Lisa was an absolute dream. She organized not only my honeymoon but my wedding too. We did a destination wedding in Jamaica. She priced out upwards of 15 wedding packages for us before we found one that fit our requirements. She treated all of our friends and family with the same respect and pleasantness that she did with me. There were weeks when I talked to her multiple times a day and even more e-mail exchanges and she was always prompt and very friendly. I came to think of her as a friend and always trusted that she had my best interest at heart. The travel insurance that her company offers is fabulous and very reasonable. We had 3 guests cancel a week before the wedding and they all got all of their money back (minus the price of the insurance) without any hassle or need for explanation. When I had trouble with the Sandals wedding planner, Lisa stepped in and acted as a liaison for me which saved me a ton of time and trouble. I cannot say enough about her and will use her for all of my travel needs in the future. Many of my friends and family have since used her for simple trips to California as well as their own honeymoons to Ireland and Scotland. Her services are completely free of charge for her clients. She is very capable and finds the best deals out there, so you can rest assured that you are getting a great deal. Also, she will match any deal that you might find on your own. My wedding and honeymoon were straight out of my dreams and it was because of Lisa that I can say that. She is WONDERFUL!

Even though they are a chain, it never felt like it. We bought 3 silk suits from them, one in Indianapolis, one in Atlanta, and one in Lafayette Indiana. The Lafayette location organize all three purchases and made sure that everything happened easily and timely. My Dad bought his attire there and they arranged it to where we got all of the purchases on their frequent customer program which gave us a $75 gift card which we used to buy the ties for all of the wedding party and a golf shirt for the husband. They remembered us every time that we went in and seemed genuinely interested in our story.

Both wedding bands and my engagement ring was purchased through Israel Diamonds. We live in Indiana, but I am from Tulsa and knew that this place had great prices and exemplary inventory. My fiance worked with a salesman over the phone and through e-mail and had my engagement ring custom made and shipped to Indiana. He, and more importantly me, was overjoyed and very impressed with the quality and uniqueness of the ring. Our wedding bands were even easier. My band was custom made to be identical to the band on my engagement ring and my husband’s ring was something out of their inventory. My husband wore his ring for a few months and decided that it was too big for his finger so Israel Diamonds ordered him the same ring in a half size smaller. It took a few months due to the fact that the ring’s material was on back order so they let us keep the other ring and gave us the new ring for free. We did not even pay for the first class shipping. This is a top notch establishment and I would recommend it to anyone no matter where they live.

We went here for our wedding bands. They have great prices and a decent selection, but their “showroom” is odd and their staff is a little cold. They are wholesale so they are very flexible as far as setting and stone size, they make everything in-house which is convenient if you want something special and different, or if you find something online that you like, they can replicate it. We decided to use the same jeweler that made my engagement ring, Israel Diamonds in Tulsa Oklahoma, but if you are not comfortable using a place that you cannot go to in person, Distinctive Diamonds is a great alternative.

We were married at Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay. Sandals provided a private chauffeur to take us 90 miles north to the town of Ocho Rios to our honeymoon location. This was a lovely experience and the perfect start to our honeymoon. Once there we were greeted warmly and taken to our room promptly. Sandals is a tip free experience so you don’t have to worry about always carrying small bills and compensating the staff appropriately. The restaurants were GREAT (far better than Montego Bay). We were there at the end of August, so I don’t know if that is a slow time for them or if it is different at different times of the year, but when we were there it was not crowded at all. We never had to wait for a seat at dinner or a table for breakfast. They do not serve lunch which was a disappointment for us. It is only buffet style at lunch and only one restaurant serves for breakfast. The grounds are gorgeous and the room far exceeded our expectations. Sandals is apparently a pricey option in the all-inclusive world, but we got a great deal because we stayed for 7 nights and took advantage of a sale that they were having. All of this I owe to my wonderful travel agent, Lisa Zwissler with Beach Bums Vacations. See my review of her to learn more. I would recommend Sandals Ocho Rios Grande to anyone, but especially to honeymooners.

Ask for V. I went here for my practice wedding hairstyle to take to the hairstylist in Jamaica and the style was a beautiful combination of what I went in with and her twist on a fairly simple concept. She is creative and friendly and very consistent in the quality of her work. Tip, a practice wedding style is only $40 and exactly the same thing as the day of style but they charge more for the “actual” day of style. If you don’t need the practice I would schedule the appointment as a practice so save a few dollars.

I knew a friend that got married here (before I knew her) and she was the one that recommended it. Their website was very helpful, they responded to my e-mails very quickly, and was very accommodating when we went to visit the location. They have a few options for locations within the museum including one that allows the guests to look at the exhibits during your reception. They have gorgeous outdoor facilities overlooking the Indy skyline as well as the canal. They provide the chairs and tables as well as a cash or open bar and full catering. Not much decoration is needed here because the facilities are so stunning. I did not end up getting married here because we opted for a destination wedding, but if we would have opted for an Indy wedding it would have been here. Ask about their off peak hours and days to fit within your budget.

I went into Brides by Demetrios with the intention to just look, knowing that their gowns were a little out of my price range. Of course, I found a dress that I absolutely loved and the price tag was $400 over the very tip top of my budget before taxes. The store manager came over and after discussing it, she offered the dress to me for the employees discount putting the gown just within my budget. The staff was hit and miss for me though. My first visit I had a fabulous experience. My subsequent visits to try it on for friends, to try it on with my wedding shoes, and finally for my 2 fittings, were less than fabulous. The staff that helped me were distant and cold and I got the impression that they did not feel that I was worth their time. I rated them a 3 because I loved my dress and they worked with me so that I could afford it, which at the end of the day far outweighs the way that I was treated.


The alterations that were made to my gown were minimal, thankfully, but the ones that were done were subpar. I had one bussel added and it fell out before I even made it to my reception causing me to carry my train (in Jamaica) throughout my entire reception and pictures. I also felt pressured into adding boobs to my gown. I said that I was not comfortable and I was told that the dress was not made for someone as flat as me and that it did not look good without them. I wish I would have told her where to go, but I buckled because I wanted the dress to look right. I am always open for people honest opinions, but this was inappropriate and in the end caused me to make a decision based on staff pressure. The alterations lady actually called over other people and asked if the dress looked better with or without the boob inserts, leading them towards the inserts. If you buy your gown from Demetrios I would still recommend using them because if they mess anything up they are liable for the damage (which is not the case if you take it somewhere else) but I would definitely hold to your guns and demand what you want despite their “suggestions”.