NegrilLB

Yeah, 7-mile beach in Negril is known for being one of the nicest beaches in JA. It's a really long stretch (hence the name ), the sand is nice, and the water is very calm. Another nice thing about it is there are lots of locally-owned hotels along the beach that have ocean-view restaurants. There's also Margaritaville and a few other bars to hang out at on the beach. RTB and RN are at Bloody Bay beach, which is just to the North of 7-mile (like a $3 cab ride). Bloody Bay has nice sand and water too, it's just not part of the long stretch. That said, the beach at ROR is nice too. The water has more waves but nothing too rough.

I went to a wedding at ROR and checked out RN as a possible wedding location during the same trip. The ROR is basically a larger and newer version of RN. I didn't get to see RTB but I assume that since it's a Palace and not Club it's a little more upscale than the other two. One of the main things you might want to consider is if you prefer Ocho Rios or Negril, since they are very different. Negril is much more laid back than Ocho Rios. Hard to say which is better, it just depends on your style. Also, before you start thinking about it too hard, check that ROR has a date available that works for you. After getting my mind set on ROR I went to book it for a Saturday in April only to find that every day for 3pm and 4pm they were booked (even during the week!)

Hi latrice, I was at my friend's wedding at ROR last month and she got her hair done at Renova. She wanted a roller set also but they told her they don't do that there. But, they are experienced with all hair types and did a really good job. They used a hot iron to do an up-do with curls at the back, and the curls held up all night and looked great.

Quote: Originally Posted by Chelymo NegrilLB: I would recommend you definitely talk to a TA, mine quoted me $1260/pp double occupancy for 7 nights which includes air from Miami and $713/pp double occupancy for 3 nights again including air these rates are for last week of April 2010. Chelymo, those rates are great! Is that for the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach property? I am assuming so, but if it is for the Suites that would be even better! Most of my guests will be coming from S FL in mid-April too so I would expect them to get good airfare deals. One TA actually quoted me $510 for the flight only from Ft. Lauderdale to Montego Bay...ridiculous, LOL. What travel agency are you using? Lisa

Hi, Rosehall is one of the many locations I was considering at one point because it is very beautiful. I sent in a request to the wedding coordinator and she responded within a day or two. This is her contact info: beverly gordon [email protected] or 1-876-953-2323 or 1-876-953-9982 She told me that the catering is done by either Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall or Hilton Rose Hall Resort. I had the menus and pricing for both, and the food selection looks like it would be great but pricey.

Quote: Originally Posted by lmuze My TA quoted me $1308 per room for 4 nights for June 2010. Assuming there are two people in a room that comes to be $163.50 per person per night. I hope this information helps. Thanks Imuze, that does help. I just got a quote back from one TA for $225 per person per night! Way too much. It was a little disappointing because when I talked to her she was telling me what great group rates she would be able to get us. I have found some rates online that are around the rate that you're getting so I'll either direct my guests to the discount websites or find a TA that can get those same rates. I don't usually use travel agents but I'm thinking it might be a good idea with a large group. Lisa

Stay-C, The wedding fee and $18pp includes the chair covers and decorations. This is what I have in a document from them: "Included in the package you have the decoration of the wedding area, which includes white sheer fabrics, artificial ivy and flowers, chairs for all the guests with white covers and a tie-bow (gold or silver) and a white or red runner. For the Beach location we also offer a bamboo canopy (Huppa)." I'm not sure about the cake though. I know I saw somewhere that the free cake is for 8 people, so I don't know how much it is for a large cake. Maybe one of the past brides on here knows? This is the cake info I have: "You can choose your wedding cake during the wedding meeting in the hotel. Our standard cake comes in two different shapes: square or round, both covered in a white frosting and decorated fresh flowers, matching the bridal bouquet. As per the flavors, you can choose between vanilla cake, chocolate cake, fruit cake or strawberry cheesecake. Other options could be available with an extra charge."

Thanks for the recommendation! I just checked out the site and the pictures look beautiful. Does Iberostar Rosehall have any restrictions on bringing in outside vendors? I know that some resorts charge a fee or don't allow it at all so just wanted to make sure. Especially since I think I read somewhere on this forum that their own photographer is not great.

I would have loved to plan my wedding at the RC but their prices were out of my budget. If that's not an issue for you then that would be a great place to have it. Of all the places that I e-mailed to get info from (and there were A LOT, lol), the RC's coordinator was the most responsive, which makes me think that you would get some good individual attention during your planning. The RIU's are really popular and have several weddings per day, so their WC's are generally busy and can be hard to get a hold of. But then again, their prices are more affordable. The pics of the RC reception venues look beautiful...the WC told me $1K for the Lawn, $2K for the Terrace (my fav) and $2.5K for the Ballroom (I think the beach was $1.5K but not sure). That's in addition to the fee for the ceremony which I believe is $2K. Their menu options are excellent. You can choose from several different plated and buffet menus, and you can also have carving stations set up.

Heartbeat, I know what you mean, most of my family is originally from JA but now lives in the states, and I wasn't sure if they would be interested in staying at an expensive all-inclusive resort. Most likely I'll still end up at one of them anyway, but one option I was considering for a while was a large villa rental. These links have a few nice ones: *Luxury Villas by Linda Smith - Villas we recommend for weddings Luxury Private Villa Rentals in Jamaica, Vacation villas in Jamaica, Luxury Jamaica Villas, holiday resorts Jamaica Generally you pay for one week's rental of the property and there is a wedding coordinator that's associated with the property who helps you with the set-up and venor coordination. It's true that Negril has the nicest beaches, and they also have a lot of venues that don't require you to stay there. I found this great map that has all the hotels in the area: http://www.jamaicans.com/bm~doc/comp...a_map_2008.pdf Good luck!

Has anyone had any luck getting a discounted group rate at the Suites? The rates for 2010 are showing up on their site now, and from April thru the summer it's $207 per person per night for the cheapest room and I think a lot of my guests would find that to be too much.

OK, so you're the one I saw last weekend Thanks for posting the pics! I love the set-up at the lazy river...looks beautiful! We might have around 100 guests so that probably wouldn't be an option for us I would love to see pics of the reception set-up when you get them. How many people do you think could fit in one half of the restaurant without a dancefloor? Since we have a large group I'm worried about having to split into 2 sections of the terrace. Was the inside of the restaurant air-conditioned? So great to be able to talk to people who have had weddings there! Thank you so much for your help.

Thanks for the detailed review Myen! I'm glad to hear things went well for you. Amazing that you were able to plan it in such a short time too. Congrats!

I was in Jamaica for a wedding in Ocho Rios on Saturday and my fiance and I stopped by the Iberostar on Sunday to check the place out. Myen, I think I saw you there because the person who was showing us around pointed out someone across the pool who had just had their wedding on Friday, so that must have been you, LOL! I'm looking forward to your full review! The hotel really is as pretty in person as it is in pictures. The part we would need to work out is how to seat all 100+ of our guests at the steakhouse restaurant. The terrace area is basically split into 2 sections, and I'd rather not split up the group. The person showing us the place said we could all fit into one of the sections but I'm not so sure...Does anyone know about how many people can fit in one terrace section? Also, did anyone here use the beach in front of the restaurant? How did it work out?

Thanks for the great review and pics Sarah! I am considering a wedding there as well and I am so glad I was able to see some pics, especially of the reception set-up. Congrats on a beautiful wedding!

Hi, I've also been going nuts trying to pick a location and just started looking into Rose Hall...it looks really nice but I'm worried about how expensive it will end up being. Pandabride, Gregsbride or anyone else, could you let me know the menu prices they gave you? (or send to [email protected]). We're thinking we'll have over 100 guests so it could get really expensive if we're not careful.

OK I've been lurking on this thread for the last week and I finally have something that I can contribute Dionne sent me the private reception menu today and it is below. I was really hoping to have Jamaican food...does anyone know if customized menus (or at least different choices) are an option there? Although I'm assuming this menu doesn't have a $pp cost since it's at the restaurant, which would be great! I'm probably going to do a cocktail hour too, but she didn't tell me how much that was. SHADOWS RESTAURANT Main Course Beef Tenderloin Butterfly herbs chicken breast Shrimp skewers Buffet Service SOUP ONION SOUP Salad Fresh romaine lettuce and ceasar dressing Endives in blue cheese dressing Tomato and mixed leaves salad With crumbled feta cheese Artichokes,black olives and mozzarella Asparagus and mushroom salad Russian salad Cold specials Smoked salmon with garnishes Cold cuts mirrow Assorted cheese Seared tuna with parsley salsa Garnishes and dressings Balsamic vinaigrette Ranch dressing Caesar dressing Thousand island Green olives, capers,jalapenos,gherkins Parmesan cheese,croutons,biscuits,ect. Dessert BUFFET/WEDDING CAKE

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum and planning an April 2010 wedding in Negril (can you tell by my username? ) Not fully settled on a venue yet but I've at least narrowed down the list!

This is great information - Thank you inunez!

This forum is so helpful! I am trying to find a location for a Negril wedding in April/May 2010 and RIU is one of my top choices right now (looking at both Tropical Bay and Negril). The only problem is I can't seem to be able to contact anyone there! I called the main RIU line and they gave me a number to Tropical Bay but no one ever answered. Can anyone here give me an e-mail address or a phone number that actually works? I am very early in the planning stages but I am guessing we're going to have a pretty large group of 75-125 people. Does anyone know if they're able to accommodate so many? Thanks!!

Thanks for the tips Lana! It sounds like I need to try and book something soon.

Congrats Lara! I'm also a newbie and coincidentally am also considering RIU in Negril sometime in April/May 2010 (but just got engaged and haven't booked anything yet). I'd love to hear how well they work with you. Congrats again - Negril is a beautiful place to get married:)