Villa Weddings Brides - Jamaica!

[gingerpeach]

 

 

Originally Posted by soon2beMrsG 

 

 

Hey Gingerpeach, 

 

My coordinator is Andrea Smith and she's wonderful.  She's been nothing but accommodating and even deals with my mom, which is no easy task. I'm blessed with a VERY involved Mommy of the Bride.  I'm still bringing in my own florists because there are no real Blue kind of flowers in Jamaica and thinking of signature drinks even in these early days but its been great so far.

 

"Date Twin" I love it!  Any advice for our ladies and me?

 

Always, 

Soon2BeMrsG

 

 

 

 

Apologies Sonn2Be MrsG, got a new assignment which kept me super busy.

 

Andrea is indeed great..I will also say that you will get the wedding of our dreams, the wedding planners (WP) and co-ordinators at Half Moon will deliver whatever they promise (and not just cos you paying loads..LOL). I was very comfortable knowing that all that i asked for would be provided, i had lots and lots of questions and they were so patient.  Advice?

 

1) Once you arrive try to relax and enjoy-very difficult I know but our WP was in reception to meet us when we arrived. I instantly felt relieved, being the control freak that I am (i had planned to find her the next day!!!), after checking in I told the receptionist if she could let the wedding planner know we arrived..she pretended not to understand and then smiled.why? because the  WP was standing behind me waiting for us to complete check in. 

 

2) Hire a golf cart if you can and explore the resort- we used it to take pictures around the resort. We also rented bikes one afternoon and it nice to just ride around, wind in my hair...beware time of day you do it though we had to run in after 12 as the sun was too hot (LOL).

 

3) Ask lots of questions- after all it is your wedding

 

4) Negotiate where possible, whether it be for guest rooms or overall bill. You don't ask you don't get.

 

5) Be sure to include father daughter dance and any other must haves in your order of reception for the master  of ceremony- i took it off the order  thinking that i would defo dance with my dad..guess what..i didn't. that is the one regret i have, my dad was cool about it, guess its because he doesn't like being centre of attention. The thought of dancing out in the middle of floor- he would have needed a few more drinks.. LOL

 

6) We had to ask WP to send message to security to restrict random guest showing up prior to wedding- you may not have this problem though. We had guest not staying at the resort who felt it necessary to "come see where the wedding will be and where they have to go on the day" what they meant was we heard about this great place called Half Moon and we want to come and be damm nosy. You may not have this problem but on three occasions PRIOR to the wedding we had off property guest, come to the security gate ask for our name and they sent them to reception. I was pissed to say the least.. especially as one afternoon I was about to take a nap when the phone rang..security tells me I have a visitor. Security did ask if they should send them to reception and you feel obliged to say yes when you really want to say no.

 

If i think of anything else I will add but feel free to ask questions.

 

Sorry if i asked before, but which location on Half Moon have you chosen?

 

 

 

 

[soon2beMrsG]

Happy Friday ladies

Here's a handy site I thought would help you in your planning.  The wedding mapper is pretty cool and you can send it to your guests.

www.weddingmapper.com

of course it has all the other wedding planning trappings like your own website etc. but the map tool is what I use it for as I've already done a wedding website with www.mywedding.com (which is the best one i think because you can have sooo much information and guests can RSVP and it really streamlines everything).

 

Any issues with vendors yet?  I'm a bit wary of photographers now sigh.  Hope all is going well in your Villa Plans!

 

oooh redginger, i thank you soo much for all that info.  The ceremony is going to be in Lily Pond Gazebo and the cocktail hour/reception in the royal croquette lawn/royal pavillion.  I'm also going to have stations - cigar rolling station, an ice cream sundae station and a martini station to be set up.  Crazy about the pop up guests!!  My thing is if you REALLY want to see you should have chosen to stay here like I said so now you just have to wait until the wedding day! 

 

I've been very neglectful this week but the work to pay for the wedding had to take over.  More this weekend ladies.

 

Soon2beMrsG

 

[soon2beMrsG]

also another handy tip from the wedding mapper:

http://www.weddingmapper.com/diy/wedding_map

 

[FoxyRoxy30]

Hi Ladies,

 

I'm new to the site and am so glad I found it b/c I am losing my mind trying to make a decision on whether to get married at a villa or all-inclusive resort. The  all-inclusives seems to be more expensive but less stress, and I don't handle stress very well :-). The main issue I have with the all-inclusives is that  I'm completely against having hotels guests and other strangers witnessing my wedding or being captured in my wedding pictures. I would really prefer as much privacy as possible on our special day.  The villas seem to allow privacy and the flexibility to create your own  'dream wedding', which I like. My target date is either Aug 18 or 25, 2012, but I feel like time is running out b/c I'd like to at least get the save the dates out by the end of October and I still don't have a venue.. Help!! :-)

 

Based on your experiences, I really need some suggestions:

 

1. I plan to have 150 - 200 guests. Are there particular villas in Ocho Rios that can cater to such a large crowd?

2. Is it better to have a local wedding coordinator since they may be able to assist with  vendor selections and the overall wedding planning?

3. How big are most of the villas? Could some of the guests stay there also (i.e. close family members) and then a shuttle could possibly bring all the other guests to the villa on the day of the wedding?

4. Are the villa weddings less expensive than the all-inclusive resort weddings?

 

Thanks ladies! I'm really trying desperately to finalize the venue by the end of September.

[Leah22]

Hello Everyone,

 

I just started this process myself, but I have been obsessively researching options the last few weeks.  I've finally decided on the Half Moon Royal Villas for June 2012!  I feel like I'm running out of time, but I'm very excited to hear their are a few others on this site.  

 

Soon2beMrsG, you said you used your own vendors.  Did you have to pay the fee for each vendor you brought in?

 

FoxyRoxy, I originally wanted an all-inclusive hotel as well.  They are fun and they have wedding packages that take care of everything.  But once you start to have more than 10 guests, you end up paying a great deal per person for the reception.  We are planning on having 30 guests and the all-inclusive option was turning out to be more expensive than just doing it on our own.  That's when I started searching for villas!  I can't direct you to any villas (I was also considering St. Lucia as well and did most of my villa research for that island before switching over the Jamaica).  But most villas will be under 10 bedrooms.  You can have family and close friends stay at the villa and have your other guests stay at hotels nearby.  I am renting 3 adjacent villas at the Half Moon and will divide the costs among my guests.  That way we are all staying on the property together.  I like the idea of Half Moon because I can have the privacy of the villas, plus the amenities of a large resort, plus a wedding planning to do it all for me!

[mrsrrobinson]

Hey! Now that it's almost October, have you decided on a place?
 

Originally Posted by FoxyRoxy30 

Hi Ladies,

 

I'm new to the site and am so glad I found it b/c I am losing my mind trying to make a decision on whether to get married at a villa or all-inclusive resort. The  all-inclusives seems to be more expensive but less stress, and I don't handle stress very well :-). The main issue I have with the all-inclusives is that  I'm completely against having hotels guests and other strangers witnessing my wedding or being captured in my wedding pictures. I would really prefer as much privacy as possible on our special day.  The villas seem to allow privacy and the flexibility to create your own  'dream wedding', which I like. My target date is either Aug 18 or 25, 2012, but I feel like time is running out b/c I'd like to at least get the save the dates out by the end of October and I still don't have a venue.. Help!! :-)

 

Based on your experiences, I really need some suggestions:

 

1. I plan to have 150 - 200 guests. Are there particular villas in Ocho Rios that can cater to such a large crowd?

2. Is it better to have a local wedding coordinator since they may be able to assist with  vendor selections and the overall wedding planning?

3. How big are most of the villas? Could some of the guests stay there also (i.e. close family members) and then a shuttle could possibly bring all the other guests to the villa on the day of the wedding?

4. Are the villa weddings less expensive than the all-inclusive resort weddings?

 

Thanks ladies! I'm really trying desperately to finalize the venue by the end of September.

 

[FoxyRoxy30]

Nothing yet.

 

I've reached out to a number of villas and they are definitely less pricey than the all-inclusives, but now I feel as though I need to go and see them as opposed to just pictures on line.

 

I looked into Half Moon, but unless I contacted the wrong place (someone from Rock Resorts replied to me), they quoted me ~$18,000 for 30 guests (Allure package), so with our extensive list, that definitely wasn't going to happen.

 

Leah22 & mrsrobinson... what prices did you get? Is this the same place? My contact person is Danielle Dunfee.

[Leah22]

Hi FoxyRoxy,

 

I've definitely picked apart their wedding packages (I'm probably driving Danielle crazy...btw Rock Resorts now manages Half Moon).  But I'm going with the Eat, Drink, and be Married package and got it down to $7700 including tax+tip for 32 people ($194) per person (but I haven't actually confirmed a date yet).  She initially quoted me $18,000 for the Allure as well, but all of their packages start off with the "premium" features and they all can be customized.  The only problem, which I mentioned in another thread, is that I'm not sure if we're going to have 30 guests or 75!  We don't want to rule out anyone on the guest list...but I really can't imagine that the majority will be able to make it.

 

What kind of prices are getting for private villas?  Were you planning on staying at the villas or just renting them for the ceremony/reception?

 

Originally Posted by FoxyRoxy30 

Nothing yet.

 

I've reached out to a number of villas and they are definitely less pricey than the all-inclusives, but now I feel as though I need to go and see them as opposed to just pictures on line.

 

I looked into Half Moon, but unless I contacted the wrong place (someone from Rock Resorts replied to me), they quoted me ~$18,000 for 30 guests (Allure package), so with our extensive list, that definitely wasn't going to happen.

 

Leah22 & mrsrobinson... what prices did you get? Is this the same place? My contact person is Danielle Dunfee.

 

[FoxyRoxy30]

Hi Leah22,

 

I was only looking into th villas for the wedding ceremony and reception. I would prefer that my guests stay at an all-inclusive nearby, since for most of them it would be their first time in Jamaica.

 

I completely understand your concern with the # of guests. Another major issue we're having is that we may have ~125 that will be coming, so you can only imagine what that would cost at Half Moon!

[KRRR]

We also have our eyes set on Endless Summer Villa in Montego Bay!  We're planning on utilizing all 7 bedrooms with are closest family members and friends.  This Villa is advertised by at least three Villa rental company's.  Not sure which to choose but Villas by Linda Smith offered up to on-ground Coordinators in the Jamaica area.  Did you complete your on site visit?  We are considering booking without one.  I've read good reviews and don't mind the 'do it yourself' role.  Let me know what you found, saw, heard.  Thanks and best wishes.