frettingmom

I am almost in a panic at this point! We were within one email from sending our money into a resort in St. Lucia when the hurricane hit and caused mass destruction. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

With all that being said, this left us searching for a new approach. We decided to go to Florida as the bride, groom and groom's family live in Britain and the bride's family resides in Oklahoma. We have searched for weeks and thought we found our perfect place UNTIL we got on Google Earth and found it was located next to a 3-story apartment complex.

My daughter really wants a quiet beach, preferably on the Gulf side. It will not be a formal wedding, but we need a really nice (Wedding & reception site) 5-bedroom oceanfront home and another 4-5 bedroom home that is close in proximity. The wedding is tentatively scheduled for 5/14 so we need days on both sides of that weekend. Budget is commensurate with accommodations.

PLEASE tell me there's somebody out there that can help!

starrs

Checking VRBO is really the best bet IMO.

If you decide to go another route, this small hotel hosts beautiful weddings. The good thing about that is it would be low stress via doing it all yourself at a rental in an area you are not familiar with.

Take a look at their photo gallery -
http://www.beachviewweddings.com/

The guests would probably enjoy seeing Savannah up the road a bit and the "cottages" of Jekyll Island.

PeaceOut

Finding two homes sounds more challenging than finding a hotel or resort to host it. Having the extra help of a front desk and party planner might also provide you some peace of mind. Is that a consideration? There must be lots to choose from. More so than defining two adjacent homes.

PeaceOut

Than FINDING two adjacent homes. (gotta watch that autofill feature!)

nytraveler

Another consideration is that most rental houses rent by the week - Saturday to Saturday - so your plans would probably require renting 2 houses for 2 weeks each (owners are unlikely to give you 2 partial weeks this far in advance).

frettingmom

Wow! I looked at Beachview Weddings and contacted them via email. Cross your fingers that it's not astronomically expensive and I think we have found a serious contender. Thanks so much for that suggestion.

I also visited VRBO. I have found two properties that might work and have contacted the owners. They are in St. Augustine and I would rather stay west side of Florida, but at this point, I would crawl there if this property met everyone's needs!

frettingmom

PeaceOut-
Boy, are you ever telling me! Unfortunately, the vision for the little couple is a very quiet venue with really nothing more than a hot tub, swimming pool, ocean, grocery store and family! That's how it was described to me. The ceremony is going to be very informal so I will probably arrange for a cake, very few flowers, ribbon, toule and a good caterer and an EXCELLENT photographer. I will try to handle that (with the assistance of a very good friend that has excellent skills) via the internet and FODORS before my arrival. We will try to keep in mind that all catastrophes make for good stories later in life!

frettingmom

nytraveler-

I have come across that problem. The date of 5/14 is not set in stone so if we have to have it on a Weds or Thurs, that can be arranged. However, I have found some owners that will give us those extra days at a pro-rated price. They may be planning for the sluggish economy or whatever, but it has happened. (It could also be that they have a huge high rise next door and they are trying to fill the vacancy)

starrs

I hope they are not. I don't think they are. They are on a stretch of open beach and next door is the Oceanside Inn and Suites that stretches out for what feels like a mile. I know it isn't, but there's nothing really on the other side of them. My point is, although there is a hotel next door, the clientele is nice - mostly families and retirees - so no problems from "neighbors". The reason I know about the Beachview is from watching the wedding party go down to the beach for the pictures. They are SPECTACULAR.

The hotel itself is small and has been under different ownership over the years. For the last few (10?) years, the owner seems to specialize in weddings. The tent between the hotel and ocean/beach is permanent. I imagine the rooms are nice but not too expensive (check the website). BUT they do weddings ALL the time and it would really take a lot of stress off two families who live so far away. Plus you would all be there together. You'd need rental cars and could fly into Savannah or Jacksonville. It's a gorgeous location for a wedding and lots of places for guests/tourists to enjoy.

If you aren't aware, the "cottages" were the getaways for the very rich who loved escaping to Jekyll.

At first, it was the farm and home of John Eugene duBignon. But, with the help of his brother-in-law Newton Finney, it became what Munsey’s Magazine called "the richest, most inaccessible club in the world" – the Jekyll Island Club.

Club members included men such as J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, William K. Vanderbilt, and Marshall Field, to name only a few. Members prized the island for its "sense of splendid isolation," as well as its beautiful landscape and moderate climate. At a time when the idea of a modern seaside resort was still a novelty, members experienced levels of luxury and service that were remarkable, even by today’s standards.

more at http://www.jekyllisland.com/Explore/...cDistrict.aspx