Turks and Caicos October 2012

[turksbride12]

We got married at Coral House with 45 people and it was beautiful.  We started planning August of last year but honestly didn't need all that time for planning, everyone we worked with was so responsive.  I wanted to give our guests as much notice as possible so they could start saving/planning their trips.  We sent out our STDs last August and our invites in Jan with a March RSVP date for our June wedding since the house needed a final count 2 months prior. We didnt do a hotel block, we literally had people staying everywhere based on price and the kind of resort they wanted to be at.  We were down there for a week, as were most of our guests but we had some do 3 days and others do 10. 

 

We did a private charter with Caicos Dream Tours 2 days before the wedding, I worked with Kristine and everyone had a great time.  We had 22 people on the boat so it was the same price pp for a private boat as it was if we were to go with other people so that was a no brainer.  Everyone really loved the cruise, even those who were on the fence about doing it in the first place.

 

We had no issues with customs bringing that much stuff in since it was all packed in suitcases.  We just looked like a wreck carrying garment bags and pushing all the suitcases through the airport.    Even traveling with my dress was so easy.  Security let us get in the front of the line at the airport (your arm will get tired of holding it up!) and the stewardess laid it down in the overhead bin that took up 2 rows and closed it and said if anyone had an issue with me taking up the giant bin then they could talk to her.  She said it would be smushed in the first class closet but that's where we hung my FI's suit. 

 

The house had a iPod hookup with great speakers and past brides successfully used that without a DJ so that's what we did.  We spent hours and hours on the playlists getting everything in the right order, making sure there was music to please everyone, etc and it worked out fine.  I was going back and forth about a DJ but I got to a point where I was so tired of spending money on the wedding so I'm really happy that worked out well.  We also had Correy Forbes on the beach playing guitar for us for an hour during the ceremony and through formal pictures on the beach which was nice. 

 

Our planner was Teresa Brunner who was very personable and knowledgeable and I booked because she offered day of services, everyone else required full on wedding planning.  I like to do a lot myself but I didn't want to be worried about all the details the day of.  She took care of booking the pastor and all of our paperwork, and when the day came she set up all the tables and really made it so I didn't have to worry about anything.  My only complaint was the increased price quotes of items I got from her.  I completely understand planners adding a 10-20% service charge on items since I know they need to make money but I was put off by how increased hers were.  For example, $10 to rent a single charger plate (bought these for $1 each at Hobby Lobby), $15 to rent a place mat, $50 for a single hydrangea stem in a bud vase.  So I got our reception rentals and flowers directly through Environmental Arts and brought the rest of the stuff down with me. I would have loved for her to take care of things without my involvement, which she would of, but I had an issue with such a large increase. 

 

We also had zero ceremony decor which stressed me out for no end but at the end of the day I didnt want to pay $1200 for an arch for 15 minutes or $400 for some driftwood pieces I didnt really like in the first place.  So we just had the rows of white chairs and it was totally fine.  The strip of beach where the house is at is away from the hotels and you dont have to worry about people walking by etc.  Everyone was blown away by how beautiful the house was that it wasnt an issue and I feel dumb thinking of how many nights I was up worrying about it.  The house was our splurge so we left it at that. 

[JenRoseRDH]

Turksbride-

Thanks for sharing, that was great! I'm going to think over some of that. You make a great point about the arch or whatever decor. I am wanting the white, flowy chuppah but the beach there is so perfect it really doesn't need any dressing up. I'm glad to hear that the ipod worked well for you. Did you have anyone in charge of it or to help with the flow of the reception? Did you and your guests do a lot of dancing? Would you be willing to share your wedding playlist? I'd also love to see some of your pictures when you have them if you are willing to share those.

[turksbride12]

For the iPod we made different playlists: cocktail hour, first dance (which had a song before so we knew when we would be up and after our song so that there wouldnt be dead air after our song ended) and reception.  Our planner manned the iPod and switched the playlists when it was time.  We had people dancing from when it first came on until when it ended.  We had family and older guests on when it first started (more oldies/fun/slow songs) then about an hour and a half in it was more party music and it was just our friends.  I'm not sure how to share a playlist with you... lemme check thru my google docs to see if I still have a list that we worked off of.

 

I will share our pics when we get them for sure.  Happy planning!

[AshleyBrooke]

Wow, this thread is SUPER helpful!  We are getting married this October at the Veranda in the Turks.  We are hoping to us Brilliant for the photographer and Bowen Arrow for the band (i really want live music at the wedding).

 

I am SO far behind with planning right now.....not good!

 

Right when we got engaged we told people it would be a destination wedding in October, but just sent our STDs out 2 months ago.  We're working on the invitations now...hope to get those out in the next 2 weeks.  Though, we already have 80 people who have booked their trip! 

 

I'm not doing flowers on the tables b/c I think the scenery is already so perfect.  I would be curious how everyone else decorated their tables...I too am considering bringing my own decor to save on costs.  Would love to hear more about everyone's plans.... welcome bags (where are you finding everything?) etc.

 

Where are you guys spending your honeymooon (if you are taking one)?  We are thinking of just spending a few nights on a different island in the turks....i need to start researching!

 

overwhelmed bride to be

[JenRoseRDH]

My wedding is 3 months from today!!!! So excited, I had to post something.

 

Our invitations went out Wednesday and I am already getting calls and texts about them. We sent these passport style invites from beachwedlock.com The quality is great and we love how they turned out. http://www.beachwedlockinvitations.com/beach-wedding-invitations-beach-invitations-passport-invitations-bonus-rsvpbr18790-p-1183.html?osCsid=e79007c62be2e29ca0d5593ae2028fa1

Here is our proof:

 

 

We had them make our names bigger on the upper part in our final print. They are so nice and easy to work with there and the process went quickly though we didn't put a rush on it. I thought the pricing was really reasonable given the quality. We had samples from a couple other passport style vendors and this was by far the best.

 

We copied an idea I found online and sent out these save the dates in March- perfect for our destination wedding and because Geoff is a pilot! They have our names and wedding date on the wings and on one side of the body Grace Bay Beach and on the other Turks and Caicos Islands. We included a small strip of paper with our Nila websire so they could get the resort and travel info. Had to ship them in padded envelopes to keep the post office from crushing the balsa pieces .

 

 

Lucky for me, I have a very crafty bridesamid who helped us out with the logistics. I got the idea from

http://www.invitationcrush.com/balsa-wood-airplane-save-the-dates/

 

We have a great photographer (who I have known for years!) who suggested we pick a theme for our E-pics. We went with the travel thing and stuck with aviation. Geoff picked WW2 so we could shoot with a P51 Mustang. The shoot went great and if there are any brides looking for a Nashville photographer, I would recommend him for sure. He and his wife shoot together as a team so you have the advantage of 2 photographers. The link to his blogpost after the shoot: http://shaneirwinphoto.blogspot.com/2012/06/geoff-jennifer-vintage-engagement.html

 

Ashley- I am staying in Turtle Cove with my family the week before the wedding then Geoff and I are staying at Grace Bay Club the week after. We are excited about a week to ourselves in Provo with no planning or decision making to worry about. We got Padi certified this summer an plan to do some diving. I am a crazy foodie and already have our dinners planned out for the week. So many great restaurants there! Not to mention Grace Bay Beach, I think I could stay on that beach forever. We registered on travelersjoy.com for all our honeymoon fun.

 

Great thet you have 80 booked already, that seems huge to me! I have no doubt that if you didn't do another thing, Shameka and Veranda would make it a perfect day for you. No need to stress.

[JenRoseRDH]

My wedding is 3 months from today!!!! So excited, I had to post something.

 

Our invitations went out Wednesday and I am already getting calls and texts about them. We sent these passport style invites from beachwedlock.com The quality is great and we love how they turned out. http://www.beachwedlockinvitations.com/beach-wedding-invitations-beach-invitations-passport-invitations-bonus-rsvpbr18790-p-1183.html?osCsid=e79007c62be2e29ca0d5593ae2028fa1

Here is our proof:

 

 

We had them make our names bigger on the upper part in our final print. They are so nice and easy to work with there and the process went quickly though we didn't put a rush on it. I thought the pricing was really reasonable given the quality. We had samples from a couple other passport style vendors and this was by far the best.

 

We copied an idea I found online and sent out these save the dates in March- perfect for our destination wedding and because Geoff is a pilot! They have our names and wedding date on the wings and on one side of the body Grace Bay Beach and on the other Turks and Caicos Islands. We included a small strip of paper with our Nila websire so they could get the resort and travel info. Had to ship them in padded envelopes to keep the post office from crushing the balsa pieces .

 

 

Lucky for me, I have a very crafty bridesamid who helped us out with the logistics. I got the idea from

http://www.invitationcrush.com/balsa-wood-airplane-save-the-dates/

 

We have a great photographer (who I have known for years!) who suggested we pick a theme for our E-pics. We went with the travel thing and stuck with aviation. Geoff picked WW2 so we could shoot with a P51 Mustang. The shoot went great and if there are any brides looking for a Nashville photographer, I would recommend him for sure. He and his wife shoot together as a team so you have the advantage of 2 photographers. The link to his blogpost after the shoot: http://shaneirwinphoto.blogspot.com/2012/06/geoff-jennifer-vintage-engagement.html

 

Ashley- I am staying in Turtle Cove with my family the week before the wedding then Geoff and I are staying at Grace Bay Club the week after. We are excited about a week to ourselves in Provo with no planning or decision making to worry about. We got Padi certified this summer an plan to do some diving. I am a crazy foodie and already have our dinners planned out for the week. So many great restaurants there! Not to mention Grace Bay Beach, I think I could stay on that beach forever. We registered on travelersjoy.com for all our honeymoon fun.

 

Great thet you have 80 booked already, that seems huge to me! I have no doubt that if you didn't do another thing, Shameka and Veranda would make it a perfect day for you. No need to stress.

[JenRoseRDH]

My wedding is 3 months from today!!!! So excited, I had to post something.

 

Our invitations went out Wednesday and I am already getting calls and texts about them. We sent these passport style invites from beachwedlock.com The quality is great and we love how they turned out. http://www.beachwedlockinvitations.com/beach-wedding-invitations-beach-invitations-passport-invitations-bonus-rsvpbr18790-p-1183.html?osCsid=e79007c62be2e29ca0d5593ae2028fa1

Here is our proof:

 

 

We had them make our names bigger on the upper part in our final print. They are so nice and easy to work with there and the process went quickly though we didn't put a rush on it. I thought the pricing was really reasonable given the quality. We had samples from a couple other passport style vendors and this was by far the best.

 

We copied an idea I found online and sent out these save the dates in March- perfect for our destination wedding and because Geoff is a pilot! They have our names and wedding date on the wings and on one side of the body Grace Bay Beach and on the other Turks and Caicos Islands. We included a small strip of paper with our Nila websire so they could get the resort and travel info. Had to ship them in padded envelopes to keep the post office from crushing the balsa pieces .

 

 

Lucky for me, I have a very crafty bridesamid who helped us out with the logistics. I got the idea from

http://www.invitationcrush.com/balsa-wood-airplane-save-the-dates/

 

We have a great photographer (who I have known for years!) who suggested we pick a theme for our E-pics. We went with the travel thing and stuck with aviation. Geoff picked WW2 so we could shoot with a P51 Mustang. The shoot went great and if there are any brides looking for a Nashville photographer, I would recommend him for sure. He and his wife shoot together as a team so you have the advantage of 2 photographers. The link to his blogpost after the shoot: http://shaneirwinphoto.blogspot.com/2012/06/geoff-jennifer-vintage-engagement.html

 

Ashley- I am staying in Turtle Cove with my family the week before the wedding then Geoff and I are staying at Grace Bay Club the week after. We are excited about a week to ourselves in Provo with no planning or decision making to worry about. We got Padi certified this summer an plan to do some diving. I am a crazy foodie and already have our dinners planned out for the week. So many great restaurants there! Not to mention Grace Bay Beach, I think I could stay on that beach forever. We registered on travelersjoy.com for all our honeymoon fun.

 

Great thet you have 80 booked already, that seems huge to me! I have no doubt that if you didn't do another thing, Shameka and Veranda would make it a perfect day for you. No need to stress.

[JenRoseRDH]

My wedding is 3 months from today!!!! So excited, I had to post something.

 

Our invitations went out Wednesday and I am already getting calls and texts about them. We sent these passport style invites from beachwedlock.com The quality is great and we love how they turned out. http://www.beachwedlockinvitations.com/beach-wedding-invitations-beach-invitations-passport-invitations-bonus-rsvpbr18790-p-1183.html?osCsid=e79007c62be2e29ca0d5593ae2028fa1

Here is our proof:

 

 

We had them make our names bigger on the upper part in our final print. They are so nice and easy to work with there and the process went quickly though we didn't put a rush on it. I thought the pricing was really reasonable given the quality. We had samples from a couple other passport style vendors and this was by far the best.

 

We copied an idea I found online and sent out these save the dates in March- perfect for our destination wedding and because Geoff is a pilot! They have our names and wedding date on the wings and on one side of the body Grace Bay Beach and on the other Turks and Caicos Islands. We included a small strip of paper with our Nila websire so they could get the resort and travel info. Had to ship them in padded envelopes to keep the post office from crushing the balsa pieces .

 

 

Lucky for me, I have a very crafty bridesamid who helped us out with the logistics. I got the idea from

http://www.invitationcrush.com/balsa-wood-airplane-save-the-dates/

 

We have a great photographer (who I have known for years!) who suggested we pick a theme for our E-pics. We went with the travel thing and stuck with aviation. Geoff picked WW2 so we could shoot with a P51 Mustang. The shoot went great and if there are any brides looking for a Nashville photographer, I would recommend him for sure. He and his wife shoot together as a team so you have the advantage of 2 photographers. The link to his blogpost after the shoot: http://shaneirwinphoto.blogspot.com/2012/06/geoff-jennifer-vintage-engagement.html

 

Ashley- I am staying in Turtle Cove with my family the week before the wedding then Geoff and I are staying at Grace Bay Club the week after. We are excited about a week to ourselves in Provo with no planning or decision making to worry about. We got Padi certified this summer an plan to do some diving. I am a crazy foodie and already have our dinners planned out for the week. So many great restaurants there! Not to mention Grace Bay Beach, I think I could stay on that beach forever. We registered on travelersjoy.com for all our honeymoon fun.

 

Great thet you have 80 booked already, that seems huge to me! I have no doubt that if you didn't do another thing, Shameka and Veranda would make it a perfect day for you. No need to stress.

[CeCeJD]

Great idea about different colored bags for men and women.  We are having about 80 guests and are going to put all of the same types of items in our Welcome Bags.  We are also going to add copies of When Where & How magazine, as well as some kind of cookie favor. We are getting married at The Regent Palms on March 2, 2013 and having a Welcome Party at Amanyara!  We have had two site vists already (had to go back and make sure the island was just as beautiful ) and cannot wait!  

[JenRoseRDH]

Originally Posted by turksbride12 

 

For the iPod we made different playlists: cocktail hour, first dance (which had a song before so we knew when we would be up and after our song so that there wouldnt be dead air after our song ended) and reception.  Our planner manned the iPod and switched the playlists when it was time.  We had people dancing from when it first came on until when it ended.  We had family and older guests on when it first started (more oldies/fun/slow songs) then about an hour and a half in it was more party music and it was just our friends.  I'm not sure how to share a playlist with you... lemme check thru my google docs to see if I still have a list that we worked off of.

 

I will share our pics when we get them for sure.  Happy planning!

 

I was just looking at the Tropical Imaging blog and they have recent pics up from a wedding at Coral House, was that you? What a beautiful setting! I'm not sure if they were your pictures or not but it was a beautiful wedding and a lovely couple! Here is the link...

http://brilliant.tc/blog/2012/07/the-wedding-of-melissa-and-nick-coral-house-turks-caicos/