Reception only at the ROR??

[sherryl_joy]

I have been debating between holding the wedding ceremony offsite and just having the wedding dinner reception at the ROR. Has anyone else done this and if so, how did it all work out? What are the packages available that you got or what kind of pricing would they charge you if you just go for a reception dinner at one of the restaurants, like the Plantation, for example? Or can we still get the free wedding package and just go for the semi-private dinner at Mammee Bay?

 

My problem is that the Riu isn't actually answering my questions directly, they tend to go around my questions...I have emailed the Riu and their response was that I would still have to buy a wedding package (preferably the Caprice package as I have approximately 50-60 guests) but do not have to have the wedding ceremony at the Riu. The only problem is they won't authorize any wedding coordinators other than the Riu wedding coordinator at the resort.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what to do? I would like to hold my reception at the resort as I would like to keep my costs down...my ceremony is already going to cost me about $5000 to have it offsite, not even including my dinner for out guests!! LOL

 

Any suggestions are welcome!

 

Thanks,

Sherryl

[scrouse]

I originally was thinking of doing the same thing...I wanted my ceremony to be more private, and off-site. And I was hoping to have an easy/cheap reception back at the resort. But after thinking it over, I ended up planning both my ceremony and reception off-site. I'm using Tropical Weddings Jamaica. Definitely pricey, but hopefully worth it. And the wedding coordinator is amazing at answering questions in a very timely manner. No complaints so far.

 

Good luck with your decisions...sorry I'm not much help...

[sherryl_joy]

I am actually thinking of going with Tropical Weddings Jamaica, too!! I love dealing with Almarie, she has been great with all of my questions...it's nice to hear of someone else recommending them before I make my final decision.

 

The only thing that's been holding me back is what to do about the reception and where to hold it. Do you mind me asking where you have decided to hold your reception offsite and is TWJ also taking care of that for you?

 

Thanks!

[jawedding]

Hey!

 

You could totally do that. If you only wanted the reception at ROR, just book it like a private event.. realistically, you could have any celebration you wanted there! (right?)

[sherryl_joy]

If I book it as a private event, is that the $35/per person for their special menu dinner?

 

Maureen, does Evita's allow offsite wedding coordinators or am I mixing that up with The Ruins? I think one of them charges some kind of fee for using an outside vendor?

[~Debra~]

I second that both Vendors are great: Tropical Weddings Jamaica and Evitas. I have to say that choosing these two vendors was probably two of the best decisions I made in this whole process. Almarie and Eva are both SO quick at responding. They both seem to go above and beyond to help. I have to agree with Maureen, if you go with Evitas, you don't need a WC because Eva does it all! She found me a cake WITHIN my price range because I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a cake. She found me a DJ to play for FOUR hours for 100.00 and she worked with me to customize a menu that didn't break my bank.

 

Sorry to go on and on but these two ladies really are great. Anyone who chooses them will not regret it.

[sherryl_joy]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

Has anyone used both TWJ and Evita's at the same time, one for the ceremony and one for the reception or is that too much? The reason TWJ seems like a lot is because they actually provide a lot of the things you need, like flowers, decorations, transportation and even includes a mini reception after the ceremony (with cake and drinks). But maybe I don't need a cake and a mini reception if we're planning on having a full reception dinner afterwards, anyways.

 

However, still worried about what to do with the reception part because we need to feed our guests dinner!! LOL

I figured that even if we spend about $5000 for each vendor, it will still be half the price that we would be paying to have it here at home.

[~Debra~]

I am using both Tropical Weddings Jamaica and Evitas. I'm using TWJ for my ceremony and Evitas for my reception. I'm not sure what you mean by 'too much' I originally got a quote from Almarie for the ceremony and reception and while it included alot, it was more than I wanted to pay. So, I kind of tailored a package to fit what I wanted. Then I found Evitas and her prices are great also. I worked with Eva to customize a menu and the price I'm paying is less than I would be paying if I was getting married at home. If you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer them if I can.

[~Debra~]

Oh yeah I completely agree with you Maureen! 5,000 for JUST the ceremony is EXTREMELY alot. I'm paying less than that for both the ceremony and reception.

[sasha]

Sherryl, i would suggest you shop around alittle more before you make your final decision as $5000 is really alot of money, there are other ways of having a really great wedding and paying aprrox US$15000 for reception and ceremony offsite.. Most venues have their own wc i wold not recommed you using 2. I dont think tropical gardens provides a good customize package. Please shop around.

 

Good luck and if you need help drop me a line.