Jump to content

Lizz's ROR Review (LONG!!!!)

Spazz

By Spazz
in Destination Wedding Reviews

 Share

Recommended Posts

Spazz

Spazz

Posted
Posted

Flight/Transfer

We flew out of Philly on US Airways. We were running a little late to board b/c we stopped for some food/drinks, so by the time we got there, I was the third bride on the plane! My dress had to get folded in half and put in the overhead, but it was fine (it was lace so it couldn't really wrinkle).

We arrived at the airport on Saturday afternoon. The line for customs was quick. We had 5 checked bags, 2 carry-on bags and my dress. We didn't declare anything and went right through. We got our transfer to the hotel from Apple Vacations. The trip was about 1.5 hours with a stop halfway. The ride was nice and smooth.

 

Hotel & rooms

Even though I've read every little thing about ROR here and on Trip Advisor, I was still completely overwhelmed and pleasantly surprised when I got there. Upon arrival, there was a long wait to check in, so I was getting a little testy b/c I just wanted to get to our room. When we got to the desk, I asked if we could be upgraded and was told "no", but that was ok b/c we booked a Junior Suite. BUT when we got to our room, it was one with the 2 beds pushed together and the balcony was literally right over the entrance where everyone walked in from the pool. I'm not usually annoyed by things like this, but I really wanted a full-size bed and a little more privacy during our wedding week. Our TA traveled with us and went to the front desk for me. They said we could be moved the next day. When we were moved we got a beautiful ocean front room with a full-size bed, so I was happy. On the day before the wedding, Chandlyn had us upgraded to the full suite. It was perfect for all of my girls to get ready in on the day of the wedding. We got to stay there for 4 nights and it was so nice.

The week was just so great. I really can't complain about anything. The set up of the hotel is perfect. You basically walk through the resort and there is always somewhere to eat, drink, swim, relax.

 

Food/Drinks

I ate at the buffets for breakfast and lunch everyday and could always find something. Cheese & crackers, pasta, pancakes, etc. Even my picky 8 year old and 3 year old nephews were happy. We went to specialty restaurants a few times and they were all delicious. The drinks are great, not watered down at all. Trust me, they definitely give you loads of alcohol. I don't know what I was drinking half the time, I just told them to make me "something fun" and they did.

 

Meeting with Chandlyn

I met with Chandlyn on Monday morning and it took 10 minutes. I knew exactly what I wanted and confirmed everything with her prior to getting there, so there wasn't much to be done. We ended up choosing the beach chuppah b/c Mike really wanted to get married ON the sand (rather then in the gazebo). I got a bouquet for me, corsages for both of our moms and hair flowers for me from Tai Flora through Chandlyn and they were all gorgeous.

 

Welcome Party - Seagrape

Our Welcome Party was on Wednesday night at the Seagrape Beach Bar. I went down there about 30 minutes before it was starting and asked Chandlyn to hang a banner for me and to set up tables for Flip Cup and Beer Pong. So much fun! I was impressed that she was there setting up. She also stayed at my reception til the very end, which is crazy. She really must work 16 hour days!

 

Rehearsal - beach & St. Ann's

Our rehearsal was on Thursday. It was a quick 10 minute run through and I'm really glad we did it b/c there were a lot of people in the wedding party. Afterwards we went to St. Ann's for a very informal and quick dinner.

 

Wedding Day - Renova Spa, beach, Dunn's River Bar, Plantation Restaurant; Photoshop (Michael)

The wedding was on Friday. I went to the spa at 8 am for a massage, manicure and pedicure; all of which were great. I relaxed in my room all day with my BMs and my cousin who was doing their hair. It was so weird, I felt like I was going to cry or puke if I tried to talk at all, I was just so emotional all day. Also, it kept raining so that was making me freak out (it stopped by 3:00). I went back to the spa at 2:00 to get my hair done and loved how they did it.

Michael from Photoshop got to my room at 3:30 to start taking pictures. We took pics of the BMs and moms and then started the walk to the beach. In retrospect, I wish that I asked Michael to do more pictures and different poses, but I wasn't thinking at the time.

I heard the steel drum band and saw all of our guests and almost lost it. The band played "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" as the wedding party walked down and then "Canon in D" for me and my brother. The ceremony was beautiful and it went by so fast. Michael took a group shot of all 85 of us on the beach afterwards and then quickly took family and wedding party shots. For the pics of the 2 of us, we only did a few. Michael wanted us to be "romantic", but that's just not us, so we took a couple shots and went to the bar. Again, I wish I took the time to have the shots set up better, but we all just wanted it done quickly so we could start partying.

Chandlyn set up cocktail hour at Dunn's River Bar, but the problem was there was no bartender there. Apparently they don't open til 5:30 and we got there early. But it was no problem b/c there is another bar right across from it so we got our drinks from there. I didn't order appetizers, but something was going on around the lobby (some theme night or something) and there was food everywhere. So it worked out perfectly.

The reception started at 6:30. I went over a few minutes early and it was set up just the way I wanted it. The DJ said he does not do introductions (what?!? I gave him the form filled out that he created with the names on it), so our friend Jimmy was our emcee for the night and did an awesome job. The wedding party was introduced, then we danced our first dance, speeches were made and dinner began. I hardly ate anything, but all of my guests were raving about how good the food was (especially the seafood).

We cut the cake, but I found out later that the staff never cut it up afterwards and handed it out. So basically I paid a couple hundred dollars for a 3-tiered cake that no one ate.

We wanted to create a dance floor and turn the lights down and the staff had no clue, so we did it ourselves. The DJ played all of the music that I brought plus some of his own and it was so much fun. I looked at someone's watch at one point and saw that it was after 11:00. It was supposed to end at 10:30 but they kept it going til after 11:30. I think this was partly due to the fact that all of the staff were out dancing with my guests...lol. I wanted to go out afterwards, but ended up passing out right after the reception. A lot of my guests ended up at the disco and then in the pool at 3am and I'm sad I missed it, but I needed to sleep.

We got breakfast in bed the next morning, which was great, except for the fact that it came at 7:30am.

 

Overall it was the BEST time I have ever had. I have heard nothing but great things from all of my guests. I would have done a few small things over again, but nothing major. It really was the perfect wedding.

I'm sure I'm forgetting so much, so ask me any questions you may have.

Oh, we went to SGOR for our honeymoon and I wasn't overly impressed. I'll write a review on that later.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 35
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...