Now Sapphire Weddings Formerly Paradisus Riviera

[gannonham]

Hi past and future NOW Sapphire brides!

I am a new member to this website and just want to thank all of you for your posts.  It has really helped me a lot with my wedding planning process and made me even more excited to get married at this stunning resort this April!

I have a question for past NOW Sapphire brides.  I am hoping that you can let me know what food items you chose and how you would rate them.  I am having a bit of a tough time figuring out what to choose since I have a number of guests coming who are vegetarian and also many who don't eat seafood.  I also have many guests without dietary restrictions, but would like to cater to everyone and make sure all of my guests walk away stuffed and happy  

I have booked the Divine package and would love to hear your reviews of the food, what you chose, how it tasted and if you had similar problems choosing menus due to guest dietary restrictions.

I am also wondering if you were able to choose 2 entrees (perhaps one seafood and one meat) + one vegetarian dish or whether the vegetarian entrée counts as one of your 2 options.

Thanks so much!


 

[meganwitt]

We didn't have a rehersal and I don't think it was necessary.  Everything went very well.  If you have guests that haven't been to many weddings explain to them what they need to do.  It's pretty simple.

 

We gave out personalized plastic tumbler mugs.  We were married in November and it was not busy at all.  There were no lines for drinks and we had exceptional service the entire time.  I think for this reason very few people used their tumbler (even I didn't use my own!)  Everyone thought they were very cool.   We gave them out as a thank you gift for coming to the wedding.  We use ours now that we are home.

 

 

Dina,

 

Where did you get your tumblers? We were worried people might not use them, but our wedding is in June so I'm thinking it might be a nice idea for thank you. Otherwise are the cups for drinks better than dixie size? 

Does anyonw know the size of the chairs with the white covers on them? I am trying to figure out fabric for my chair sashes/covers and need to know height of top of chair from where seat is and up. wasnt' sure if anyone knew these dimensions.

 

Thanks

 

 

Vanessa, 

I don't have the table sizes are chairs. I'm trying to go off photos from other people myself for my runners I'm planning to bring down. 

 

 

Also I'm trying to do the seating chart and wondering if I can only put like 6 people at one table and 9 at another? Anyone have problems with different numbers at tables? 

[vanessav53]

@@meganwitt

NOW sapphire is having a webinar on March 22nd so I am putting down teh questions about tables and chair dimensions. I'll let the group know what I find out.  I'm assuming round tables hold 8-10 people but it would be great if one of the past brides can comment on that?

@@meganwitt one more thing. There are really cute tumblers online at dollar tree ( for only $1!) they won't be personalized but you can always get a waterproof label or something with your logo,etc.

 

They are great quality. I went with another mug from dollar tree but keep eyeing the tumblers with straws up and might just end up buying them since tha tis waht I really want!

[meganwitt]

@@meganwitt

NOW sapphire is having a webinar on March 22nd so I am putting down teh questions about tables and chair dimensions. I'll let the group know what I find out.  I'm assuming round tables hold 8-10 people but it would be great if one of the past brides can comment on that?

@@meganwitt one more thing. There are really cute tumblers online at dollar tree ( for only $1!) they won't be personalized but you can always get a waterproof label or something with your logo,etc.

 

They are great quality. I went with another mug from dollar tree but keep eyeing the tumblers with straws up and might just end up buying them since tha tis waht I really want!

 

Vanessa,

 

Thanks for the tip and keep me posted on the tables. I so wanted tumblers but the extra luggage and money is keeping me from moving forward. 

[DinaQtobe]

Dina,

 

Where did you get your tumblers? We were worried people might not use them, but our wedding is in June so I'm thinking it might be a nice idea for thank you. Otherwise are the cups for drinks better than dixie size? 

We got our tumbler mugs at Sams Club.  They were a seasonal item so I am not sure if they have them anymore.  A package of 6 was 20$.  My sister then made labels for them so each guest had a personalized mug.  They were awesome mugs though, I especially liked them because there were multiple colors in each package so guests wouldn't get theirs mixed up.  Here's the link: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/double-walled-tumber/prod8210138.ip  

The cups for drinks are a decent size, I would say about the size of a red solo cup.  Drinks at the preferred pool were a bit bigger.  Like I said, the service was wonderful the week we were there, no guests were ever without!

 

Hi past and future NOW Sapphire brides!

 

I am a new member to this website and just want to thank all of you for your posts.  It has really helped me a lot with my wedding planning process and made me even more excited to get married at this stunning resort this April!

 

I have a question for past NOW Sapphire brides.  I am hoping that you can let me know what food items you chose and how you would rate them.  I am having a bit of a tough time figuring out what to choose since I have a number of guests coming who are vegetarian and also many who don't eat seafood.  I also have many guests without dietary restrictions, but would like to cater to everyone and make sure all of my guests walk away stuffed and happy  

 

I have booked the Divine package and would love to hear your reviews of the food, what you chose, how it tasted and if you had similar problems choosing menus due to guest dietary restrictions.

 

I am also wondering if you were able to choose 2 entrees (perhaps one seafood and one meat) + one vegetarian dish or whether the vegetarian entrée counts as one of your 2 options.

 

Thanks so much!

 

 

 

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!  The Now Sapphire was amazing, and we are so happy that we had our wedding there.  Picking our menu was a bit of a challenge as many of the items didn't have a description.

I will outline our menu choices and a bit of a description/review of each:

 

Cocktail Hour:

- Salmon and dill cream cheese (my favorite!)

    This smoked salmon wrapped around dill flavoured cream cheese balls. YUM!

- Shrimp wrapped in Bacon

    Grilled Shrimp wrapped in bacon - was very tasty

- Sliced tomato and mozzarella al pesto

     This would be a winner with the vegetarian people, and very aesthetically appealing too.  A cherry tomato with a piece of    fresh mozzarella and a basil leaf.

- Prosciutto ham bruschetta

     prosciutto on top of a piece of toasted bread. (this was the only one I didn't try).

 

Dinner:

- Seared Tuna Salad - THIS WAS AMAZING!  The tuna was cooked to perfection and the dressing on the salad was great.  It was my favorite course for sure.

- Lobster Bisque Soup - the soup was pretty good.  It had a fried ravioli as a garnish.  Everyone liked it.

 

Main Course:

- Surf and Turf - steaks were cooked nicely, shrimp tasted great.  Served with asparagus.

- Chicken Stuffed with Seafood - The seafood stuffing was very good, but the chicken was VERY salty.  All chicken dishes that I had for the entire week at the resort tasted the same - salty.  I would avoid a chicken dish if you can.  The dish was served on a bed of  couscous.

 

Desert:

- Cognac Truffle Cake - awesome, it was a chocolate-y decadent mouse/cake covered in a white chocolate shell.  Perfect way to end the meal. (and then we had cake!)

 

We opted for the Tres Leches cake.  It was good, but after our amazing Cognac Truffle Cake desert, nothing could compare. 

 

I also wanted to add that I am fairly certain that you are able to have two entre choices for your guests plus a vegetarian option (three options all together).  In order to do this you will need to provide a seating chart with all meal choices to the wedding coordinator during your meeting.  Alternatively you could do seating cards that somehow depict the different selections on them - ie: green=veggie, red=beef, yellow=chicken. 

[GingerJ228]

 

We got our tumbler mugs at Sams Club.  They were a seasonal item so I am not sure if they have them anymore.  A package of 6 was 20$.  My sister then made labels for them so each guest had a personalized mug.  They were awesome mugs though, I especially liked them because there were multiple colors in each package so guests wouldn't get theirs mixed up.  Here's the link: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/double-walled-tumber/prod8210138.ip

The cups for drinks are a decent size, I would say about the size of a red solo cup.  Drinks at the preferred pool were a bit bigger.  Like I said, the service was wonderful the week we were there, no guests were ever without!

 

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!  The Now Sapphire was amazing, and we are so happy that we had our wedding there.  Picking our menu was a bit of a challenge as many of the items didn't have a description.

I will outline our menu choices and a bit of a description/review of each:

 

Cocktail Hour:

- Salmon and dill cream cheese (my favorite!)

    This smoked salmon wrapped around dill flavoured cream cheese balls. YUM!

- Shrimp wrapped in Bacon

    Grilled Shrimp wrapped in bacon - was very tasty

- Sliced tomato and mozzarella al pesto

     This would be a winner with the vegetarian people, and very aesthetically appealing too.  A cherry tomato with a piece of    fresh mozzarella and a basil leaf.

- Prosciutto ham bruschetta

     prosciutto on top of a piece of toasted bread. (this was the only one I didn't try).

 

Dinner:

 

- Seared Tuna Salad - THIS WAS AMAZING!  The tuna was cooked to perfection and the dressing on the salad was great.  It was my favorite course for sure.

- Lobster Bisque Soup - the soup was pretty good.  It had a fried ravioli as a garnish.  Everyone liked it.

 

Main Course:

 

- Surf and Turf - steaks were cooked nicely, shrimp tasted great.  Served with asparagus.

- Chicken Stuffed with Seafood - The seafood stuffing was very good, but the chicken was VERY salty.  All chicken dishes that I had for the entire week at the resort tasted the same - salty.  I would avoid a chicken dish if you can.  The dish was served on a bed of  couscous.

 

Desert:

 

- Cognac Truffle Cake - awesome, it was a chocolate-y decadent mouse/cake covered in a white chocolate shell.  Perfect way to end the meal. (and then we had cake!)

 

We opted for the Tres Leches cake.  It was good, but after our amazing Cognac Truffle Cake desert, nothing could compare. 

 

 

I also wanted to add that I am fairly certain that you are able to have two entre choices for your guests plus a vegetarian option (three options all together).  In order to do this you will need to provide a seating chart with all meal choices to the wedding coordinator during your meeting.  Alternatively you could do seating cards that somehow depict the different selections on them - ie: green=veggie, red=beef, yellow=chicken. 

 

Thanks this is helpful.  I am really worried about the food.  Not the quality of it but the quantity.  I am an Italian from NYC so I am used to events having an overabundance of food at all events and meals. But  I am sure I can add things on to the menu once I am down there.  

[janders8]

Please check out the attached file! For some reason it won't allow me to paste my LONG response on here. You will want to read it I promise!

 

 

 

travel review.docx

[DinaQtobe]

Thanks this is helpful.  I am really worried about the food.  Not the quality of it but the quantity.  I am an Italian from NYC so I am used to events having an overabundance of food at all events and meals. But  I am sure I can add things on to the menu once I am down there.  

If it helps, I was STUFFED after our dinner.  I felt like there was a lot of food.  The picture of the surf and turf looks small, but there was a significant portion there.  I was extremely happy with the amount of food.  If anyone was hungry afterwards the buffet was right next door, they could have gotten more if they wanted, but no one did!

[gannonham]

 

We got our tumbler mugs at Sams Club.  They were a seasonal item so I am not sure if they have them anymore.  A package of 6 was 20$.  My sister then made labels for them so each guest had a personalized mug.  They were awesome mugs though, I especially liked them because there were multiple colors in each package so guests wouldn't get theirs mixed up.  Here's the link: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/double-walled-tumber/prod8210138.ip

The cups for drinks are a decent size, I would say about the size of a red solo cup.  Drinks at the preferred pool were a bit bigger.  Like I said, the service was wonderful the week we were there, no guests were ever without!

 

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!  The Now Sapphire was amazing, and we are so happy that we had our wedding there.  Picking our menu was a bit of a challenge as many of the items didn't have a description.

I will outline our menu choices and a bit of a description/review of each:

 

Cocktail Hour:

- Salmon and dill cream cheese (my favorite!)

    This smoked salmon wrapped around dill flavoured cream cheese balls. YUM!

- Shrimp wrapped in Bacon

    Grilled Shrimp wrapped in bacon - was very tasty

- Sliced tomato and mozzarella al pesto

     This would be a winner with the vegetarian people, and very aesthetically appealing too.  A cherry tomato with a piece of    fresh mozzarella and a basil leaf.

- Prosciutto ham bruschetta

     prosciutto on top of a piece of toasted bread. (this was the only one I didn't try).

 

Dinner:

 

- Seared Tuna Salad - THIS WAS AMAZING!  The tuna was cooked to perfection and the dressing on the salad was great.  It was my favorite course for sure.

- Lobster Bisque Soup - the soup was pretty good.  It had a fried ravioli as a garnish.  Everyone liked it.

 

Main Course:

 

- Surf and Turf - steaks were cooked nicely, shrimp tasted great.  Served with asparagus.

- Chicken Stuffed with Seafood - The seafood stuffing was very good, but the chicken was VERY salty.  All chicken dishes that I had for the entire week at the resort tasted the same - salty.  I would avoid a chicken dish if you can.  The dish was served on a bed of  couscous.

 

Desert:

 

- Cognac Truffle Cake - awesome, it was a chocolate-y decadent mouse/cake covered in a white chocolate shell.  Perfect way to end the meal. (and then we had cake!)

 

We opted for the Tres Leches cake.  It was good, but after our amazing Cognac Truffle Cake desert, nothing could compare. 

 

 

I also wanted to add that I am fairly certain that you are able to have two entre choices for your guests plus a vegetarian option (three options all together).  In order to do this you will need to provide a seating chart with all meal choices to the wedding coordinator during your meeting.  Alternatively you could do seating cards that somehow depict the different selections on them - ie: green=veggie, red=beef, yellow=chicken. 

 

Thank you so very much for this info and the pics, Dina, you are awesome!  You also made a gorgeous bride and look so happy ... congrats! 

 

Does anyone know if it's possible to do a latenight buffet of some sort?  I was thinking of a candy bar or some sort of latenight snack.  I'm from Canada, so poutine would also be awesome.  Or maybe a make-your-own taco bar.  I'd be interested to know if anyone else did this or looked into it.

Has anyone used an outside florist?  If so, who did you use and would you recommend them?  I am finding the hotel's prices for flowers super expensive and would like to save where I can, without jeopardizing quality or style.

 

I'm also debating on whether to go with an outside vendor for our DJ.  Anyone out there who could recommend one?

Edited March 6, 2014 by gannonham

[CurlyKristen]

I am so over waiting for Anel to respond to emails. I haven’t heard a word from her since she confirmed our date, time, and location and took the deposit. It has been over a month of waiting for her to respond to one email. I almost feel like I should start looking for a different resort.