Swan & Dolphin Weddings FAQ

[aristocatz]

Thank you! I joined this past week (Ashley Purkey). Does anyone know if you choose the full package thru Just Married, do you still get to pick your photographer, videographer, etc.? Or do you get who they assign to you?

I had a full package (ceremony, cocktail hour, full plated lunch reception...) & you can absolutely choose your own vendors. Many of my vendors were also DFTW vendors-officiant, photographer, musician, DJ). I went with the Swan bakery for my cake (I'm guessing I could have gone elsewhere though. I know other brides have). I had an awesome floral vendor-Greenery Productions.

My wedding planner did give me some recommendations from their preferred vendor list, but the decision was ultimately mine.

That is the beauty of a Swan wedding-it is totally customizable and very flexible

 

[Wonders10]

I had a full package (ceremony, cocktail hour, full plated lunch reception...) & you can absolutely choose your own vendors. Many of my vendors were also DFTW vendors-officiant, photographer, musician, DJ). I went with the Swan bakery for my cake (I'm guessing I could have gone elsewhere though. I know other brides have). I had an awesome floral vendor-Greenery Productions.

My wedding planner did give me some recommendations from their preferred vendor list, but the decision was ultimately mine.

That is the beauty of a Swan wedding-it is totally customizable and very flexible

Just wondering your thoughts on the wedding cake from the Swan? I think they are pretty and I'm not too fussy about having a big lavish cake...but did it taste good?

 

[Wonders10]

Hello Ladies!

I haven't posted in awhile. I feel like I know a lot of the things I want, I've narrowed down our restaurant choices and I'm just waiting until I can actually confirm our date/time/location with Just Marry.

Why am I waiting?

Because I still don't have the stupid ring! Yes, my boyfriend and I have booked a honeymoon (because we got a good price), have set a date and place (The Swan, duh), and have discussed the guest list and restaurant options. Oh and he has the ring, in his sock drawer. But he has yet to ask me those 4 little words and slip said ring on my finger.

I know it is coming though because I told him that weddings take time to plan. We both really really want/need a certain day to mesh with our work schedules so I said I need a minimum of 10 months to book it/plan everything else. So his deadline in May 1st and he knows it because last night he made a joke about how his days are running out. Ahhh, men. Can't wait to post on here that I'm officially engaged!

 

[aristocatz]

Just wondering your thoughts on the wedding cake from the Swan? I think they are pretty and I'm not too fussy about having a big lavish cake...but did it taste good?

You can order a Swan cake to be as lavish or simple as you want-they are quite talented For ours, I sent our wedding planner a photo of a cake I was inspired by (we had a winter wedding) & they recreated it exactly the way I wanted. They only charged me for the additional tier, not the design. It was a delicious cake! We chose our flavors through a tasting session with the Swan. We got a 3 tier cake with bavarian cream and fresh strawberries. The bottom tier was white cake, second tier was chocolate cake, & the top tier was carrot cake (my DH's fav that we saved & enjoyed during our first anniversary-it was still yummy from the freezer a year later!)

Here is our cake-for us, it was perfect!!

 

[Wonders10]

You can order a Swan cake to be as lavish or simple as you want-they are quite talented For ours, I sent our wedding planner a photo of a cake I was inspired by (we had a winter wedding) & they recreated it exactly the way I wanted. They only charged me for the additional tier, not the design. It was a delicious cake! We chose our flavors through a tasting session with the Swan. We got a 3 tier cake with bavarian cream and fresh strawberries. The bottom tier was white cake, second tier was chocolate cake, & the top tier was carrot cake (my DH's fav that we saved & enjoyed during our first anniversary-it was still yummy from the freezer a year later!)

Here is our cake-for us, it was perfect!!

Your cake is awesome! In the Just Marry brochures, they give a set price for one of the 4 or 5 cakes they offer, depending on the size you need. I wouldn't want a lot more done to the cake in the brochure, but maybe something simple with our flowers or wedding colors? Obviously, still very undecided. Would they charge a lot extra for that? And if I wanted a different flavor cake/filling than what was ordered, would that be extra to? Or is it pretty easy to substitute?

Thank you!

 

[aristocatz]

Your cake is awesome! In the Just Marry brochures, they give a set price for one of the 4 or 5 cakes they offer, depending on the size you need. I wouldn't want a lot more done to the cake in the brochure, but maybe something simple with our flowers or wedding colors? Obviously, still very undecided. Would they charge a lot extra for that? And if I wanted a different flavor cake/filling than what was ordered, would that be extra to? Or is it pretty easy to substitute?

Thank you!

Thank you-they designed our cake exactly how I envisioned

I got married in late 2011, but it was my understanding that you could choose from a wide variety of frostings, fillings, and flavors without an extra fee. They also did not charge us for the design I wanted. They only charged us for the extra tier (our package included a 2 tier cake, but we needed 3 tiers due to our guest size). It cost $165 to add on the extra tier.

We were really happy that we requested a tasting session for our reception food and cake-you should see if you can do that as well! They did not charge us for the tasting session. Hope this helps-please feel free to ask anymore questions

 

[missthatgator]

Hello Ladies!

I haven't posted in awhile. I feel like I know a lot of the things I want, I've narrowed down our restaurant choices and I'm just waiting until I can actually confirm our date/time/location with Just Marry.

Why am I waiting?

Because I still don't have the stupid ring! Yes, my boyfriend and I have booked a honeymoon (because we got a good price), have set a date and place (The Swan, duh), and have discussed the guest list and restaurant options. Oh and he has the ring, in his sock drawer. But he has yet to ask me those 4 little words and slip said ring on my finger.

I know it is coming though because I told him that weddings take time to plan. We both really really want/need a certain day to mesh with our work schedules so I said I need a minimum of 10 months to book it/plan everything else. So his deadline in May 1st and he knows it because last night he made a joke about how his days are running out. Ahhh, men. Can't wait to post on here that I'm officially engaged!

LMAO! I am in almost the exact same position! Here I thought I was probably the only one. Ring is bought, wedding planning is well on the way, but actual proposal is yet to happen. I think the boyfriend is enjoying keeping me on my toes (It's a long story as to why he hasn't asked yet, and pretty off topic so I won't get into here) Anyways, looks like it will be between an escape wedding at SBP or a swan and dolphin wedding (crescent terrace perhaps?) depending on how the guest list works out. I don't think I could bump up to wishes for the sake of 5-10 extra people. I'm liking the flexibility of going with Just marry, just not sure how I feel about the hotel back drop of the S&D. The resort itself is a bit overpowering in the pics I've seen of the beach weddings.

 

[MrsDuck]

LMAO! I am in almost the exact same position! Here I thought I was probably the only one. Ring is bought, wedding planning is well on the way, but actual proposal is yet to happen. I think the boyfriend is enjoying keeping me on my toes (It's a long story as to why he hasn't asked yet, and pretty off topic so I won't get into here) Anyways, looks like it will be between an escape wedding at SBP or a swan and dolphin wedding (crescent terrace perhaps?) depending on how the guest list works out. I don't think I could bump up to wishes for the sake of 5-10 extra people. I'm liking the flexibility of going with Just marry, just not sure how I feel about the hotel back drop of the S&D. The resort itself is a bit overpowering in the pics I've seen of the beach weddings.

The flexibility of the S/D is the whole reason we went that route. Plus, the pricing is just better!

Let us know if we can help at all!

 

[tinkerbell 766]

Welcome to all our gorgeous new brides xxx

 

[Wonders10]

I am engaged!

After literally months of discussing it and waiting...he proposed last Saturday!

The story itself is not terribly romantic but I know him and how hard it was for him to literally do it, even as much as he wanted to ask me. And I did see some little tears in his eyes which is very rare so thats enough for me. I am so excited!

I have had my date officially submitted from Just Marry. And then that night, my fiance (!!!) tells me that his dad wants us to try out Il Mulino before we book anything, and that the dad will pay for us to go up there for the night. I love that idea but concerned about waiting awhile longer to book it. JM said if my date is approved they will ask about extending the hold policy or else I will need to re-submit my request. Fingers crossed!

Assuming it all goes well...my plans are as follows.

About 20-25 guests
Theme - Classic and "preppy"
Colors - Navy Blue and Sunshine Yellow
Flowers - Gerber Daisies
Cake - hopefully from It's Tasty Too, to be served after dinner, flavors TBD
Location - Crescent Terrace
Rehearsal/Welcome Dinner - ESPN Club (if we can get around the no reservations thing), Cape May Clambake? Something else???
Reception - Dinner at Il Mulino (with private room)

 

[goofyfigment]

We àre just in the beginning stages of planning for our April 2015 wedding. What are the pros and cons of having the reception in a ballroom vs having it at a restaurant. We are figuring since our guests are coming all the way down to Florida we need to give them something memorable. We want to do a first dance so I'm thinking that means we will have to have a ballroom reception. Any help any brides can provide will be greatly appreciated

 

[aristocatz]

We àre just in the beginning stages of planning for our April 2015 wedding. What are the pros and cons of having the reception in a ballroom vs having it at a restaurant. We are figuring since our guests are coming all the way down to Florida we need to give them something memorable. We want to do a first dance so I'm thinking that means we will have to have a ballroom reception. Any help any brides can provide will be greatly appreciated

We had a Swan formal reception space for our wedding reception, mainly due to our party size (55) & our desire for a traditional reception. We ended up with a lunch reception, which was perfect for us. We were in the Pelican Room & I thought it was a really pretty room. & Swan catering was incredible!!

Restaurant vs ballroom all depends on what you want out of your reception. If you want something more laid back, go with a restaurant. If you are looking for a more traditional or formal reception, go with a ballroom space.

 

[goofyfigment]

We had a Swan formal reception space for our wedding reception, mainly due to our party size (55) & our desire for a traditional reception. We ended up with a lunch reception, which was perfect for us. We were in the Pelican Room & I thought it was a really pretty room. & Swan catering was incredible!!

Restaurant vs ballroom all depends on what you want out of your reception. If you want something more laid back, go with a restaurant. If you are looking for a more traditional or formal reception, go with a ballroom space.

We are leaning now towards blue zoo for a brunch/lunch reception. We are thinking our guest list is going to be pretty small.
we are pretty laid back people we just want to be able to do a first dance at reception. I've been in touch with Lindsay from swan catering so hopefully we can work this out.

 

[aristocatz]

We are leaning now towards blue zoo for a brunch/lunch reception. We are thinking our guest list is going to be pretty small.
we are pretty laid back people we just want to be able to do a first dance at reception. I've been in touch with Lindsay from swan catering so hopefully we can work this out.

Lindsay is awesome!!!! She was the catering manager for our reception. I loved her just as much as I loved our JM wedding planner. You will be in great hands with Lindsay

 

[Wonders10]

Hello Ladies!

Forgive me for repeating this as I have mentioned this on the facebook page...

My DF and I are toying with the idea of not having a rehearsal/welcome dinner the evening before our wedding due to cost and being obligated to invite a lot of people that normally wouldn't come.

I feel like we shoud do something so I was thinking of having a casual meet up at one of the hotel lounges before everyone heads to dinner.

Or, I thought maybe a small cocktail hour near the pool with some light hors d'ouevres and some drinks but have no idea how much it would cost us to do this. Has anyone done this and be willing to share some info?

 

[Leehappy]

Hi Everyone!

Another Swan bride here! I'm so excited to be posting here. We are getting married in February!!! So far these are my plans.

Friday night: Welcome dinner - BBQ buffet on the Swan Beach
Saturday: Ceremony crescent terrace, cocktail hour immediately following at Crescent Terrace. Then dinner at Don Shula's in the private rooms.
Sunday: Farewell breakfast at Garden Grove

Right now we have about 40 people who said they are coming.
I'm excited to read about everyone's plans!!

 

[MrsDuck]

Hi Everyone!

Another Swan bride here! I'm so excited to be posting here. We are getting married in February!!! So far these are my plans.

Friday night: Welcome dinner - BBQ buffet on the Swan Beach
Saturday: Ceremony crescent terrace, cocktail hour immediately following at Crescent Terrace. Then dinner at Don Shula's in the private rooms.
Sunday: Farewell breakfast at Garden Grove

Right now we have about 40 people who said they are coming.
I'm excited to read about everyone's plans!!

Welcome and congrats!

Your plans look awesome!

 

[tinkerbell 766]

Hi Everyone!

Another Swan bride here! I'm so excited to be posting here. We are getting married in February!!! So far these are my plans.

Friday night: Welcome dinner - BBQ buffet on the Swan Beach
Saturday: Ceremony crescent terrace, cocktail hour immediately following at Crescent Terrace. Then dinner at Don Shula's in the private rooms.
Sunday: Farewell breakfast at Garden Grove

Right now we have about 40 people who said they are coming.
I'm excited to read about everyone's plans!!

Welcome sweetie!!!!
Congratulations and happy planning xx

 

[aristocatz]

Hi Everyone!

Another Swan bride here! I'm so excited to be posting here. We are getting married in February!!! So far these are my plans.

Friday night: Welcome dinner - BBQ buffet on the Swan Beach
Saturday: Ceremony crescent terrace, cocktail hour immediately following at Crescent Terrace. Then dinner at Don Shula's in the private rooms.
Sunday: Farewell breakfast at Garden Grove

Right now we have about 40 people who said they are coming.
I'm excited to read about everyone's plans!!

I LOVE your welcome dinner idea! Is this being catered through the Swan? What does your menu look like?

We got married at Crescent Terrace as well-it's such a beautiful location Our cocktail hour was at the Swan Courtyard.. What kind of musician are you having for your ceremony?

Congrats and happy planning!!!

 

[Leehappy]

Welcome and congrats!

Your plans look awesome!

Thanks! I'm so excited!