Review Of Our Amazing Wedding At Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton

[Dasha88]

We got married at Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton on May 6th, 2014. I finally got the chance to sit down and write a review of the fairy-tale that was our wedding!

Resort:

GPLH resort is absolutely gorgeous and has everything you could ask for. Its great for a large group because there's something for everyone.  The staff, the rooms, the food, entertainment,the pools, beach, and absolutely everything about this resort was outstanding. We were a bit concerned when we booked due to some negative reviews, but after being there for a week, not a single one of our 30 guests had anything negative to say about this resort. Everyone loved it and we already plan on coming back there for one of our anniversaries!

Wedding Coordinator:

I had the pleasure working with Sharlene Nelson who was always so friendly and professional. She was always quick to answer all my questions ( within a day or two for the  most part). The day before the wedding she met with us and went over all the details. Seeing how organized she was made us feel like they have everything under control, and they did. Sharlene helped with all the set ups and tear downs, which was nice because we had assumed that our bridal party would have to do most of the work. The only hickup we had during our planning process was about 14 days prior to our departure, we were informed that the gazebo ( which was our ceremony place of choice) was no longer available and we had to choose either the beach or the atrium. I was devastated since the whole reason we had chosen this resort was for the gazebo ceremony location. However, Sharlene was very quick to fix this misunderstanding and we were back at the gazebo. Just make sure that if you are not flexible about your location, you make it extremely clear to them where you want to be.

Welcome Dinner:

Sharlene made a reservation for our group on the night before the wedding at one of the buffet restaurants for a welcome dinner that I had planned. It was set up nicely in the corner and the service was very good.  Because we had such a large group, we had to have it at a buffet restaurant, plus that way our guests could enjoy whatever they like rather than a set menu.

Spa:

I had my hair done at the Zentropia Spa. It turned out ok, but not exactly what i had in mind. I felt the stylist was a bit rushed in doing my hair.  Regardless, I still liked my hairstyle in the end, it looked fine in pictures and it stayed put for the most part. 

Ceremony:

Our ceremony was scheduled for 2 pm, but as expected this meant 2:30 Jamaican time. I didn’t mind the delay. We got picked up by the shuttle that took us to the ceremony location. Everything was super organized and even though we didn’t really know what we were doing, Sharlene coordinated everything amazingly. There was a DJ on site that came with the package and they had champagne toast for all guests afterwards. The location and setup was gorgeous! If you’re getting married at this resort definitely go for the Gazebo, it is the most romantic location for a wedding I have ever seen. Its extremely private, surrounded by trees, some guests were even lucky enough to sit in the shade, and the gazebo itself stood on the cliff overlooking the ocean and hills. They set up white chairs and even upgraded me to coloured chair ties. I had fans tucked into the chair ties for décor and as favours for the guests. Tai Floral provided the flower arrangements for the aisle and the signing table which were also very beautiful. This was by far my most favorite part of the whole day. The only negative thing I can say about our ceremony is the fact that we were rushed after our ceremony as they had another wedding to set up for. It was a bit disappointing considering the amount of money we paid for the package, we wanted to take our time and take pictures. Our photographer had shots in mind that he didn’t get a chance to take because of the rush. I think that day they overbooked and had 5 weddings all at the gazebo, which doesn’t usually happen. Other than that, it was perfect!

Reception:

Our reception was at Blue Lagoon restaurant, which was also absolutely beautiful location. It had a gorgeous sunset and the view of the ocean was a perfect backdrop to our reception. Minimal decorations required. Again, everything was set up very nicely, and Sharlene helped set up all my centerpieces and other decorations. The cake was simple but still very nice and elegant. My cake topper and table decorations spiced it up. The service and the food blew us away, it was way beyond our expectations. We had the Caribbean crabcakes, chicken and sirloin with veggies and everything was incredibly delicious. The servers were so friendly and fun, especially Jason, who was our personal server for the day. We had our reception extended until midnight, which I would highly recommend as the time flies by so fast. I initially had some concerns about the reggae band playing up at the infinity bar, but it wasn’t a problem and we didn’t even hear it over our DJ’s music. After our reception we walked down to the beach to release a dozen Chinese lanterns in memory of my husband’s grandmother.  Everyone loved the idea and it was a perfect end to an amazing day.

Photographer:

We went with an outside photographer Adrian McDonald and his company Lexon Photography (http://www.lexonphotography.com/ ) and it was one of the best decisions we’ve made for this wedding! We had Adrian and his co-photographer Richard for the entire day, starting from getting ready to almost the end of the receptions. Adrian was in the bridal suite taking pictures of all the girls, while Richard captured the guys. They both were absolutely amazing and captured every moment of our special day. Adrian was so easy to work with and made us feel comfortable during the entire photoshoot. He was so good at picking up on the smallest details and coordinating everyone into place. You could tell he is very passionate about his work when he doesn’t even want to stop taking photos. He was always moving around, climbing on chairs, doing everything to capture every precious  moment. I love the combination of candid and traditional shots along with some that look like they belong in a magazine! When we first booked with Adrian, we weren’t too sure what to expect since there was not many reviews online. We booked him, purely based on his portfolio which really stood out to us and hoped for the best. A week before our wedding Adrian was published in Vogue Italy and that’s when we really got excited! He was very quick to give us our digital images and a lot of them! I would highly recommend Lexon Photography to anyone and everyone that’s getting married in Jamaica! I`ve attached one of our photos to show you an example of his amazing work and you can check out more on his website.

DJ:

Our DJ was called DJ Dr Love - Hilarious name, great DJ!  We booked him through Lexon Photography as a package deal. He was amazing and kept the party going till the end! The music selection was a good mix and the dance floor was never empty! He also helped us announce all the key points and introduced our bridal party at the entrance. We thought he did a great job and would also highly recommend him.

 

All in all, our wedding was amazing and all our friends and family are still talking about it!

 

[katieals]

Hi dasha88!

Great review..I'm getting married at the gplh June 2015. We went on holiday there in 2012 and got engaged in the gazebo so reeeeally reeeeeally want the wedding there..I'll make sure I tell them lol.

I just wanted to ask you about the spa. I was thinking of using them for my hair and makeup but can't really find any reviews about them. There are a few ladies out of the resort that do this and use air brush so im unsure on what to choose really.

Also..can't see your attached photo as my 'post count isn't at 150' lol.

Katie x

[atennille]

Congratulations I'm sorry they rushed you all. I am glad your day was beautiful.

[maredith]

Sounds awesome! Congratulations!

[FutureMrsMichaud]

Congratulations!! Thank you for this review.

 

I am getting married at The Grand Palladium in Jamaica on May 7th, 2015

[Dasha88]

Hi dasha88!

Great review..I'm getting married at the gplh June 2015. We went on holiday there in 2012 and got engaged in the gazebo so reeeeally reeeeeally want the wedding there..I'll make sure I tell them lol.

I just wanted to ask you about the spa. I was thinking of using them for my hair and makeup but can't really find any reviews about them. There are a few ladies out of the resort that do this and use air brush so im unsure on what to choose really.

Also..can't see your attached photo as my 'post count isn't at 150' lol.

Katie x

Hi Katie,

I did my own makeup so i  cant comment on the spa for that. For hair, i personally wasn't overly happy with it. They use A LOT of hairspray so my hair was all rock solid but at least it did stay in tact despite the humidity, so maybe it was for the best. The hairstyle wasn't exactly what i asked for but that can happen with any salon. I did feel like they rushed through it though. Overall it still looked very nice and everyone complemented me on it, so i might just be picky. Two of my bridesmaids got their hair done too and one loved hers and the other didn't.

Congratulations and enjoy your wedding !!

Dasha

[kaydee]

Thanks for the review. We're getting married there on June 3, 2015 and same as you, I chose the resort because of the Garden Gazebo. Glad to hear you enjoyed the food!

[misskriss]

Hi...your looked lovely on you wedding day!

 

I am in the early stages of planning a wedding in Jamaica and I keep coming back to this resort and Rui Ocho Rios. I was wonder if this one might be a little expensive for my guests. If you know can you give me an idea of what your guests paid and how long they stayed.