Usvi

Morton-Woods · 09-09-2008, 05:41 PM

I need help deciding between which island to go to for our wedding. We have been looking at st thomas at the wyndam and the marriott and was wondering if you girls had any good information about either of these like if one was more helpful than another, etc? I was also wondering if you has any other places that might be of interest to me to check into. We were going to go to MX but after considering no passports we think we may change. Also, we thought about a reception at sea, does anybody have info on this? Hope someone can help thank you

futureeilen · 09-15-2008, 12:08 PM

Hi Courtney -
My FI's parents have lived on St Thomas for almost 10 years and it's a beautiful island, but it can be expensive (we actually just got back yesterday from a week there). We are getting married at their house, but our guests are staying at the Marriott. We stayed at the Marriott for a few nights in May and it was great! We had an ocean-view room and the view was amazing.

I've heard mixed reviews about the Wyndham, mostly about the resort having lots of stairs and the rooms being run-down or dirty. That said, I've never stayed there - only heard things from FI's parents and read reviews online.

Also, keep in mind that all-inclusive is not very popular on St Thomas, so a wedding at a STT hotel will probably be more expensive than it might be at a Mexican resort. I've heard the Marriott in particular is pricey for receptions.

You could always get married on a beach and then go to a local restaurant for the reception. I know a few people on here did that... There are several wedding planning coordinators there that could give you lots of ideas and help with planning. Good luck!

JoLo908 · 09-15-2008, 12:58 PM

We went to St. Thomas and stayed at the Marriott. We actually met a couple who got married and had their dinner in Havanah Blue. Everyone said it was amazing, but St. Thomas is VERY expensive... for food, cabs, almost anything. It is a beautiful place though!

samantha7806 · 09-19-2008, 08:56 PM

hi! i am getting married in st. thomas at the marriott in june. i would definitely recommend it over the wyndham. my fiance lived in st. thomas for two years, and my family and i have been going there for vacation for about 20 years. i know the island in and out. it can be expensive, but you can also go and hardly spend any money - if you know where to eat, buy your liquor, etc. at the k-mart there, you can get good bottles of vodka for $3!!!

anyway, i digress. we recommended the marriott to some friends, and they booked the wyndham instead. well, we just got a phone call from them tonight saying it was awful, they checked out and checked in to the marriott and loved it! it's a great hotel, and i highly recommend it. we're getting married at the gazebo and having our reception at havana blue. WONDERFUL restaurant.

you can check out my bio if you like: samantha7806 - Kyle and Samantha's Wedding
it's got some pics in there of the gazebo, havana blue, and some from my most recent trip there this past june. other great restaurants include herve, oceana, craig and sally's, old stone farmhouse (beautiful), and for fun - duffy's love shack. that's where we are having our welcome dinner.

whew! sorry this is so long! but, i hope that helps!

IslandLover · 09-20-2008, 06:47 AM

Look down at my post from May, I wrote alot about my trip and hotel reviews about St. Thomas.

FI and I are staying at the Ritz.
Other family staying at Frenchman's Reef and others at a Villa.

We are getting married at Magen's Bay using Angela from Paridise Bridal Consultants. We will get married on the beach followed by a reception at Havana Blue. HB is located at the Morningstar Resort of the Mariott on the beach!

If you wanted you could also use Frenchmans Reef's several restaurants and terraces for your reception, depends on how many people, most have a minimum of 25 people for Frenchmans Reception rooms/Terrace.

If you go with Angela, you can also have either a cocktail hour or full reception on the beach with a covered area.

Other reception ideas: Villa Botanica, Old Stone Farmhouse, Aquarium, Blackbeards Castle or a Popular option of a Villa!!!

Hope this helps. Look back at old posts, theres good information there.

IslandLover · 09-20-2008, 06:53 AM

I just realized I didnt answer your question to 'Which Island'!!!

We decided on St. Thomas b/c it is most convientient for guests, to get to St. John, and less popular St. Croix, you need a ferry/boat. Also, more restaurants, things to do, shopping on St. Thomas.

If you looking for a secluded, private, away from the crounds and untouched area with awesome beaches, then St. John is your bet. This is where we are going for our honeymoon.

It really depends on what your looking for.
we are renting a catamaran to take guests to St. John one day.

Hazel · 10-14-2008, 10:30 AM

Hi,

I just joined BDW a few days ago. My fiancee and I got engaged about a month ago and we have decided that we want a destination wedding. We wanted to get married on the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in Nassau, but they are too expensive and have a lot of rules and uncertainties. We are now looking at the USVI, probbaly St. Thomas. I do not know much about the islands so I am at the start of my planning. We are looking at a wedding in Maybe October of 2009 and I want a beatuful private garden that overlooks the water as my first choice. A cute chapel would be my second choice. I also want to have accomodations on a resort that has a few activities to keep the guests busy during our Wedding Weekend. Any ideas?

Thanks!

RedDiamond · 10-14-2008, 09:14 PM

I really wanted to get married in the Seychelles. Normailed showed me pictures of the Baths of Gorda in Virgin Gorda and now I want to photograph a wedding there but I haven't even seen another bride mention it yet! So, my vote goes to Virgin Gorda.

Photos of Virgin Gorda: http://tinyurl.com/4mtd98

If we end up doing a cruise, this will totally be our TTD location!

IslandLover · 10-16-2008, 01:13 AM

Hazel.....

I was married before...Im still young, marriage lasted 3 months..but our Honeymoon was at Atlantis. We are young, LOVE nightlife, busy things to do, we lived in Chicago for years, so we know about congested places, but holy S$*&!!

These are my thoughts:

First off: Atlantis:::::: WAY TO BUSY...AND TEENS EVERYWHERE....seriously, it was great b/c it was our honeymoon but the Best part was being AWAY from the resort.....

It is so freaking busy there you feel like you are in Orlando at Disney World...This was early June...Teens everywhere!! Now if you are a Teen fine...but if you are over 21....NO NO NO!!

Great resort overall, has everything there that you want...but OMG how freaking overcrouded..more for Families...seriously!! NOT Romantic at all, b/c you are dodging all the freakin teens just walking down the halls...eveyone is younger than you...and I was 25 at the time!!

Go With Caribbean!!! You have SO MANY places to go with a little bit more travel..romatic, beaches are WAY WAY better, I will NEVER go back to Atlantis!! If I went back, it would NOT be there, it would be a more private place...

....but if you want beautiful waters, privacy, awesome beaches, look into the USVI....US dollars, English, NO passport....really it is one of the many reasons we are getting married in St Thomas! EASY for your guests..well as easy as you can get for a destination wedding.

Sounds like Atlantis was out of price range...look at a villa...you need a wedding coordinator...they are way cheaper than in the US..

Paridise Bridal Consultants Angela is who I am with....b/c she has EVERYTHING in a package....if you want flowers, dress, tux, chamagne, everything is there..and she is GREAT...Lives on St. Thomas and even met w/her parents....we are using a different photog b/c we want a specific type of photog, everything else is hers....check her out!!

If you want really cheap, then USVI may not be the best...you may need to go to St. Lucia, Mexico, ect...cheaper...but NOT US territory...so you have to think about your guests and what they are willing to sacrifice!
Is it just you 2? Then St. John... or St. Barts...family, you have to consider travel time and other things..

Hope this helps!

Amanda/MandaAt

Hazel · 10-17-2008, 04:02 AM

Thanks Amanda for your thoughts. Very helpful.

We are looking at an October 2009 wedding, so hopefully it will not be crowded because all the teenagers should be well into the school year by then. I will check out Angela in St Thomas. The only thing stopping me from committing to St. Thomas totally flight lenght. Flights to St. Thomas are not long, but we are thinking that somewhere between 30-50 people will join us for the wedding, and I would really like to limit the flight to under 2-2.5 hours for the sake of our guests. I'm stuck right now (Paradise Island on one hand and St. Thomas on the other), but with a little research, I hope to have an island picked out soon.

Thanks Again.