Cameshia'a Secrets Seawind Beach Club after the fact Planning Thread

[Mimi127]

I can't believe that we finally did it. I have married the love of my life. I did not have time to put this thread together before we left but I wanted to share my projects and all of the other things I was able to gather. I also want to thank Tammy for providing a place where us destination brides can bond and give each other support. And a big shout out to all the brides for sharing their ideas. HOW WE MET I have actually known Patrick most of our lives. We went to elementary school together and even dated for a short period of time as young adults before going our separate ways. But as fate would have it one Saturday afternoon I was on the George Washington Bridge approaching the toll booth when Patrick's vehicle pulled up next to mine. I debated beeping my horn and calling out his name but I had to do it even if it was just to say hello. We exchanged greetings and parted our separate ways. Later that evening my grandmother called me and said there was an envelope in her mailbox with my name on it so the following day I stopped by her house to pick it up and low and behold it was a note from Patrick with his number. The rest is history. THE ENGAGEMENT I was totally caught off guard we had not been seeing each other that long. We had never discussed marriage even though I knew that eventually I wanted to get married. So one morning when I was heading home, Patrick walked me to my car and asked me to wait a minute. He walked over to his car and came back with the ring. It wasn't a story book proposal but it still meant so the world to me. WEDDING PLANNER Once I convinced Patrick that a destination wedding is what I envisioned I knew that I didn't want to do everything on my own so we decided to hire a wedding planner. After searching the Internet and sending out a few emails I opted to go with Janice from the destinationweddingstore. She was one of the only planners that actually took the time to reach out to me to discuss what I was looking for in a planner and on top of it all her vibe was awesome. Janice was extremely knowledgeable, came with a wealth of experience and went above and beyond to make sure I got everything I wanted. There were times when things were hectic and I was an emotional wreck. At those times Janice proved to be invaluable. She was like a close girlfriend, I laughed, cried and shared so many things with her during the wedding planning process. THE RESORT After reviewing several options that Janice sent me we decided to go with Secrets Wild Orchid. I loved that the resort was fairly new, the reviews were great and that it was adults only. We stayed in the Preferred Club and a great view of the ocean. We also enjoyed spending some quiet time in the Preferred Club Lounge especially on lobster night. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219684/width/350/height/700[/img] INVITATIONS We didn't need a whole bunch of invitations as some vendors wanted an order of at least 100. I had also ordered some samples from a few vendors but they just didn't have the quality of what I was looking for. My wedding planner reached out to April Twenty Five which is a husband and wife team and they are awesome to work with. They were able to translate our wedding inspiration into the most beautful invitations. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219685/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219686/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219687/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219688/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219689/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219690/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219691/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219692/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219693/width/350/height/700[/img] WEDDING ATTIRE My dress: Allure 8970 http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219696/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219697/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219698/width/350/height/700[/img] SHOES: I'm a lady that loves to wear heels but my girlfriends who are married warned me not to because the day would be long on top of that we were at the beach. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219699/width/350/height/700[/img] JEWELRY: I bought my jewelry at Bloomingdales. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219700/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219701/width/350/height/700[/img] INSPIRATION FOR PATRICK'S ATTIRE http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219702/width/350/height/700[/img] We had a difficult time finding grey slacks and a vest. We searched several stores with no luck so we ended up going to the Mens Warehouse. MAID OF HONOR DRESS http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219703/width/350/height/700[/img]

[Mimi127]

Not sure why the earrings didn't post but here they are. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219704/width/350/height/700[/img]

[Mimi127]

Etsy During the planning process I spent a lot of time on etsy and here are the things I purchased. My sash http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219705/width/350/height/700[/img] Chair signs: I literally ordered these the week before we left. I contacted the seller and she informed me that if I paid that Sunday evening she would make it and ship it out no later than Tuesday needless to I had it by Thursday. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219707/width/350/height/700[/img] Tags for the welcome bags http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219708/width/350/height/700[/img] Bouquet charm The charm meant so much to me as I lost my mother December 26, 2011 to cancer. She was so excited when Patrick and I got engaged and looking forward to our wedding. I miss her so much. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219711/width/350/height/700[/img] DIY I am not really the DIY type but I attempted to do a few things. Straw flags with the help of grandma http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219709/width/350/height/700[/img] Signature platter I don't have the best penmanship but I gave it a try. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219710/width/350/height/700[/img] Lollipops Grandma and I got these from Michaels. All we had to do was tie the ribbon and apply the sticker that was easy enough http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219712/width/350/height/700[/img] More AprilTwentyFive We loved our invitations so much that we ordered luggage tags and menu cards. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219713/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219714/width/350/height/700[/img] The knot http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219715/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219716/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219717/width/350/height/700[/img] I also ordered turquoise napkins and napkin rings. I got the rings from sparkles make it special. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219718/width/350/height/700[/img] Vista Print http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219719/width/350/height/700[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/219720/width/350/height/700[/img]

[Mimi127]

I will return with OOT bags and a few pictures friends took at the wedding.

[jrebecky]

You looked beautiful!  I am glad to hear everything went well.  I am actually getting married on November 1, 2013 - not too far away!  I noticed on your invitations that you did a farwell brunch the morning after.  How did you go about doing this?  I inquired about it and was told that since we have 30 people a restaurant may not be able to accomodate us at one table and they don't take reservations so our option would be spending $200 for 20 people and $20 per person over 20 to do a group block at a restaurant.  This just seemed ridiculous to me.  I mean we are brining down 30 people and spending a lot of money on this wedding and they can't even give us a group block at a restaurant to say good-bye to our guests.  Thanks!

[LisaJoy]

So cute!!! CONGRATULTIONS!! We loved Secrets Wild Orchid and are going back for our 1st Anniversary. Who did you use for your photography?

[SWOK]

congrats on being married!!! i have to say that i am completely obsessed with your invitations! i wish i had saw those before i ordered mine! sooo jeally! im getting married 12/3/13 at SWO and im so pumped! 85 days away!

- anxiously awaiting more pictures Thanks for sharing!

[Mimi127]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWOK 
 

congrats on being married!!! i have to say that i am completely obsessed with your invitations! i wish i had saw those before i ordered mine! sooo jeally! im getting married 12/3/13 at SWO and im so pumped! 85 days away!

- anxiously awaiting more pictures Thanks for sharing!

You are most welcome.  You can always use them for menu cards, programs, etc.  They are really great to work with and they get things back to you quickly.

[Mimi127]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LisaJoy 

So cute!!! CONGRATULTIONS!! We loved Secrets Wild Orchid and are going back for our 1st Anniversary. Who did you use for your photography?

Thank you and congratulations to you too!  Yes we absolutely love the resort and we are planning on going back to. My wedding planner suggested that we go to one of the Secrets in Mexico but I just loved Jamaica so much.

[Mimi127]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrebecky 
 

You looked beautiful!  I am glad to hear everything went well.  I am actually getting married on November 1, 2013 - not too far away!  I noticed on your invitations that you did a farwell brunch the morning after.  How did you go about doing this?  I inquired about it and was told that since we have 30 people a restaurant may not be able to accomodate us at one table and they don't take reservations so our option would be spending $200 for 20 people and $20 per person over 20 to do a group block at a restaurant.  This just seemed ridiculous to me.  I mean we are brining down 30 people and spending a lot of money on this wedding and they can't even give us a group block at a restaurant to say good-bye to our guests.  Thanks!

 

How exciting.....your wedding day will be here in a flash.  In order for us to have meals together what we usually did was meet at the same time to be seated.  We were there for a week so we became friendly with some of the staff in the restaurant in the morning.  They were usually nice enough to pull tables together so that we could enjoy each others company and if we all could not sit together we were at least seated in the same area.  When we went to the Japanese restaurant my friend called made two reservations 15 minutes apart so that all of us were seated around the same time for the Hibachi dinner.  The only place that was not very accommodating was Blue Mountain.  The hostess appeared a bit irritated when we arrived with a large group.  She was able to sit us at three different tables none of which were that close together but we made it work.  It is so not worth spending the extra money.