HCharles

Hi Hilary! ROR was perfect for us and our group. We had a large group of 45 so we needed a bigger hotel. We didn't want to be tripping over everyone every day. We had a few people that brought their families and wanted it to be a family holiday with our wedding as a bonus so we wanted everyone to have space. Being that the resort and beach are so big we just picked a spot on the beach and that was the meeting point every day. Anyone who wanted company joined us there and anyone who wanted alone time just found beach chairs somewhere else. It worked great for us. The wedding location was beautiful and the food was outstanding! Best sushi I ever had was in Jamaica!!! There is a very yummy jerk chicken hut right on the beach that serves something different every day. Chicken, shrimp, ribs, sausage, pork, they jerk everything! We were very happy at ROR with service, entertainment, food, rooms, and wedding. The only thing that sucked was we had to use Skyservice. They are brutal. Pick what works for your group, no matter what you'll have a blast! I'll help with more info about ROR if you need! h

I don't want to be a downer but..... We just got home from ROR in January and when we were checking in at the airport to come home we got approached by a girl who saw me with my garment bag for my dress and she asked about our wedding. We had a fab experience, start to finish. She said they had not been so lucky. The resort was not very acommodating, they lost power multiple times through their week and it was for lengthy periods of time. They lost all water for an entire day and when our flight from Montego Bay was delayed 18 hours their hotel would not help out by letting them keep their rooms longer. They ended up in the hotel lobby the entire time waiting out the delay. Their tour rep did not help them at all during their delay and it was up to them to figure things out. I'm sure some of their disappointment was due to their tour company but alot to do with the hotel. This was BRB. They said they did not enjoy the food but they did say they had a nice wedding. This is not my info but it is straight from the mouth of the bride! I did see the Ocho Rios Sandals resort (from the water) and it also looked very nice and intimate, if you have no kids coming with you. ROR is HUGE. Hope that helps a bit.

We gave out our bags the day we got there. We were the last people to arrive so our Calgary and Vancouver guests had been there a day already. We got there at 3pm so we just headed to the beach and passed out the bags. They had a travel mug (highly recommend those!) small lotion, lip balm with SPF, personalized luggage tags, deck of cards (also highly recommend) small bit of hard candy, and a thank you not for making the trip. My mom made a small drawstring bag for everyroom. We gave one bag per room and filled it for the number of people per room. People LOVED the bags! Good luck with your bags. We got our travel mugs from ebay for a very very good price.

Hi there. We just got married in January at the ROR and it was great. I found a lot of the things that the website said were not the case. We had a group of 45. After the ceremony right on the beach there was champage for everyone at no cost to us. We chose the beach setting for the ceremony. There is a beach gazebo or a garden gazebo. Garden is a bit of a spectacle and it would be a weird set up for your guests to see the ceremony. I wouldn't recommend it. Beach all the way! The charge for the bar is only if you have a private reception. If you book a dinner in a semi-private setting, drinks are included. We booked semi-private and got moved to the private location at no charge because of the size of our group. Wine was served during dinner. Beware of the Mammee Bay steakhouse for your dinner and what time you are eating. It is very close to the entertainment stage. You may risk hearing, bingo, the bird dance and all the kiddie entertainment duirng dinner. We had booked Mammee Bay for the wedding dinner but, again, we were moved due to the size of the group. The plantation is where we ended up. Very nice and quiet. We went to Riu Hotels & Resorts and booked our wedding online. Our credit card was never charged the $350 they said they would charge. We paid everything the day before the wedding at the resort. No matter what you put on the info sheet on the Riu website when you book your wedding day doesn't really matter. We were able to pick everything at our meeting with the wedding planner the day before. I highly recommend the steel drums during the ceremony. Beautiful touch and they play for a whole hour! Awsome! Good luck with your wedding, I hope it goes well! I'd be happy to help if you have any more q's for someone who's been there!

We got married with a group of 43 people joining us at the ROR. I have no complaints. We got exactly what we wanted! We loved the resort, the people, the food, drinks, beach, weather, literally everything. I know that nothing negative doesn't help so if I have to find something to comment on here are the minor minor things. Book you appointment with Chandlyn by email prior to getting to the resort. She is hard to find as she is very busy with multiple weddings a day. Not having your appointment holds us what excursions you can do and when just because you know the appointment is coming. The housekeeping is very tip dependant. Tip your cleaning staff well. If you cannot handle change or things not being "perfect" don't do the destination wedding. Your expectation should be to come home married. Really, things down there are very laid back. You have to go with the flow and don't sweat the small stuff. Bring travel mugs. The cups from the bars are small and non insulated. Your slushy drinks melt fast. Ask for dark rum at all times. The white rum is 150 proof and tastes like paint thinner! The coppacabana and super conga drinks with dark rum are yumm! Skyservice sucks a**! If you can avoid using them do it. We loved our ROR wedding/honeymoon expericence and so did our guests. Good luck with your weddings!

Life saver!!!

Thanks! We will be there for two weeks so we will be there for your wedding! We are really getting excited now with it so close. Maybe we'll see you there. I can let you know how it goes. Do you have a big group coming with you?

Any ROR brides past or future that can comment on they experience with having their wedding dinner at the Mammee Bay steak house? I made the arrangements without much info on the place and I am stressing a little. I guess I would like to know if anyone used the location for speaches and first dance as well as their dinner location. Was the food good?

Uh oh!! Have you had bad experiences with Chandly already?? I am about to head down to ROR on January 11 for our big day on January 15. I can let you know how it goes. She isn't very helpful with returning emails I have found so far. But she eventually got back to me. I have attened a coupel of destination weddings and been able to attend the bride's meeting with the wedding coordinator for the resort and they went well. My two friends said that they both felt things weren't going well until they actaully got down there and met face to face. But those weddings were also at other resorts! I am hopeful! I'll let you know how it goes!

I am a bit last minute here, but our wedding date is January 15, 2009 at the Riu Ocho Rios!!! OMG a month away! Any tips on ANYTHING would be greatly appreciated! Awsome site and the best bride info is posted!

Hi there! This is my first post to the site! Awsome info girls! So I have the steel drum band booked and it is sounding like I need music on a CD still. I had no idea I should bring music of my own! Does any other of the Riu Ocho Rios brides have the steel drum band booked and if so how long did they play for? Did they play while you come down the isle and during and after the ceremony? We are getting married in a month! A little panicked!