Destination Weddings

first off they need passports now. Many neat places. I am a travel agent.. contact me at ____@____.com

I just love wedding topics. Congratulations to your sister! I have attended a destination wedding on a cruise to the Bahamas. The bride chose Carnival. All I know is that the more guests you invite to a destination wedding the more perks the bride and groom recieve. You get plenty of upgrades for your wedding packages. I believe the bride for the wedding I attended paid next to nothing for her honeymoon suite. A close friend of mine said the same thing about weddings held in Jamaica.

My husband and I got married in Jamaica in a Carribean cruise. We went through Carnival Cruise Lines. It was great but I hear there are way more to choose from now. I made the call, sent the check, and they did it all! Literally the flowers, photog, cake, everything! We LOVED the cruise too. All expenses included except alcohol and sometimes they even offer that. That might be pricey for guests but many who would pay to go the Carribean would love to go on a cruise too. Just call a travel agent for details and pricing!

We went to a Sandals Resort in St. Lucia for our honeymoon, but any and all Sandals offer an all inclusive resort for honeymooners, and destination weddings. Some are even kid free!! There are several Sandals resorts in the different Caribbean islands. We loved it and recommend it for everyone we know. www.sandals.com

Good Luck.

A. B

I couldn't speak more highly of the Sandals resorts. My sister went to Sandals Negril (Jamaica) and I went to the Royal Bahamian. At that time, it was the highest rated of their resorts, but they are all rated very well...including those in the Carribean. The cost is worth it because the service was unbeatable & the food was delicious. Beaches is owned by the same company and is for families. I've known some people who have their wedding at Beaches (so people can bring family if they want), and then they are able to leave to a nearby Sandals resort for their honeymoon. There is a package that allows that.

Hi D.,
My husband and I went to a wedding in the Bahama's about 6 years ago at Our Lucaya Resort (All Inclusive Resort that has a Westin, Sheraton and Lucaya Luxury Condo's) on the property) We loved it so much that we decided to have our wedding there the next year! It is one of our favorite places and we have certainly traveled to many! Small casino onsite, several restaurants on site, wedding planners onsite and fabulous pool! As well there is a festival type area across the street that we call the Lucaya square that has bands most nights and is surrounded by restaurants and bars. Hope this helps!

M.

My husband and I got married at Sandals Resort in St. Lucia and had a great experience. It was nice to be in such a relaxing environment and not have to worry about the stress of planning a wedding. There are 3 different Sandals resorts on the island, and all are available for you to use while you're there. There is a shuttle that runs between each one at set times. We really enjoyed mixing it up and going to all of them. Each one has advantages & disadvantages. I would be more than happy to go into more details about each one if needed. The resort is for couples only, but the family is allowed to be there for the day of the wedding to celebrate too! Everything is included except pictures and any extra activities/excursions that are done. We chose to have a reception or party for our friends & family when we got home. Feel free to ask any questions.

HI D.,

Last December my husband and I went to Sandals Montego Bay in Jamaica. Everything about the trip was awesome! We saw two weddings while we were there and they looked great. Our only complaint about this particular resort was that they did not have an ATM machine on site and the fact that it was close to the airport, so you could hear the planes fly over twice a day. (We did choose this resort because it was so close to the airport - less travel time - now we know better) The prices were great and I think they are even better now. Some people can be picky, but we found everything to be quite enjoyable and the service impeccable. I highly recommend an all-inclusive resort. My brother got married in the Bahamas - her family just insisted upon it, but with a cost of over $1200/person just for airfare and hotel, the only family that attended was my parents. You do have to realize that a destination wedding will limit the guestlist. There were several couples at our resort that were on their honeymoon, but got married at home. I do recommend the Sandals resorts, they have several in the Caribbean, but it is for adults only. We enjoyed our vacation so much that we are taking our kids to their family resort, Beaches, next year. I would check and see if they do weddings, also. They have a very user-friendly website. Good luck! L.

Couples resort in Jamaica...
http://www.couples.com/
We went therre 2 years ago, and LOVED the resort. There were weddings at sunset almost every day on the beach, and they were absolutely beautiful! Can't go wrong with Couples. More intimate than a Sandals...less corporate,and the staff bends over backwards for EVERY guest. Definately take a look into this one!

my cousin is getting married the same time frame and he and his fiancee chose Jamaica. the Riu. It is all inclusive and the cost is 350.00 for 4 days and 3 nights. We wont know about the air fare until July 1st. they researched it quite a bit and are quite excited. you could check it out. It looks nice on the web.
G.

My recommendation is Sandals in Jamaica. They have a Wedding-Moon package (wedding and honeymoon in one) and are pretty resonable overall. I also recommend staying in one of the three in Montego Bay. Sandals Inn is going to the be the cheapest as it is the smallest and the beach is not enclosed in the resort...public beach across the street..but it is the only one that has 24 hour room service. Also, you stay at one you can play at all three (including eating at their restaurants). We went for our honeymoon and stayed at the Inn back in 2002...for 8 days/7nights, airfare, all our food, drinks (alcohol and non), water sports (including snorkling), and entertainments was only $2100 for two people. There were no extra fees or charges and no tipping allowed (the folks who work at the resorts are the best paid on the island). We went back for a second honeymoon in 2004 and stayed at Sandals Montego Bay...it is a bigger resort with all the toys (sailboats, waterskiing, and trikes) and beach within the resort. We went for 7days and 6 nights for $2800 (they give a $300 discount for returning guest). My advise also is to go through a travel agent as they will get you the best deal and are able to get you upgrades as well. If she would like to see some pictures, email me at ____@____.com and I'll send some. We had the best time and are dying to go back.

I know there are a lot of Sandals and Couples fans on here, but I have to say that there are A LOT of all-inclusives in the islands that are BEAUTIFUL and MUCH cheaper than these two resorts. Every all-inclusive offers specialty rooms if you want to pay more, so make that option up to the bride and groom. Mexico and the Domincan Republic are probably the most bang for your buck. Both of these places offer relatively cheap airfare and you can find the most beautiful all-inclusive resorts there that have anything and everything. I have been cruising through the whole Caribbean and I have to say that the Mexican Riviera has some of the nicest beaches at the most resonable costs. They also have adult only and family all-inclusives. A cruise is another great option, but may end up costing more depending on how long you are going and where you are going. Personally I would not pay the extra money for Sandals or Couples when there are so many amazing resorts out there not trying to rip newlyweds off! Tell your sister to have fun...no matter where she goes they will work with her to plan the perfect destination wedding! :)

My cousin went to Cabo San Lucas. They seemed to really enjoy the entire experience. I don't know much of the details but I'm sure they have some sort of packages.
Jen

We were in Aruba last September and saw several weddings taking place on the beach at sunset. There are many restaurants that have tables right on the beach in the sand and some will set up for weddings. Then the reception is right there for you. I know the Marriott Stellaris did that for one of the weddings we saw. Georgous sunsets!!!

We loved Sandals in St Lucia. I don't know if that's the type of thing that she's looking at but it was a wonderful experience for us. They treat you like royalty and everything is included (except off-site day trips). St Lucia is beautiful.