Mlite83

Now that I'm up to 150 posts I will definitely be borrowing some of out templates!  Thanks again!!

Originally Posted by LTLFAITHY 

 

So, I THINK this is going to be the dress. I do love it, I felt great in it, and it is actually below what I was planning on spending ~ but I didn't have that "Say Yes to the Dress" moment..................................

This dress looks amazing!  The back is fantasic and I love the lace - I think it will be hard to top it but have fun trying!

I did a STD with the address of our wedding website and requested people rsvp thru the website in order to help us know numbers for planning etc.  Like a few others have said, I think most of my guests thought my STD was the invitation so they expected to RSVP after receiving the postcard.  I definitely recommend RSVP now - knowing numbers early on can help plan etc.

Originally Posted by Caroline1118 

 

Kit Kat - Your pics look great...Love the color combination  Does anyone know what Now Jades fee is to bring in external vendors? I can't seem to find it in my notes anywhere.

I asked Pilar specifically about photographer and decor (meaning if I bring in my own items, but she thought I meant hiring an external company) and her response is below:

If you bring your own  photographer or videographer you need to pay $65usd

If you bring your own company for decoration you need to pay  $350 usd  fee

Originally Posted by snknight 

 

Mlite83,

   Thanks for all the info, that was really helpful. We have started pricing, but some resorts do not give all the info upfront. When you say the prices in Mexico were reasonable, around how much did it cost per guest (or per couple) for a room for your wedding? Also, how many guests are you expecting at your wedding? If more than what is allowed, how much is it per extra person? Sorry to be asking so many personal questions, I just want to have a good head start on the planning. Thanks again!!

I also found it frustrating that some resorts offered so little information online about wedding packages, ala carte pricing options etc - I emailed for additional information and as you would expect some resorts were very prompt (ie 2-3 days to reply) whereas other resorts were over a month...just to get the PDF of wedding packages! 

For our guests at Now Jade in early February 2013 it will be around $1400 per person (all taxes in) and that includes flights from Toronto.  As a comparison Secrets resorts (priced for Jamaica) were almost $3000 pp.  Iberostar (again in Jamaica) was around $2000 pp for rose hall suites (beach is less expensive, the grand is more). 

We are figuring we will likely have around 40 people at our wedding -- the packages at Jade are built for 25 people and then any additional guests cost above the package price so we will be paying out a bit but we loved the resort, the pricing and the inclusions in their wedding packages.  Some resorts offer packages for larger groups (ie 40+ guests) but you may be looking at a semi-private reception or paying a fee to upgrade to private.  On the flip side some resorts offer wedding packages for 8 people so if you have a group with you it would add up quite quickly!

*For our guests above the 25 included in wedding package the cost will depend on exactly what items I select from the ala carte -- for example the package includes hor d'ouevres for 25 but I understand from previous brides they allot 6 pieces per person (which is lots) so you don't necessarily need to pay to upgrade hor d'oeuvres for everyone (especially since wedding party will miss cocktail hour for pictures), and since the wedding cake isn't usually eaten by all guests (esp. since dessert is included for the wedding dinner) it won't be necessary to purchase a larger wedding cake either.  Right now I'm thinking I will pay the additional fee for the champagne toast and dinner (obviously - ha!) and not worry about the rest...Below are a few examples of pricing from the ala carte menu for additional items, just so you can get an idea. 

Champagne toast $4pp

Wedding cake $5-7 pp

Hor d'oeuvres $15pp

Wedding dinner ~ $50pp

Wow that was long-winded but I hope it was helpful!  I found that all of the AM Resorts (Now, Dreams, Secrets, Zoetry) were very upfront with package pricing and how much extras (food, decor, music, pictures etc) cost - they have a PDF you can download on their website.  It might give you some ballpark numbers to work with?

Any other questions feel free to ask - I always take comfort hearing from other brides about their experiences!

Originally Posted by CdnBeatPrincess 

 

Here's a picture of the hill top I got married at. Still waiting for the pro-pics. Fire Fly, Port Maria Jamaica.

 

Wow! Amazing view!!  What a spectular backdrop for your wedding pictures!

We haven't decided 100% yet - one on hand we aren't very traditional (thus DW was a perfect fit!) but his parents are traditional and also all about proper ettiquette.  If we decide to go with tradition he will probably stay in his brother's room the night before - that way I'll have our room for getting ready.

I agree with what JayKay has already said - definitely send each sib their own invite (sent individually).  We did that even to people who were living with parents still (my younger sister and his younger brother) and I think they both appreciated it as they felt recognized as opposed to an add on to a parent invite.  We also gave our younger sibs (and any singles) the option to bring a guest....not sure how many will use that option but again I thought it was a nice gesture and splitting a room with a friend is cheaper than the single supplement.  Plus we thought single guests would appreciate the opportunity to bring a plus 1 (ie friend, sibling, date) since it is a week of vacation we want them to enjoy!

We included and guest for all of our single guests - our thinking on this being, if they are going to put out the money to come then its the least we could do (and we would extend an opportunity to bring a guest if we had gotten married at home).  Also since we have a majority of guests who are couples we didn't think it would be much fun for a handful of singles not to have a plus 1.  As much as the trip is for our wedding it is also everyone else's vacation, they have paid their money and taken vacation time to attend our wedding so we want to ensure they have the best time possible, if that means someone brings a friend or "date" we don't know all that well it is fine with us.

I don't think it would be tacky and definitely think you should go for it, especially if they are popular in your area and/or you know you will have enough friends/family/acquaintances to make a good nite (nothing worse than booking a hall and only have a handful of people in it) then go for it.  S&Ds are fun and yes you will probably make some money for the couple because many people are happy to and want to support the couple (by way of purchasing drinks, raffle tickets, games etc), especially if they won't be at your DW. 

We were on the fence about having one but our friends have convinced us we definitely should - even if it is not the traditional social evening event, so we may do a pig roast or something like that.

Thanks for posting - definitely a good resource to check with!

Originally Posted by Krysta lee ann 

 

 

i totallly agree! its crazy now what they charge for anything!!  i make good money and hate shopping there cause it is getting redic with their prices......and its not like the quality is out of this world or up to the standard of the price!!

 

i foudna short above the knee strapless blk rouched dress that i loved! and it fit so nice....i even fit into a med.....so i had to buy it! lol.....its for a wedding i am standing in and we get to choose our dresses as long as they are black strapless and above the knee!

In the past few years 2 of the weddings I have been in had the pick your own dress, just make it this colour idea for BM too.  I bought both of my from Le Chateau (very similar to the one you describe) and loved them - plus they always look great in photos, you can't tell it is not from a bridal shop.

Beautiful!  I love your dress and the punch of pink with your bouquet!!  Thanks for sharing - it looks like everything was perfect!

Originally Posted by jana297 

 

 

This is how my tables turned out for our wedding and I was pretty happy!!

They look great - I love how you incorporated the starfish into your napkin/placecard!

I did a postcard with important info on the back (ie wedding website, week of travel, resort name, ahr for those unable to attend etc) as a save the date but honestly with the number of responses from it I don't know if traditional invites will be necessary as many have rsvp'd already and/or gotten in touch with our TA.  I guess my guests just assume this is the invite?! 

Originally Posted by snknight 

 

Hello everyone,

   My name is Simone and I am newly engaged!!!!! I am so excited to plan a wedding for me and my soul mate. I have a couple of destinations in mind (i.e. Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, St. Lucia), but I am having a hard time selecting an all inclusive resort that is affordable to my guests (expecting 70-80 people) and child friendly. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

Best,

Fellow Bride to Be

First of all CONGRATS!  It's a super exciting time, but picking a resort can be overwhelming!

When I priced out St Lucia it was definitely pricey so we cut it from the list.  Some resorts in Jamaica can also be quite pricey (Iberostar, Secrets) but others (Gran Bahai) were comparable to Mexico.  In the end we went with Mexico as we found more resorts that offered true 5 star calibre lodgings/food/entertainment and the value per person was awesome!  Some resorts we looked into (mostly in Jamaica) just didn't look quite as polished and modern.

I would recommend figuring out what is most important to you and FI (ie MUST haves) and what would be nice to have.  That helped me cut out any resorts that didn't meet the requirements for us.  Then I compared resorts vs resorts in terms of amenities, reviews, wedding packages etc. Once I had a list of potential resorts I started collecting prices from a couple different TA's which helped me further narrow choices (ie Secrets properties look great but were quoted at double what I wanted guests to spend). 

Hopefully this helps - picking the resort is probably the most difficult part but I'm sure you will love where ever you end up!

Originally Posted by kellykanester 

 

I just recieved mine from this seller as well, we got the satin ones and we got them in under a week and they are gorgeous

Thanks for sharing your experience too - glad to know multiple brides have been happy with this seller!

Originally Posted by AllieH 

 

I'm with you! I always wear big dangly earrings, and it's become a signature for me. 

 

I was having a really hard time deciding on jewelry just by searching the internet (etsy addict here!)

 

I got lucky and went to an accessories trunk show at the bridal shop that is doing my alterations. So I got to try on jewelry with my dress which helped a ton with the decision. I was a wee bit sad to find that I didn't like the big dangly earrings with my dress. I still got some dangly, they just aren't as big as I thought they would be (I hoped for some nice chandeliers!). 

 

 

anyway - here's my jewelry:  my necklace is pretty small, and the bracelet is chunky and totally bling! I also have a headband that matches the bracelet (part of the reason the huge earrings & necklace didn't happen). I can't say I'm in love with the necklace (even now), but it really did work with the dress and the other pieces. The first three came from the bridal shop (with 20% off due to the trunk show!), the prices were very comparable to etsy and some of the other sites I've seen. 

 

a close up of the earrings: 

 

and here's the headpiece I got: I found it a long time ago and drooled over it until I figured out the rest of my jewelry. it's from etsy seller ChantalEveleen. 

 

I love your headpiece - it will look great!  And the earrings look great too - you might even be able to wear them again?

Both are beautiful -  I think the green may pop a bit more in the first pictures but I think the one you had made is more romantic with the softer hues! 

Originally Posted by kitkat863 

 

I didn't have any issues with customs. I didn't take a whole bunch with me though. I had table runners, drink koozies, door hangers, some signs, and that was about it. I relied on the resort for everything else. I am still catching up at work but once I have a moment I will write my review. Overall I was pleased with everything and I was very impressed with the resort. They did lose the hanger that I bought for my dress for pictures but other than that I didn't have any issues (and that was very minor anyways!) Don't stress - everything will turn out great!

Congrats!  I look forward to reading your review once you find time in your newlywed bliss   Just wondering since you didn't bring a lot down with you - did you end up paying a lot for decorations etc through the resort?  Trying to budget for that aspect of the big day and decide on buying here and bringing it down or just going through the resort...

Congrats again - can't wait to see pictures!

Originally Posted by Krysta lee ann 

 

 

we got the short dress and it was 119$ it was by far the best deal we could find!

 

i just had to buy a BM dress from le chateau and it cost me with taxes $212!!!

I noticed that Le Chateau seems to be bumping up their dress prices too - there traditional LC dress (satiny fabric, knee length, some pin tucking etc) still runs $130ish but it seems for anything different in style or fabric yoou are pushing $225!  I have purchased several dresses from there in the past and always love the fit so I'm disappointed that prices have jumped so much! 

I love how light it looks - the movement in the wind will be beautiful and very beach appropriate!

Originally Posted by Mufin1785 

Here is my dress!!! 

I LOVE the lace on your dress - so romantic!

Originally Posted by elissae 

Ladies - LolaTX & aarosenthall.

 

LIKE MINDS..my dress is very similar to both of yours!  Love your choices.

 

Here's a pic of mine (previously posted forever ago)...

 

 

Quote:

 

Beautiful -- I love this style dress for beach weddings, so light and airy!

Originally Posted by aarosenthall 

 

Here is mine... so excited for it to arrive although it should be here in August- 8 months before my wedding.  I wonder how many times I will try it on before then   Im thinking I will need a padlock to keep myself out!

Originally Posted by LolaTX 

 

Let me try this again . . LOL!!!!  My dress just came in, and this is the first time I tried on MY dress !!

Stunning!  I love the belt for that little extra sparkle!