SANDALS BRIDES - Am I missing Something?

[ChristieB143102]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarasian I was told by my Sandals wedding coordinator that in order for a photographer to even show up to your ceremony, you have to purchase a set of photos beforehand. I take it this is not true now? We opted for one of the a la carte options, I think the $290 one. But if we do not have to purchase any photos ahead of time, I'd MUCH rather do that. Does anyone know for sure Thanks!

As bad as it sounds, I dont trust the coordinators when it comes to things like that. You get a free wedding photo so they have to atleast show up for that! They say that so you will be "locked" into your purchase of something. A photographer will most likely be there, they want your money!

[2bebridejamaica]

Hi girls,

 

As a past Beaches bride now I can tell you a little bit bout the recent concern on having to purchase before hand... YOU do NOT have to purchase a thing till you get down to your resort. The WC in Miami... the ones that you speak to... just are pushing sales. When you get the resort it is much much much different. You will be able to see pictures and speak with your real WC for your wedding. I do not understand why they use the Miami sales office and call them WC because all they did was ask me everytime I called if I wanted to purchase my packages then. I didn't buy anything from my Miami chick... but this ... reserving our cocktail hr after the wedding and our dinner reservation. Then later my spa services of hair and makeup trails and my BMS stuff ... I waited for everything and you meet with the WC the day after you arrive and it all can be done in an hr. ABSOLUTELY no worries!!!

 

Things i purchased in Jamaica - all my flowers for ceremony/reception, photo/video package.. the middle one "tropical ??" my sashes/covers and upgrades for the cermony, and bought private beach dinners for jays parents and his sister and her husband as they were married in Jamaica at a different resort years ago. (now these were really nice and totally worth the money).

[Tracie09]

Thank you for the post! I'm getting married at the Grande May 2nd and have to say I have been pretty disappointed with my WC in Miami. It seems that it takes her forever to get back to me and she always seems a little ticked because I havent really paid for much yet. Its hard to pay for a lot of this stuff now without even looking at pics of the flowers, etc....Its great to know that the real planning will occur when we get to the resort. :-)

 

Thanks again!

[rn71klp]

hi,i also chose sandals,which so far i have been happy with,but must say just at the beggining stages,some of your questions are things i hadnt thought about ...like seating guests,and such,thanks for bringing it up.but i to got a little overwhelmed when viewing this site......just at the magnitude of planning.personally i picked a destination wedding because i wanted minimal hassle and planning.so i have stepped back and reanalyzed the fact that my guests and i are on a vacation and will be more enjoying the atmosphere and togetherness,then what the flowers or decor was.i think the memories will be more about the entertainment and the special moments.please let me know how your day goes.and the real quality of the services provided,good luck and congrats!

[2bebridejamaica]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tracie09 Thank you for the post! I'm getting married at the Grande May 2nd and have to say I have been pretty disappointed with my WC in Miami. It seems that it takes her forever to get back to me and she always seems a little ticked because I havent really paid for much yet. Its hard to pay for a lot of this stuff now without even looking at pics of the flowers, etc....Its great to know that the real planning will occur when we get to the resort. :-) Thanks again!

Your Welcome Tracie!! Make and do the things you want to do now and figure out the rest when you get down to St Lucia. I just don't get the WC in Miami ..they are all like you said though... take forever and a day to get back to you... they are not on island time... and HULO just answer my question.. that is really all you have to do, is it that hard

Planning is sooo easy, you will get a book in your room to look over everything along with your time in meeting the WC ... also, bring down pictures of ideas... this way if you are thinking of something but want to make it look like something in particular they can match. If you will be using colors for sashes, runners. those types of things... I would run this by the WC in Miami just so that they can order it for your date. In Jamaica, these types of things are stored at all the different Sandals/Beaches locations so they need to call ahead and have them brought over to the resort.

If ya need anything else just let me know!

[futuremrsp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2bebridejamaica Hi girls, As a past Beaches bride now I can tell you a little bit bout the recent concern on having to purchase before hand... YOU do NOT have to purchase a thing till you get down to your resort. The WC in Miami... the ones that you speak to... just are pushing sales. When you get the resort it is much much much different. You will be able to see pictures and speak with your real WC for your wedding. I do not understand why they use the Miami sales office and call them WC because all they did was ask me everytime I called if I wanted to purchase my packages then. I didn't buy anything from my Miami chick... but this ... reserving our cocktail hr after the wedding and our dinner reservation. Then later my spa services of hair and makeup trails and my BMS stuff ... I waited for everything and you meet with the WC the day after you arrive and it all can be done in an hr. ABSOLUTELY no worries!!! Things i purchased in Jamaica - all my flowers for ceremony/reception, photo/video package.. the middle one "tropical ??" my sashes/covers and upgrades for the cermony, and bought private beach dinners for jays parents and his sister and her husband as they were married in Jamaica at a different resort years ago. (now these were really nice and totally worth the money).

Thanks...this is good to know! I've been purchasing things ahead of time (candelight dinner, hair appointment, etc.) and my coordinator has been pretty good. However, yesterday she sent me the same e-mail she had sent me a few months ago, asking me to start planning and what I'd like to purchase!! I was like, "ummmm, we already did this" and had a mini-panic that maybe she had lost my information. I'm sure she has a huge number of people she's selling to and maybe forgets who she's already dealt with, lol, but I find this quite impersonal. This is my wedding! (Bridezilla or no Bridezilla, lol) I will do as you're saying and wait until I speak with my on-site coordinator; I'm sure the service is better face-to-face!

39 days until we leave! I can't believe it!

Thanks for the advice!

Sarah

[Ash&Grant2009]

Glad to hear about everyones experiences so far!

Just wondering what type of room everyone booked? I have read a lot of reviews on tripadvisor and it seems that Butler Service room is excellent and the others can be so-so. Does anyone know if the butler is worth it(extra $500 to upgrade from the concierge room im in now). Also wondering about the bouquet... seems like the one that comes with the free wedding is white daisys. I personally don't care for these but don't want to pay a ton for a tropical looking bouquet...so what kind of prices are the upgrades here? Looking forward to hearing more from everyone!

[JenniferSS]

If you are in the highest concierge category at Sandals Montego Bay that will be the Waters Edge Honeymoon suite- you'll be on the Third floor and have quite an amazing view, the rooms are quite nice, just not as large as the Bay Roc villas ( butler level)-which if you'll have people assisting you with getting ready it may get a bit crowded and perhaps warm.

 

The Bay Roc villas are stunning - very modern and fairly large.The lowest butler level category is the Bay Roc Ultra Luxury Honeymoon Beachfront Villa (yup quite a mouthful!)!

 

If you can swing the Butler category I do recommend it- the larger rooms can be a life saver when getting ready ( as mentioned above!) plus typically the bride doesn't get a chance to eat on her wedding day- that's when room service can save the day! When getting ready she can order in something light and then late at night after the festivities are over, it's nice to be able to order a snack and have your new hubby pour you a bottle of bubbly to toast your marriage and each other! It's nice to be able to eat on the balcony/patio and enjoy the stars, or nibble while snuggling on the bed!

[IrieBride08]

I def think the Butler service is worth it for the room service and having a person at your beck and call. We wished we had one thru out our trip! If you can swing it, it's worth it!

[Rachel Chung]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChristieB143102 Hi ladies!!! Im getting married at Sandals Antigua in two weeks and I'm not really stressing over much! I have an amazing dress, and heard great things about the Spa so I'm happy about that. I plan to do my own makeup. I have very sensitive skin so I would like to use my own products and would like a natural look. I kind of want nicer flowers than what they offer in the weddingmoon package but did not purchase yet, maybe they will give a deal when I get there. My biggest worry are the pictures. I was sent a few, and they are OK, pretty good but not amazing and certainly not worth the money they charge. I did not buy any as of now. I've read many times, they give a great deal when you get there because they want you to buy something! So when we get there I'll buy something cheap. Then I plan on buying all the photos on the CD... I've read the avg. price is about $200. Then when I come home I'm going to look into local photographers and get a quote for editing or enhancing those pictures. Once I buy the pictures, they are mine, therefore that is legal. Also, even in my picture editor, when I hit auto correct it realy enhances the colors. I'm hoping that works out... being that I'm on an island my familiy and friends are expecting amazing photos!!!!!!! I believe other photos taken of you throughout your time at the resort are also on this CD, dont know the set-up of this? And I heard in regards to the video, also $200 you can view it before you buy? This annoying site wont let me upload anything... contact me if you want to see some of the pics I have.

I would love to see pics of your wedding, I'm so nervous about this whole photog thing.