Calling all St. John Brides...

[K&Rwedding]

Hey ladies I leave tomorrow for St. John's my BF is getting married at Villa Kismet on Friday. I can't wait. We are staying at the Westin, yeah!!! Like Amanda we are big starwood fans, we are actually platinum with them. Hey can't blame us, we love to travel, hee hee....

 

I will write a full review when I get back.

 

Right now I know we are using Cruz Bay to go diving, having a Sunset Cruise, Bach party at Duffy's Love Shack (in St. Thomas) and a number of other activities. I can't wait to send you all an update.

 

 

Amanda, hope everyone loved the invites.

 

 

Cheers

Kathy

[lisadalemay]

I'm getting married in St. John in December 2009. We're going down for a week in a couple of weeks to check things out.

 

VILLAS. We'll be getting married at a private villa, but we haven't committed to one yet. Has anyone been to a villa wedding or know of any villas that are particularly scenic? We'll probably be having around 40 or so guests.

 

REHEARSAL DINNER. We're having a sunset cruise welcome party with cocktails and small bites, and we're thinking of following that with a super casual rehearsal dinner. Any places we should check out while we're down there?

 

Any other advice for us prior to our trip?

 

Thank you (in advance) for sharing any experiences that might be helpful!

[TheTomato]

I'm not sure about the villas, but we had our rehearsal/welcome party at Beach Bar in Cruz Bay. They did a GREAT job and it was fun... and right on the beach. The tuna bites are awesome! We did a couple salads, sandwiches and a bunch of appetizers. They set up some tables for us on the beach so we had our own little spot.

[lisadalemay]

Thank you! that sounds perfect. we'll definitely check it out when we're down there.

 

i saw that you guys used sage crown parker for photography. were you happy with your pics? we're also using stacey as our wedding planner, and i'm wondering if you would advise against any of her regular vendors.

 

i'd love to hear more about your wedding and any insights you might have about the planning experience.

 

Again, thanks for the info - looking forward to the tuna bites!

[K&Rwedding]

I agree the Beach Bar has great food. And the tuna bits are amazing... Great place to do a welcome reception.

 

My BF got married at Villa Kismet in St. John's it was like out of a movie, totally amazing.

 

If I got married there though I would do a wedding on the beach and have the reception at Rhumb Lines. This is where Kenny Chesney and Rene Zelwinger had theirs. Rhumb Lines is an amazing place to have a reception.

 

Check it out you won't go wrong.

 

I also have to say while I stayed at the Westin there was a local wedding there and I felt the Westin did an amazing job with the wedding and reception it would be a way to go.

 

Best of luck

[TheTomato]

I haven't yet gotten the pictures or video so I can't really give a review. Stacy did OK with the ceremony but if I had to do it again, I would have just gone with the Westin's planner for the reception instead of hiring her. Not sure about a villa reception though. The only advice I'd give is be very wary of shipping. I still have one of my boxes floating in space somewhere. I sent 10 boxes down almost a month in advance and was still missing two the day of the wedding.

I will check back in when the pictures arrive!

[tropicalhopeful]

Hi all,

 

I'm getting married on St. John in May. Silly me, I thought I would save money by having a DW! Not on St. John : ) I lived on St. Thomas the past three years so had a good idea of what I was getting myself into otherwise...

 

We're staying at the eco-campground Maho. I've been clear with all of our guests that there are bathhouses, lizards, and stairs. Everyone has been cool with it so far and I think it will be an adventure. My family and his love camping so I am not worried. Plus the tent-cottages run $60-$150 so a lot better than the westin/caneel.

 

We're having our reception at Rhumblines because I love it and they do a lot of weddings and have a good plan. It is outdoors with palm trees, lights, ponds. For just dinner and appetizers it starts at $47 a person plus 20% gratuity but that is very typical for the island. You can't find much cheaper unless you are having onion rings at the beach bar. We're expecting to pay about $100 a person (so no uninvited 'guests'!) including dinner, appetizers, outdoor chef-manned grill, cruzan rum tasting table, choice of five entrees, cake, all service, and open well bar for three hours. Not so terrible. The owner rocks and she helps with decorations and everything. We're having a pirate theme firedancing troupe for entertainment ($550 for one hour) and a DJ - greg kinslow ($900 for four hours).

 

Yes, St. John is expensive. We're forgoing flowers. Using Chef Mulcare (Stacey wedding planner's husband) for a cake (about $220). The really annoying expense is a taxi to bring our guests from Maho Beach where the ceremony is to Rhumblines and back. Seriously could be $1000!

 

That's my story. Now that I have everything planned I am ready to go!

[rosewolf]

planning st john usvi 2010 wedding any reviews needed. Planning on 12 guest all staying at a villa. any ideas for one night stays for wedding night

[Ursie77]

Hi all! I'm new to the forum - just signed up. We're getting married in St. John in November 2009. I come back to the island every year, because it is my favorite place on the earth. I think this is my 7th or 8th trip.....

 

I am handling everything myself, since I've been there enough times to sort of know what I want and where to get it. Plus, we have some friends who live on the island who have been VERY helpful in making suggestions.

 

I look forward to trading advice and tips!

[lpstjohn81]

Hey everyone!! I'm getting married in St. John in April. We're having a private ceremony in Cinnamon Bay and I've got pretty much everything worked out except one thing...does anyone know of a good hair salon there? I've looked online and the only one I've really been able to find is Grapevine and they look to be kind of expensive. Any suggestions would really help. Thanks!!