Sandals Grande Antigua- Wedding reviews?

[marleydog]

 

 

Originally Posted by monroe 

 

I need all the help I can get... lol How did you book the stay? did you go thru a travel agent? who helps you with your hair and makeup when you get there?

 

Hey,

we booked through a travel agent so was really easy.  After we booked we had a call from Dania. She's the Sandals Wedding Coordinator & is absolutely useless.  She's sporadic at responding & seems only interested in upselling.   On the plus side, the wedding coordinators on site are fantastic.   Once you get there, you have a meeting with the wedding office where they talk you through your ceremony & ask you to choose the cake.   On the day, you can have your hair done in the salon  but I chose to have mine done in the villa.  Be careful of timings, nothing happens quickly.  Our ceremony was at 4pm & I'd booked the hairdresser to be there for 12.00 & she turned up at 1.30.  It wasn't a stress because I'd factored in her being late.  Once that's done you sit & wait for the wedding coordinator to come & get you.  Mine turned up to dress me at 3.40 & told me that they were still waiting for the officiant to turn up.  It was a roasting hot day so I said I'd get dressed once I knew the officiant had arrived.  She got the call at 3.50 so got dressed & off we went.  She walked me round to the gazebo & checked the train etc was ok & that was it.    We had no ceremony rehearsal & hadnt met the officiant but she was fantastic.   Ps  I did my own make up.  I was a bit worried that they would make me up too much or that I wouldn't look like me (if that makes sense)  You can have this done at the same time as your hair, either in the salon or in your room.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else. 

 

 

[SarahTD]

For the record, I also thought Dania was useless.  Alex, who was your on-site coordinator?

[marleydog]

 

 

Originally Posted by SarahTD 

 

For the record, I also thought Dania was useless.  Alex, who was your on-site coordinator?

 

 

Hey Sarah, we had Marcia.  She was fantastic. 

 

[zoe wedding]

I am going in a few weeks and its just the 2 of us! Getting slightly worried as dress is lace up and I'd rather fiance didn't do it up! Is there someone there who would help? Don't fancy asking a stranger! Cannot wait! Its so nice to hear you all enjoyed your weddings!

[SarahTD]

Zoe,

  I imagine your wedding planner will help.  Ask her when you meet with her.  You're going to have a great time!!

[Sharonte]

Zoe , as the other ladies have mentioned just be sure to ask your on site wedding coordinators, and let them know before hand when you meet with them that you will need help with your dress. The onsite WC's are so much more helpful than the ones you talk to over the phone. You will have a blast , I'm sure!

[parafrogbride]

We are also getting married in April, would you suggest hair up then since it was so hot? My dress is long, two pieces so maybe I will have a short skirt made for it. Do you have any pictures you could email me?

Originally Posted by carolinechc 

Hi Sarah,

Sandals Antigua was awesome!  Our room was fabluous, we had the one bedroom honeymoon penthouse with Butler service.  This was great because there was a separate living room and bedroom, so we could spread out while getting ready for the wedding. 

 

I think my biggest surprise was the beach.  It is public and if you are planning to get married out there, it is very crowded and loud.  I was supposed to get married out there at 4 pm and I went out the day before at 4 pm to see how it was and it was so bad I ended up changing my wedding location.  When I mean loud, I mean loud music from the resort next door, topless girls and drunk people screaming in the ocean, and vendors everywhere.  Not to mention all the people just laying out on the beach. Since the beach is public Sandals can not do anything about this.  I was able to be married right inside the Sandals "gate" and still be on the sand with a few of the ocean, but still not what I pictured. 

 

The wedding staff were awesome.  They take you and multiple couples in a van to the courthouse to get your marriage license.  That was fun to talk to the other couples.  We had 5 couples with us.  The whole wedding process is very organized and they take care of everything!   I will also was surprised about how hot it was in April and was really wishing I had on a short dress!!  Very sweaty during the wedding and pictures!!

 

Feel free to ask any other questions!

 

[kjmeztisa]

Hello everyone, I am getting married at Sandals Grande Antigua on September 6th 2012 and would like to see if anyone has any sample photo's taken by the photography staff on site.  I'm a bit worried about the quality of the pictures.  I'd also like to hear about anyone's experience with the hair and makeup.  I'm debating on whether I should book an appointment at the spa or take care of everything myself.  Any suggestions?  Please let me know...

[batdo008]

My wedding at Sandals Grande Antigua exceeded all expectations. Nasasha (Sasha), our onsite coordinator, took good care of us and did everything she could to make our day perfect.

 

Unexpected surprises:

-Red Lane Spa hair and makeup is just average... just do it yourself, you'll probably do a better job and save some $$.

-Expected the Steel drum band to be energetic and get people up and dancing. It was more like light background music.

-DJ plays hip-hop and R&B. Make a playlist for the reception and/or dinner and put it on a USB or CDs for the DJ with your taste in music.

-Wedding coordinator plays the music herself during the ceremony with a CD player. Put all the songs that you want played during the ceremony on a single disk so the coordinator doesn't have to shuffle through looking for the right song.

-Marriage officer was awesome-- she was professional. Her ceremony felt quite official yet sentimental, and we opted for a religious ceremony so she also read some passages and meaningful words of advice.

-YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUY THE PHOTO PACKAGES prior to the wedding. You'll have a photographer there with you no matter what. You can pick and choose from the professional photos the next day and take only the ones you want.

-Videographer went above and beyond for us. We ordered a 20-min video of the wedding. When we picked it up it was highly personalized and about 45 minutes long. He captured all the day's events. He even gave us the raw footage and dropped another copy off for us at my mother-in-law's resort on his way home that night. Seriously?! How awesome is that.

-There is no ATM on the resort!! You have to go to town to find an ATM, and the banks in town are slowwwwwww. Take out cash before you go but make sure to keep it in your safe in the room. Most places accept US dollars, including taxis.

-If guests are traveling to be at your wedding, I recommend they stay at Buccaneer Beach Club (or Halcyon Cove if you're looking for all-inclusive option). It's a short walk on the beach to Sandals and the best of the few that are right there.

-They fog the resort every day at 5 or 6pm for mosquitoes. Bring insect repellant for the evenings because I came home covered in big, itchy bites that didn't go away for a week (but my husband didn't get any).

-I don't believe the drinks they serve onsite actually have alcohol. The wine and beer is pretty bad too. Bring a bottle of your preferred adult beverage. Yes, you can pack one in your checked baggage.

-Taxis can be hard to come by, so plan accordingly.

-The beach is open to the public and there are all kinds of vendors selling stuff, jewelry, massages, and even drugs. Only buy from the approved vendors- they have to wear some sort of badge (and report anyone selling drugs!).

-You. Need. Sunscreen. Period.

[Ashley3737]

Hey ladies. I'm getting married on Nov. 9th there and staying from the 6th-15th. I wonder how many brides will be there?