Ahr After Wedding In Jamaica

[KMHasty]

We were married in Jamaica about 3 weeks ago and decided a while back to have an AHR so that our friends and family didn't feel left out.  However I'm really struggling with how to make it flow.  We're having our reception at a 100 yr old victorian house and next to it is a barn that is beyond gorgeous (The Kyle House in Fincastle, VA ....check it out!).  We want to incorporate both (after all, we're paying for it) the house and barn, but not sure how.  Originally I had planned for us to say our vows again in front of everyone and do a salt covenant with my step kids (in the barn).  After that I had planned for our DJ to announce us, have a 'first dance' and so on.  We were going to do cake cutting too.  Now I'm having 2nd thoughts on all of it!  HELP!!!!!!  How do I make this reception flow without it being cheesy??

[acw271011]

We were also married in Jamaica 4 years ago, but it was just my husband and I. We didn't have anyone with us. We had an AHR 2 weeks after arriving home and had family and a few friends. We're quite a bit older, have grown kids and grandkids and it was second time around for both of us so our group was 30 people. I had missed having wedding photos done with our kids and my in laws so desperately wanted pictures. I had a photographer arrive and we did all of the family shots before anyone else arrived. We asked them to arrive by 3 so everyone could get ready and we hit the park on the lake right next door to the hotel where we had the party. We had a DJ so we let all of the family go in, friends had arrived and the DJ announced us. We had another first dance, then went back out to the beautiful lobby that had a huge stone fireplace and allowed friends to have individual photos taken with us while everyone had cocktails. It allowed us to socialize with everyone and visit. We had received some of our wedding photos from our Jamaican photographer and set up a slide show in the room to run for the evening as well. They called us in for dinner so we sat and ate, did toasts and a couple of short speeches, then after dinner we cut a cake that was served as part of dessert. We also had a few other sweets to go along with it. We had done a cake in Jamaica but just a small one that we had with our dinner then kept the rest in our room for 2 days and snacked on it! lol Then after that we had a big dance party until 1 am. It was great!!

 

If had a location like yours I would do the house part for a dinner if it can accommodate your numbers, then do the dance party in the barn with your DJ. Are you having a photographer? That's something that can help with time too as there is likely people that missed getting pictures of you in Jamaica. If you want to do a cake cutting, go ahead. And yes have the DJ announce you. Why not? I'm not sure about the vows part again unless you really feel that it's something that everyone would want to be a part of. We didn't. As much as it was just the two of us in Jamaica, i wasn't up to that part again. I just wanted the party and getting everyone together that we had missed. The only ones missing were our grandkids and my husband put his foot down about that. He said he wanted me to enjoy myself and not have a kid on each hip all night. He knows me too well! lol That's exactly what I would have done. All our kids live a minimum 2 and a half hours away, most of them nearly 5 hours away so we don't get a lot of time with them. I miss them like crazy as much as I like giving them back at the end of a visit! I think you can get a rough plan in your head as to how you want it to go depending on your star time, end time and the number of your guests then just go with it.

 

Good luck!! I hope it goes great!