Seriously, where do we begin

[Anthony]

Hi, my fiance and I want a destination wedding anytime between May-June 2010. We don't know where to start. We are looking at Mayan Riviera, Negril and USVI. My friends tell me they want AI (yet I am not sure they know how much that will be).

 

I want a beautiful beach and pool for guests. But, I don't want to get married on the beach. I really do not want sand on my dress, which is why I Negril (the Cliffs) was appealing.

 

Anyway, most will be traveling from the east coast.

 

Any suggestions?

[*Meagan*]

Welcome to the forum! Happy planning and good luck! There is tons of helpful info on here!!

[NaM]

I would narrow it down to a few resorts and check dates. That's pretty soon for destination wedding standards so I would make sure of availability first after you have an idea of what you would like. Tons of resorts have gazebos if you don't want to be in the sand.

 

Congrats and good luck with planning!

[tim-juleswed]

Welcome, and congrats on the engagment! I was engaged about a month ago and we have already planned the wedding for April 1, 2010 in Jamaica and have about 40 guests coming. It is possible in only a few months but it will be work. First would be to narrow it down to one location. once you have done that, have a travel agent (or 2) start getting group rate quotes for you. We sent out a save the date first, telling people the dates we were traveling and that the price would be $1500 or under per person. We are leaving from Toronto, and ended up and the Gran Bahia Prinicpe in Jamaica for $1522 per person taxes in. It is doable if you shop around. Before you book the resort however get in touch with the wedding planner on site and secure the date for the wedding. Also, we are having the ceremony in the gazebo, I'm not opposed to sand on my dress but the gazebo is super nice so the choice was easy. ONce we had the quote from the travel agent we sent out the final details of the resort and prices and the travel agent info and the guests did there thing. The most stressful part was picking the place. My FI and I were very picky on the date, it had to be April fools day so it made it a bit harder for us. If you two aren't as picky it should be easy.

 

All the best and if you need any more advice let me know.

[azulskies]

Welcome to the forum! I agree with the above posters..I would look into a few places that you and your fiance are interested in and ask for availability. Happy planning!

[MomentsThatMatter]

Congratulations and welcome to the forums! Most AI resorts have many options for your wedding day including some off the beach locations and wedding gazebos.

Best of luck with all your plans!

[jdrewett]

Congrats and welcome! This website is a lifesaver. I chose Playa Fiesta in Puerto Vallarta within a month of being on this site. I did not know where to start at all. Good luck!

[sweetiecat]

Welcome to the forum! There aren't many all inclusive resorts on the cliffs of Negril - Samsara is smaller and not as fancy, and The Caves is very fancy and beautiful but more expensive.

 

I attended a destination wedding at Sandals Negril earlier in the year on the beach in Negril, and they had the ceremony in the gazebo by the beach. The beach and ocean were right there, but the aisle was a sidewalk and surrounded by grass. They had a small reception on the lawn next to the gazebo and dinner later in one of the restaurants. So, you don't necessarily have to get your dress all sandy - many girls mention having their ceremony or reception on a pool deck overlooking the ocean, so that is another option as well. The cliffs would be beautiful though.

[hockeymom97]

Congratulations and to the forum!! It sounds like you are flexible on your actual date so that may make things easier. We booked a year ahead of time, but had a specific date in mind, and even at a year out, some resorts were already booked for our date.

 

I agree with other posters that just because a resort is situated on the beach, it doesn't mean you are limited to the ceremony on the beach. Most resorts have at least a couple of locations - especially the larger AI type resorts. I love using an AI even though it may seem more expensive upfront, I really think it's a good value once you figure in the food and drinks (especially your bar bill!!).

 

So I think the first step is picking a resort that you like - there is tons of information on this board, including some very, very helpful TA's who can provide lots of insight and assist in finding a resort that fits your requirements - whether you decide to go with an AI or not. Then you can narrow down the date based on the resort availibility and pricing - for example, I think May would probably be slightly cheaper than June/July when kids are out of school and families start to travel.

 

And once you get the resort and date picked, you can move on to the fun stuff

 

Happy Planning!!

[vlynnw]

Congrats and welcome to the forum!