Turks & Caicos Wedding Planner

[BeachCzarina]

I'm getting married in Turks and Caicos and trying to keep costs down as well - which definitely doesn't seem easy to do! :s What exactly did you get from using your wedding planner? What value did they provide you? Information, discounts, advice? Trying to understand what exactly you get for the money you shell out. Thanks!

[Turks Bride]

I'm starting to plan my wedding in turks and caicos.  Trying to decide between seven stars and grace bay club.

 

 

 

any advice would help!! is it best we use the wedding planner that comes with the resort? or someone like Dianne from outside?

 

 

 

[Tropical Imaging]

Seven Stars and Grace Bay Club are both lovely properties.  Grace Bay Club does more weddings, but it is a larger property and more established (it was the first luxury resort on island).  Seven Stars has just started marketing to weddings which also explains the difference in numbers of weddings but is a great little property.  All of our wedding planners on island are great (they have to be or they won't stay in business for long).  The hotel coordinators are good as well, but no hotel (aside from Beaches) has a dedicated wedding planner whose only job is planning weddings for the property.  So the person for the hotel will have other responsibilities other than just weddings.

 

So what does that mean?  You can't go wrong either way.  But if you want more elaborate planning/decorating etc beyond a standard package, want someone planning rehearsal/excursion options that are not on the hotel's property or if you are just a more type A personality who wants someone completely at your disposal during your planning and on your day, an outside coordinator is a better option for you.   If you love the packages the hotel offers and are happy with your response times from the in house coordinator, then there is no reason to go with an outside planner.  In some cases the hotel actually uses an outside coordinator to do their weddings.   There is no one on island that I know of (and word travels fast here LOL) that is a definite "don't use them".  It really comes down to you and your personalty, and what you want your wedding to be.  (also depends on your budget!)

 

If you have any other specific questions let me know

 

Krys

Originally Posted by Turks Bride 

I'm starting to plan my wedding in turks and caicos.  Trying to decide between seven stars and grace bay club.

 

 

 

any advice would help!! is it best we use the wedding planner that comes with the resort? or someone like Dianne from outside?

 

 

 

 

[lm3682]

Turks Bride - We got married at the Seven Stars in April with 35 guests and were very pleased.  Even thought I'm very Type A, I had done all my planning remotely (never visited the property) and was just hoping everything would come together. They really exceeded our expectations and did everything possible to make sure things were the way we wanted them. They were very responsive in the planning process and everything on the night of the event ran very smooth. We really felt we could just enjoy our wedding. I had worked with Niki, the onsite wedding planner for everything, and she was great. She also worked with Bettina on the night of our wedding because Niki was several months pregnant. Bettina was quite engaged that night and I thought she was great. She had not been involved in the planning (at least to my knowledge) but she was up to speed on the whole event. I did not feel like I had gotten a switcheroo or anything like that.

 

I booked nearly everything through the hotel. They booked our music (three different bands/musicians), flowers, cake and the pastor. They gave me the name of a guy for transportation and we booked our own shuttle from the guest hotel to the Seven Stars. The hotel arranged taxis home for the guests. We booked our photographer and videographer ourselves. The venues that the hotel set us up in were outstanding (we had one area for cocktails before and then dancing later, then another area for the dinner, plus the beach for the ceremony).

 

The food was much better than I expected (I had just assumed good to slightly better than average 'wedding' food because that's what you pretty much seem to get a at a wedding). We got lots of compliments on it. My family in particular would not have said it was good just to make me feel good, and they thought it was great - the appetizers and steak especially.  People raved about the coconut cake (the hotel had booked it through a third party baker).  I had given them a picture of a cake and said 'just make it look kind of like this' and they matched it exactly. We also had four pies that the hotel chef had made and they were excellent. Service at dinner was very very good. We had one bartender for the drink service after dinner and while he did a great job, he probably could've used a bar back, if not a second bartender.

 

We stayed at the hotel after the wedding and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a gorgeous property (and very impressive when your guests walk in around the pool). We're planning to go back for our anniversary. Overall, we highly recommend the Seven Stars for a wedding!

[kareyusc]

Hey Turks Bride - I am getting married at Grace Bay Club next summer.  I go on my site visit next week and cannot wait.  The hotel looks amazing, but I will warn you that the onsite planner is a bit slow to respond.  I typically get about a 1 week turn around time on my emails.  It drives me a bit crazy, but my fiance constantly reminds about "island time" and I am trying to be patient.  Every person I have spoken with says the weddings there are fantastic.  I am going to see one live while there and can let you know how it goes.

 

I was going to hire an outside wedding planner, but so far we have been fine on our own.  I worked briefly with Diane (Island Harmony) and she was amazing.  If I was going to hire a planner, she would have been the one.

 

If you have any specific questions, please let me know and I would be happy to provide any insight that I can.

 

Karey

[Danie]

I am getting married in 2013 and am using one of the off site coordinators name Luise Bayley from Nila Destinations. So far I love her. However, I have heard that all 3 wedding coordinating companies on the island are all good. The reason I chose Nila was because I am staying at Ocean Club West (which is not a 5 star luxious resort but rather a 4 star intimate condo resort) and they do not have an onsite coordinator and suggested Nila to me. I looked at their website and received an estimate from them long before I ever hired them as my coordinator. So far everythign is going well in my planning. I do suggest having a coordinator whether your hotel provides one or you hire one because mine has given me many wonderful ideas and has been able to schedule appointment for me with their vendors during my site visit which is schedule in April of this year. My coordinator even informed me that during my stay on site visit she will be coordinating a 60 person wedding at Ocean Club West which is exciting to me because maybe from a distance I will be able to catch a glimpse of the ceremoney decor.  My wedding planner responds to every email I send and is quick with a response. She has even given me ideas for my cocktail hour, welcome bags etc even though its over a year away. I have been very impressed with Nila thusfar. To be honest it was worth hiring a coordinator to me because not only do they know all local vendors and work with them daily, i beleive they also will help your guests book their accomodations and book whatever extracurricular activities or excusions they may be interested in. Plus their able to give you an estimate before you even hire them of what your looking at in expenses for what you want. Hope this helps

[kareyusc]

Hey Danie,

 

Have you  figured out your cocktail hour and ceremony music yet?  I would like live music and am having a hard time finding someone.  I am three months from my wedding and getting a bit nervous.  Any help is appreciated.

 

Karey

 

 

[shaeshae18]

I'm looking to have my wedding at T+C in Nov 2013.  I have a few questions for you guys who have had weddings and/or are planning weddings.

 

From what it seems to me, most of you have picked a venue for your wedding and let your guests just pick hotels to stay at separately.  Is that the case?  Is there a particular reason why?  I was looking at having all my guests stay at the one resort where I would have the wedding.  I am looking to find something around $250/night per couple for my guests. 

 

Do the resorts not all have weddings?  I emailed Ocean Club, Royal West Indies, Villa Del Mar, Aquamarine Beach Houses and Leeward Resort (which is currently my favorite and top choice, if the rates are reasonable). 

 

I'm assuming since the resorts are not all inclusive, you have to pay for everything separately - like the music, the food, the decor, etc.  What are the prices you are finding for food in the different resorts? 

 

Do the wedding planners you guys mentioned charge a fee?  If so, what is their fee?  And if not, do they get paid off a commission from whatever they sell to me/my guests?

 

Finally, anyone know what the weather is like at the end of Nov?  Looking at Nov 30, 2013, for the wedding. 

 

Thanks in advance for any information you guys might have!

[JenRoseRDH]

As great as it would be to have everyone in one place, it might be hard to pull off. In my limited experience, guests have different budgets, interests and expectations. We let everyone know where we will be staying and we featured 4 options on our website and so far our guests are booked at 3 different resorts. None have booked at ours (Grace Bay Club) most likely due to the cost. Leeward is out away from the main strip of resorts. It is a beautiful property but reminded me a lot of the hotel in The Shining- deserted. Apparently they are having some financial difficulties. We didn't see a soul out there other than the guy manning the desk. There are no restaurants open and nothing within walking distance. The beach there is tiny but since you would likely be the only ones using it that might not be a problem. Based on their financial situation, I would not hand over any money far in advance. If you want a last minute good deal though, it might be okay.

 

We narrowed our choices down to Grace Bay Club and Seven Stars based on location. There are several less expensive resorts super close- Comfort Suites (across the street from the beach), Ocean Club West and Villa del Mar (across the street from the beach). There are many restaurants, shops and even a nice grocery store right in the immediate area. There is a cheap little taco bar and the grocery has a nice salad bar so guests have many different options and price ranges when it comes to food.

 

For reception food, we are using items off the GBC regular menus so we picked the pricing we were comfortable with. Our aps are in the $15 range and entrees are $25-45. Our wedding cake will be the only dessert. Keep in mind with catering that the taxes there are steep and will add, I think, 20% to your total food bill. Consider using a restaurant to keep costs down. We are planning to offer and pay for a consumption bar. Many of our guests don't drink at all and those that do drink do so in moderation so I know an open bar would be wasted on our group.

 

We plan to use Smokey's for the welcome/rehersal dinner.  When we visited we had melt-in-your mouth jerk chicken and some wonderful plantains, slaw and peas and rice (beans and rice) at Smokey's. It is delicious, local food at a good price.

 

Most resorts have menus available on their websites so you can get an idea of food costs there. Kissing Fish also has their catering menu online.

 

I am using Nila Destinations and I think we are paying them $1700. I'm sure they also earn a commission from the vendors. It has been well worth it for me to have Ashleigh available to answer questions and get information for me from the vendors. Correspondance is unlimited and they have been quick to respond- much quicker than my contact at GBC.

 

I'm not sure what your weather will be late November but I think it is pretty mild there year round so I wouldn't worry.

 

Good luck with your planning. It is a wonderful destination and you and your guests will love it.

[shaeshae18]

Wow, thank you SO much for all that information.  I never really considered how hard it might be to plan a DW, but picking an island alone has proven difficult, let alone a resort! 

 

It sounds like your wedding is going to be lovely, I hope you have a blast!!

 

Originally Posted by JenRoseRDH 

As great as it would be to have everyone in one place, it might be hard to pull off. In my limited experience, guests have different budgets, interests and expectations. We let everyone know where we will be staying and we featured 4 options on our website and so far our guests are booked at 3 different resorts. None have booked at ours (Grace Bay Club) most likely due to the cost. Leeward is out away from the main strip of resorts. It is a beautiful property but reminded me a lot of the hotel in The Shining- deserted. Apparently they are having some financial difficulties. We didn't see a soul out there other than the guy manning the desk. There are no restaurants open and nothing within walking distance. The beach there is tiny but since you would likely be the only ones using it that might not be a problem. Based on their financial situation, I would not hand over any money far in advance. If you want a last minute good deal though, it might be okay.

 

We narrowed our choices down to Grace Bay Club and Seven Stars based on location. There are several less expensive resorts super close- Comfort Suites (across the street from the beach), Ocean Club West and Villa del Mar (across the street from the beach). There are many restaurants, shops and even a nice grocery store right in the immediate area. There is a cheap little taco bar and the grocery has a nice salad bar so guests have many different options and price ranges when it comes to food.

 

For reception food, we are using items off the GBC regular menus so we picked the pricing we were comfortable with. Our aps are in the $15 range and entrees are $25-45. Our wedding cake will be the only dessert. Keep in mind with catering that the taxes there are steep and will add, I think, 20% to your total food bill. Consider using a restaurant to keep costs down. We are planning to offer and pay for a consumption bar. Many of our guests don't drink at all and those that do drink do so in moderation so I know an open bar would be wasted on our group.

 

We plan to use Smokey's for the welcome/rehersal dinner.  When we visited we had melt-in-your mouth jerk chicken and some wonderful plantains, slaw and peas and rice (beans and rice) at Smokey's. It is delicious, local food at a good price.

 

Most resorts have menus available on their websites so you can get an idea of food costs there. Kissing Fish also has their catering menu online.

 

I am using Nila Destinations and I think we are paying them $1700. I'm sure they also earn a commission from the vendors. It has been well worth it for me to have Ashleigh available to answer questions and get information for me from the vendors. Correspondance is unlimited and they have been quick to respond- much quicker than my contact at GBC.

 

I'm not sure what your weather will be late November but I think it is pretty mild there year round so I wouldn't worry.

 

Good luck with your planning. It is a wonderful destination and you and your guests will love it.