getting married in the caribbean
getting married in the caribbean
My fiance and I want to get married on new years eve 07/08, we have set our hearts on the carribean and want to go on holiday in late august this year to our chosen destination to hopefully book a venue.
My question is where can you recomend we go? our main concern is that it is a reasonably priced and well serviced destination from the uK as that s where most of our firends and faimly are.
If anyone has and thoughts or advise on how we should choose or personal experiences? We are looking for all-inclusive style holidays.
Thank you in advance for any tips!
Crackcorn
Answers:
Congratulations:)
I used to live in Barbados and would warn you if you are planning a beach wedding. Beach weddings sound lovely but in reality you have a load of tourists watching you, others wandering round in speedos:sick: I saw many beach weddings and they really weren't private. I don't know about the other islands but there are no private beaches in Barbados so you can't keep people away.
A hotel with beautiful grounds would be lovely. Or a hotel with an elegant wedding room with air con. If not a hotel they do have churches, but I don't know if they do weddings for couples who don't live there-they take their religion seriously. You would have to enquire whilst you're out there. Ooh, just had another thought-an old plantation house would be a fab place. Some of them are beautiful.
Most of the Carribean islands are easy to get to now. Antigua is beautiful but if you have guests coming with you there's not that much to do, the same goes for St Lucia-People in the Carribean call both islands "the honeymoon islands"
If you are going to your chosen island in August remember the rainy season goes from May-September/October BUT it doesn't rain (as a rule) over the Christmas and New Year period. That's why the prices go up after September!!
God, I hope I haven't made the Carribean sound like a dreadful place!?? I do hope not, Barbados is my favourite place on earth. I just wanted to warn you about some things!
Answers:
I got married at Ranweli in Sri Lanka - which BTW I realise is not in the Caribbean- and it was beautiful!
Everything was organised by the planner at the resort- from the legal papers to the dancers and the tea party on the beach- my bouquet was handpicked that morning from the orchid gardens at the resort.
I was concerned that we'd feel like we were part of a 'package' but ours was the only wedding to take place in the 2 weeks we were there!
The ceremony, documents (including an offically translated certificate) tea party, flowers, dancers, dvd and photographs came to the grand total of £275! :eek:
We decided to go for Sri Lanka because it has so much to do as well as being a beautiful place and full of the friendliest people you're ever likely to meet.
Wherever you decide to get married I'm sure it'll be an amazing experience.
ps Sorry for going off on a tangent! :o
Answers:
I would caution against a Caribbean wedding. I've seen many and they look pretty soulless to me - there are loads of couples getting married, one after another, with, as cinnamon bun points out, zillions of skanky tourists hanging around gawping. Unless you spend a lot of money with a really upmarket and exclusive hotel I think you risk it being disappointing.
I'd also caution against your chosen date. It sounds lovely and romantic but the reality is that it will cost you an absolute fortune and it will be heaving - a million miles away from a romantic and intimate ceremony. Christmas and New Year in the Caribbean is peak season - think Brighton on August bank holiday and you're getting close.
Finally, don't go to the Caribbean in August. It's the height of hurricane season. Last year's hurricane season was a bad one and there's no reason to expect that there will be any fewer this year. You run a very real risk of having three or four days trapped indoors in dangerous and unpleasant conditions; you also risk being stranded if your flight is stuffed by a hurricane. Quite apart from the hurricane risk, it is stupidly hot and can be quite wet in the Caribbean in August.
Answers:
About 10 years ago, I stayed at the Almond Beach Village on Barbados and they did weddings - they would either do them on the beach or in a tower thingy (something to do with sugar) which looked really nice.
We got married in Key West in Florida in May 2004. That would also be nice although it's high season in Florida at that time of year. As the others say, NYE is very very expensive wherever you go. Perhaps early January might be better?
And although August is peak hurricane season, Barbados is less likely to get major hurricanes than the other islands. (Apparently, the last major hurricane to hit it was in the 1950s). I should know, as I was evacuated from St Kitts via Antigua to Barbados when Hurricane Luis was going to hit in September 1995. Personally, I wouldn't go to the Caribbean in hurricane season again - we did have a tropical storm come over Barbados and really, it's not what you go on holiday for even though it was just a night of high winds and lots of rain.
kateab
My fiance and I want to get married on new years eve 07/08, we have set our hearts on the carribean and want to go on holiday in late august this year to our chosen destination to hopefully book a venue.
My question is where can you recomend we go? our main concern is that it is a reasonably priced and well serviced destination from the uK as that s where most of our firends and faimly are.
If anyone has and thoughts or advise on how we should choose or personal experiences? We are looking for all-inclusive style holidays.
Thank you in advance for any tips!
Crackcorn
Answers:
Congratulations:)
I used to live in Barbados and would warn you if you are planning a beach wedding. Beach weddings sound lovely but in reality you have a load of tourists watching you, others wandering round in speedos:sick: I saw many beach weddings and they really weren't private. I don't know about the other islands but there are no private beaches in Barbados so you can't keep people away.
A hotel with beautiful grounds would be lovely. Or a hotel with an elegant wedding room with air con. If not a hotel they do have churches, but I don't know if they do weddings for couples who don't live there-they take their religion seriously. You would have to enquire whilst you're out there. Ooh, just had another thought-an old plantation house would be a fab place. Some of them are beautiful.
Most of the Carribean islands are easy to get to now. Antigua is beautiful but if you have guests coming with you there's not that much to do, the same goes for St Lucia-People in the Carribean call both islands "the honeymoon islands"
If you are going to your chosen island in August remember the rainy season goes from May-September/October BUT it doesn't rain (as a rule) over the Christmas and New Year period. That's why the prices go up after September!!
God, I hope I haven't made the Carribean sound like a dreadful place!?? I do hope not, Barbados is my favourite place on earth. I just wanted to warn you about some things!
Answers:
I got married at Ranweli in Sri Lanka - which BTW I realise is not in the Caribbean- and it was beautiful!
Everything was organised by the planner at the resort- from the legal papers to the dancers and the tea party on the beach- my bouquet was handpicked that morning from the orchid gardens at the resort.
I was concerned that we'd feel like we were part of a 'package' but ours was the only wedding to take place in the 2 weeks we were there!
The ceremony, documents (including an offically translated certificate) tea party, flowers, dancers, dvd and photographs came to the grand total of £275! :eek:
We decided to go for Sri Lanka because it has so much to do as well as being a beautiful place and full of the friendliest people you're ever likely to meet.
Wherever you decide to get married I'm sure it'll be an amazing experience.
ps Sorry for going off on a tangent! :o
Answers:
I would caution against a Caribbean wedding. I've seen many and they look pretty soulless to me - there are loads of couples getting married, one after another, with, as cinnamon bun points out, zillions of skanky tourists hanging around gawping. Unless you spend a lot of money with a really upmarket and exclusive hotel I think you risk it being disappointing.
I'd also caution against your chosen date. It sounds lovely and romantic but the reality is that it will cost you an absolute fortune and it will be heaving - a million miles away from a romantic and intimate ceremony. Christmas and New Year in the Caribbean is peak season - think Brighton on August bank holiday and you're getting close.
Finally, don't go to the Caribbean in August. It's the height of hurricane season. Last year's hurricane season was a bad one and there's no reason to expect that there will be any fewer this year. You run a very real risk of having three or four days trapped indoors in dangerous and unpleasant conditions; you also risk being stranded if your flight is stuffed by a hurricane. Quite apart from the hurricane risk, it is stupidly hot and can be quite wet in the Caribbean in August.
Answers:
About 10 years ago, I stayed at the Almond Beach Village on Barbados and they did weddings - they would either do them on the beach or in a tower thingy (something to do with sugar) which looked really nice.
We got married in Key West in Florida in May 2004. That would also be nice although it's high season in Florida at that time of year. As the others say, NYE is very very expensive wherever you go. Perhaps early January might be better?
And although August is peak hurricane season, Barbados is less likely to get major hurricanes than the other islands. (Apparently, the last major hurricane to hit it was in the 1950s). I should know, as I was evacuated from St Kitts via Antigua to Barbados when Hurricane Luis was going to hit in September 1995. Personally, I wouldn't go to the Caribbean in hurricane season again - we did have a tropical storm come over Barbados and really, it's not what you go on holiday for even though it was just a night of high winds and lots of rain.
kateab