Beaches Negril Weddings Anyone?

[BeachBride83]

COngrats Katie! Do you know which MS package you are going to go with?

[jeannajj]

Amanda~I've tried to clink on your links & I just get taken back to the main page-do you know if I need to reach the 150 posts before I can check your links! Thanks for any info! Glad to have found you-you definitely have given some wonderful information!!!!

[la chapstick fanatique]

 

I had my wedding a few weeks ago. I just wanted to let you all know that I will be reviewing my experience (which was awesome!!) on my blog http://lachapstickfanatique.blogspot.com/ over the next few weeks. I wanted to be able to use a lot of pictures and talk about each aspect specifically which is more difficult to do on here. So please stop by and I can answer any questions you need!!!!

[CamLovesJA]

Congratulations!

 

Would be great if you could do a review on here! even if its not so detailed and long, this site is so helpful and just makes it a little easier seeing as we on here already.

 

Thanks a mil x
 

Originally Posted by la chapstick fanatique 

 

I had my wedding a few weeks ago. I just wanted to let you all know that I will be reviewing my experience (which was awesome!!) on my blog http://lachapstickfanatique.blogspot.com/ over the next few weeks. I wanted to be able to use a lot of pictures and talk about each aspect specifically which is more difficult to do on here. So please stop by and I can answer any questions you need!!!!

[Bride2Be143]

Hello Everyone,

I am glad that I found this website because planning my wedding at Beaches Negril has been way more stressful than I thought it would be. I just have soooooo many questions and concerns. I have my first planning session with the Miami wedding coordinator Renee tomorrow and I am kinda nervous since a lot of people don't have that many positive things to say about the Miami coordinators.

Where do I begin??? I am getting married on August 13, 2011 @ 3pm. I already think that I picked the wrong month because I have seem a lot of people complaining about how hot it is down there and I do not want to be a sweaty bride and have my guests uncomfortable. I tried to get the wedding @ 4 but it was already taken so that was another downfall!!! So my first question is, is it really that hot down there??? And if so do they provide fans or anything to keep you and your guests cool???

As far as the wedding is concern, I originally wanted the beach but after seeing that everyone chose the gazebo, I think I want to go with that. Do I have to reserve that before I get down there?/

Another concern that I have is about the reception. I was thinking about either paying the $50 or $75 per person for either the two or three hour reception but I am unsure if it is worth it. If I don't pay for the dj, does anyone know if they would play music that I bring form home??

Also the prices of the pictures and video are quite pricey!!!! Does anyone have any suggestions or other recommendations???

Another concern I have is about the sand fleas??? I am worried about having anything on the beaches because I would hate for my guest to be getting bitten up the entire time. Do they just come out at night????

 

 

Those are just a few concerns that I have!!!! If anyone can answer any of my questions or address any of my concerns I will really appreciate it!!!! Thanks a lot!!!!!!! 

[sweetiecat]

Hi, I'm getting married at Beaches Negril in March, so I've been reading this forum and also the "Fans of Sandals Weddingmoons" group on Facebook for a while now. Both have been extremely helpful. I listed your questions below and will try to answer in blue:

 

"I have my first planning session with the Miami wedding coordinator Renee tomorrow and I am kinda nervous since a lot of people don't have that many positive things to say about the Miami coordinators." Renee is actually really nice. Although I'm sure you've had your first session with her by now, I've found her to be really helpful. I just had to be pretty firm in my first phone call that I wasn't interested in a lot of the add ons because of our budget.

 

"So my first question is, is it really that hot down there??? And if so do they provide fans or anything to keep you and your guests cool???"

I'm not sure since the only other time I've been to Jamaica was in January/February. Hopefully someone else can answer this one.

 

"As far as the wedding is concern, I originally wanted the beach but after seeing that everyone chose the gazebo, I think I want to go with that. Do I have to reserve that before I get down there?"

You will choose that with the on site coordinator meeting, the morning after you arrive. You don't need to worry about it now since they only have one wedding for each time period, so you will be able to choose from all of the sites. The coordinator will take you around to each one before you decide.

 

"Another concern that I have is about the reception. I was thinking about either paying the $50 or $75 per person for either the two or three hour reception but I am unsure if it is worth it."

I didn't think it was worth it either. If you book 10 rooms with your group code, you can get a free standard (30 min) reception for everyone (normally it is free for bride, groom, and two guests and $15 each for all others) or $15 off of the $75 reception ($60 after discount), but they don't offer discounts on the other receptions. We're doing the $25 cocktail hour reception with the hot & cold appetizers and open bar. I figured that was a good compromise especially since I'd have to pay the $15/person anyway for the little reception (I only have 8 rooms).

 

A lot of girls are able to set dinner reservations up for their group through the on site coordinator. Renee will tell you that this isn't possible if you have more than 10 people. The past brides I have talked to say it is definitely possible once you get there if you're flexible with your reservation time. For instance, one girl (can't remember her name but I think she has a review on here from last year) had a 4 pm 1-hour cocktail reception where they had the appetizers and cake. Then she had made reservations at Kimono's at 9:00 pm (reserving two tables there). They thought it was going to be really late to be eating, but after all the stuff from the little reception, 9:00 pm was perfect for dinner. A wedding I attended last year at Sandals Negril was able to reserve tables at the buffet restaurant but order off of a short menu (2-3 choices) after having their standard 30-minute reception. I'm hoping to do something similar but it will have to wait until I arrive since we have 17 people total. Obviously they can't guarantee that the restaurant you want will have room for your group but the on site coordinator will really try to make it happen. I would think it would be a lot harder with more than 30 people or so.

 

"If I don't pay for the dj, does anyone know if they would play music that I bring form home??"

I know a lot of people take down a docking station (speakers) and an ipod to play their own music. Renee had mentioned the resorts will be getting docking stations to rent but the last time I asked they hadn't received them yet so she didn't have pricing.

 

"Also the prices of the pictures and video are quite pricey!!!! Does anyone have any suggestions or other recommendations???"

We're taking a small HD video camera for our video and just having one of the guests film it. I'm sure it won't look professional or anything, but it will be nice to watch just to see the wedding whenever I want. We're paying for a photographer to stay at the resort for 3 nights as our guest and take our pictures. Our photographer isn't charging anything but the travel fees for her flights and the resort. Beaches allows this but only if they stay for at least 3 nights and don't bring excessive equipment. It is more expensive for us to do it that way (I think it worked out to be $1800 or something), but we will get way more pictures this way (plus we're doing a day after shoot). A lot of photographers will do this to get a mini vacation paid for plus have some awesome pictures for their portfolio.

 

Another option would be to have guests take pictures and purchase a minimal number from Beaches. You don't have to book a package ahead of time; you will still have a photographer. Then if you wanted you could have a local company take you off the resort the day after or between your ceremony/little reception and dinner. Not sure how much that would cost though.

 

"Another concern I have is about the sand fleas??? I am worried about having anything on the beaches because I would hate for my guest to be getting bitten up the entire time. Do they just come out at night???? "

They come out around dawn, dusk, and after it rains (any time the sand has cooled off). During the day is fine unless it just rained pretty hard.

 

If you have any other questions about Negril or whatever, let me know. I haven't been to Beaches Negril before but did go to Sandals Negril and Royal Caribbean last year.

[Bride2Be143]

Thank you so much for your reply and I wish you the best of luck with your wedding trip. I spoke with Renee and she did nothing but stress me out even more. She was just throwing prices at me and my head was about to spin. I still have a lot of things to figure out and I need to figure them out fast. Certain stuff I can't see myself paying for like those expensive picture packages and that price for the dj but I don't want to go without them. I don't want to  wait until the last minute though but I believe the coordinators will be much more helpful once I arrive. Who knew playing a wedding would be so stressful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[EricaRN]

Bride2Be143, haha  you have done so much more than I have and I am getting married June 29/11 at Beaches Negril so hats off to you. lol   I refused to go through Renee in Miami due to the added stress of being forced into paying for things I dont want to pay for instead honestly I go through my travel agent who has been great and can get in touch with Renee it seems more easily than I also my agent has sent all our paperwork for us too.  My plan is to book my photography and videography once I get there and for me that part is important as I want pics to remember the time and a video for the folks at home who couldnt attend (Im having a dinner when I get home with friends who couldnt go and showing the video).  As for the extras I will pick and choose what I want when I get there because honestly going through Miami they work on commission that is why they push so hard so dont stress yourself out... it will all work out for you. I will be sure to post my thoughts and experiences too once I get back from Jamaica.  Until then I am working on my flowers which I have decided to do Real Touch because for the money the resort is charging for flowers to me is expensive and you can't leave Jamaica with your bouquet if you wanted to keep it, with real touch you can and believe me the flowers look so real..and they are the flowers and colors I wanted as well.  Once I get them shipped to me (beginning of March) I will post pics and all the other things that go along with getting married away. 

[beachesSB1412]

Sweetiecat - I just purchased some "fans" from theknot.com store.  They were just on sale and come in tons of different colors so you can coordinate.  Now the WC will want to charge you $150-$200 to set these out on the chairs prior to the ceremony but I think if you just have a good friend hand them out as people sit or have that person be the first to arrive and get em laid out on the chairs quickly you would be fine and then if it is pretty warm they will have some colorful was to cool down.  I am not sure where in the US you are from but I am from the midwest and a friend is married to a Jamaican and she said that there summers are no more hot/humid than the midwest (this will either put you at ease or disappoint you - I hope not the latter!).

Best of luck - ps make sure you try to get a lighter destination type dress as I have heard that traditional dresses tend to be less tolerant during the warmer times.  Also, someone on here suggested oil-blotting papers to have on hand to help w/ shine during warm months & photo taking.

Hope this helps!

[Bride2Be143]

EricaRN,

 

Yes I am stressing and after talking to Renee she made me feel a lot worse!!! I am going to bring my own flowers and decorations and she said that it was like a $200 set up fee but I read somewhere online that another Beaches Bride took down decorations and the wedding coordinator there had no problem with putting the decorations out, so I think I am just going to take a chance and see what happens when I get down there. I want photos too but the prices are way toooo much for me, so I am just going to get a really nice camera and have a family member take a bunch of pics. I may give in and buy the $500 dvd though even though it is only 15 minutes long.