BDABeachBum

Hello all potential Bermuda destination wedding brides! I actually live in Bermuda so any of you have any questions about Bermuda I'm happy to help! Cheers!

Hey all DW Brides....looking for tips on how to pick out grooms and groomsmen attire for our 2015 beach wedding. My groom and his groomsmen ALL live in different places....nowhere close to one another. I love the idea of a blue suit or just a vest and shirt but have no idea where to start to have them all get the same thing? You would think it would be easier for the groomsmen but I have the same situation with my bridesmaids and I think it will be easier for them! Thanks for any help!

@@Lindsay30....I know it's our day, and it helps to keep hearing that but everything seems to be leading to considering so many other people too. I know I'm going to have people complaining with any place I pick, as I've heard from friends who have been destination wedding brides. I know our friends from here in Bermuda wouldn't mind the cost so much, but I'm from Ohio and my FI is from Newfoundland and I don't know how they would feel about it. I think we are a bit immune to inflation prices living on a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic! We have had a lot of friends take vacations to Sandal and Couples resorts which are almost as expensive as the Grand Velis (I think? could be wrong), but those may actually be for rooms on the beach...so I don't know....like I said, trying to justify it! Hahaha I have had contact with someone at Iberstar Grand and some of the pictures they sent me I really like the set ups....even though there aren't palms on the beach they can set up potted palms next to the wedding arch on the beach which looked really nice. Their beach reception set up looked pretty too with the light up dance floor. So still keeping this as an option

@@AllieH, I do really like the El Dorado as well however we are faced with the problem of needing a family friendly place....ready....vent.... my fiance has a niece that the family insist must be there (despite us doing a legal/religious small ceremony back where my fiance is from) so we need to cater to one child coming! I have never been to an all inclusive but, a family friendly one doesn't seem like the thing I want, which is why I like Grand Velas because it didn't seem too in your face family friendly.... Ugh.....haha, moving on.....As I said, I do really like the El Dorado as well, and that's awesome that it is right next to Generations, I didn't know that. I really fell in love with Secrets Maroma...the beach, the palm tree set up, the hot tubs on the balcony, everything! There was a resort right next door that is family friendly, but Secrets won't let anyon on property that is under 18. Do you happen to know if El Dorado would allow one child on resort just for the ceremony and reception? Would all be private and would be more than willing to pay. I haven't even asked because I figured I would get the same response as Secrets gave me. Thanks for the info! Really appreciate it! I'm getting pretty frustrated trying to find a place to fit my and my FI's needs hahah @@Lindsay30, thanks for your input, I really appreciate it! I too love the look and feel of the Grand Velas...I LOVE palms on the beach and it thought this would be a good option to my first love which was the Secrets Maroma (which is adults only). My fiance and I live in Bermuda and are used to some pretty stellar beaches and Grand Velas looked like it had all the class and beauty I am looking for. I actually thought about doing what you mentioned about putting a little money towards everyones stay, but FI quickly shot that down (groomzilla, jeesh) and thought that with the perks of us paying for two excurtion days for everyone that comes (we want to do a catamaran day and a trip to the cenotes/ruins) that people would be a bit more enticed. I'm really trying hard to justify the cost for our guests, haha. So we live in Bermuda and hotels here are crazy expensive, the decent ones start around $400 a night, you can get some vacations rentals and 2 1/2 star places for around $300 per night....;and that doesn't include anything...food here is super expensive....$30 for burger and fries, no beer included haha. All of our guests would be staying at different places and it wouldn't be a vacation for us so we wanted to go the all inclusive route with everyone in one place where you didn't have to all venture out to eat and drink if you didn't want to. SO my justification is that it would be around the same price for people to come here for our wedding...but still having a hard time with it. You got a better quote than I did from the hotel, the told me $320 per night in the Zen section...granted maybe it's a different time of year than what you were looking for, I'm really flexible with dates but was thinking anywhere from April to May, they quoted me for mid-may. And I didn't come back and ask for a lower price either, I'm horrible at bartering so would leave this up to the fiance if we went this route. I'm suprised your TA couldn't get any better deals either! Who are you working with? That dissapoints me about Azul being soooooo baby friendly.....I have never really wanted to go to family friendly resort, and have always discussed doing a adults only until my fiance figured out his niece couldn't go then....and I'm having a really hard time trying to wrap my head around going to family friendly for the sake of one child...but I'm not sure I want the Gerber baby vibe for my wedding... I've also read that Lomas who works for the Karisma is a nightmare to work with... My TA told me that if we held our wedding at the Iberstar Grand that we wouldn't be able to have kids attend it from other Iberostar resorts. I've sent a question about it to my Iberostar contact, but haven't heard back yet. I live on an island so am used to island time I guess, haha. Do you mind me asking how much you are paying per night at the Iberstar Grand? I though I looked and it said somewhere around $600 a night which seems not too far off from Grand Velas? Sorry for the long winded post! Grrr....the search continues!

Thanks Lindsay30! That's a shame that Grand Velas wouldn't work much with price at all...did you work with a travel agent to try and get the price down? I have the Iberostar as well and really like the Grand and figure that if we go there then families can stay at the neighboring Iberostar family friendly resorts, do you know if they will let children come to the ceremony if you hold it at the Grand? Also considering Azul Sensatori or Beaches as well but seems as you said about Dreams, almost too kid friendly. We would be going to a family resort only for one kid and I like Grand Velas because it didn't seem too kid friendly, but the price is pretty high for guests....I wouldn't mind paying it for myself but I don't know how my guests would feel.... Also about the restaurants at Grand Velas are some of them closed all of the time? I've read that some resorts do this because of low occupancy or during certain times of the year for low season, but it seems like at that price none of them should be closed. Also, you said that you had made reservations before you arrived, I thought I had read on the website that you don't need to make reservations at this resort (Maybe I'm getting it confused with Azul?) which I really liked that you could go eat whenever you wanted. Thanks again for the info, its awesome that you got to go visit each place!

I'm very interested in this site as well for our 2015 spring wedding (haven't decided on date). I've sent an online request to the WC but haven't heard anything back yet. Nattiegams325, is that the price they quoted you per person or per room? I really want to go somewhere luxurious but don't want to break everyone's bank and have everyone complaining that they had to spend so much to come to my wedding. What did you think of the other places you visited? I love the look of palms trees on the beach and can be seen next to the beach ceremony in pictures which a lot of places don't have, except for the adults only resort and Grand Velas seemed like a good compromise...

Would love to do this as well. I've heard from other Karisma and Mexico brides that you can get a better deal from other vendors than Lomas.

Ok, so just so I am understanding this right beacuase I'm trying to figure this out myself....You can get married legally in Mexico and have the ceremony in English, but you have to find a judge who speaks English? Or can you only have a symbolic ceremony in English? Sorry, just a bit confused and just got into all this wedding planning....Thanks!

Hey! I've been searching this site for a while just reading forums and its great to have this resource! I'm newly engaged and am already thinking about a destination wedding and am super overwhelmed by all the options! Debating on here in Bermuda (where I live) or another wonderful all inclusive resort....any tips much appreciated! And if anyone has any questions about Bermuda I'm more than happy to help if I can! Thanks! xx Sarah