Secrets St James/Wild Orchid Weddings 2012/2013

[JA2012]

Ladies I highly reccommend you just bring the extra luggage. If you have a few guests going down, give them ea a suitcase. It will cost you approx $25 for every extra suitcase filled with 50lbs. Pack it in such a way that you can put the cases inside ea other on the return trip. The mail in JA is nuts. I've been to JA about 5x since I've been planning my wedding and bring 2 cases with me ea time. Customs has never once asked me what on earth I'm doing there with all that luggage nor asked to see what's inside it. Actually once they did ask what's in the cases and I said I'm planning a wedding. Lol. They said congrats and I skated through. Shipping heavy items will cost you a pretty penny. That's my two cents. Good luck.

[alexisinjamaica]

Um, totes jealous you've been able to go so many times while planning! Bet that has been a huge help!!
 

[JA2012]

Originally Posted by alexisinjamaica 

 

Um, totes jealous you've been able to go so many times while planning! Bet that has been a huge help!!

 

Yes it's been a huge help. I'm an event planner at home and so I've been pretty OCD with planning our wedding. I've scouted so many venues and met so many vendors that now I feel prety confident with my choices. With the travel, it's been pretty easy because my fiance is there and also alot of my family so it makes it possible to go so often. 

[JA2012]

Originally Posted by alexisinjamaica 

 

Um, totes jealous you've been able to go so many times while planning! Bet that has been a huge help!!

 

Have you finalized all of your details yet?

[alexisinjamaica]

Originally Posted by JA2012 

 

Yes it's been a huge help. I'm an event planner at home and so I've been pretty OCD with planning our wedding. I've scouted so many venues and met so many vendors that now I feel prety confident with my choices. With the travel, it's been pretty easy because my fiance is there and also alot of my family so it makes it possible to go so often. 

 

Nice! Makes me feel good about my choice that you're a planner and have looked at so many places and you're still choosing Secrets! Yay!

 

Originally Posted by JA2012 

 

Have you finalized all of your details yet?

 

Yes! All of the details with the resort are done and confirmed. Now I just have some final things like programs, escort cards etc. to make! And finalizing the music, but FI is in charge of that. He's giving me panic attacks though because he's not what I would like to call super organized and he told me he's been writing songs down on envelopes when he thinks of them. I asked why he doesn't just start a word doc or excel sheet since he's mostly doing this at work. He has no good response to that. Oh and he says he's lost two of the envelopes! Luckily I don't care that much about what we play. Haha.

[jrebecky]

Originally Posted by alexisinjamaica 

 

 

Nice! Makes me feel good about my choice that you're a planner and have looked at so many places and you're still choosing Secrets! Yay!

 

 

Yes! All of the details with the resort are done and confirmed. Now I just have some final things like programs, escort cards etc. to make! And finalizing the music, but FI is in charge of that. He's giving me panic attacks though because he's not what I would like to call super organized and he told me he's been writing songs down on envelopes when he thinks of them. I asked why he doesn't just start a word doc or excel sheet since he's mostly doing this at work. He has no good response to that. Oh and he says he's lost two of the envelopes! Luckily I don't care that much about what we play. Haha.

That's exciting that your planning is done!  Just a little over a month.  So, how was the planning process with the WC?  It seemed like it went pretty good.  Did extras start adding up?  That's what I'm a little worried about.  I think we'll have over 20 guests - so that will definitely add up, plus other upgrades or add-ons.  And, am I correct that a dance floor for the beach reception was $1000?  If that's the case, I'm wondering if we can get away without it!

[alexisinjamaica]

That's exciting that your planning is done!  Just a little over a month.  So, how was the planning process with the WC?  It seemed like it went pretty good.  Did extras start adding up?  That's what I'm a little worried about.  I think we'll have over 20 guests - so that will definitely add up, plus other upgrades or add-ons.  And, am I correct that a dance floor for the beach reception was $1000?  If that's the case, I'm wondering if we can get away without it!

The planning process with the WC was super easy. There's a checklist/spreadsheet to fill out and I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted so by the time I got it, it was easy to fill in. The extras did start adding up, and yes, the dance floor is $1000. I tried to push back on that since it's crazy but they told me they can't do anything about the price since it's an outside company who comes in to build it. We are having around 40 guests and for everything (flowers, dance floor, chivari chair upgrade, cupcake upgrade, welcome bonfire, DJ, steel drum band, vendor fees + day pass for the outside photographers, extra costs for the guests over 20, etc.) it is about $12k.

[alexisinjamaica]

Originally Posted by JA2012 

 

Ladies I highly reccommend you just bring the extra luggage. If you have a few guests going down, give them ea a suitcase. It will cost you approx $25 for every extra suitcase filled with 50lbs. Pack it in such a way that you can put the cases inside ea other on the return trip. The mail in JA is nuts. I've been to JA about 5x since I've been planning my wedding and bring 2 cases with me ea time. Customs has never once asked me what on earth I'm doing there with all that luggage nor asked to see what's inside it. Actually once they did ask what's in the cases and I said I'm planning a wedding. Lol. They said congrats and I skated through. Shipping heavy items will cost you a pretty penny. That's my two cents. Good luck.

 

My other concern with taking everything with me is we have a connecting flight. We fly from Los Angeles to Miami and then on to Jamaica. So I'm nervous about our bags making that second flight, in addition to the hassle of me taking everything through. But ahh I really can't decide! Pros and cons to each!

[JA2012]

Originally Posted by alexisinjamaica 

 

 

My other concern with taking everything with me is we have a connecting flight. We fly from Los Angeles to Miami and then on to Jamaica. So I'm nervous about our bags making that second flight, in addition to the hassle of me taking everything through. But ahh I really can't decide! Pros and cons to each!

Oh ok, yes if i had a connecting flight that would definitely be a concern for me too. Hmmm...can you call your TA and find out if the luggage goes straight through or not? If luggage goes straight through you should be ok. If you have to physically collect your luggage and then re check it then I'd ship it ahead of time. I've found that Delta is pretty good with ensuring luggage is protected. 

[JA2012]

My wedding isn't actually at Secrets because it was getting out of hand. My guest list is currently at 97 ppl. I really wanted 50 or less but that isn't going to happen now so I had to switch the venue based on that. :-(

However I loved it there! And that's probably why I ended up on this forum...I saw the title and am having total venue envy of you lucky ladies. hahaha. I can't wait to see when you all post photos afterwards.