Wedding Review- Grand Palladium Jamaica January 2013

[AndrewandEmma]

Hi Everyone,

 

We just had our wedding at the Grand Palladium Jamaica on January 28, 2013, and I wanted to post a quick review! I've tried to put information about prices in as much as possible, because that was something I had a hard time finding ahead of time.

 

We had an absolutely great experience. During our one hour planning meeting with the coordinator (Loraine, 2 days before the wedding), she had a file on us which contained all of the information I had sent her ahead of time. She literally had had every detail written down. She showed us the ceremony location (gazebo- beautiful!), alternate rain location (atrium- also beautiful) and reception locations (Poseidon- we had originally wanted Blue Lagoon, but it was booked, but ultimately were very happy with Poseidon).

 

The morning of the ceremony all of my bridesmaids and I had our hair done at the spa. They did a great job- everyone was happy with how it turned out. They also did my mom's (short) hair, which was not good at all, so I would discourage anyone with very short hair from having it done there. For myself, 6 bridesmaids, my mom, and his mom the total cost was $742.00

 

Our flowers were delivered about 30 minutes late (Island time!), but were gorgeous and exactly what I ordered. I bought bouquets for all 6 bridesmaids and upgraded my own, so it was pretty pricey ($900 for 7 bouquets, 2 corsages, 8 boutonnieres). To offset this cost, we opted for the Sapphire Wedding package ($1800 + $20/guest over 8 guests). Essentially the only difference I could find between this package and the more pricey ones was the colour of the aisle runner. We still had chairs + chair covers, a white aisle runner, and two arrangements at the end of the aisle, a 2 tiered cake, champagne toast for all of the guests, sound system, and the officiant. 

 

They sent a cart to pick up the bridal party and we went to the ceremony (2pm). The gazebo was gorgeous and very quiet and private. I also saw a number of weddings at the beach site through the week- they were also gorgeous but a bit less private and WAY more windy (and therefore somewhat hard to hear during the ceremony).

 

We did a cocktail reception hour at 5pm at the infinity bar because there was such a long break between the ceremony and reception. The food at this was not super great but there was TONS of it. It was nice to have a private area for our guests and a private bar.

 

Then we headed to Poseidon for dinner. I had wanted the Blue Lagoon because it looks fancier, but I actually was really happy with Poseidon. It is very private, with a beautiful ocean view. We had mushroom stuffed chicken breast and strip loin for dinner, which was only so-so. I've heard that the wedding food is never as good as the a-la-carte restaurants (which were delicious)! 

 

We hired a DJ for the last 3 hours (the first hour just played our iPod). The DJ was excellent, and played fun, mostly Jamaican music like we'd asked for. The wait-staff at the restaurant joined in the dancing at the end, which was amazing. 

 

That's it! Hope it's helpful! We brought our own photographer with us (I would DISCOURAGE using the resort's "True Colours" photography- they are pricey and the photos they were taking while we were there seemed really formal). Take a look at our photos on our photographer's blog here:http://wmacphotography.com/emma-andrews-jamaican-wedding-in-montego-bay/

 

Please feel free to message if you have any questions!

 

Emma