tram13

Quote: Originally Posted by CdnBrideJoanne Quote: Originally Posted by tram13 Yep! That sounds about right. I am going to be renting the Piscis for a private reception. The dinner is roughly two hours, where apparently they only serve beer and wine...and it comes with 2 hours of the DJ afterwards for dancing, etc. If one wants an open bar for the two hours after dinner, I believe they quoted me something like $23 per person for the 2 hours. I kinda think charging on a per person basis is ridiculous, if all we are paying for is the bartender's time. It should just be a straight rate. That's just my rant and opinion though! I agree that the $23 per person is ridiculous especially when it is an all-inclusive resort and I would agree that a 'set up' fee and to pay for the bartenders time would be more fair. I have rented the gazebo after dinner and I'm going to tip some staff to keep running drinks out for us. That's the plan anyhow. Even if I paid someone $100 for the night to do this it would be beneficial. Plus, I'll have them set up some rum punch and beer for us which I have heard has been no charge for some of the other wedding parties. tram13 - we'll overlap on our trips. I get in on the 7th and leave on the 14th. Joanne - Awesome! I didn't know if anyone was going to be there the same time as me. I will be there from the 3rd to the 13th! And, an FYI for anyone considering renting the Piscis and in a dilemma about drinks. I have read here on this forum from past brides, that you can request to have the wine, beer, soda, and juice that is served at dinner to continue to be served for the dance - and that it's free of charge. I still have to e-mail Vinnette and request this. Apparently the $23 per person for 2 hour fee comes with hard alcohol and mixing. I don't know if they have changed that rule completely, but I figure it's worth a try, as I am sure my guests will be happy with beer and wine. I am also going to see if I can request some rum punch, as I have heard that many other brides have gotten this in the past free of charge, too!

Quote: Originally Posted by soontobeawalsh From what I understand is that NONE of the wedding packages come with a PRIVATE reception dinner. They are all Semi private. If you want to have a private one then you have to rent out the Piscis or Dolce Vita for a private reception at an extra cost! I believe that both come with appox 2-3 hours of dancing but you still have to pay for the open bar service (I think ...please correct me if I'm wrong) I also believe that the semi private reception venues will only accommodate a maximum number of people, and once you go over that number you have to rent out a private venue (piscis or dolce) also at the additional cost! Hopefully this helps some!! Yep! That sounds about right. I am going to be renting the Piscis for a private reception. The dinner is roughly two hours, where apparently they only serve beer and wine...and it comes with 2 hours of the DJ afterwards for dancing, etc. If one wants an open bar for the two hours after dinner, I believe they quoted me something like $23 per person for the 2 hours. I kinda think charging on a per person basis is ridiculous, if all we are paying for is the bartender's time. It should just be a straight rate. That's just my rant and opinion though!

Quote: Originally Posted by soontobeawalsh Quote: Originally Posted by Novr2013Bride Hi Ladies Wondering what you girls are all doing for wedding favors? I can't seem to be able to decide what to do.. Also any good idea's for bridal party gifts? I'm completely at a loss right now as what to get.. Thanks I really want to get personalized tumbler cups with straws so everyone can use them all week, but I am having a hard time finding a seller that doesn't charge an arm and a leg to ship to Canada, and also doesn't have a huge minimum order amount. Also thinking of making some t-shirts or something like that. As for my MOH etc.. I am planning on getting purple (wedding color) jewelry. something that they can wear again. My FI has been tasked with figuring out the gifts for the guys! Regarding the tumblers...if you're interested, this is what I did. I bought clear tumblers from dollarama ($2 a piece), and then got personalized vinyl waterproof stickers from a seller off of etsy, called Davet designs (http://www.etsy.com/shop/DavetDesigns). They turned out great, and sooooo easy to personalize. She was very quick at responding and getting them to us. For favors, we got bottle openers (for beer) that look like flip flops, and much like how we personalized our tumblers with vinyl waterproof stickers, we did that with our favors as well!

Quote: Originally Posted by Kristo Hey ladies, I hope all your weddings are wonderful! I'm actually considering going back to the Gran Bahia in May to celebrate our second anniversary and take our new little baby with us. Any of you know if they do anything special for anniversaries or renewal of vows? Can you please pass along to me the email address for the wedding coordinator... I don't have her email address anymore as it's been a year and a half since my wedding there. Is it still Chandlyn and Donnalee? Thanks in advance! the email for the assistant wedding planner is: [email protected] and for the wedding planner, try: [email protected] I honestly have no idea who the wedding planner is - and it seems that lots of people are dealing with different people in the wedding department. My contact is Vinnette.

Quote: Originally Posted by MelB2012 Quote: Originally Posted by kts883 We're January 9th....and will be there from the 5th til the 12th :-) Can't believe we leave in less than 100 days!We're January 9th, and will be there the 5th til the 12th....so we'll just miss each other! Hope you have a beautiful wedding! Let me tell you, these 100 days will fly by! I get married Nov 15th, and leave in less than 40 days. I think 38? It's madness. I feel like there's 100 things to do!?!?! Ahh! Hahaha...I have less than 70 days, but I feel like I am in the same boat as you. I feel like there is so much to do and order in...and I wonder why I haven't done this before, but at the same time, i can't seem to light a fire under my bum to get moving!!

Quote: Originally Posted by EmbellishMe Oh my goodness we are leaving in a week for our wedding!! SO FREAKIN' EXCITED!!!! I haven't had the time to participate in a lot of the posts here but I know I couldn't have done this without a lot of you and your tips, advice and inspiration. We have rented out the Picses restaurant for our reception, I promise to take lots of pics and share when we get back . Happy planning ladies!! Very excited for you!!! Can't wait to see what everything looks like. I've rented the Piscis as well, so I am always eager to see more pictures. I hope you have a wonderful time down there!

Soontobeawalsh - I think you're right. I believe that GBP are now being stricter about how they process things and receive paperwork. I questioned why I couldn't fax in the documents, as it reads on the wedding packages, and why they had to be couriered. Apparently the notarized documents go to the government of Jamaica to issue you your marriage certificate. I don't know how they were doing it before where a fax copy was okay to obtain a marriage certificate, but I think they (as in the government) may have beefed up their standards...and GBP is trying to oblige. It still doesn't help when it seems that most of their information is inconsistent - not only in what they tell each individual bride, but also in the documents they send out and their e-mail replies. Also, regarding the deposits...they want all the information 60-90 days before your wedding date...but, they still can't/won't tell you how much is going to charged to your card or exactly when. I had asked Vinnette if she could tell me when exactly they would be taking a deposit from my credit card, and this was her reply: "I have already spoken to our Financial controller regarding same and he advised of the None refund policy which is 90 - 60 days 25 % deposit on the over all cost of the Wedding will not be refunded hence we are not able to charge prior to that time" I'm about 70 days from my wedding date...and still no deposit has been charged to my card. Quote: Originally Posted by soontobeawalsh Quote: Originally Posted by mallenbride Hi Jannelle, I just want to caution you on the credit card info. I sent my info in a while ago to put a deposit down like they told me I had to do. I faxed it to them because they said I could (was only $400 I think). Then my card was comprimized! I had two flights booked on my card and one was going to Jamaica and the other was booked from Jamaica. I contacted the resort to tell them what happened and they assured me it wasn't anyone at the resort...ya right! Anyway, I had to change my CC number and I am not faxing them any more details. I will be mailing my info when I send it and hope for the best. That is horrible!! I was told that I had to mail them my info approx 3 months before my wedding date! And every time I ask them how much they need pre-approved for my down deposit they just tell me a percentage not an amount! I was told that I could NOT fax them anything and that only having it couriered was accepted now. Maybe this is the reason why??

Quote: Originally Posted by CdnBrideJoanne Quote: Originally Posted by tram13 Quick question for past 2013 brides...has anyone used the "free" package? What did you pay for minister fees? The package I was sent by Stephany earlier in the year states that the minister fees are $200. However, I got a phone call a few weekends ago from a Kalfani - I guess he is in the wedding department - and he said that it has always been $250. Apparently the price for 2014 brides is $250, but I was told I am not eligible for any of the 2014 packages since I am getting married in 2013. Oh the confusion ensues... I am getting married Dec 2013 and just checked my documents. It says $250 for the minister fees and I would have received this information in Mar 2013. I was told on Friday that if I have over 40 people then I have to pay to have the Dolce Vita as a private venue. Has anyone encountered this? So far I have 37 people coming and I may have another 5 more but they haven't RSVP'ed. Seems crazy that I would have to inconvenience so many guests to shut down the Dolce Vita when I am only 2 people over the limit. Not to mention there aren't any limits written on any of the documents sent to me. I hate to say it...but I really think that they are trying to gouge us for more money. In the same phone conversation with Kalfani, he told me that to rent out the Piscis, it was now $2500. I told him that I was always told $1700. And after I said that, he was like, okay $1700 then. I think they are looking for anyway possible to make more money off their weddings. I think I continue to grow more and more disillusioned by them and this whole process...

Quick question for past 2013 brides...has anyone used the "free" package? What did you pay for minister fees? The package I was sent by Stephany earlier in the year states that the minister fees are $200. However, I got a phone call a few weekends ago from a Kalfani - I guess he is in the wedding department - and he said that it has always been $250. Apparently the price for 2014 brides is $250, but I was told I am not eligible for any of the 2014 packages since I am getting married in 2013. Oh the confusion ensues...

The exact same thing happened to me. I faxed everything to Stephany...she is now gone. And was told that they don't have any of my information, my wedding date and time weren't confirmed, and am now supposed to courier my notarized documents to them. I asked if I get my documents back, because these aren't necessarily things I want others to keep or get their hands on. They still haven't replied...

Congrats FutureReese22 and DandM2013!!! Looks like your days turned out fabulously! Gives us who are still in the planning stages that everything will work out in the end...even though at times it feel futile. Loved the pictures you posted! Very happy for you both! :-)

Really?? Courier only? I was told email was fine, but that was by Stephanie (not sure if she is there anymore as I only get replies now from Vinnette) I was also told that they don't need any of this info to be sent to them until 3 months before your wedding date. I have everything ready for them, to be sent in January. Do I need to sent it earlier? Dutchess... have you priced out how much it would be to courier something to them? Yeah, Stephany told me that I could fax and it would be fine. And, I've already done that with Stephany...but some how, they don't have my information and they didn't have my wedding date and time confirmed. So, you can see why I am a bit more paranoid that I am going to actually lose my wedding date and time - again! (I've already been double booked on a previous date). Vinnette told me that Stephany is no longer with them. But you would think that for a resort that prides themselves on catering to weddings, they'd have a vast majority of these issues and discrepancies already ironed out...and a 1-800 #. So, far, my experience hasn't been the best one. :-(

Hey Current Brides... I was just wondering...did you have to fax in your identification or did you actually have to courier out notarized copies of your birth certificates, passports, etc. In the wedding package information, it says fax...but Vinnette (an assistant wedding planner) has told me that I need to courier the documents. I have to admit, I'm a bit apprehensive to send over these official documents...especially since past brides have said that they never even looked at them when they were brought into the hotel. I am also wondering if we get these documents back - because, quite frankly, I would want official documents that have all this information back in my possession. Please let me know! I have been waiting to hear back from the assistant planner for over a week and a half now...and am getting quite antsy - as I don't want my date and time given away AGAIN! Any info would help! Thanks!

I am having my mom walk me down the aisle. My stepdad put up a fuss about wanting to do it, too. But, my mom has been there my whole life, and I don't have much of a relationship at all with my biological father - as a matter of fact, he still hasn't even acknowledged my engagement or the fact that I've sent him a save the date. As a compromise to not hurt my stepdad's feelings...he gets to do a welcome to the family speech.

I'd like to know what's included or not. I have written to the WC...awaiting a response. I find it weird that in the papers you have to fax over, they ask if you want upgrades, etc...but they don't even tell you what's included to begin with. I would think for a hotel that does so many weddings, that they would be a little more proactive and on top of this kind of thing...instead of us having to chase them, and await a response...

You're welcome! My FI said the same thing about being able to spot our guests! :-)

Hi! Sorry for the delay...the FI and i were out of country for a few weeks on a trip we planned last summer. The bags are about 15 inches by 15 inches. And the green is bright...kinda like neon green. They are the ones that the FI liked, so we got!

I got similar tumblers from the dollarama here in Calgary...but they were $2 a piece, and the straw was clear like the rest of the tumbler, rather than milky like some other dollar store tumblers I've seen. I am also buying waterproof labels from this designer I found on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/DavetDesigns?ref=seller_info Tons of customization allowed. The FI is even super into it!

My dress was even made to order based on my measurements, and they stated explicitly that the "made to order" doesn't include the hem of the dress...so even if you get a dress made for your measurements...you still have to go and get it hemmed. I personally think it's just a money grab seeing as how alterations can cost so much!

where in alberta do you live that you got alterations for $90? I live in Calgary and I hate that just hemming your dress looks like it typically runs you $150-200!

I wonder...can you ask that they (the resort photographers) not be there at all?

I found these bags at Dollarama for $1.25 each. They come in 4 different colors, a neon green, purple, pink, and blue. I think that it's part of their spring collection. The FI really liked these bags, and picked the neon green so that he can pick out the people who are with us. Just though It's pass it on in case people are looking for something beachy and reusable! :-)