Mlite83

Wow, thanks for posting all this info - it will definitely come in handy as I try to finalize my resort choice!

Awesome! thanks so much, I know this will come in handy!

Thanks! I'm glad we have a forum like this that I can count on others to help make sense of everything! Much appreciated!

Oops, I meant to post my question as a reply to this conversation!

Oops, I meant to post my question as a reply to this conversation!

Excuse my ignorance but is that cost only if you have not qualified for private function(s) as part of your group booking perks? Or do you still have the costs associated with private functions? Sometimes the information needs to be spelled out a bit more clearly in their promotional materials I think

Nicky - Can I ask what made you narrow it down to these two options? Thanks Court - I am also wondering if we should go with Jamaica because of the legal requirements etc - I think Mexico has some beautiful options but I know a lot of brides do a justice of the peace thing at home first in order to avoid the blood tests and residency requirements. Thanks Court - I think Jamaica might be the way we go too, it is just much easier without the extras to worried about. I know Mexico has beautiful resorts but the hassle of the blood test and residency requirements are a pain that I would rather avoid. I know many brides opt for a justice of the peace legal ceremony at home first but I don't think that is what I want to do. Choices, choices! Thanks again for your advice Mlite83: First, CONGRATS!! Second, we first looked at country requirements since we wanted to be legally married in that country. Jamaica is very simple whereas Mexico had a lot of requirements. We also looked at DR which has no requirements, if I remember correctly. What it came down to in the end is wanting our ceremony and certificate in English which only Jamaica could provide of those three (without translation). We also looked at the Bahamas (which has little requirements), but we didn't find an all inclusive and prices that we liked. Good luck! Court p.s. just an FYI, my TA highly recommends weddings in the DR.

Hey all, I am working on picking the resort for my DW and Now is definitely high on my list - I am just trying to get a handle on the additional costs that may add up (especially if they are hidden). 1. Does anyone know if there is a fee for using an external vendor (ie hiring your own photographer) - I know of one resort that charges you $800 per external vendor and I wanted to have this info upfront. 2. I have read in several reviews about substituting items in the paid package (ie having an additional floral arrangement in lieu of make-up on day of wedding) - I am wondering if they charge a fee for these sorts of substitutions since the "fine print" says wedding services are non-exchangeable? Thanks in advance for any info you may have! Happy planning

Hi Ladies, I am just starting to explore Jamaica as an option for our DW - I have heard great things about the Iberostar resorts from friends who have vacationed there so I thought I would check into it for a potential DW resort too. From a quick look at the wedding packages the Iberostar offers it appears that they have a more minimal package but lots of options to add on (and many are at much more reasonable prices than other resorts) -- for the brides who have already started planning and booking, would you mind giving me an approximate idea of what your wedding budget is? Like most of you I would like a private dinner and reception but don't want to break the bank Thanks in advance for any input!

Does anyone know if the $1500 room credit will be honoured during the 2013 calendar year if you book your room in 2012 (while the promotion is on)? I'm hoping that they have this or a similar promotion since it would be a nice "treat" for guests to have upgrades. Thanks!

Hello ladies, I am also a 2013 bride! My FI and I know we want all-inclusive and are looking at Mexico or Jamaica but other than that we don't have anything planned yet. We are thinking winter 2013 for our wedding so I know we need to get moving on resort choices etc but it is a little overwhelming (and it doesn't help that I am indecisive . In Mexico we keep coming back to Moon Palace and Now and we haven't looked too much into Jamaica (yet). If anyone has any words of advice on how they narrowed the field of choices I'd love to hear it! Happy Planning!

Thanks ladies - I definitely see the advantages of large resorts and having lots to do. FI father is into golf (as our some of the groomsmen) so I can see MP being a hit for that reason with the boys. @Smoylan - I was wondering about the Spa and Cove resorts too but thought that the Spa had less "beach" as it was rocky/lagoon like whereas MP has the traditional tropical beach that I want people to enjoy since, like you, I want our guests to have a great vacation all around, not just our wedding. @Jamie5280 - I definitely agree with the idea of more restuarant options - I think after a week of the same few restuarants you would be looking forward to getting home and having more options! Food is factoring into our choice so thanks for pointing that out

Hi All, I'm still fairly new to this whole DW wedding planning world so excuse my ignorance I'm trying to get a few resorts together that I love in order to get some quotes for a winter 2013 wedding -- I have been reading lots of the boards on here and checking out individual resort websites and I think Moon Palace looks fantastic. When I discussing it with FI he was worried about the size (i.e. number of guest rooms) at this resort compared to others. He is wondering if the resort will be busy everywhere simply by the sheer number of people? Are the resort grounds spread out? Friends just stayed at a different resort in January and loved it but the rooms were so far from everything they started using golf carts to get around in a more timely fashion, ha. Can anyone who has been or has booked to MP let me know their thoughts on this - we both agree that a bigger resort will offer lots of amenities tho too, and if the resort is under capacity that means our guests will have lots of choices! Thanks in advance for helping this newbie!

We are still in the early stages of our planning but one thing that almost all of our family members have asked is if we will also be having an AHR. Realistically I know many of my extended family won't be able to join us for a DW so I think a fun night to celebrate with everyone is important. My aunt in particular was very vocal about me wearing the dress again -- pictures just aren't the same! Our tentative plans for an AHR are less formal than if we had done the whole wedding at home but that is also to save my sanity with planning (and to save on some $$$ too). To each their own, and if someone is going off about it being inappropriate to have an AHR you know they just wish they got to have two wedding receptions

Hi everyone, I am newly engaged and FI and I are thinking DW in Mexico or Jamaica, sometime next winter. We haven`t made any decisions yet on location (other than definitely all-inclusive) or a date. We have done a bit of research ourselves but are looking for realistic advice, reviews and referrals to help sort things out as we don`t have any friends or family who have done a DW before. That is actually one of the reasons a DW is attractive - it is something different than the traditional ceremony, dinner and reception which all of our friends have done. Just from browsing I have seen the awesome ideas and useful information you ladies have and I look forward to putting everything to use! Cheers, M.