Very confused... Need Advice... Sandals resort wedding

CaseyRice21

So my TA sent me my wedding kit yesterday.  I looked over all of the options and I am so confused!!!

We are doing the stay 6 nights in a concierge room and get your beautiful beginning wedding for free...  but what other options are a must-do I am wondering?

Our whole DW idea is to save money because we can't afford the cots of a big wedding at home, so we dont want to spend a ton of money, but I do want a memorable experience and I dont want to wish 10 years down the road that I had done it differently.  

So about the reception...  bride, groom and 2 guests... and each additional guest is $15 for the basic reception... ok,, well what is the $85 all day wedding pass?  I dont get that...   Do I have to pay for my guests to come to my wedding?

Can anyone give me any insight on how a sandals wedding works?  Im so confused.  Its hard to envision how it will go when you have no idea what you are in store for!

SimplyMistaken

Sounds like you should have a sit down with your TA to go over the options-but the $85 fee is for those that stay off the resort and come on just for the day for the wedding. 

natalee215

I was married this past summer at Sandals Grande Antigua.  We had 50 guests all of whom stayed at the resort so we didn't have to pay for any day passes.  We had the basic wedding package which was free plus we booked the steel drum band for cocktail hour and the 3 hour private reception.  For us, it was worth it.  We wanted to give the guests a formal reception for making the long trip down for our wedding.  I know that many Sandals brides have opted not to pay for the reception and rather just eat at one of the restaurants at the resort, but that wouldn't have been an option for our group.  Which resort are you getting married at?  I've been to many of the Sandals resorts since we regularly vacation there.  Feel free to page me (I try to stop by this board once a day) or email me nataleeb13 at aol dot com.

akhunter1

I am getting married at Sandals Royal Caribbean next May and was experiencing the same confusion just a couple of weeks ago.  Trust me I know what you are going through.  We are doing a DW in order to cut down on some of the costs as well, b/c to have a wedding at home so many more people will come and dinner and venue prices are so much higher.

We got a great TA who specializes in Sandals resorts.  You only have to pay for the day pass if your guests are not staying at the Sandals resort.  The $15 will be taken off the cost per guest for the 3 hour reception which makes it $60 per person.  Like natelee said I am going to book the steel drum and a DJ b/c I want to have a "traditional" wedding but want the beach setting.

Another concern I had was that I wanted to change some of the things in their basic packages to make it my own.  I was also thinking if I am having 50 guests staying at their resorts they should be able to change my bouqet to something I would actually want to use.  My TA ensured me that was something I would be able to change. 

I think the fact that Sandals is all-inclusive and our guests won't have to worry about paying extra for drinks, dinner, tips, and activities.  Good luck and let me know if I can help anymore.

enteringparadise

i recommend talking to your travel agent or calling the wedding coordinator at the resort directly. i would also recommend getting all pricing and what that means, in writing.

manda311

You can totally customize your wedding! They are supposedly very close to releasing the new catalogue that will have all of the upgrades and additions that you can add onto the Beautiful Beginnings. I'm getting married at SRC May 22nd. I'm just doing the Beautiful Beginnings with the required cocktail reception and then later that night I'm going to reserve a few tables at one of their restaurants to do a dinner type reception. They say there is no guarantee they can reserve tables but I only have about 15 guests so I don't think it will be an issue. I am also bringing my own silk flowers. You're allowed to bring your own decorations also, like chair covers, centerpieces, etc, but they will charge a setup fee for that.

Like everyone else has mentioned, the $85 dollar pass is something your guests need only if they are NOT staying at Sandals.

DiamondDani

"They are supposedly very close to releasing the new catalogue that will have all of the upgrades and additions that you can add onto the Beautiful Beginnings."

I wait for this every day! I heard it was supposed to be out 1/29, and still nothing. I can't wait to check it out because I don't feel like I have a good idea of what I can change yet (and what it will cost!)

natalee215

In Response to <a href="http://destination.weddings.com/Sites/weddings/Pages/main.aspx/wedding-theme-boards_destination-weddings_very-confused-need-advice-sandals-resort-wedding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Theme BoardsForum:54Discussion:32315f1e-5c62-4897-ab08-c5bae5fe98a6Post:7f7ff9c1-cf05-40b8-ae3e-90fd61f322e9">Re: Very confused... Need Advice... Sandals resort wedding</a>:
[QUOTE]You're allowed to bring your own decorations also, like chair covers, centerpieces, etc, but they will charge a setup fee for that. Posted by manda311[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure if this is a new rule, but I brought chair sashes, my cake topper, decorations, palm fans, petals, my guest book stuff, table numbers, escort cards, etc. and I was not charged any set up fee.  I dropped all of my stuff off the day before the wedding at the wedding office and explained how I wanted everything done and they took care of everything for me.

akhunter1

I have been waiting for the new book for a few weeks now too!!

manda311

Natalee, it is new They started it this year. They've chagned a bunch of stuff around since they started their new Martha Stewart Weddings. It kinda sucks for the brides who booked BEFORE all this change was even happening!

Amanda & Dani, the pictures of the Finishing Touches are out now! Not all WC's have them but check the Weddingmoons facebook page. And Amanda, check with Candice, she should have them too! YAY!