Newbie!

[Karenanne83]

Hi! I'm newly engaged and need tons of advice! Want a destination wedding next year but no clue where to start!

Jamaica us my first choice followed by Dominican, any advice or recommendations on venues? Xx

[kmk2016]

Welcome and congrats! You have come to the right place and will get tons of great advice and ideas from fellow brides! Start by checking out the Jamaica and DR forums and see if any resorts jump out at you- and then the fun planning begins! A great TA and the girls on this board are all you need to create a magical wedding!

[Moments That Matter]

Congrats on your engagement, Karenanne83, and welcome to our forum community!!! 

 

You're off to a great start already, just being here and accessing all the resources you'll find Wishing you happy research, and all the best with your plans - HAPPY New Year!!! 

 

 

 

 

weeeeee......let the planning begin.......CHeers!!! team MTM

Edited January 1, 2015 by Moments That Matter

[ftrmrsredwood]

We are having our destination wedding in Jamaica in just 10 more weeks! Our ceremony will be held off resort at the Firefly House in St. Mary. It is such a beautiful location and we can't wait! Looking forward to discussing our wedding details with you!!! Congratulations!!! 

[AllieH]

congrats on your engagement & welcome to BDW!! 

 

definitely check out the Jamaica & DR forums, and get yourself a travel agent who is a destinations wedding expert. They will help you with the resort choices and finding the one that's the best fit for you & your wedding party. 

[beckys98]

Hi @@Karenanne83! Congratulations on your engagement! My fiancé and I are getting married in Montego Bay on June 11, 2015 at Iberostar Rose Hall Suites. Jamaica is an EXCELLENT choice! (Although, my fiancé is from there so I'm slightly biased.)

 

You'll find that a lot of really great resorts in Jamaica are adults only and do not allow children under 18 on premise, particularly in Negril. This was a big factor for us as we have nieces and nephews we wanted to be there. Montego Bay is going to be most convenient for your guests since the airport is right there (it is 15 mins to our resort), and it is also in between Negril and Ocho Rios so it is convenient for day trips to either place and attractions like Dunn's River Falls and the Martha Brae. 

 

My advice is to determine what are your "deal breakers" and what you are willing to compromise. For example, we were looking at RIU Palace Tropical Bay in Negril, but it doesn't have an onsite disco/nightclub and that just would not work for our group. We aren't the type to turn in at 10:00pm and most people won't want to go off the resort to go to a bar at night. 

 

We also didn't want a "mega resort" where you need a shuttle to get around, and we wanted a resort that only does one wedding per day. (The RIU does up to 4.) Thinking about scheduling our wedding itinerary and locations around other weddings just gave me too much anxiety! 

 

Also, try to get information from the resort about the costs for the actual wedding and reception. There were some that appeared to be a great deal but then they nickel and dime you for every single tiny thing on your wedding day. OR the rate was just too high for our guests. It didn't seem fair for us to get our wedding for free and ask our guests to pay out the nose. So we went somewhere in the middle. 

 

The resort is the absolute toughest choice - it gets SO much easier once you do. I have had absolutely zero doubt about Iberostar Rose Hall Suites since we picked it! Every bride has rave reviews for the resort and wedding coordinators and my experience has been great so far. If you have questions about Jamaica, I'm happy to answer them. If you haven't been, it is a safe, beautiful country with a unique culture, friendly people and amazing food.

 

Happy planning! 

[Karenanne83]

Thanks everyone!

We wanted Jamaica as we went to the Iberostar Grand Rose Hall in December and adored it. I cannot stress enough how beautiful and brilliant the resort is. You will love it!!!

We have done a ton of research and had lots of chats etc and we have pretty much decided that we will go to grand rose hall for a honeymoon instead. We loved it and it's so special, I kinda don't wanna share it with my guests anyway. Plus it's pricier than some of the others we have considered.

We have actually fallen a little in love with Dreams Palm Beach in punta Cana and we saw a great travel agent yesterday who gave us prices and wedding package details :-)

As we are coming from the UK it's expensive for our guests to attend so we are expecting a very small attendance. But do you know what?....I don't care!!!! Xxx

[TammyWright]

Welcome to BDW!  We are jamaica and dominican republic specialists and can definitely help you narrow down your choices by working with your budget and needs.

[pykx82]

Congratulations from a fellow newbie!  Good luck with the planning