Congratulations Envirolawyer!!!!

[jerseygirl79]

Married 10/21/09 in St. Thomas (Freedom of the Seas)

Can't wait to read all about it!

[sugashay1]

Congrats! Cant wait to read review and see pictures.

[envirolawyer]

Thanks so much! The day went by really quickly! I'll try to write a good review of the day, and if anyone has any questions about the cruise or actual wedding, feel free to ask.

 

We traveled with ten family members, so it was a small wedding. Unfortunately, we encountered bad weather the first day and really rough seas, so we missed Cococay, but got to St. Thomas early. My fiance/husband went to the courthouse on his own as soon as we docked. Prior to the cruise, I had arranged to have my hair done at 10. I guess there were a lot of weddings because I had to wait 15-20 minutes (which can seem like an eternity when nerves are high!)

 

I had brought two pictures of how I wanted my hair done. It was not a complicated style... very similar to a French twist. This lady had no clue what she was doing. She spent quite some time doing crazy things to my hair... I was about to freak because it looked TERRIBLE!!!! Just crazy loops and stuff. So weird. She was never able to get my hair right and blamed it on my long layers... I used my veil to cover it the whole day. The front looked fine and it stayed up all day, so I took comfort in that!

 

We also paid her to do my makeup... all of which I supplied, and some of which I applied myself. The hair was supposed to cost $49 for an updo. The total bill was over $100!!!! I felt the makeup was more appropriate for a night wedding. It was so overdone, it didn't feel like me. My mom and aunt said it looked okay, and I would need it for pictures, so I went with it. I wish I had toned it down, though.

 

I decided to get dressed on board because Stuart, our officiant, was picking my mom, dad and me up at 1 to go to the courthouse. Our wedding was at 2. He was very nice and assisted me with the paperwork at the courthouse (took about 3 minutes inside.)

 

The other guests were picked up in an open air taxi bus thing common in St. Thomas. Papa Bear with Air Force One did a great job and went out of his way to please us. I highly recommend him. Janelle arranged for the transportation.

 

When I arrived at Limetree, our photographer, Bob Schlesinger of Tropical Focus, met us and immediately began taking photos of me exiting the SUV and preparing to walk down the "aisle." I've seen the unedited photos already, and they look great, especially for the price. It was the one aspect of the ceremony Janelle didn't coordinate. I was worried at first because he wasn't on the "preferred" vendor list, but I have NO regrets! He's so easy to work with, and I didn't even notice him taking pictures throughout the ceremony. He took more than 500 in an hour!!

 

The weather was sunny, which made for beautiful blue water. It was just really hot - 91 degrees. I do recommend parasols or fans for guests. We ordered water bottles in addition to the champagne, which was a good idea.

 

Janelle really came through for me with my bouquet. It was gorgeous. The setup was very nice, and the iguanas made for a nice touch. However, they were making me laugh throughout the ceremony because they came up to the train of my dress and just stared at us! Stuart did a great job with the ceremony and personalized it for us. We were impressed. After the ceremony, the steel pan player continued to play for our guests as we took numerous pictures on the beach and in various settings. Because it was so hot, I wish my guests could have gone to the restaurant or bar on site, but Janelle has advised me not to plan for that... which was my main disappointment.

 

After an hour at Limetree, Papa Bear took some guests back to the ship and 8 of us to the Sky Ride. He drove us all the way to the top, so we wouldn't have to pay the full price. This turned out great. We hung out and had Bushwhackers, frozen drinks and snacks while watching the sun set. We even had our first dance overlooking the bay. It was beautiful and so much fun (and much cooler!) We got a special fare and rode down in the gondola thing.

 

We had reservations for Portofino at 7. The service was friendly and the food was very good. However, the "wedding cake" was the worst cake I ever had in my entire life. Aside from it being dry and tasteless, they put candles in it, put my name on top and misspelled it. The cake was supposed to have our initials on the side... and that's it. It was embarrassing, but of course it did not ruin our day.

 

Overall, we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful wedding day. Sure, things didn't go perfectly, but it didn't matter because I married the love of my life! Best wishes to all the soon-to-be brides! The day goes fast, enjoy every moment! As soon as I figure out how to post pictures, I will!

[envirolawyer]

[sugashay1]

Very beautiful pictures...cant wait to see more. Love your dress.

[patseacruiser]

Your hair and makeup looked beautiful. What a great day it was for you. Best wishes on the rest of your life.

[yummymummy99]

Your pics look beautiful!! Congratulations!

 

Glad to hear that Janelle & co good as we using them also next year!

 

xxx

[envirolawyer]

Thanks everyone! I especially want to thank the ladies who got married before me who provided such great info. Also, I will still try to post some of my professional pictures once they arrive. :)

[SweetDara]

Congratulations, you looked beautiful. You couldn't tell from the pics about the hair mishap, it looked very classy along with your dress. Many blessings to you and hubby!

[tricy99]

Thanks everyone! I especially want to thank the ladies who got married before me who provided such great info. Also, I will still try to post some of my professional pictures once they arrive. :)

 

 

Your pics are beautiful! I love your dress. Thanks for posting pics. I just found out about this site and I am so excited to have a place to go for all my cruise wedding questions. I was getting really nervous at the idea of someone else coordinating my entire ceremony. Thanks again and I can not wait until my day!