Jamaica

Jamaica is home to world-renowned beaches, food, and hospitality. A year-round destination just 550 miles south of Miami, Florida, Jamaica offers pristine seascapes, friendly and casual culture, diverse historic sites, delicious food, and upbeat music. Fall in love with the island’s treasures, catch a pickup game of cricket, and visit the major ports of Kingston and Montego Bay. With a multitude of experienced wedding vendors to assist you and smiles that go on for miles, Jamaica is the island of warm welcomes.

Planning a wedding or honeymoon is easy and exciting, with countless attractions to entice, experienced guides to assist you, and accomplished photographers to preserve the memories. One such vendor is Sun Gold Photography, a cross-cultural team whose portfolio includes some of Jamaica's most gorgeous villas, botanical gardens, and resorts, including Coyoba Gardens, Laughing Waters, Half Moon Resort and Villas, Round Hill Resort and Spa, Moon Dance Villas, and Grand Lido Resort.

The island is home to stunning waterfalls, rivers, and beaches that are perfect for a languid day or action-packed watersports. Hire a guide and hike the island’s majestic Blue Mountains. Other hotspots include Black River, Discovery Bay, Morant Bay, Spanish Town, and Treasure Beach. Kingston and St. Andrew have the largest concentration of historical sites and museums – well worth devoting a day or more to discover.

Sample the island’s many culinary offerings, and be sure to try the national dish made from dried and salted codfish and the ripened fruit of a local tree. Known as “ackee and saltfish,” this dish is often served as breakfast or dinner, along with staples like fried plantains and dumplings. Other favorites are rice and peas cooked with coconut milk, spicy jerk chicken, a cassava flour pancake called “bammy,” and Rastafarian “Ital” food made without meat, oil, or salt.

Jamaica’s high tourism season runs from early-December to mid-April, with hotel prices typically the highest over Christmas and Easter. Jamaica is susceptible to hurricanes, so plan ahead and consider purchasing low-cost travel insurance if you visit between the peak storm months of August and September. Winters are usually warm in the day and mild to cool at night, whereas summers are typically hot. You may want to pack an umbrella if you travel during the rainy season from May through November, with the heaviest rains occurring in May, June, October, and November.