OFFICIAL NOW Jade Wedding Thread

[mrsroberts2016]

Hi ladies!!! My fiancé and I just decided on 11/7/16 at NOW Jade for our wedding. Any additional things you wish you would have done or things you did but, looking back, you could have done without?

 

Also, thoughts on beach vs pergola? What about cocktail and reception locations for approx 60 ppl? Need for a dance floor?

 

Anything you guys can suggest is GREATLY appreciated!!

 

Beautiful pictures BTW!! Congratulations!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rachelia160]

Hi ladies!!! My fiancé and I just decided on 11/7/16 at NOW Jade for our wedding. Any additional things you wish you would have done or things you did but, looking back, you could have done without?

 

Also, thoughts on beach vs pergola? What about cocktail and reception locations for approx 60 ppl? Need for a dance floor?

 

Anything you guys can suggest is GREATLY appreciated!!

 

Beautiful pictures BTW!! Congratulations!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Congratulations on picking your resort!!

 

I'd definitely recommend the pergola over the beach. I had originally planned on the beach all along, but it's really just way too close to the adult pool, in my opinion. You'll have a bunch of people in their bathing suits literally right behind you as you say "I Do!" (I straight up watched someone's wedding from there a few days after ours, and tried to shush some loud drunk people cause I felt so bad for the bride). We moved ours to the pergola at the last second and were SO glad we did. It gives you much more privacy.

 

I had 58 guests, and we did our cocktail hour at the Blue Beach bar (would DEFINITELY recommend, it's closest and easiest to get to from the pergola and it's easier for people to watch you take pictures), and Castaways for our reception, which I loved, since it was open air and kind of outside, but still under cover in case it rained. As far as a dance floor, I've seen them in other people's pictures and they look really cool, but I definitely don't think it's a necessity - we danced all night without one!

 

As I've said in some of my other posts, I was really wigged out through the entire planning process because I didn't feel like I was doing enough. I didn't feel like I had enough decorations or cutsey details, since I'm not a Pintresty crafty person at all. In the end, everything turned out SO gorgeous that I don't know why I was worried. The few simple things I did looked great! So my advice is to not get too hung up on the little stuff to the point where it stresses you out - the resort is gorgeous and your wedding planner will do a great job of adding little decorations to round everything out.

 

Happy planning!

[cycloneusa]

Dear mrsrobers2016:

Best wishes for your wedding next November. I am getting married at the Now Jade in just 11 days and to be completely honest, if feels like a mistake to have selected this resort. I am hopeful for you that having a full year to deal with the resort and make plans will result in a more positive experience. Here are the reasons I regret chosing the Now Jade:

 

1. Communication with the wedding planners is slow, almost entirely via email, and when you do manage to get a telephone call scheduled, a lot gets lost in translation due to the language barrier. There was so much back and forth discussion via email about which venues were available to us that finally I demanded a telephone call and was still disappointed with the end result. There was no explanation as to why certain ceremony and reception venues weren't available. When I asked if there was another wedding, there was one at the Pergola, with cocktails at the Mix Bar, and reception at the Bamboo room, but they still wouldn't make the fountain available to us so we ended up choosing the beach for the ceremony as a last resort even though there is nothing else booked at the other spots. She simply wouldn't explain why it wasn't available. We had already told guest that we were booking here because we planned all of this on a very compressed time table (3 mo), so we couldn't go back. 

 

2. Trying to book a group rate through the resort was a complete waste of time. They simply seemed uninterested in our business. Each time they quoted rates that were outrageous compared to publicly available rates on Bookit.com and Expedia and I simply wasn't going to try to get "free" nights for the groom and me on the backs of our guests. That just seemed really shady to me. I even sent them hotel confirmations from the online bookings I made to see if they would match them and they refused. Total fail on the group reservations front.

 

3.  They nickle and dime you for everything. I booked the Divine package simply because if you have more than 10 people they set up fees and extra chair/champagne and meal fees eat you alive so you might as well start with the 25 people that the Divine package includes. The outside vendor fees, set up fees and taxes are really annoying since it's supposed to be a package and how dare you want an upgraded photographer, makeup artist, or flowers.  For this reason, we are schlepping a crap load of decor with us and I'm going to buy roses locally at Wal-Mart or Costco for some small little centerpieces to add to the included single centerpiece in the package. We are even bringing our own portable PA speaker and microphone because they were going to charge us for the equipment and setup at each site and you can buy one and pay the extra bag fee to bring it down there for a fraction of the cost. 

 

4. Bait & switch - some of the things that are shown in the photos in the wedding guide are not actually included in the package. For example, the cakes that are shown in the Divine package are all three tiers and have flowers or other decoration...but the cake they give you is only two tiers and they include a disclaimer that the cake may not look like the one you chose. WTF? So on this one, I'm just rolling with it because the cake isn't the most important thing to me, the vows are....but it's just another annoyance.

 

I'm not trying to rain on your parade and I think that if you know all the ins and outs, you'll be better prepared to ask for the moon and hopefully get what you want. The reason I chose this resort is because the Jade got such good reviews from brides on this site and because it was more affordable than a lot of the other alternatives I could find. My suggestions would be: a) spend the time to negotiate with a travel agent and/or the resort directly for competitive room rates. I found rooms on Bookit.com for the week of Thanksgiving for around $181 per night a few months ago and now the room are all more than $300 per night. I suggest doing your own research on rates and then comparing and asking them why they can't meet or beat publicly available rates; they will reserve a non-private area for you at one of the bars if you want to schedule a welcome cocktail gathering for free - make sure you ask for it and include it in the contract. They will try to upsell you on food etc, but unless you want to spend more money on a private affair, you can get this for free; c) ask for a signature cocktail - I read that someone got them to do it for free so I asked and they agreed. There will be an upcharge if the ingredients are out of the ordinary or the drink is time-consuming to make; d) send pic of bouquets you like because the ones in their catalog are limited. I sent photos and they claim they are going to match my request for the bouquet, centerpiece, and boutonnieres with no upcharge. I will share some pics after my wedding if that helps. We are doing beach ceremony on November 28 with cocktails and dinner at the Carnival Terrace because we only have 23 people total. I would have wanted the bamboo room or Castaways if it wouldn't have dwarfed our small group.

 

Best wishes!

Dana 

 

Hi ladies!!! My fiancé and I just decided on 11/7/16 at NOW Jade for our wedding. Any additional things you wish you would have done or things you did but, looking back, you could have done without?

Also, thoughts on beach vs pergola? What about cocktail and reception locations for approx 60 ppl? Need for a dance floor?

Anything you guys can suggest is GREATLY appreciated!!

Beautiful pictures BTW!! Congratulations!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FutureMrsJV]

Hi mrsroberts2016!

 

Congrats! I am actually getting married just five days after you on 11/12/16! I went to visit the resort earlier this year and ended up booking the Pergola for the ceremony, Blue Beach Bar for cocktail hour, and Castaways for the reception. Although the Pergola isn't far from the beach, it is definitely more private. 

 

Happy Planning!!

 

Jessica

[Safozzy]

Hi

 

We've booked to get married on 13th October 2016!! How far in advance should I fill out the forms for pilar? I have 30 guests including us and I'm worried someone else will book the areas im looking at!

 

Also I'm not loving the set menus for the divine package what did you all go for?

 

Thanks

Shelley x

[Moments That Matter]

Hola newbies...Shelley, Jessica, Dana + mrsroberts2016 - welcome to our forum community and Congrats on your upcoming destination weddings!!! Very Exciting

 

To show you what a beautiful backdrop the NOW Jade makes for wedding photos, here are some magical wedding moments that matter we've captured there......taken from our NOW Jade Wedding Album 1:

 

 

 

 

....NOW Jade Wedding Album 2:

 

 

 

....NOW Jade Wedding Album 3:

 

 

 

Wishing everyone happy research, all the best with their plans....and....HAPPY NEW YEAR - Cheeeers!!! team MTM

[Safozzy]

Dear mrsrobers2016:

Best wishes for your wedding next November. I am getting married at the Now Jade in just 11 days and to be completely honest, if feels like a mistake to have selected this resort. I am hopeful for you that having a full year to deal with the resort and make plans will result in a more positive experience. Here are the reasons I regret chosing the Now Jade:

 

1. Communication with the wedding planners is slow, almost entirely via email, and when you do manage to get a telephone call scheduled, a lot gets lost in translation due to the language barrier. There was so much back and forth discussion via email about which venues were available to us that finally I demanded a telephone call and was still disappointed with the end result. There was no explanation as to why certain ceremony and reception venues weren't available. When I asked if there was another wedding, there was one at the Pergola, with cocktails at the Mix Bar, and reception at the Bamboo room, but they still wouldn't make the fountain available to us so we ended up choosing the beach for the ceremony as a last resort even though there is nothing else booked at the other spots. She simply wouldn't explain why it wasn't available. We had already told guest that we were booking here because we planned all of this on a very compressed time table (3 mo), so we couldn't go back. 

 

2. Trying to book a group rate through the resort was a complete waste of time. They simply seemed uninterested in our business. Each time they quoted rates that were outrageous compared to publicly available rates on Bookit.com and Expedia and I simply wasn't going to try to get "free" nights for the groom and me on the backs of our guests. That just seemed really shady to me. I even sent them hotel confirmations from the online bookings I made to see if they would match them and they refused. Total fail on the group reservations front.

 

3.  They nickle and dime you for everything. I booked the Divine package simply because if you have more than 10 people they set up fees and extra chair/champagne and meal fees eat you alive so you might as well start with the 25 people that the Divine package includes. The outside vendor fees, set up fees and taxes are really annoying since it's supposed to be a package and how dare you want an upgraded photographer, makeup artist, or flowers.  For this reason, we are schlepping a crap load of decor with us and I'm going to buy roses locally at Wal-Mart or Costco for some small little centerpieces to add to the included single centerpiece in the package. We are even bringing our own portable PA speaker and microphone because they were going to charge us for the equipment and setup at each site and you can buy one and pay the extra bag fee to bring it down there for a fraction of the cost. 

 

4. Bait & switch - some of the things that are shown in the photos in the wedding guide are not actually included in the package. For example, the cakes that are shown in the Divine package are all three tiers and have flowers or other decoration...but the cake they give you is only two tiers and they include a disclaimer that the cake may not look like the one you chose. WTF? So on this one, I'm just rolling with it because the cake isn't the most important thing to me, the vows are....but it's just another annoyance.

 

I'm not trying to rain on your parade and I think that if you know all the ins and outs, you'll be better prepared to ask for the moon and hopefully get what you want. The reason I chose this resort is because the Jade got such good reviews from brides on this site and because it was more affordable than a lot of the other alternatives I could find. My suggestions would be: a) spend the time to negotiate with a travel agent and/or the resort directly for competitive room rates. I found rooms on Bookit.com for the week of Thanksgiving for around $181 per night a few months ago and now the room are all more than $300 per night. I suggest doing your own research on rates and then comparing and asking them why they can't meet or beat publicly available rates; they will reserve a non-private area for you at one of the bars if you want to schedule a welcome cocktail gathering for free - make sure you ask for it and include it in the contract. They will try to upsell you on food etc, but unless you want to spend more money on a private affair, you can get this for free; c) ask for a signature cocktail - I read that someone got them to do it for free so I asked and they agreed. There will be an upcharge if the ingredients are out of the ordinary or the drink is time-consuming to make; d) send pic of bouquets you like because the ones in their catalog are limited. I sent photos and they claim they are going to match my request for the bouquet, centerpiece, and boutonnieres with no upcharge. I will share some pics after my wedding if that helps. We are doing beach ceremony on November 28 with cocktails and dinner at the Carnival Terrace because we only have 23 people total. I would have wanted the bamboo room or Castaways if it wouldn't have dwarfed our small group.

 

Best wishes!

Dana

 

How did the day go dana? Would love to hear about it!

 

Shelley x

[JadeBride2016]

Hi Ladies, I'm getting married at Now Jade in May 2016 and Jacqueline my wedding planner just emailed me cost for additional decorations. As much as I thought I was prepared for all of the ancillary costs there were a lot of things in there I hadn't budgeted for. I am wondering if any brides have pictures of their pergola and bamboo room reception set ups along with what upgrades like table runners and napkins you paid for? I'm just wondering if things look nice without the extras. Thanks for your help!

[Safozzy]

Hi Ladies, I'm getting married at Now Jade in May 2016 and Jacqueline my wedding planner just emailed me cost for additional decorations. As much as I thought I was prepared for all of the ancillary costs there were a lot of things in there I hadn't budgeted for. I am wondering if any brides have pictures of their pergola and bamboo room reception set ups along with what upgrades like table runners and napkins you paid for? I'm just wondering if things look nice without the extras. Thanks for your help!

Hi

Are you on Facebook? If so join the group now resorts brides there are a few from now jade that have posted pics xx

[mariak]

I have attached some pictures I took of the area where we were married. The pergola and the mixed bar where we had the cocktail.

Attached are some pictures of decoration we added. They put minimal drapping material on the pergola which was included. We brought the chair sashes, fans and bubbles which we paid to have set up. Since I was upset with the additional cost I also had them put 2 of our centerpiece ball things on the pergola since we had extra. Frankly, all the nickel and dining was frustrating. Instead of spending a morning with our families and friends on the beach we were planning the "extras$$$$$" for our wedding.

The ceremony was in the bamboo room. We were married in August so it was crazy hot and the bugs were INSANE!!! We hired a DJ because they offered a better price for the up lights (coloured spot lights) than the hotel. The lights added more atmosphere without using decorations. We also added paper lanterns which we paid to have hung. We brought the centrepieces which took up more than a full suitcase but came in handy for the cake cutting. The hotel doesn't decorate the cake table so my friend used extra peddles and the bridesmaids bouquets to decorate. It was awesome! By the way the cake was the best cake I have ever had.. And I LOVE cake!! We ordered the almond cake with almond and fresh strawberry filling. We had them bring the left over cake to our room the next morning for our breakfast in bed. I had sparkling wine and cake for breakie. HELLO MARRIAGE!!

 

We also used Claudia Rodriguez as our photographer and paid the outside vendor fee. TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!!!!!!! She is amazing!! I will write a separate review and share more pictures.