Hi Everyone! I'm new to this website and have been enjoying everything you have all shared so THANK YOU!
My fiance and I visited the Royalton this March and really loved it. We undecided between the Hilton Rose Hall (because I love the aquaduct), the Iberostar and Royalton so when we flew down we visited all 3 resorts. With that said, we got to see a lot and meet with each resort's wedding coordinator so if I can help answer any questions let me know! We ultimately chose the Royalton because it is more intimate and will be more fun to run into and see your guests more frequently. It also is great for kids with water park and kids/teens club. Theres plenty of adult fun too though including an adults only pool and late night sports bar with a DJ. The areas where you could have your ceremony and reception so beautiful and exactly what we were going for.
Iberostar:
We didn't chose the Iberostar because we felt it was too big. There's the grand (adults only $$$), suites (upgraded but still kid friendly $$) and beach (kids friendly and older $). We thought it would be too difficult if our guests stayed at different sections of the hotel considering you can not cross over to the higher levels. For your wedding, you also have to pay extra $25-50 per guests if they are staying at a lower section. The resort itself is beautiful. Great pools, restaurant choices, rooms. They did not have many options as to where you could host your ceremony and reception and the choices they did have were not our vision. Also each section has a different coordinator and I must say Simone at the grande is amazing!
Hiliton:
We didn't chose the Hilton because it was very outdated. The rooms were small and lots of carpeting throughout hotel which you dont expect to see in the carribean. Beachfront pool does not have a swim up bar which was a negative for us. It does have a hoppin bar right next to it but it wasnt the same for us. The aquaduct is as stunning as it looks in pictures. The reception option we viewed was the 2 palms restaurant. This is actually across (you drive under) the road. Very rustic and pretty but too small for our 90+ guest list. Also note you have to pay extra for a generator at aquaduct since its off property and you have to pay extra for shuttle bus for guests to get to aquaduct and restaurant. I was not impressed with their wedding coordinator. They were recently bought by Jewels though so maybe new things are coming. They have very limited restaurants, no hibachi. Their water park is very pretty though and fun for kids with lazy river.
Photography:
While we were visiting we met with our future wedding photographer, Stacey Clarke, to have some pictures taken for our save the dates. It was nice to meet with her and she truly is amazing and fun to work with. Now I can rest easy knowing photog shouldnt be a stressor anymore. Her prices are very competitive and she also offers/includes a photobooth for silly pics and a day before shoot for reception dinner or day after for TTD. She covers RWS $450 vendor fee too. And note she comes with an assistant so its 2 photogs for the price of 1.
Videography:
We decided to spend a little extra and get exactly what we want. Everyone who has been offering advice or regrets from their weddings say dont go cheap on video/photo! We are booked with EMC who will also be our DJ. We booked a drone for some amazing aerial shots too for an additional $500. I recommended checking out their videos. They focus on making a movie, about 20 mins, of your wedding not just straight through footage.
Our Wedding:
We booked for March 5, 2016. We are having our ceremony at 430pm at the gazebo, cocktail hour at the waterfall at 530 and our reception on the beach at 7-11p. We are having close to 100 guests so we are doing a private menu with their mid-level package (dream package). We are having the Mediterranean buffet because its only $25/pp! It includes 2 hours open bar and the additional 2 hours are $10pp. We plan on ordering a tent and dance floor but have not arranged that as of yet. We saw a wedding with a clear tent and lots of white chinese lanterns which was beautiful. As far as decorations, I am opting to make a lot of things and bring them myself to save money. Our photographer has offered to let us ship things to her which is amazing although not sure if needed yet. The resort does not allow you to ship things.
Spa: Very pretty and clean. They have a separate area you can get ready on your big day. I did not get a massage but heard great things. I did get my hair done though. I wasnt exactly sure of what style I wanted but I wanted to test their skills. Whatever they use for hair spray is amazing! Its like liquid concrete! I was very concerned about how windy it was on the pier but my hair held very well (half up half down and I have long hair).
We have also set up a bonfire for our welcome event ($300) with open bar ($10pp) and ipod music. Our rehearsal dinner will be free and held on the separate terrace the buffet offers.
Sorry for the short novel but thought I should share. There's so much more too so let me know if you have anything I can help you with from one bride to another
