Wedding: July 10, 2010

Stay: July 8 - 18, 2010

First, I must apologize for the delay of my review. Unfortunately I was hit by the flu immediately after I returned and then 12 days after my return I had to go in for major surgery (Myomectomy) therefore I was not in shape to write a decent review and when I returned to work, I found out I was loaned to this office in Zimbabwe, Africa and while there I only had access to high speed computer at work and there was no time to do personal stuff…everywhere else it was dialup and I gave up trying to access those after a few days. I am now back and I hope this review is not too late and it can still help someone.

 I first need to thank all the brides and moderators of this forum for all your support and creative ideas that made my wedding such a success. We had an amazing and fun wedding, and our guests had a blast and they have been raving about the wedding since. It was very important to us that our guests have a good time, and I think both their expectations and ours were exceeded.

Check out our proffessional pictures at http://pictage.com/891424.

Travel Agent: A++

We used http://www.destinationweddings.com/ unlike other people in this forum we had a great agent (Kathy Murray), she was a godsend. She got back to me within 24 hours whenever we had questions. Most of my guest had so many changes and were located in 12 different countries and she handled everyone with professionalism that I admire.  I was getting tired of my own guests constantly trying to change their reservation but she took everything in stride. She even worked with us while she was on vacation. Definitely recommend Kathy. Our transfer to the hotel was included and we just needed to hand in our voucher to Jamaican Tours who were professional and quick.

Airline: A-

We flew American Airline. We flew from Regan National Airport in DC to Miami, Florida where we connected to Montego Bay. We were so tired we slept all the way and didn’t even notice the flight time. All flight s were on time and the service superb. We wrote to request a group discount from American and we got a 5% discount for our entire group for those who chose to use American and most of our guest did utilize the discount. The serving wasn’t too much since they only discount the ticket and not taxes but a $12 saving is still a saving. We will definitely use American in the future; all the agents & attendants were so nice and offer to hang my dress and my husband’s suit before we even asked.

Customs (Jamaica): D

Since we had a couple of boxes, we were told to go to customs declaration line which had only one person who took forever checking every item in each person’s suitcase and when she eventually got to us, she asked us why did we have boxes, we explained that we carried our own plates and she actually said, well, you won’t go back with them because they will all break. Seriously!!!! After an hour and a half in custom line we were finally cleared and went to find our transportation.

Check in: A+

At last minute we decided to upgrade to the Grand because the Suite was fully booked and we had last minute guests who would not have afforded the Grand and since we were only going to stay at the Suite for 3 days and then move to the Grand we just paid a little extra to move to the Grand and check in was a breeze. All our guest didn’t seem to have problem with checking in and most of them were upgraded to oceanfront or ocean view rooms although most of them booked for regular rooms.

Room: A+

We were upgraded to the ocean front Suite which was really nice (Room 6423) which is the last room on the 4th floor at the corner so it was nice and private (although it was a long hike getting to the Suites to meet our guests/family) We were checked right in and found a bottle of cava and chocolates waiting for us. The rooms were stocked daily, cleaned twice a day and our butlers were just wonderful.

View from our room: http://www.pictage.com/client/eventPhotos.do?event=891424&photo=451

Welcome Dinner: B

We had our “all white” welcome dinner on Friday, from 6:30 – 9:30pm at the Mediterranean Restaurant. Unfortunately Nicole didn’t see the e-mail that most of my guests don’t eat seafood so most people could only eat a few items from the menu…those who did, they enjoyed themselves. The food was great and although we didn’t book the restaurant exclusive for us, we were the only ones until about 9:30pm when the people who made reservations started to come in but by then we were clearing out. I had about 40 people that day. The service was a little slow and the music a little loud, it was hard to hear each other besides that it was nice.

We then head out to the Lobby to take group pictures which most people thought we just had our wedding because almost everyone was in white.

Salon: B+

My hairdresser was good. She kept her cool when my wedding coordinator/friend stood over her and basically told her what she needs to do…she got the hair right, unfortunately, I did take pictures and my camera got stolen on my way back to the states. My hair was braided and all I wanted was a loose burn and they still charged me $80…ouch!

Butler service: A

I had two dresses and although I had them pressed at home, they were wrinkled enough that after I worked with the steamer to get one dress pressed, I needed to get my first dress pressed. I called our room butler and within 20 minutes I had my dress delivered back to me and in an immaculate condition.

Ceremony: A+

 I was nervous because it rained that morning but I was told it rains only once a day in Jamaica. By the time it was time for the ceremony it was nice and breezy. My friend who was also working with Nicole as my wedding coordinator made sure the huppa was decorated the way I wanted to and it looked amazing, we got the fabric used on the huppa from www.prestigelinens.com. we got fans from http://www.favorsandflowers.com/colored-palm-hand-fans.htmand we rented the chivari chairs from Tia Flora who also did our flowers.

http://www.pictage.com/client/eventPhotos.do?event=891424&photo=356

We hired the hotel recommended steel band and they were absolutely fabulous. Although we were a little late getting to the reception place (it was a looooooong walk from my suite at the Grand) and I refused to walk fast and sweat. The guests were not bored because of the steel band. Even the Minister who married us was joking with my husband that he felt like “dropping a foot” that a slang for “getting down and dance.”

The minister was great. I was a bit worried since I come from a very religious family that I didn’t get a Pastor from my own denomination but he was so good and funny he put everyone at ease. We just gave him our program and he rolled with the ball.

Champagne was saved immediately after the ceremony.

Photographer – A+

We were fortunately enough to win a third place prize when Nora Bohanonhad a contest. It was impressed with pictures on her website and she was a dream to work with. We really had fun working with her and Sarah. I would highly recommend her for your destination wedding. Check out at http://www.norasweddingblog.com/?p=1771and if you get a moment to leave a comment we’ll appreciate, we’ll get extra credit towards our album if we get over 25 comments.

Videographer – B

At last minute I decided to add a videographer and I didn’t have time (or energy) at the time to find someone outside and I decided to use the resort videographer and although the quality of the actual video is not bad, the setup is so corny I cringe every time I look at the video. I am going to see if I can find someone to fix it, I am still glad that I added the video service. We had the video back on Monday, 2 days after our wedding. We paid $200 for the videographer and this only covered the ceremony.

Cocktail Hour:?

We had cocktail hour at the lobby bar soon after the ceremony. We were taking pictures so we missed it and so did my girls and all those who went said it was okay. I was initially planning to have appetizer but changed my mind at the last minutes and I am glad because most people just wanted drinks and went to freshen up for the reception.

Reception decorations: A+

Ok, I know I went overboard but I just couldn’t see myself in a white table so I went all out, I ordered the orange tablecloths from http://www.prestigelinens.com/product_info.php?products_id=50165and my napkins were from http://www.wholesale-table-linens.com/table-linens-fancies.html?Category=Crinkle&FinishedGoods=Napkins(Bright Settings Table Linens) and we got our tablemats from Bed Bath and Beyond (we spray paint them to get the dark pink color we wanted).

We got our flowers from Tia Flora. Natalie was easy to work with and very accommodating. We got the all the bouquet, boutonnieres, centerpieces and Chivari chairs from them. They were not the cheapest but I love how quickly she responded to my e-mails and calls and was able to get pictures of the flowers that I wanted and I like that I just had to go to Bank of America to make payments. We took flowers to our rooms after the wedding and returned to vases to Nicole after when we were checking out.

I love the way the place turned out. I forgot the box of candles at home but we didn’t miss them at all.

We booked the place exclusively but if I could do it again I would only take the one half of the Aunt Ruby’s Restaurant…we only used the one half and with 75 people, it was enough for us to dance and do everything on one side.

Reception Food: B+

Honestly I can’t remember what we ate, there was so much going on that it all just a blur. I know Nicole was kind enough to allow all 3 choices to be included on the menu. The service was a bit slow but no one minded. I remember the appetizers were great. I gave them a B+ just because the service was a little slow and since I stayed at the Grand, I could tell the difference in the quality of food.

Cake: A-

After contemplating if we should bring a cake from the US or bring a “fake cake” we decided to chance it with the hotel cake. The only thing I didn’t like was the hotel’s cake stand. I kind of made this decision a little late (closer to when we were leaving) so I had to find something from the store that could work as a stand. The only thing I could find was the Martha Stewart’s cake stand: http://www.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=247563&cm_mmc=Google_Feed-_-6-_-78-_-%7Bkeyword%7D&kw=%7Bkeyword%7D. We also asked if we could infuse our own flavor to the cake and they said it was okay. We bought some passion fruit liquor and coconut flakes and asked them to use cream cheese for frosting. It turned out amazing. The flavor was incorporated into the cake and the coconut flakes were incorporated into the cream cheese frosting. The only reason I gave them an A- it’s because in some places they didn’t mix the cream cheese and sugar properly so some bites were a little salty than sweet. No one except me and my Maid of honor (we are bakers, so we are a little bit pickier).

After Party/Mango Walk Club – A

After the reception, most guests went to change and we later met up at the Mango Walk Club, the on-site club at the Suites. My husband and I took a bath (we found our bath drawn, the water hot and the petals and champagne irresistible so we dove in) and then joined the rest of the group at the club. The DJ that day was off the chain, we almost took over the club since even some of the outside guests stayed and every corner you turn it’s someone you know and it was just great and we stayed until they practically threw us off the club…past 3am

After-after party mean/Mexican Restaurant – A

There was a group of guests who we met there and most of them happened to be from Maryland where we live and they tipped us about one of the restaurant that opens late so we decided to check it out. The Mexican Restaurants opens from 11pm – 7am and they save sandwiches, hotdogs, salads and assorted meats and drinks. We all (well, most of us, not all made it this late) went to this restaurant and the cook (they prepare meats to order and you can build your own hamburger or sandwich) had a little radio playing some reggae station and you wouldn’t believe it but people started dancing again.

We staggered back to our rooms at around 5am, happy as can be.

Invoicing: A-

We were staying at the Grand for an additional 7 days after our wedding and I guess this made Nicole relax and we didn’t get our invoice until 2 days before we left, it wasn’t such a big deal but I was nervous that the bill will be more than I was anticipating but that wasn’t the case at all, everything was as we discuss plus a few discounts that I didn’t expect. We could have waited to pay the bill at checkout but since we were staying at the Grand and the bill was for the Suites we had to pay at the Suites and that was fine as well.

We were so overjoyed with how everything turned out and I would go back and do it over again. My cousin is getting married and everyone is pushing them to go to IRHS. Everyone is still talking about it months later.