millsa1217

Hi! My fiancee and I have decided to get married next summer in the Caribbean. Neither of us has been to the islands, so we are doing a lot of research online. I've read through some of the previous posts on this site, and have noticed that people are often told to do their research before deciding on a location. Any recommendations on how to get started? I'm having a hard time finding unbiased information. I want a location that is sort of 'middle of the road' (not too commercialized yet not too remote; mid-range cost). I am also concerned in finding an island where my guests will feel safe (low crime rate). Does anyone have any recommendations? So far, we've ruled out St. Lucia, Aruba and Jamaica. If you could recommend one island, which would it be any why. Thanks in advance!

christiegr

AMEN for ruling out Aruba..way to commercialized although the people are very friendly there.Not a appealing island to the eye.

Check out:
Nevis..

St John USVI's-nice beaches for snorkeling,some nightlife,yet not too much.Also a short ferry ride to other islands for day trips.

Turks & Caicos..
Harbour Island (Bahamas)-not as commercialized as Nassau and beautiful beaches.

Curacao-have heard its nice.

I know that you have ruled out Jamaica..but check out Negril or Port Antonio..have heard great things about both.Jamaica is a big island..so you can find nice places on it.

Depending on where you are..would Kauai Hawaii be too far?It is my favorite place with what sounds like just what you are looking for.Not too commercialized,low crime rate, good food,VERY beautiful mountains and waterfalls.Good Luck!!!

millsa1217

Unfortunately, most of our guests will be coming from the East coast, so Hawaii is probably too far. Although, it would probably be closer for my fiancee and I as we are moving from Washington DC to Alaska this summer. Thanks for you help! This is exactly the help I was hoping for.

ejcrowe

I was married on Antigua a couple of years ago. We chose it because we fell in love with a particular hotel there, but it's a good location for guests coming from the east and even the midwest with easy connections on American Airlines.

DO you have an idea of how many guests you're inviting? Any families with children? Are you paying for everybody or will your guests pay their own way? Do you want an in-house wedding planner at your hotel/resort? Do you want to use a wedding planner at all? (I did not--that's one reason I got married down there. I wanted it all easy & breezy. I did not want to make any kind of decision other than time & location. The hotel planned everything with minimum input from me.)

Antigua is an island with lots to offer. It has some nice shopping, but it's not the mecca that St. Thomas or St. Maarten are. It's got some beautiful white beaches, but they're not as nice as Anguilla. Its interior is a mix of somewhat lush and somewhat arid. It's small enough to get around in one day and it has good roads. It has Nelson's Dockyard which is interesting for the history buffs. It's got some rolling hills and some flatter areas, but no mountains. It's a solid B+ island for beaches, water sports, shopping, and tourist development. It's less develeoped than Aruba or St. Thomas or St. Maarten, but more developed than Nevis or St. Kitts. It's a great place for an introduction to the Caribbean, in my opinion.

But first of all figure out what you want from your wedding before deciding on a resort. If you have more than 20 guests you think will come, you could even consider renting out an entire small hotel--that's what we did with 42 guests. You could even rent a out a selection of private villas with staff.

I would recommend that you travel to the region at least once before deciding to get married there, though it's good that you're doing as much research as possible. If you're very much a big planner and want to oversee every last detail, then getting married in the Caribbean might not be for you, anyway. I was happy to let the staff at Long Bay make decisions about flowers (they used what was blooming on site), food (all I asked was for a vegetarian option for my guests), music for the ceremony and reception, etc. Everything will take longer there to do (if you're not familiar with "island time" now, you will be by the time it's over).

Good luck finding a spot that will be perfect for you. If you give us a few more details about what you're looking for, we'll jump in with more suggestions. if you have specfic questions about my experience, fire away.

zachsarbean1

St. John is a nice, low crime island. I would stay away from St. Thomas...just not as romantic. A benefit of staying within the US virgin islands is that you don't need a passport and it is an US territory. There are a few different locations on St.John for weddings. There is Gallow's Point (website is www.gallowspointresort.com), Caneel Bay Resort, and there is always the beach. If you were to have it at Gallow's point, your guest could stay there or at the Westin Resort which is not too far from Gallows. If you research the island, you'll find many different places for weddings I'm sure. Just stick towards the Cruz Bay side and not the Coral Bay side (coral bay is much more remote). But overall, St.John is friendly, relaxing, not too expensive (especially in the off season when you'd be going) and the locals are very friendly. Good Luck!

millsa1217

Thanks to everyone for all the help and great suggestions so far.

ejcrowe: It's good to talk to someone who has actually done this. To answer some of your questions and give more details:

We will have about 50 guests. Some families will have children (many under 5 years old.)Our guests cover a wide age range (from 1 year olds to people in their 90s), so we need a place that has a little of everything. Important things for us will be water sports, golf, some nightlife and great food and beaches. I'd also love to be somewhere that has rainforrest. However, we could save that for the honeymoon if neccessary. We will be paying for the bridal party (8 people), but the other guests will be on their own. I definitely want the hotel/resort to have a wedding coordinator. I want to be able to give some input, but would be happy to pass on the majority of the planning to the coordinator.

Did you have a sit down reception (I would like to)? Where did your ceremony take place (beach, gazebo)? Did you find that the coordinator was easy to work with and easily accessable? Did you use a travel agent?

Thanks again!

MIM04

Millsa - I used to be a wedding coordinator in the Caribbean - so I can tell you it is a wonderful experience if you pick the right hotel. I would also suggest Nevis - as I know many people who have gotten married there. One thing you need to check with your travel agent are the requirements of where you decide - all countries have different ones.

Good luck! It sounds like you have a huge group going, should be fun!

gordaguy2

Why not try Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands - very easy to get to and a great place to spend a few days on a honeymoon.

ejcrowe

Millsa:

We had 42 guests at Long Bay Hotel, a small inn on the northeast coast of Antigua. I had a 30 minute chat with the hotel owner in person and various emails with the desk manager before the wedding. The hotel (no coordinator, per se, just the staff) took care of everything on site such as flowers, music (we used a local church choir that was WONDERFUL!), food, decorations, etc.

We got married in a gazebo at the beach with chairs for our guests set up with one aisle down the middle. We got married at sunset on the summer solstice. Cocktail hour and dinner at the beach house followed, along with a 3-piece band that played calypso, jazz, and big band standards. Dinner was buffet salads and soup, followed by a grilled to order entree choice of steak chicken or fish. FOllowed by a selection of desserst as well as a wedding cake, which the desk manager made herself.

Our guests took over the entire hotel for a long weekend, Friday-Sunday. I booked group air travel for most of them through American Airlines. I also worked with the hotel to work out a per person price per night, so that singles wouldn't have to pay extra, and families with children were prorated.

The day after the wedding we booked a catamaran trip that ended up being the highlight of the weekend. The whole shindig was just so fabulous and memorable. In retrospect my husband and I are so happy we got married in this fashion, even if it did set us back a bit.

Please let me know if you have more specific questions after reading all of this. But to sum up, we did not use a travel agent or a wedding planner. We put forth the few ideas we had in mind and the hotel staff simply ran with them.

virginia

hi millsa, have been helping my bestfriend & her daughter do just what you are. the bride started with 1/2 dozen island choices. finally settled on st. thomas for the following reasons:
1- some guests do not have passports
2- less expensive flights than southern islands like st. lucia
3- as mentioned in another post each island has its own rules for marriage. including waiting periods, fees,and paperwork. st.t and other usvi have you send in application and pick up upon arrival.
4- has a nightlife, good beaches, fabulous restaurants.
so the wedding will be on the beach at wyndham sugar bay, reception to follow on their patio with gazebo, a selection of appetizers (noon wedding),wedding cake,champagne toast & open bar, band and dancing. then following that a sunset cruise leaving from next resort over but arranged by sugar bay co-ordinator. think of the pictures !!
we all fly in wed. wedding on sat. some guests will leave sunday. bride and groom leave mon for jamaica honeymoon at couples swept away. remainder of party stays the full week.
sugar bay has ai optional and brides travel agent set up the flights from all over the country and booked the block of rooms. then the island co-or kicked in. some of the guests will stay at secret harbour nearby.
you can look at www.weddingstheislandway.com
have fun planning

MIM04

Virginia - thats where I used to be the wedding coordinator - sugar bay.

ejcrowe

While I personally do not think that the possibility of a guest not having a passport is a good reason to choose an island (they have until next year to get one, after all), the previous poster raises a very good point. If cost if of a concern to some of your guests, especially since they will already have to pay their own airfare to get to your wedding, it's a very good idea to book rooms in 2-3 hotels in different price ranges to give them as many options as possible.

It sounds like the Wyndham was perfect for Virginia's case, but St. Thomas might not work for you based on the requirements you listed--not too commercialized, etc.

I know you said you ruled Jamaica, and I assume it might be for safety reasons, but I would urge you to reconsider Negril as a destination. There may be no better location in finding a variety of accommodations all right together on a beautiful stretch of beach. It's also an island that is generally less expensive to fly to than others in the region.

wantsomesun

With a crowd that large and some in their golden years, you have to be somewhere that's easy to get to, one plane instead of two, and easy transportation once you get there, cabs or buses. So figure that into your planning.

The only island in the Bahamas that would fit the bill and do it beautifully would be Harbour Island as another poster suggested.

The only problem would be getting from Nassau. For most of your guests they can fly into N. Eleuthera and take a water taxi over. There is also a fast ferry from Nassau that might suit your more senior guests.

Also since you have so many guests, I would call the airline and talk to the group desk. You will be able to get discounted airfare for ALL your guests and should get a couple of free tickets as well. Once you have done that the guests can go through a travel agent to pay for the tickets or through the airline, they just mention the "group" they are traveling with and get the discounted rates. Most airlines you don't have to be on the same plane or travel from the same destination.

In particular check with American and Delta once you decide where you want to go.

Have a wonderful time, and congratulations.

Sunnyboy

IMPORTANT RE: PASSPORTS - Since this wedding is being planned for next summer you and your guest should be aware that the State Department has announced that as of December 31, 2005 all US Citizens WILL NEED Pasports to enter back into the US when traveling from anywhere in the Caribbean (this includes returning from the USVI's). This has nothing to do with the requirements for going to a particular island but rather getting back into the US. Go to - http://travel.state.gov/passport for more details.

Knowing

Because you have guests to think about as well, have you looked at Our Lucaya Beach and Golf Resort on Grand Bahama? It's a beachfront resort with about 1300 rooms, which may be larger than what you wanted, but the rooms are very tastfully decorated and nice. There are 14 restuarants and bars that serve everything from Italian to Asian cuisine. They have a full-service spa and fitness center, golf courses as well as a golf school, water sports, four pools, four tennis courts, a kids camp AND a wedding gazebo. If you haven't done so already, the website is www.ourlucaya.com.

millsa1217

Thanks for all the tips and ideas. This is very helpful. I'm learning that we have a lot to consider. We are going to speak with a travel agent this afternoon, so I will let everyone know how that goes. Thanks again!

lizpereira

Highly recommend St. Kitts! Beautiful island, laid back, safe, friendly locals, rainforest/volcano tours, kayaking, snorkelling.

Depending on how many people are going down with you you might consider Timothy Beach Resort or the St. Kitts Marriott.

Liz - St. Kitts Specialist.