Teemojo

People were so tired after the ceremony. We started at 10:30am (at least that was the plan). Then we had to board the ship at 2pm. We made it just in time. I would say it all depends on how you have your day scheduled. We had the use of the beach after our ceremony. What we had at the resort was called a mini-reception with hors d'oeuvres and fruit. I believe we had local food like jerk chicken,a seafood item and a vegetable item plus salad. Everyone that traveled with us skipped dinner and went to the midnight buffet.

We did a mini-reception at the resort because we started everything early. It was about $25 a person. There was more than enough food to hold us until dinner.

We were married in Ochie, as the locals refer to it, at Shaw Park Hotel in Jamaica. Getting married here knocked our fee from $275 to $100. We only paid for the minister. We put the extra money towards taxi service for our guests to and from the ceremony location. Also be aware that if you are using outside vendors for your ceremony, the resort/hotel will charge you a fee. We didn't feel comfortable with the photographer that the resort recommended.

Hi CAKnight, You definitely will be able to personalize your day. You may have to bring your own items or pay a little extra. We saved on the marriage license fees by getting legally married here a week before. My husband is paranoid, as was sure something would go wrong. We a had a civil ceremony and on the island we had a symbolic ceremony. No one noticed. Actually we never told anyone. They have great wedding planners on a lot of the islands. Just make sure that they have references from past brides. Let me know if I can help. Good luck!

Hi Ladies, Just wanted to share a few pics of my OOT bags. In the beginning my FI was against it but he warmed up to it towards the end. I got my tote bags from cheaptotes.com (less than $1per bag) Custom Monogram from weddingchicks.com Picture frames- Christmas Tree Shop (end of the season clearance) $1 or less Lanyards - Oriental Trading $7 for a dozen Lanyard inserts - Vistaprint (free) Fans for the ladies - $3.99 for a dozen Welcome note/Itinerary- Vistaprint ($3.99) For a little "Island Flair", I found tamarind balls and coconut cookies. They were no more than $1.50 each.

We chose Shaw Park because I was told by Carnival that they use that resort. We didn't do the wedding through the ship. We found it more costly. I booked directly through the resort. I didn't like the fact that they wanted all of there money upfront. We had payments with the resort. Paying for everything ourselves has made things a little less ideal but hopefully it will all work out.

Hi emilyj, If I can help please let me know. It will take my mind off of all of the things that I have to do.... My actual wedding will take place when we dock at a local resort. Hopefully it works out. Another bride on here did something similar. My worst fear is that there is a storm and we won't make to Jamaica (crossing my fingers). The wedding coordinator is from the resort and she will be taking care of the transportation and our legal papers. We are doing a mini-reception at the resort before returning to the ship(my FI's idea). We also have permission to use there facilities until we leave for the day. The ship leaves at 5pm and the ceremony should take place around 10:30am.

@doopie1221 I know exactly what you mean. So far I've had people that I thought were definates back out on me already. Good idea withe packet. We sent out e-vite announcements and STDs which directed them to the website. We are trying to finalize our shoreside wedding with a local planner and then we can send our formal invitations. We will be on the Carnival Destiny on Oct 6, leaving from Miami. The cermony will be in Ocho Rios at the Shaw Park Hotel. We haven't decided on a reception shoreside or on the ship. Since I didn't do my wedding through Carnival I wonder if they will still give me the reception package.

Thanks for the advice. I decided to let everyone book seperately to save money for them and a headache for me. So far it's worked out. I booked my cabin and have now provided my booking number and pincode so they can link the rooms. Believe it or not I got this advice from a Carnival Specialist.

Just wanted to update everyone that's been so helpful. I found a TA and asked her to check out the rates on 2 cruises. She gave me the rates for only one of the cruises which happened to be my second choice plus is was more expensive than expected. I didn't want my guests to have to pay over $1000 for a few days in the lowest category room. Just when I was about to give my TA some more options I called Carnival and spoke to a specialist that suggested I not go through the hassle of a group booking for a minimum amount of rooms. He wayed the pro/cons of the situation and I decided to let everyone book seperately and link the rooms via pincode/booking #. The specialist assured me that it was the least expensive way to get all of my "frugal" family and friends on my Wedding Cruise. Now I have to find a WP in Ocho Rios.

Thanks so much. I met a TA at a bridal expo over the weekend. She seems to be easy to work with but we'll see. I gave her my cruise options and asked her what type of pricing, etc she could get. One thing I didnt anticipate was her asking for the passport information for the group. Hopefully she can hold the minimum (8cabins) without that information.

Hello everyone, I think I am in sort of a pickle. Can anyone tell me about there booking experience for groups? I have called Carnival several times and each time I get a different story. 1st Story: In order to book the group I had to put a deposit down on the min amount of rooms which is 8 and my total was $2400 and that would only hold the price for 2weeks. 2nd Story: I could put the group on hold by putting a deposit down on my room which was $300 and that would only hold the rooms for 2weeks. Anyone that has done this please tell me how you did it. We sent out emails telling our guests that we were in the final stages of planning our destination wedding and informed them that after they recived the formal invite they would be required to put down a deposit. The next issue is that we are doing the passport invitations and they take 2-3weeks to arrive after you order them . Someone please help me. My next option is to call a travel agent but all of the ones that I've spoken to seem to be intimidated by the amount of knowledge that I have in this area becuase I'm a coordinator by trade. Hopefully someone has some advice Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone, I think I am in sort of a pickle. Can anyone tell me about there booking experience for groups? I have called Carnival several times and each time I get a different story. 1st Story: In order to book the group I had to put a deposit down on the min amount of rooms which is 8 and my total was $2400 and that would only hold the price for 2weeks. 2nd Story: I could put the group on hold by putting a deposit down on my room which was $300 and that would only hold the rooms for 2weeks. Anyone that has done this please tell me how you did it. We sent out emails telling our guests that we were in the final stages of planning our destination wedding and informed them that after they recived the formal invite they would be required to put down a deposit. The next issue is that we are doing the passport invitations and they take 2-3weeks to arrive after you order them . Someone please help me. My next option is to call a travel agent but all of the ones that I've spoken to seem to be intimidated by the amount of knowledge that I have in this area becuase I'm a coordinator by trade. Hopefully someone has some advice Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone, I think I am in sort of a pickle. Can anyone tell me about there booking experience for groups? I have called Carnival several times and each time I get a different story. 1st Story: In order to book the group I had to put a deposit down on the min amount of rooms which is 8 and my total was $2400 and that would only hold the price for 2weeks. 2nd Story: I could put the group on hold by putting a deposit down on my room which was $300 and that would only hold the rooms for 2weeks. Anyone that has done this please tell me how you did it. We sent out emails telling our guests that we were in the final stages of planning our destination wedding and informed them that after they recived the formal invite they would be required to put down a deposit. The next issue is that we are doing the passport invitations and they take 2-3weeks to arrive after you order them . Someone please help me. My next option is to call a travel agent but all of the ones that I've spoken to seem to be intimidated by the amount of knowledge that I have in this area becuase I'm a coordinator by trade. Hopefully someone has some advice Thanks in advance!