Christina

My fiancee and I want to get married in the Caribbean, but we can't decide where. I think I've narrowed it down to Aruba(Tam or Divi), Grenada(Rex Grenadian), Jamaica, St Lucia, and Turks & Caicos(Allegro). We have approx 35 people attending, including my 6 yr old son, so the resort must welcome children. For the second week (the honeymoon) it will just be the two of us and we are thinking about possibly changing resorts to an adults only for that week. If anyone has any comments, suggestions, or experiences I would really appreciate hearing for you! Thanx.

Penney

St. Lucia is a beautiful island - so lush and green!! Turks has the most beautiful beaches we have ever seen but honestly, we toured Allegro and we were not impressed at all - looked run down but that could have changed. We love Jamaica and we too married there. A great resort there that welcomes children are the Beaches resorts and there are two to choose from - one much larger and more expensive then the other but they are well worth it (we stayed at Beaches in Turks which is wonderful too!) We also, like you, went someplace else for the honeymoon part which really is a nice way to do it. It does give you the feeling of going someplace else for the honeymoon. I would suggest Grand Lido for that part of the trip, also in Negril, Jamaica. Very luxurious, pampering, romantic. Beautiful yacht for sunset cruises!

anon

Jamaica defnitely! For the family and wedding part I suggest Beaches Negril or the less expensive Beaches Sandy Bay. When that's done, I agree you should move to another resort that is more romantic and adults only. Try any of the Lido resorts from Sandals. Check out sandals.com for details. Congrats and Good Luck!

another anon

Correction to anon's post above - the Lido resorts are NOT part of the Sandals chain. They are part of the Superclubs chain.

Mary

We too were tossing around the idea of getting married in Aruba but were told we could not since we were American (and Aruba being a Dutch island). We could only revew our vows. <BR><BR>We chose the Wyndham Morgan Bay in St. Lucia and were glad we did. We also had a large group with us. It has a children's club and children's activities but the resort wasn't by any means loaded with kids when we went (late November). The price was right for an all inclusive and everyone had a great time with no complaints (maybe just a few minor ones -- no big deal). Plus, the wedding coordinator, Francine, was excellent and did a fantastic job.

sdunkerly

I believe that they have changed the regulations and Americans can now get married in Aruba. We went to the DIVI in 2000. It was a great casual resort. I believe you would probably need a place off-sight to host the ceremony, as I can't think of an appropriate place on the resort. I could be wrong, though! Good luck.<BR><BR>PS: No real need to worry about weather in Aruba - almost no rain!

Linda

Yes, as of 1/02 Americans can now get married in Aruba.

Sandra

I stayed at Anse Chastanet in St. Lucia for my honeymoon in July 2000 and we loved it. There was a wedding there one afternoon right on the beach and it looked great. There weren't any kids there when we were there so not sure if it is an adults only or not, can't remember. So you might want to check but if you can't have your wedding there it would be a great choice for your honeymoon, we LOVED it!

tina

I would definatley get married in the Turks and Caicos Islands. They have the most beautiful beaches in the world. I agree with Penney... Allegro is a dump! we stayed there one night and checked out. It was NOT even worth $25 a night!<BR>I hate to burst yuour bubble but's it's true. If I were you I'd stay at the Sands or Ocean Club. <BR><BR><BR>

Stephanie P.

Christina:<BR><BR>My suggestion is get married in a U.S. territory (Virgin Islands). You probably wouldn't have to deal with so much paperwork then and you probably will not have to spend a few days in country before getting married. I believe this applies to some Caribbean islands.

Lauren

WOW! My fiancee and I are also getting married on an island. We have decided to have it in St. Lucia. I have narrowed it down to The Windjammer Landing, Sandals Halycon or Jallousie Hilton. Have you heard anything about these places? I wish you the best of luck!<BR>Lauren

Christina

No, I haven't heard anything about those places, but I have heard several times that Wyndam Morgan Bay is great.

Penney

Lauren,<BR><BR>Sandals Halcyon is great - very romantic, laid back, relaxing and the grounds are so beautiful - perfect for a wedding. The resort never felt full although it was - nice and spread out but not too big. Beach is great, loved the two pools with bars and room are very nice and spacious.

NoMon

Skip Jamaica. Scariest place in the Caribbean. They hate Americans there.

Laura

My husband and I were married in December 2000 at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas. It was a very special experience given that we were married on their 53-foot catamaran along with parents, crew, dinner, and wedding cake. It was surprisingly reasonable despite the reputation of Ritz-Carlton, especially considering everything included. Feel free to email me for details.

Sarah

I know you didn't mention Cayman but I just thought I'm mention it as a suggestion as we got married there. We got married on the beach at Morritt's Tortuge Club. It was incredible. Andrew, the Activities director helped us set the whole thing up. Resort is amazing too, rooms are condos and kids are more then welcome. Tons of activies, both adult and family oriented..kids nights, live music and super safe. Our kids ran around the beach at night all the time..something you can't do in Jam or almost any other caribbean island. <BR><BR>Just a though http://www.grandcaymantimeshare.com

Maggie

Hi, <BR><BR>My husband and I just got back from getting married in the Turks and Caicos Islands. We stayed at Ocean Club. It was INCREDIBLE!!!!I'm would like to warn you about Allegro though. I've heard horrible things about it!<BR><BR>

Jackie

I stayed in T&C at the Allegro 2 years ago and, because the all inclusive price was right, I had no complaints. And, T&C seemed like a safe island. <BR><BR>The hotel is on the beach which is beautiful, it had a nice pool, corny entertainment, drinks and food were plentiful. The food was better than what I eat at home and the liquor selection was fine, but they did have a poor selection of beer. We left the resort only once for a conch trip. It was the most relaxing vacation I ever took.<BR><BR>One of the restaurants at the resort sits right on the water. At sunset, it would be a very nice setting for a wedding.

Sharon

We stayed at the Super Clubs Grand Lido Braco in Runaway Bay, Jamaica and it was really beautiful--designed as a Jamaican village with a long white sand beach. The cuisine was very good and it was all inclusive. The property is located about 40 mins. from Montego Bay Airport. Air Jamaica may have packages.

lenny

Just got back from Aruba Marriott. There is a strong sewage smell at the low rise hotel section. The other aruba bulletin board said the smell is from Tam but when we drove through this section, we smelled it at La Cabana and the next day, we smelled it at the Amsterdam Manor section. I guess it depends how windy it is. I just couldn't understand how those people can stay at this low rise hotel section with a strong stench. Not my idea of vacation!!!! We stayed at Aruba Marriott so no problems for us.