think? Sorry for so many questions, I just want to make everything as nice as possible and feel somewhat helpless without some inside info! Thanks again and I hope you are enjoying the newlywed life!!!! Quote: Originally Posted by wilsonj2 Hi! We did the 4:00 ceremony and it was still really hot...it cooled down considerably by the sunset time, so that should be perfect and well worth the extra money if you have it. I would also suggest not flying in too many days before the wedding. We flew in on Tuesday and got married on Friday...too many days. My dress fit perfectly before I went and I gained a bit of weight before the wedding, even though I was eating pretty well. I wish we had flown in on Wednesday. Also, it is a bit stressful, and you will not really get to enjoy your vacation until after the wedding is over. Just a resort tidbit--Pigeon Island National Park is right beside the resort. You just walk down the beach, past the guard, and into the park. Please go take pictures in the ruins there! They are literally a two minute walk. I wish we had known, but we only ventured out after the wedding. Don't worry about his family. You'll find out that the people who really want to be there will come, and those are the people you would want anyway! My family was hesitant also at first, but they had the time of their lives. Just keep telling them you want them to have a nice vacation, which I'm sure you do! Review to come...I don't have any pictures yet, but hopefully I will soon.

You did such an amazing job!!! Everything is so thoughtful and with so much detail!! Congratulations on what I know must have been an amazing day!!

I love these!! Among my favorites so far!! Can you please message me the information for the girl that can help make these. I need to get out our STD's within the month and am definetly going to need help!! Thanks so much!!

PS... Happy one week anniversary