trying to plan a destination wedding and i'm finding it impossible to find a small reasonably priced resort, good swimming beach, not too cheesy - no mega resorts, good food, not too sleepy but no discos, perhaps a pool bar,and perhaps a place that will allow us to throw a beach party for our guests or grill the fish we've caught that day! anything that comes close seems way too expensive for food and drink. looking at about 50 people, april/may 2007, guests coming from DC, Newark, and Colorado mostly. any suggestions? i need help! thanks!

Wow....50 people for a destination wedding on a quiet island. Hmmm...

Have you thought about Anguilla? That's the first place that comes to my mind.

Bambi,

Just a suggestion. You might want to re-title your post. As it is, regular readers/posters might be initially intrigued...but if you want good information you might want to be more specific.

Marion

http://www.aquamarinebeachhouses.com/

It's a start. In Turks and Caicos. Between 4 houses, it will place about 32 of your guests. Full size pool, gorgeous beach, tennis court, outdoor grill. 5 kitchens(?) livings rooms, etc. The rest can scatter at different resorts. If money is of concern, Gecko Shuttle can get them back and forth to Aquamarine houses, plus restaurants. Wide range of resorts, from Sibonne, to Sands, to Palms and Grace Bay Club.
One of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
Congratulations

statia - not looking for a quiet island just not a flashy mega resort. isnt anguilla on the more expensive and romantic side? thanks for the suggestions.
blamona - with the family dysfunctional dynamics, we can't do villas like that. thanks for the suggestion.

I got married at www.longbayhotel.com in Antigua with around 40 guests. there's a good chance that they could accommodate 50, but that would be the maximum, as it's a small hotel. the good news is that with that many guests, you would be renting out the entire hotel (that's what we did), which makes it very nice for setting your own schedule and being creative in your revelry.

The beach is very calm, with some of the best snorkeling in Antigua located just off shore. The hotel is built on a peninsula, with the beach on one side and a large bay good for other water sports (kayaking, Hobie cats) on the other side.

Staff is wonderful, food is good, and rates are pretty reasonable--they include breakfast, dinner, water sports, taxes, and service charge. The place is very laid back and very old world Caribbean.

If I can answer any specific questions for you, please let me know. Good luck, and have fun planning the destination wedding.

www.myharbourisland.com would be my suggestion. There are several resorts on island and a few B&B's of several price ranges. You could also rent a villa or two for a bit more privacy. The island is very small, only 3 miles long by half a mile wide, so no need for cars everyone can walk everywhere.

You can certainly have the wedding on the beach or at one of the resorts on island and have a nice reception there. One of the restaurants can also host a dinner for everyone, with some advanced planning.

You can fly into Nassau and either fly to N. Eleuthera or take the fast ferry.

Let me know if you need any other info on the island.

A couple of websites to look at would be

www.briland.com
www.rockhousebahamas.com
www.romorabay.com
www.runawayhill.com

Hope this helps.

check out www.secretharbourvi.com secret harbour on st. thomas, it imho fits you perfectly. easy to travel to. mid-sized resort with good restaurant on an island with loads of great dining oportunities for different budgets. all the rooms are condo style with full kitchens from studio to 2-br. (grocery store is about 10 mins away.) each has a deck or patio, large living room, tv. beach is perfect for swimming (calm all the time, sandy not rocky, gradual for the kids) and has good snorkeling off to one side. also has a dive shop and boat.
i have given a party for about 45 ppl on their beach. sh was fine with this and their blue moon cafe even helped by doing some catering. their chef has THE best wedding cake recipe i have ever had. seriously! and they did a nice job on the platters i ordered.
st. thomas offers tons to do on and in the water. has great duty free shopping. has coki world - a wonderful marine park.
secret harbour is very close to red hook where the ferry to st. john is.
only drawback might be the pool. it is very quiet and non-descript with no bar. but the outdoor bar attached to blue moon is a hoot.
re the actual wedding. usvi makes it very easy to get married (some islands require several days to week stay or med exams, etc). you just mail in your paperwork and both of you sign and pick up at the govt office in charlotte amalie when you get there.
i would strongly advise you use a wedding co-ordinator no matter what island/resort you decided on. virtually every resort has one.
congratulations and happy planning.

I am not sure how the island is since Hurricane Ivan in 2004, but Grand Cayman is very nice! No high rises and many, many condo's that you can rent right on 7 mile beach. Acutally, a very classy island, not cheesy at all. Restaurant dining can be on the pricy side, but with a condominium you can shop locally and keep the fridge full if you like. Most have beach-front grills and pool. Town is small, but there are some small local spots for eating and/or drinking. There are also some wonderful oceanfront restaurants, but more $$. Very easy island to travel to from most destinations. They accept American money, so no monetary exchange required. If you go make sure you "swim with the sting-rays"! A must do.

Maybe someone can shed some light on the condition of the island since the hurricane?

We loved this island! All the best and Happy Honeymoon!

thanks everyone for your suggestions! harbour island looks wonderful! we are going to check into that and puerto rico. the marriage requirements for both seem almost painless, and PR allows us to jump easily to the virgin islands to honeymoon. if we do harbour island we can rent a sailboat and island hop. in PR, we are looking at villa montana and martineau bay resort and vills at palmas. any opinions or other suggestions? i'll start a new post for the PR lodging.

See Vieques tips at Fodors.

If you go to Vieques, Martineau Bay is under major construction.

I'd stay here:
http://coralcottagerental.com/

ONLY use this car rental on vieques:
http://www.martineaucarrental.com/

If you dont sail in---
I advise flying ito Vieques from San Juan
Use vieques air:
Flights to Vieques leave from Isla Grand Airport near the heart of San Juan -- not to be confused with the main Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport near Isla Verde. Vieques Air Link (tel. 787/741-8331) operates four daily flights from San Juan.

Check this out for more Vieques tips:

http://stjohnbeachguide.com/Vieques_...es_Beaches.htm

If you decide not to go to Vieques and want a real boutique romantic experience,that is about 10 minutes from airport..

here is the only choice:
http://www.waterclub.com/home.php

15 minute taxis to awesome old san juan shopping and restuarnts..

I've lived in old san juan past 3 years...Car rental agency that only puts a $300 hold is Avis Rent a Car. You can also take it to Vieques when ferry runs...
One stop shopping at Avis:
Call Waldy at:
787-721-4499

Hope this helps.

wantsomesun - would any of the resorts on harbour island let you have a beach party, cocktail hour and such for our guests? if we rent a house, are there public venues to hold a ceremony? are there any beach bars? i've been in touch with a wedding planner so hope to have more info soon. what is late april/early may like weatherwise? i do want to be in a bathing suit most of the time! thanks!