*The official St. Lucia Brides CHAT thread*

[MEve]

Hi everybody!

Monica Mai:  you'll have to tell how you liked Ladera and Stonefield.  They are both very high on my list of potential honeymoon spots, as we are getting married in Castries.

 

LilyRose: thanks for the info on the wedding meal surcharge.  We'll be on an AI also and really didn't think about that!  Especially that Jonathan's latest argument for inviting more people is that they are paying their own stays.  On top of which we want to also splurge our St.Lucia guests with a special activity.  Sailboat sounds really nice.  Hey, how did you do to have your signature and wedding info at the bottom of your posts?  I keep forgetting where everyone is getting married and when, that's quite practical :-)

 

Can't remember who was mentioning about shipping favors/gifts bags ahead of time...depending on how much you have, you might want to try to have some of your guests bring some with them.  As usually people have less things going somewhere than they do coming back home, with all the souvenirs and stuff. 

 

Perhaps we are a bit weird, but we'll ask each guest to buy a specific liquor (esp. champagne and perhaps some liquor not included in the all-inclusive drink menu) at the airport duty-free to bring into St.Lucia.  We will then pay them back.  That way we can celebrate in our hotel room with our guests.  Sort of a party that we are throwing abroad :-)

[Julee]

Congrats JessMarie!

 

MEve, good idea about asking people to buy liquor at the duty free.  I think there will be a better variety there.  Of note, Kristy! advised me to make sure if you need to purchase any booze to pick it up from the grocery stores as the liquor stores there are more expensive.

 

I've also asked some of my family (which are all located near me) to help cart along some of the wedding things.  This way you don't have to bring as much stuff.

[LilyRose]

MEve, great idea about the liquor store at the dutyfree.  I heard that there is not limit of duty free going to the Island.  Or, if there is a limit, it's one box of 12. I will double check.  A lot of our guests are champagne drinkers so we will bring two or three boxes there for sure :-)

 

MEve, if you want to edit your signature, go to the top section of the page and click on the My profile tab.  Then, scroll down at the end of the page where you can edit the signature.  Let me know if it works! :-)

 

By the way, I tried my dress yesterday (well, the sample) for the first time since I ordered it and it was awesome!  Can't wait to have mine! I was worried to not like it anymore but luckily, my choice is confirmed. I also found my earrings ( Marquise by Bridal classics), my veil and my bridesmaid's dress color: fuschia.  I even purchased a cute little purse for her. Well, for me too since she will carry my some of my stuff, (hahaha...) http://celebrityfashiondirectory.com/archives/handbags/sondra-roberts-handbags/9861

 

I also went to Michaels and found silk orchids (branch).  I have detached the orchids and glued them to a ribbon. This ribbon will be attached to the OOT bag for a tropical feel.  It's really cute!  Pics coming soon!

 

Lilyrose

[Kristy!]

Definitely check the duty-free laws.  I know my WC said you cannot consume what you buy at St. Lucia's duty-free shops on the island.  I'm not sure how it all works, but I believe you have to show your passport and airline ticket to purchase it.  This could've changed since I was there, so that could be wrong, just make sure you check it out.

[JessMarie]

Hey all:)

 

Monica Mai-  def let me know how your fam likes Stonefield- I think we are pretty sure that is where we want to get married.  We still have Ladera on our list too because we like the pavillion there, but I think since it's just us we want to save the money and do Stonefield.  We also like that we get our own private villa.  We will be there for 10 days and the thought that we weren't in a big hotel seems appealing to us:)

 

We are really (over the last two days) struggling with an AHR.  It keeps getting bigger and bigger (guest list) and now my fiance is leaning more towards not doing it at his parents house because of how many people.  But our total cost there is creeping up. I finally last night just got really frustrated and was like- we aren't doing it at all!  Now that was a bit dramatic, and I am sure we will do something, but I want to save our $$ and tone it down.  I am playing around with the idea of a bon voyage pre-DW thing, or even a small brunch afterwards.

[LilyRose]

Thank Kristy for the advice regarding duty free.  I think that I would buy it in Toronto (at the airport duty-free) before flying to St.Lucia.

According to this website, MEve is right: only one liter of alcohol per person can enter St.Lucia without duty.

 

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/st-lucia/duty-free

 

[MEve]

LilyRose: it seems I haven't been "active on the forums" enough to have a signature yet.

 

JessMarie: I know what you mean about the AHR.  You know, I realized that I am way more involved in the wedding stuff, but that's only because my work schedule is super open.  So I just happen to have way more time for all the web research than him.  But not for the DIY stuff.  That crafty thing will be divided equally.  We will be doing our own invitations for the wedding, but also our own invitations for the AHR.  Now we are talking about around 60 invitations...by hand.  Well, we do have a printer, but someone has to write on the envelopes, or type in on the computer for labels. Plus, we'll probably make the favors ourselves...by hand.  So that's another 60 DIY stuff.  Now my fiance does not have any addresses for anyone.  Partly because he never needed anyone's address, and partly because he switch his cell often, and doesn't re-typed everything.  So that means he'll have the make calls, write addresses down, etc.  Then cut little pieces of paper, stamp them with the nice Michaels stamps and ink, bla bla bla.  I'm am very much convinced, considering the patience level of most guys, that his list will be drastically trimed down after the 10th invitation, without me having to look like the bad guy

 

Speaking of me having lots of research time...I found that a lot of people have time-shares in St.Lucia, some in villas, or condos, some even at Windjammer Landings!  And it does happen that they can't go for their weeks, so they try to rent them out!  So you can now get the last week of May and 1st of June 2011 for $600 at Windjammer!

 

Also, I found that Villa Capri is up for sale.  It was still up for sale as of December 2010.  Can't remember which one of you is getting married there and when, but I would check that out.

http://realestate.escapeartist.com/P-2015316/

 

[MEve]

Oh, LilyRose, there is also a nice villa called Gros Piton for sale just by Jade Mountain.  In case you can't leave paradise, you can make it your fiance's new world office! :-)

http://realestate.escapeartist.com/P-2013800/

 

Ah, if I ever win the lottery, I buy it and you are all invited!  (Sigh)

[JessMarie]

MEve- don't feel bad- I can't see my profile or sig yet either.  Same reason- too new to the forums:)

 

I also have a very flexible work schedule.  I cut down majorly a few years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer, and then after battling that my son was diagnosed with high functioning autism and just needed me home more.  So I am now a nanny (was a paralegal) and only about 28 hrs a week.  So I have a lot of time to do research.That can be a bad thng though. lol. 

 

We still don't have our budget set yet (no final numbers from my fiances' family) so it's impossible to do much.  We have a huge 2 week vacation coming up (leave next wed) to Disneyland (with the kiddos) and then a Mexican Riviera cruise.  Once we get past that, see how much money is left from that fund, get an amount from his family and see what we can save (no money from mine-  I don't even speak to my parents) then I think moving forward will be good.

 

[JessMarie]

Oh- and since I have done research I also realized there are many rentals there as well. A couple houses much bigger, and cheaper than Stonefield or any resort for that matter. But then there is transportation, hiring a planner, etc to deal with.  hmm...