LAtravelgirl

We had a cocktail height table where I placed my flowers for the reception next to our postcard box. We received some back, but not all.

Lisa, thanks for posting the blog photos. Looks like they did a nice job setting everything up and the cake looks beautiful. I'll send you my email via PM so it is easier to make contact once you are on the island. There is free wifi, but it isn't all that fast and if there are a lot of people on (especially teenagers downloading videos), it can be frustrating. I think emails will go through faster as the pages will load in faster.

Kellip17, I have a couple of friends on the island that will be shooting the wedding. And, like markandlisa, will be taking advantage of the 10 photos included in our package.

Thanks, WeddingBahamas for the info. I had seen the sunset was scheduled for 5:20 or so next week. The Viva Fortuna has short services and I will not have n wedding party, so no time will be spent with hem walking in or special readings and such. Unfortunately the sunset is not visible from the beach, but hopefully we can still enjoy the warm colors it provides. What time does it actually get dark?

Hi Lisa, I asked Loyda about wedding start times after seeing that the sunsets around 5:20, and also about what format to record to in case I find time to select music. Here is her email response: Now is getting dark much earlier around 5:00PM ; we recently change one our back our clocks... I advise the weddings not later than 4:30 so you can have better ligth for your pictures. For the cds, the dj told me thod DC-R of CD+R does not matter , the thing that mathers is how you recorded. You can recorder in WAV sistem not MP3 I know your programs had a ceremony start time of 5, so you might want to shift your schedule, or do photos first or something.

I was looking up sunrise/sunset times for Grand Bahama Island. It looks like the sun sets around 5:20. But you said Loyda gave you the option of a 5:30 start time? I don't want to be taking pictures in the dark. I know it is an option to take photos before the ceremony, and it's not that I am superstitious, I just like the idea of everyone seeing me for the first time walking down the aisle.

That wording is great! We can only hope our officiant says something as beautiful.

Yes, bracelets are a requirement. I would hope they allow for them to be cut off and new ones put back on after photos. I will be trashing my dress the day after, so I guess I wil be using up another bracelet for those photos, too. I am sure the kids will get a different color so they do not get served alcohol, but I couldn't say for certain as we were all 18+ last time. I was happy to hear your kids can enjoy the disco with the rest of the guests.

I was told we do not have a choice in the officiant, so I don't think we get much say in what goes on during the ceremony. Neither of us are much on public speaking (main reason no one but family was invited is because FI doesn't like being the center of attention, I get pretty self-conscience, too knowing everyone is staring at me). So we will not be writing our own vows. I tried to explain to FI that we need to write toasts and that didn't go over with him very well. I guess I will be writing the toasts to our parents. I think saying a toast to each other at the reception is like saying vows to each other as it is a sign of appreciation which I think stems from feelings and all. And no, I have no idea what I will say. I don't want an overly religious ceremony. I have xeroxed a couple of passages from Native American poems and from other cultures and such if we do get a say in what the wording is at the ceremony. I wouldn't worry about the liquor, either. The reception/dinner is only 2 hours long, so they can always go to the bar afterwards and get whatever they want to drink. The info I was originally sent said we get a choice of cocktails at the dinner reception, too. My FI couldn't care less about the music. He keeps saying that the resort knows what to do and to stop worrying. He hasn't dealt with any of the strange emails or confusion of the resort staff. I think they are making it more difficult by not being clear on everything from the start. Or when things change (like switching the guitarist for a keyboardist) they should send out an email. I shouldn't find out because I asked about ceremony music and got a random reply about a keyboardist, that I then had to get clarification if the keyboardist was for the ceremony or reception.

I always like how they think they are giving you an answer, but it really isn't an answer. I don't understand how we are to edit music once we arrive at the resort! It does say there is a dj that plays the music, so at least we don't need to assign one of the guests. Canon in D is nice, I think I am more caught up in not getting a choice, than the selection. Out of curiosity, what music did your mother want played? I didn't spend a lot of time in the liquor store we stopped in, as my brother just wanted to pick up some of the local beer to bring home. I do recall seeing some California wines which were a lot more expensive than we pay here for them, but that is probably true if you buy them anywhere they need to be imported. $5 corkage isn't a lot, but I am not one that has ever brought a bottle to a restaurant, I can be happy with any house wine, until trying the wine at Viva. Maybe the wine has improved. We recently stayed at an all-inclusive in Cozumel that you could actually buy more expensive wine, or drink the house for free. The cocktails are delicious at Viva, and upon request, they will make them stronger. Here are the replies I received today: I wanted to see what the options are for ceremony music. Do you provide any? Are we able to bring our own, if so, what format is needed? We do provide the music while you will be walking down the isle... The sound that we play is CANON D -- However if you prefer you can bring your own cd .. Please recorded in the same order that you need it to be play in case you have more than one song . About the format normally we check the cd before with the dj but I will ask him if is any particular that you should know to download the songs -- I will let you know I also wanted to check and see if the resort offers sparkling juice for toasting. If so, what kind is available? about your other question, do you mean sparkling wine? You have one bottle included as part of your honeymoon package and can be serve in the reception if you want, however it will not be enough for everybody; you could at some extra bottles. Each one cost US$20 . Please remember that you have to cocktails included to be served as well during the reception.

We did not go to Garden of the Groves, so maybe there are more things around it. Loyda might be able to answer. I didn't realize it was that close! We went downtown, Port Lucaya, and did shopping for trinkets at the little stands. The International Bazaar had half of the shops empty. Freeport is still recovering from the last hurricane a few years ago. We went to the perfume factory, which was interesting and didn't take long to go through. By the time we made it downtown the straw market was closing up for the day. Hours I think lend themselves heavily to cruise ship schedules. Rand Nature Center and Lucayan were nearly empty, as well, but then again, we went to Lucayan Park on Christmas Day. My parents drove to the east end one day to the lighthouse. The nice thing about the resort being secluded, is the beach is very private. From the beach, the locals that work there pointed to a restaurant you could see from the Viva, so there very well might be more in the direction of the Garden of The Groves (the restaurant was to the east on the beach). I would like to do music before the ceremony, as a prelude while everyone is taking their seats and then music when I walk down the aisle and different music when bride/groom exit (I've joked I wanted "Boss of Me," but I will probably choose a more traditional song. It sound like Loyda has the one song for the bride walking in? I have such a small group, but I would still like it to feel like they are coming to a ceremony. I wonder how old there system is, and if we bring CDs that we put the music on, rather than purchased CDs, if they will play. I know when the writable CDs first came out, thy would not play in all systems. I wonder if we can plug an iPod into their system? As far as it being crowded it's hard to say. It is only a 45 minute plane ride from Florida, so I don't know if people go there live us in Los Angeles might head to Vegas or San Francisco for a long weekend, or not. I know our planes are completely booked straight through and on return.

We did not bring our own wine last year, we drank cocktails after trying the wine. Every once and a while we would try the wine with dinner. It almost tasted like it had sat in the sun or something. I saw the boxes, it was Franzia, which is a decent boxed wine here, but maybe with bad storage habits it turns there. I remember seeing people in the buffet restaurant with bottles of wine, maybe they bought it at the Viva?? I don't know. When I first started researching info on having a wedding there many third party travel agencies had it listed "no corkage" but that info could have been out dated as it was not on their site. $20/bottle is pricey for it tastes more like a $3 bottle. There is one beer on tap, and it's decent, lighter than I prefer, but on a hot day is ok. One bit of advice: bring large cups! In my welcome bags I am giving personalized tumblers with lids and straws. The bars serve the drinks in small, I think 6 oz plastic cups. So unless you like going back and forth the get more drinks, I highly recommend bringing a larger cup. On other forums on this site people have said they have picked them up at the dollar stores and I know Walmart has them. Some brides give the fully insulated ones, I see others found the traditional travel coffee cups. I know there is a liquor store near the airport, but in the opposite direction of the resort. It is connected to the Sands Brewery, if you can find that on a map. I am sure there are others downtown, I just wasn't looking. There is nothing walking distance to the resort.

Yes, you get a choice of the 3 flower options. I will be choosing the tropical as my colors are orange and white. I am bringing chair sashes from home and some table runners,just to add some color to the dining room. I have been told we will be in Bambu, the Asian inspired restaurant. The room has blue uplights, and I hope I can switch out the gels to orange, but have not asked, yet. I am going to bring a few from home and cross my fingers. It is about half the size of the Italian restaurant. I asked and was told the appetizers are passed. The food is decent at the resort. I have been to other all-inclusives where the food left much to be desired. I might go with the set menu, even though our group is small enough to orger from the menu. I think there is something nice about the uniformity of dinner service. Are you buying more champagne from the resort? I know I saw people last time bring their own wine to dinner (the boxed wine the resort serves is not very good). The champagne was fair, they served it with Christmas dinner last year. I was thinking of picking some up at the liquor store once I get into town. My mom doesn't drink and is allergic to apples (which most places serve to non-drinkers), so I think I am going to try and fit sparkling pear juice or something into my suitcase. When we were there last Dec schedules changed from what was posted in the main bar area, so I you learn not to get your heart set on something! I know I need to let go and let things fall into place. I was good doing that until Sept when I finally got replies back from some questions and that's when I found out about the flowers being artificial. It took a few more weeks to get answers about the music, and that's when I found out about Nat. I am just concerned about the things I haven't asked about! When did you book the resort for your wedding? Loyda says they do a wedding almost everyday. I think I saw one the week I was there. As far as the music, someone must hit play and stop on their system, so maybe that same person can hit next and stop if we bring our own. Or maybe put the music on different cds. Did they say if it is a boombox type of system? I know they have large speakers down at the snack bar near the beach for parties, I hope they would use those so the music carries. I know you said you are going to the disco for dancing. Is your teenage daughter allowed in? I can't remember if there was an age restriction. We have 3 nieces attending, 10, 16, and 17. If they are not allowed in, we probably will not go, either. We don't really dance, anyways, it just seems like the thing you are suppose to do at a wedding!

I don't think you need Save the Date unless people need to make travel plans.