LisaJoy

SWOK - Pictures - I'll send you some pics once I get them back from WPA Jamaica. I do have some if you click on my name, not many though. I have an album on my Facebook. Restaurant - My fave restaurant was Bordeaux (French.) It was classy, great food and romantic atmosphere. Himitsu is the Japanese (Pan-Asian) restaurant. Similar to Benihanas. This place is booked every night at the grill area so you have to make a reservation a couple nights in advance. Otherwise you can dine at private tables no problem. We did both but I LOVED the food from the grill. You got a variety where at the private dining you had to order an entrée which offered one type of meat. The Buffet breakfast offered each morning in the World Café....YUMMY!!! The World Café offers special nights for instance: Lobster Night. Watch for those nights on the daily bulletin in the rooms and take advantage! We loved the two nights we went. Entertainment - was a hit and miss for us. Other than the singers/bands they have come on the resort, the Secrets team does the same show over and over again. Basically its a couples game or competition. If you don't mind sharing personal information about your sex life or don't mind being embarrassed in front of a crowd, then opt to be a couple in the show. If not, sit back and laugh at the contestants. You win a bottle of Tequila. One night they had men line up. The wife was blindfolded and had to touch each shirtless man's chest, and butt, to see if you could pick out her hubby. Neither wife picked her man. Oops!! I could see this create fights with insecure couples so beware. We did laugh a lot though!! Sunday nights at 7pm in the open area by the Piano Bar features a single artist, SHYAM MOSES!!! Oh my, his voice is smooth and sings romantic songs. My husband and I danced even though we were the only ones out there. We didn't care! Other couples will join in then sit down after the song. We danced to almost all his songs. So romantic!! He offers CDs for $20 after his show. Listening to one as I type! We never checked out Desires Night Club. Is not our thing but I'm sure would have been fun had we gone. If you enjoy sitting around listening to people sing karaoke or just lively ppl, hang out at or in the outside seating of the Piano Lounge. It always seemed lively. Excursions - You can purchase excursions onsite. In fact, I recommend buying once you are there. We booked one prior to leaving the US. That excursion was disorganized and chaotic. The company through Secrets was far better and way more organized!! We did two combos. 1) Dunns Falls and Ultimate Swim with the Dolphin. Both were so cool!! I would recommend it even thought I read how touristy Dunns Falls was. It really was not that bad. The vendors you walk through at the end are SO RUDE and PUSHY!!! Beware. 2) Mystic Mountain which included the Sky Ride, Bobsled and Zip Line. The bobsled was the best!!! Zip Line was cool but you go from tree to tree in short distances. I expected a longer zip line but still glad we did it. Both excursions were around $200+. **If you want to purchase local items, do it while on the excursions!! Items are expensive at the resort and they do not negotiate. Secrets has a vendor night on Wed so you can buy limited things, no clothing.** Water Sports - They offer Kayaks, Hobies ($10 with a captain on board, free if you can sail.) I know you can snorkel but we bought one while there. Cost us $40-50 so bring your own snorkel. We had fun in the WO Preferred Club beach snorkeling against the rocks. Beaches - Speaking of beaches. WO offers a private beach which is quiet and peaceful. Only Preferred Club members are supposed to be in that area. SJ is more a party area, lots of people and where all the water sports are. When hanging with family, we were in the SJ areas - pools and beaches. Once they left and just us, we stayed in the WO section and thoroughly enjoyed the alone time. We honestly barely used our swim out room however the option was nice plus offered more sunlight in the room without having a balcony. When you walk outside your door on the ground floor, 90% of the restaurants are right there!! Spa - We went to the spa for massages and to enjoy the hydrotherapy circuit pool twice. Loved it. I did pay for my hair and makeup and ended up redoing it all (in a hurry) right before my wedding. I didn't like it and the lady didn't even have an eyelash curler! That is crazy!! I thought the way she did my makeup would hold up better in that environment than my own. My own makeup (mineral powder) would have done just fine. I did stuff a handkerchief in my bosom for during the wedding for sweat. A must have!! I'd save the money and do your own since you have 60 ppl going. Somebody in your group has to have some talent. LOL! My SIS did mine after my spa appt. Just make sure your makeup is darker for professional pics. Casita - The beach casita sits right off the walking path off a popular SJ pool. You will have people watching you more so than you would in the gazebo however the gazebo cannot hold 60 ppl. Have you thought about a beach wedding? That was my first choice but Lisa Marie (WC) said it was not that private. After seeing it, it would have worked out fine since not many ppl sit in that area anyway. It would offer more privacy than the casita in my opinion only because its up against rocks and open beach. The casita is about 50 feet from the main walkway. Ours was only 8 ppl so the gazebo was perfect. If I had more, the beach wedding would have been perfect but then you have to decorate the area = more $$. Check out AlexisinJamaica's page (she's commented on several Jamaica posts.) She did a beach wedding at Secrets and was AWESOME!!! But she put a lot of money into it. Not sure your budget. Tips - Literally now talking about actual tips, money tips. Take lots of $1.00s for tips. You'll find many of the employees deserve the tips. We took 50 $1.00s and ran out during our 10 day stay. Not many places can give you change so come prepared. The wedding team truly did take care of everything once we arrived there. They forgot our tiki torches but was not their fault. It rained for 2 hours solid right up to our start time so they put us in the ballroom then back out at the gazebo last minute. I would recommend to review your hotel bill prior to checking out!!! I did find some minor errors that took a while to fix. You can charge to your room when you purchase things in the boutique or spa. We had to pay with a cc for the excursions and the vendor night required cash. Internet access does not work in the SWO rooms but when you take your phone into the lobby area, works like a charm!! They also offer two computers for your use. If you take a camera, lock up your battery charger!! I know sounds stupid but many ppl take cameras and forget their charger. Ours was stolen from our room the last full day there so I am guessing another customer forgot theirs and gave our room attendant money if she came across one. Its the only thing that could have happened. We locked up all our valuables. I would suggest doing so. People are nice there but no one is perfect. Candlelight Private Dinner - I would take advantage of the Candlelight Private Dinner at the 5:45pm or 6:00pm time slot. Yes, it gets dark shortly after you start but you do see the sunset and everyone has left the beach area for dinner so you truly have a PRIVATE dinner. If you choose an earlier time slot, people are in your bubble. LOL It ended up being free for us but we were willing, and expecting, to pay the $390. It was worth it. Hope that helps!! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Krisf1986 - try again. When I met with them onsite, they said I never confirmed my flowers. I had sent two emails confirming. They said they never received them. At the time, I didn't believe them but maybe they do have Internet issues. Send them an email again. Be persistent. After all, it is your wedding and business to them.

Quote:Originally Posted by pzl101 how long does it take for them to get back to you after you sent them the reservation form and CC info for the deposit? When I was asking preliminary questions, Lisa Marie was getting back to me within the same day. But now ... I sent the res form 2 days ago and I haven't heard back about a confirmation for my date ...they did charge my cc already ... so I guess that means I have my date and time reserved? I wish they would send me the confirmation already! Isn't it crazy how a company will work so hard to get your business, then the moment they get your money, they back off? Gosh, this world and lack of customer service. They will get back to you. Now that you are their client, it will be on their time. I felt I was pushy at times but hey, you are paying them a lot of money. The turnaround time was not that bad, maybe 3 days, but certainly do not expect a 24 hour turnaround.

We used Rounald for our wedding shoot. Waiting to see our "sneak peak" shot on their Facebook WPA Jamaica page. Hoping from the prior reviews posted about R.S., that was not Rounald. Either way, we seemed to have great poses and locations for each photo. Rounald showed us a few on his camera which looked pretty cool. Can't wait to see them! Trying to find anyone who has ordered a wedding album through SunGold?

Did anyone order the WEDDING ALBUM from WPA or SunGold? If so, do you love it and can you post a picture of it? I'm on the fence over ordering one.

Did you do a run through the day before or just winged it? Was the minister nice and did you customize the ceremony with your own vows or readings? We did not do a run through the day prior. I believe that cost money and didnt feel we needed it. The minister was Bishop Terrence Gordon. Very very nice man and apparently well known in Jamaica. Google. We chose not to say our own vows. It was a traditional non denomination ceremony.

Quote:Originally Posted by Canadagoose  Hi Lisa,  I'm really not sure what to make of your comment. My first thought was to be absolutely terrified, as I will be getting married at one of the Iberostar resorts. The thought of a drug shack on the beach? Yikes! I definitely don't want to have anything to do with drugs. What have I gotten myself into?! Maybe I should back out before it's too late.  After some careful thought I realized a couple of things...  A) That's a very serious claim that you are making, especially without it being your own personal experience. You never specified which Iberostar you were talking about. It only took me a quick Google search to discover that there are at least 7 (possibly more) Iberostars scattered between Mexico and Jamaica alone. C) Although I have traveled extensively through Asia, as well as Southern and Eastern Africa, I have never been to Latin America before. I have also never been to an all-inclusive resort so I really have no idea what to expect. I do, however, have difficulty believing that there would be a drug shack on the beach at one of these fancy hotels. But like I said, as I have no first-hand experience I really have no idea one way or the other.  On another note, your wedding sounded beautiful, and I'm glad that it was everything that you wanted it to be.  Deanne Deanne, you are correct! I did not stay there myself. Just noted the picture my family took and from what they saw. My brothers are police officers. It was the Montego Bay Iberostar. I will add from reading reviews, panhandlers will approach you on the Seven Mile beach in Negril (?) and offer you drugs. It would not stop me from staying there. At our resort, Secrets Montego Bay, two employees "referenced" weed to my husband to see his reaction and/or interest. So I am in NO WAY trying to discourage anyone from staying at Iberostar. I was just a little surprised with the picture my family showed me. The resort was very nice. I merely preferred Secrets for my own reasons, that is all. I've seen many wedding pictures from Iberostar and they look amazing! I'm sure Mexico is going to be amazing!! I HIGHLY recommend All-Inclusive resorts! Secrets Montego Bay was my first experience with one. Not having to worry about carrying cash (other than for much deserved tips) it was nice to feel taken care of. We are already planning our first anniversary at Secrets in either Cancun (Maroma) or Punta Cana (Royal Beach.) Growing up in a 3rd world country myself, local people will do anything to make money. They often have no choice. And unfortunately people buy so there is a business. I am in no way judging, it is more an is what it is situation. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding in Mexico!! I know you are going to have such a blast, everything will be perfect!

Quote:Originally Posted by pzl101 I heard back from Lisa, the Wedding Manager - is that who you worked with? She sent a bunch of attachments with pictures and descriptions so we just have to go through it and see if we like what they offer.  Are there multiple weddings a day at Secrets? I was under the impression they only did one per day but she listed 2 times (11am and 2pm) for my 1st choice date and then 3 times (11am/2pm/4pm) for 2 days before and after my preferred date.  Does that mean someone already has the 4pm slot for my date??  We are having maybe 24 people (including the 2 of us) so we may just bring a docking station - they said to rent their sound system is $180/hour with a minimum of 3 hours! Lisa-Marie was a point of contact however Simone and Rocio will also be working with you if you proceed with Secrets. Yes, there are up to 3 weddings a day. The day we were married, we were the only couple. We went with 4pm, the best time slot in my opinion. Most people are off the beach getting ready for dinner compared to earlier in the day. We rented the sound system. Brought a CD because I was worried the Iphone may skip, freeze, etc. It went perfectly! I provided them a list of songs and had the songs in proper order. They made sure the correct song played for me walking down the aisle as well as for our first dance. If you are using the gazebo location, it will be crowded for 24 people plus minister, photographer. Just an FYI. You can go with a beach wedding which is what we original wanted. Lisa advised it was not that private because of people on the beach and in the water. From observing while there 10 days, I think it would have worked out well! Since we only had a total of 8 people, the gazebo ended up being perfect for us. There is the beach casita as well. Not that private since its right off the pathway and near a pool but it works. You can decide once you arrive which area you prefer but I'm sure you'll know prior to arriving what you'd like. If you have the money to rent decor or DIY, the beach wedding would be awesome. Out of all weddings while we were there, everyone was married in the gazebos. There are two options, one on the Wild Orchid side and the other on the St. James side. We choose the WO side since our room was in the Preferred Club and it was more private since that beach is solely for PC members. The St. James beach is where the pool parties are at. It wasn't our thing but if that's what you are looking to do...that is your area.

Quote:Originally Posted by pzl101 thanks for the info .... I filled out the form and emailed them too. I have no clue on how the process works or what steps to take. I definitely have an idea of what and how I want the wedding to look ... but I guess first my FI and I have to make a final decision on where to have it? I emailed a couple of places to do a comparison but Secrets is def our top choice. Â Once we decide, we have to put down a deposit to reserve the date ... and then we don't hear back from them until 2 months prior?? Secrets requires a $100 deposit to reserve a date. Shortly there after, they email you information (music, decor, locations, cake, flowers, etc. costs.) so you may review your options. You can email and ask all the questions you want during your "waiting time." Two months out, they contact you and get your decisions on decorations, music....everything. Trust me, its weird to not do anything during that time frame except wait. LOL A lot of brides do DIY projects during that time to eliminate costs at the resort. You have to take into consideration transporting your stuff to the resort then back, the costs for additional luggage. You can rent a musician, band or bring an Iphone/CD with a docking station OR rent the sound system for an hour. When you arrive, they have a scheduled meeting for you and the wedding team. At that time, you hand over your outfits to be pressed and any other items relating to the wedding. They take it from there and set it all up.

Alexisinjamaica did an outstanding job on her decorations. If you have the money to spend, her wedding looked beautiful!!!

Quote:Originally Posted by pzl101 fireworks sound awesome! but i think i may do sky lanterns! We were there for 4th of July. Let's just say....fireworks were not that impressive and that was the 4th. I wouldn't bother with fireworks. The 10 days we were there about 10 weddings occured. To be honest, everyone went simple. There were barely to no decorations used. No fancy steel drums or soloists. No fireworks yet each wedding was intimate in its own way. One couple had a band and actually held their small reception in the Wild Orchids gazebo. I was not that impressed with the money I know they spent. It's hot and muggy especially if it rains close to your wedding time. Otherwise, the weather is great. We reserved a table at the Bourdeaux Restaurant (French) where romantic lighting and music was offered. The food was fantastic!!!

Quote:Originally Posted by pzl101 Hi Ladies, Is there a direct email or contact for the wedding coordinator or did you just fill out the Wedding Inquiry form online? I think we've settled on a date (!!!) and am wondering how long it will take to get an initial response. Thanks! Once you complete the form, they will contact you. Basically, you figure out how you want your wedding to look. They will email you decor/flower/cake/location options. Two months prior to your wedding, they email you a form asking what you would like to do, how you would like your wedding to be. That's it!! They flowers are provided by Tai Flora. Go to their website and see what you like. Send them a picture and you will receive a quote. Negotiate with the price. Make the bouquet yours. I had them remove some flowers and reduce the cost. I LOVED my bouquet. I think i uploaded a picture on my profile. Simone Clarke-Kirlew & Rocio Graham Wedding Coordinators Secrets Wild Orchid & Secrets St. James Lot A59 Freeport Montego Bay, Jamaica Tel.: (876) 953-6600 Fax: (876) 940-9710 [email protected]