Brad & Barb

We are in the midst of planning our get-away wedding and are becoming very overwhelmed by all the travel brochures and recommendations from friends, co-workers, travel agents, etc... none of which have even gone away to get married... Can anyone give us any recommendations/ideas, etc. who have actually gotten married at a Caribbean Resort {not looking to break the bank either - approx 3,000-3,500 max}
We appreciate any feedback...
Brad & Barb

Cathy

OK, I too have not gotten married in the Caribbean, but I have seen a lot of weddings in Barbados, and have learned that their requirements are not very restrictive. Many islands do have a long list of requirements, so be sure to check that out. Their requirements are the typical documentation, and you have to be there at least 3 days in advance. There are some small fees, but that's about it.

I've been to many islands, and Barbados is my favorite. If you're planning on going with other people, you can get a really good deal on a private villa (can sleep 8-10 or even more). Check out www.gobeach.com/barbados/barbados.htm for some examples or I can give you some e-mail addresses of local realtors that specialize in this area. Many of the resorts will help you plan the ceremony and will go out of their way to accommodate you.

Also, if your big day is sometime between July and November, this is a good choice because it is south of the typical hurricane belt. You can get an idea of the island and what the hotels are like at www.barbados.org and www.barbadosphotogallery.com. Good luck and congratulations!

John & Gwendolyn

We got married at Couples Ocho Rios in Jamaica in April 1997. We had an absolutely fabulous time and would highly recommend this resort to anyone who wants a stress and hassle-free wedding. The only preparation necessary was to send down notarized photocopies of our birth certificates and passports 30 days in advance. When we arrived at the resort, all we had to do to prepare was to wander around the resort and choose a location for the wedding and a location for the reception, then pick out the flower colour for the bouquet and boutenniere. Once that was done, there was nothing else we had to do - they took care of absolutely everything else. They provided the minister, license, flowers, live music, a beautifully decorated reception area in the garden gazebo, two bottles of champagne, and a small wedding cake. Best of all, that was all included in the price for staying at the resort. We paid extra for a video and photos - video was kind of cheesy but worth it because family & friends back home could see the wedding, the photos were gorgeous (a tip if you get the video - take your own CDs with songs you would like them to put on the video, as their song selection may or may not have the type of music you like - also, there are CD players in the rooms). We paid for the cheapest room, a mountainview, and they automatically upgraded us for free to an oceanview room when we arrived. The room was great, huge four-poster king-size bed, wonderful balcony with a spectacular view of the ocean. A great way to start your day is to order room service breakfast - tea, coffee, orange juice, a basket of breads & croissants, and fresh pineapple, papaya, etc. - to enjoy on your balcony. Then if you are still hungry you can wander down to the buffet later for cereal, bacon, eggs, toast, omelettes, etc. Lunch is also buffet, and the buffet restaurant has a great view overlooking the beach, although the lunches tend to be pretty much the same things every day. If you get hungry between meals there is a beach grill - hot dogs, hamburger, fries, Jamaican patties. Supper is a choice of 4 restaurants - highly recommend the pasta restaurant which is a series of gazebos set over the ocean, and the gourmet french restaurant which has the best service and food at the resort (have the pepperpot soup for an appetizer). There are tons of activities, so you'll never be bored if you're active - horseback riding, tennis, snorkelling, scuba diving, kayaking, glass-bottom boat rides, windsurfing, scuba diving (they'll teach you if you don't know how), aquacise, aerobics, crafts, golf, beach volleyball, pingpong, croquet, squash, bicycles, etc., etc., - or you can just lie in a hammock with a cool drink for most of the day if you want (my favourite activity). There are also off-resort excursions included for free - golf, a Dunn's River Falls tour (take those aqua sock or reef sandel things with you, otherwise you will need to rent a pair to climb the falls), a plantation tour, shopping trip to Ocho Rios, and a catamaran tour up the coast. There is an off-shore nude island with a pool and swim-up bar. There is a mini-jungle with two-seater jacuzzis hidden among the foliage. The beach is somewhat small, but we did not find it too crowded and there were always plenty of lounge chairs available. The only complaints were that it is supposed to be no tipping allowed but we were asked for tips by the bus driver who took us to/from the airport, and on our second to last day one of the beach bar waiters pressured us for a tip. Also if you go shopping the market vendors are very pushy. However, these were relatively minor complaints and otherwise we were extremely happy with both our wedding and our vacation. You can call 1-800-COUPLES and ask them to send brochures, we did that and the brochures were helpful. Send us an e-mail if you have any other questions, we'd be happy to help! (PS We notice that your e-mail appears to be a Nova Scotia address, if so we also have some suggestions about which travel agents you might want to consider using and which ones you might want to avoid, based on personal experience!)

Janette

I too have been to Couples resort "twice". It was fabulous!!!! If you would like to see my comments on the hotel, visit my web site at:
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/...213/index/html

You'll love Couples!!

Janette

Sorry, the web page address is:
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/...213/index.html