jamielt

I realize that it's a bit premature for a Planning Thread, but our 'personal' countdown has already begun. My FI proposed back in June 2012 and we are getting married on October 28, 2013 at IRHS in Montego Bay, Jamaica. 2 months and 21 days from now... to be exact. Having discovered BDW early on, I can honestly say that this forum has been a lifesaver! I find it SO very helpful being given some insight into other couple's wedding plans. I can only hope that this little window into our own 'wedding world' might help another bride, even if only in some small way. Let's start with our rings from Peoples jewelers. My rings are from the Vera Wang LOVE Collection, while his is a simple stainless steel band. Really, the following picture won't do them justice. Then choosing our destination, resort, and TA... well that's me! I arrange corporate travel on a daily basis, but for our wedding I decided to dive into the world of leisure travel. Jamaica was on our list of places to go, and so far, so good! The reviews for IRHS are undeniably great, so we booked through ACV and now have a group of 32. Our final payments are due early September. I suppose we'll find out then if anyone backs out... or signs-up last minute. I think my dress was the next big decision. It was easy as pie! I saw the J. Crew Romina gown online and fell in love with it! Since then I've pieced together the accessories bit by bit. There are some small alterations that need to be made to the dress, and that apt. is scheduled for early Sept. (Please note that my FI isn't big into social media, as such, the pictures aren't personalized). To notify our guests well in advance, we first created a Save the Date FB page. Later on, we sent out formal invitations. We purchased these at Michaels. We decided on ivory, white, and yellows for our scheme. This Brides Magazine printable invitation kit was just right. We pieced together the fonts and wording in a light gray. We didn't want anything too elaborate (or pricey), and I think these did the trick. After going back and forth on the idea of a seating plan, we decided to go for it. We just recently created these using a plain template from Staples. I found the floral print online and managed tie it in with the place card template. My mother has beautiful handwriting, so closer to the date she'll write the individual names in with gold pen. I didn't want to have to be printing things off too close to the wedding date... and ya never know who will change their mind from now until then. Alright, so this is it for now. I have a ton more to share, but will need to be continued. Didn't realize how time consuming this would be. Bahahaha

What are your thoughts on that... giving the favors at dinner... or should we arrange to have them in everyone's room upon their arrival?

Another question re dinner at Aunt Ruby's... we have individual favors and I initially hoped to leave the favors on everyone's dinner plate for when it is time to be seated. But, are there actually plates set at the tables, in advance?

Thanks. We have 32 (including us two). Were people seated on either side of the two long tables that you used?

Okay, well then, you ladies are my official sounding board! lol I better start asking questions... does anyone know if we can do the U shape table formation at Aunt Ruby's? I see tons of pics... but they're always of the round tables.

Thanks for this. Yes, I noticed that the 2012 final details quotes the old packages too. Fingers crossed that the wc will contact me sooner than 2 months out...but I won't hold my breath.

Yes!! We signed back in Aug. 2012. Thanks so much - [email protected]

Hi All, I have been patiently awaiting…our wedding date is October 28th... when can I expect to get the final details info from Nicole/Tiffany? Or, should I be asking them to send it to me at 3 months prior? I've already created a word doc for them that details our 'wedding vision'. Is this something I should send to them in advance?

This sounds great - definitely the way we've decided to go!!

Hi Ladies, can I get your input on place cards... we are hoping to have a semi private reception at Aunty Ruby's or Calabash (2nd choice). We have approx. 32 people (incl. bride & groom),and although I'm not sure yet if this is even possible (I guess it'll depend on the restaurant)... we are hoping to have long, rectangular table set up. Do you think there is any point to having place cards/arranged seating? What are you doing, or what did you do? Thanks!

Do you recall the approx. cost of your private reception at the blue moon bar? We have about the same no. of people... and although I don't mind a semi private dinner... it would be nice to have the private space afterwards. Thanks!

Another question with regards to the IRHS - is each suite outfitted with iron/board, as well as hair dryer? I am bringing my own styling tools... but some of my guests have been asking?

Yes, for sure! We are booked with ACV via T.O. We are a confirmed group of 32 - bigger than what we had initially anticipated, lol Given that we're about 4 months out, I'm pretty sure that I'll be asking alot of questions in the coming months. This forum has been my go to...so helpful to date!!

Thanks! This is great news! We have a much smaller party on arrival night... so hopefully it won't be a problem for them to accommodate. Is this still something that is taken care of once you arrive... or can the WC reserve the space for us?

Two Questions; 1. Welcome Dinner - Does this cost additional? Or, is this simply a group dinner reservation that you set up through the resort upon your arrival? Our family members only arrive 1 day prior to everyone else and I thought it'd be a nice idea to have dinner together that same night. That being said, I'm not sure if a group dinner costs $$ to arrange? 2. Golf - Does anyone have an idea of the going rates and or nearby courses? Eventually, my fiancée will be looking to set up a golf game... but the rates that we've found to date are higher than we had anticipated.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking too. I'll go ahead and order a couple xtra just in case!!

Is anyone else dealing with this dilemma - how many wedding favors to order? We have a total of 32 guests that have paid deposits (some paid in full). But, there are still a couple of those people that say they MAY decide to attend last minute-if of course the space is even available. I'm certainly not putting my planning on hold for them... but should I order an extra 5 or so... just in case?

Oh, I completely agree. I've heard some great things about Jamaica in October. And really, aside from this past October... the storms almost always miss it. It's not really in the storm path. That was one of the reasons we chose Jamaica... because we were pretty set on the month of October. Any other destination was too much of a risk, weather wise. I'm SO excited:-)