Now Sapphire Weddings Formerly Paradisus Riviera

[GingerJ228]

Did anyone ever get an answer about the possibility and price of a private buffet setup if you have 50+ ppl? I know this used to be an option but don't see anything about it in the wedding book they sent with my confirmation. We are trying to keep the guest list down because I know each person over 25 is like $100 but we might not be able able to keep it small enough, so I'm hoping a buffet might work out a bit cheaper.

 

Also, how did you guys book your rooms for your group? Anyone book a block directly with the hotel or did you use an agent? I've gotten a couple of quotes from agencies, but seems like they want everyone to book within 30 days or want $100 deposit per room, both seem unreasonable to me.

 

I'm so excited to be sharing this experience with all you amazing ladies! All the great ladies and posts on this board helped me decide this was the resort for us! Thanks!!

I am doing a welcome dinner the evening before my wedding and it is going to be a buffet beach BBQ. This what I was quoted as far as pricing from Anel directly from my e-mail correspondence with her.

 

"Regarding the Welcome event, we can do a Beach BBQ, the cost is $35 usd, plus tax, plus service, per person.  This cost includes; location rental fee, basic set up (round tables with white table cloth), private bar set up, dinner buffet style and open bar for 2 hours".

 

 

As far as room bookings I used a TA, my Best friends mother, who is a very dear friend is my TA and she has done numerous weddings at NOW Sapphire that have gone off without a hitch. My fiancee and I decided to hold a block of 20 rooms, we had to leave a $2000 deposit to hold these.  If they are not filled by a certain date (I believe its mid-April for our June wedding) we will release the additional rooms and the money will go towards the balance of our bill for the wedding.  

I hope this helps.  If you need any more info you can always private message me.  

[bbbride]

Hi ladies!!

 

can anyone email me the 2014 wedding planning pdf (the one that anel/ramon sends when you book your date)?

 

I booked back in 2013 for my october 2014 wedding and i want to confirm that the menu choices haven't changed. I'm getting ready to get my invites/ rsvps designed and need to include thier meal choice. we're doing the eternity package/ menu if anyone has any info.. id appreciate it!

 

PM me and I'll send you my email so you can forward it.

 

thank you!!

[CurlyKristen]

@@bbbride Here is a link that should help you

http://www.amresorts.com/wedding_guides/nosrc-wedding-guide.pdf

[meganator22]

@@meganator22 did you post a review of your wedding on the site? If so can you send me the link to it.

I have no yet, our internet is so slow in the middle of nowhere, and id like to include pictures and stuff, so I am going to wait until we get to Ohio (where my husbands job is right now and fast internet haha) to send it over. Itll probably be done next week...I'll definitely send it over

Hi ladies!!

 

can anyone email me the 2014 wedding planning pdf (the one that anel/ramon sends when you book your date)?

 

I booked back in 2013 for my october 2014 wedding and i want to confirm that the menu choices haven't changed. I'm getting ready to get my invites/ rsvps designed and need to include thier meal choice. we're doing the eternity package/ menu if anyone has any info.. id appreciate it!

 

PM me and I'll send you my email so you can forward it.

 

thank you!!

I think I might have that and more in the pictures section of my profile, hopefully it's still there.

[meganwitt]

For past brides who do only a symbolic ceremony, were you able to give the person from the resort vows our somethings you wanted to say during the ceremony? 

 

Also I've decided to do causal welcome happy hour. I'm thinking having people go to lobby bar, is that the best gathering place/bar? 

[gannonham]

Is anyone else having any issues seeing the review @@janders8 did?  BDW is telling me I don't have the right kind of profile to view the attachment.  If any of you can see it and wouldn't mind either copying and pasting it heer or DMing me, I would greatly appreciate it!

@@meganator22, I can't wait to read your review and hear all about your magical day!!

@@vanessav53, thank you so much for sending that link along!!  I have signed up for webinar and can't wait to get some answers to my questions.  I am also not having the best of luck getting speedy responses, but understand that's all part of the destination wedding experience.  

This Wednesday will mark 6 weeks until I get married at NOW Sapphire - so excited!!  I can't believe it is so soon

Also I've decided to do causal welcome happy hour. I'm thinking having people go to lobby bar, is that the best gathering place/bar? 

I am also thinking of doing the same thing vs. paying for a private reception.  When I spoke to Anel, she mentioned that Moments Lobby Bar would be a good spot for a casual cocktail.  I am going between that or just doing a really fun, casual pool bar meet & greet.  Hmmmm.  The hard part is that we have guests arriving on 3 different dates, so if we wait until all have arrived, most people would have already gotten the chance to share a drink on arrival day 1 or 2.

Edited March 10, 2014 by gannonham

[meganwitt]

Is anyone else having any issues seeing the review @@janders8 did?  BDW is telling me I don't have the right kind of profile to view the attachment.  If any of you can see it and wouldn't mind either copying and pasting it heer or DMing me, I would greatly appreciate it!

 

@@meganator22, I can't wait to read your review and hear all about your magical day!!

 

@@vanessav53, thank you so much for sending that link along!!  I have signed up for webinar and can't wait to get some answers to my questions.  I am also not having the best of luck getting speedy responses, but understand that's all part of the destination wedding experience.  

 

This Wednesday will mark 6 weeks until I get married at NOW Sapphire - so excited!!  I can't believe it is so soon

I am also thinking of doing the same thing vs. paying for a private reception.  When I spoke to Anel, she mentioned that Moments Lobby Bar would be a good spot for a casual cocktail.  I am going between that or just doing a really fun, casual pool bar meet & greet.  Hmmmm.  The hard part is that we have guests arriving on 3 different dates, so if we wait until all have arrived, most people would have already gotten the chance to share a drink on arrival day 1 or 2.

 

 

I'm glad to hear Anel suggested the lobby bar as well. At the pool bar were you just thinking of a causal thing as well or a structured event? We have 46 people coming so maybe the pool bar would be hard to gather at.

We have people arriving different days too, but we decide to gather everyone the night before as a "groom's dinner/cocktail hour" so we can pass out OOT bags and welcome everyone. I figure people will be having drinks well before then, but this kicks off our wedding events.

 

We are for sure passing on the private beach dinner as that is too pricey for us and as it is an all exclusive felt weird paying for food and such.

 

We are 101 days out!!Cannot wait and the excitement is growing.

[gannonham]

Whoo hooo, 101 days is going to FLY!  How long are you guys staying at NOW Sapphire?  And do you plan on having events on every day that you are there?

For the pool bar meet & greet, I was thinking of something seriously low key - like, as low key as you can get, LOL.  It would really just be a poolside meet & greet, bikinis, swim trunks and all.  I figure everyone will be there anyway, so why not turn it into something?  We have 55 people booked so far and there may be a few more stragglers to book closer to our date, so we will need a place that is big enough to host us all.

Speaking of which, question for all you past NOW Sapphire brides.  Anel told me that we have to pay per head for anyone over 10 people if we were to do our rehearsal dinner anywhere but the buffet. 

1)  Did any of you choose to go to the buffet for your rehearsal dinner? 
2)  Outside of the rehearsal dinner / wedding, did you find it difficult to have bigger dinner groups on any given night?  And would they charge you if you were to show up with 12 people? 

With a group as large as ours, I'm guessing there will be a few impromptu group dinners and I don't want them giving us a hassle to be seated or charge us for eating at an all-inclusive resort.  I actually find it kind of silly that they would even charge for a rehearsal dinner outside of the buffett if you didn't need it to be private.  I mean, we're spending a lot of money at the resort ... you'd think that they would throw these types of things in.  Okay, rant over

 

[DinaQtobe]

For past brides who do only a symbolic ceremony, were you able to give the person from the resort vows our somethings you wanted to say during the ceremony? 

 

Also I've decided to do causal welcome happy hour. I'm thinking having people go to lobby bar, is that the best gathering place/bar? 

We had a symbolic ceremony.  My husband met the minister about 5 minutes before the start of the ceremony.  The minister asked if we wanted a religious ceremony or one focused more about love and family.  He also asked if we had prepared our own vows (which we had), he worked it into the ceremony flawlessly.  My husband held onto our vows (as he had pockets!) and when it was time to say our vows he handed me mine.

 

The lobby bar is likely your best bet for a casual cocktail hour/happy hour.  It is much more calm and tranquil compared to the pool bar, or beach bar.  I would suggest you organize it for late in the afternoon (maybe 4:30-5pm), as at the dinner hour the lobby gets very busy and it might be difficult to find enough space amongst the other guests.  Unless Anel reserves some seating for you.  While I was there I did notice that there was one night where there was a reserved area (with no one in it!).

Whoo hooo, 101 days is going to FLY!  How long are you guys staying at NOW Sapphire?  And do you plan on having events on every day that you are there?

 

For the pool bar meet & greet, I was thinking of something seriously low key - like, as low key as you can get, LOL.  It would really just be a poolside meet & greet, bikinis, swim trunks and all.  I figure everyone will be there anyway, so why not turn it into something?  We have 55 people booked so far and there may be a few more stragglers to book closer to our date, so we will need a place that is big enough to host us all.

 

Speaking of which, question for all you past NOW Sapphire brides.  Anel told me that we have to pay per head for anyone over 10 people if we were to do our rehearsal dinner anywhere but the buffet. 

 

1)  Did any of you choose to go to the buffet for your rehearsal dinner? 

2)  Outside of the rehearsal dinner / wedding, did you find it difficult to have bigger dinner groups on any given night?  And would they charge you if you were to show up with 12 people? 

 

With a group as large as ours, I'm guessing there will be a few impromptu group dinners and I don't want them giving us a hassle to be seated or charge us for eating at an all-inclusive resort.  I actually find it kind of silly that they would even charge for a rehearsal dinner outside of the buffett if you didn't need it to be private.  I mean, we're spending a lot of money at the resort ... you'd think that they would throw these types of things in.  Okay, rant over

 

 

We went to dinner a few nights with 12 people with no extra charge.  Perhaps the cost is due to reserving a table? It's first come first serve at the a la carte restaurants at the NOW.  With these larger parties we had to show up before the opening time for the restaurant (15-20 minutes before they opened), or wait until they could accommodate us (once it was 9:30).  We often had dinner with 8 and that didn't seem to be as much as a problem.  It seemed that the Asian restaurant was the most popular, we waited a long time for that restaurant!

[bbbride]

I have no yet, our internet is so slow in the middle of nowhere, and id like to include pictures and stuff, so I am going to wait until we get to Ohio (where my husbands job is right now and fast internet haha) to send it over. Itll probably be done next week...I'll definitely send it over

 

I think I might have that and more in the pictures section of my profile, hopefully it's still there.

 

@@bbbride Here is a link that should help you

http://www.amresorts.com/wedding_guides/nosrc-wedding-guide.pdf

thanks ladies!

can anyone tell me if the plain white gazebo decor is included in eternity package? i've read different things on this forum and im so confused now!