babigirl21

I had a question regarding the resort. We are bigger drinkers and most resort's idea of premium alcohol is absolute vodka. I saw photos of the bar in at the Grand which had many premium liquor like Grey Goose. Is the same type of alcohol included at the Suites?

I like this article. There is a lot of planning that goes into a destination wedding and I believe that most couples factor in guest's cost if they invite a large amount of guests. The best way to help guests with their decision is by having options such as using a travel agent which can break up the cost over a period and a website that lists all your information.

This article had very useful information. Thanks!

This was a great article. I believe any wedding about about personalizing and make it your own. Its like one for the few days when it's about you and the person you love.

Congrats on booking your resort and welcome to the site. I thought that resort was absolutely beautiful but I had to look at locations closer to the East Coast to accommodate my 80 year old Grandmother who will get on a plane for the first time in her life for my wedding. Unfortunately, there are no direct flights from the Washington DC area  You will find great ideas and meet very friendly ladies here on this site that are passionate on making sure other ladies know more than they before they said I do. Welcome!

Congrats and welcome to this site. It was such a God sent when I stumbled onto this site from a google search. I'm still narrowing down my location venue as well but thanks to this site I have been able to receive so much information that I would never have received on my own or through a destination magazine. Good luck with your planning and I would seek multiple travel agents to compare their deals once you find a resort you like.

I had a friend who just renewed her vows there and said it was the best experience she's ever had. The resort handled everything and made the whole process stress-free. Well and enjoy planning. Everything you need to know about planning a destination wedding is on this site.

Welcome to the site. As others have said, any of the caribbean islands will be in the mid 70s-80s in January and will be a perfect change in venue for most guests during the winter time. I guess you just need to determine what is important for you (such as cost for you and your guests, how long it will take to travel to your destination, and just personal preferences of what you want in your wedding). Good luck planning.

Welcome to the forum. This site is great and you will find answers to any questions you may have. A kid-friendly resort was high on my list and most of the islands have great resorts with kid's clubs and activities for children. I plan to have my future step-son and my niece in my wedding and I found the Iberostar Rose Hall Suites Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It accommodates guests who would like to bring their kids for a mini-vacation as well as adults who want to have privacy with the Iberostar Grand Resort next door. And there even 9a more a thriftier sister property right next to the Suites (Iberostar Rose Hall Beach) on the other side. My other criteria was affordability, all inclusive options, quick flights from the East Coast, comfortable beds, and true premium alcohol and good food.

I absolutely loved your wedding style. I'm leaning toward a San Patrick dress which is a sister company to Pronovias. I'm just in love with the Spanish inspired dresses. And the photographer did an amazing job. I'm leaning toward Dreams Cancun since I want my guest to have a direct flight from the Washington DC/Baltimore area. I love the look of the wedding venue!

I've been on the site now for about two months and this has been such a helpful site. We have heard nothing but great reviews about Aruba and wanted to have our wedding somewhere different. We are looking at August 2011 (the month we met and began dating) and we had the whole hurricane season in mind when we decided that Aruba would be a nice fit. Initially we thought the RIU would be nice but after our recent stay at the RIU Montego Bay we decided that their beds are way too hard, they do not offer real premium alcohol (we are drinkers), the food was just average, and their wedding locations are not private at all. Â Reading this thread has been really helpful in narrowing down our choice to the Renaissance for our wedding and ceremony. It would be a truly unique experience for all. Now we just have to get a price quote for rooms and see if it is feasible to have our guests stay there. The great thing is that we do not have to necessarily stay there to have our wedding there so our guest can have options if they chose to stay at different resorts. I'm hoping to at least get solid rates from the Ren which includes breakfast daily for guest that way they can venture out for lunch and dinner to experience Aruba. Â For all the Renaissance brides, generally what price did you pay for the ceremony/reception side based on your guest number? I see there are packages but they are mainly for the ceremony and maybe a cocktail hour. I'm trying to get an idea of how much it would cost for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception for under 60 people. I would like to keep my wedding budget at under $10,000 (not including our travel). Also, did anyone receive the free honeymoon deal? Â

I'm interested in the RIU Palace Aruba but have a few concern about how public the two ceremony locations are. I was interested in the gazebo because I don't want to walk in sand and the view is obstructed by the tiki beach umbrellas and I'm concerned that there will be sunbathers in my photos and video. I'm also concerned about how uncomfortable the beds are especially our most recent experience staying at the RIU Montego Bay. The bed photos at Aruba look just like our beds in Montego Bay, hard and hard.

LOL, I thought I was the only one too. My BF told me that I will have a ring by the end of this year, but we are talking about doing a DW in August 2011. So basically I joined the site to learn more about DW and to find a location so that we can have a place secured before the end of the year. I want my guests to have at least 8-10 months notice of the wedding so they can save and plan too. It felt really awkward to start researching weddings because I felt everyone on here was already engaged or that I would get questioned by folks about not being engaged yet, but it feels good to know that I'm not alone. I hope that everyone on this post gets their proposal soon.

This is a great chic and cheap idea. Thanks for the post.

Thanks everyone. This is such a great website.

Beautiful wedding photos. I was interested in either this resort or the RIU Santa Fe, but I think I'm sold on this one because of the private gazebo area. It looks like a perfect spot and I can wear heels! Thanks for sharing your experience.

Thanks Ashleyl your post was very helpful. I like the idea of giving 1 bag per couple/family. And the contents are very affordable.

Very beautiful photos. The ceremony location had a great view and looked great!

Beautiful wedding. I love the colors!

An OOT bag is a great touch to give your guest. Generally, is there a particular cost that you want to remain under for each bag to keep these bags budget-friendly?

Thanks for posting this article. I was looking for decoration ideas to help offset what the resorts provide that can be easily packed.

It took me some time to read through 66 pages of post on this Iberostar thread. We are taking a vacation to Jamaica this month to celebrate our 2 year anniversary and will be staying at the RMB. I looked up many hotels in the area and was in awe of IBRHS, but we decided to go the more affordable route and just take multiple excursions. We have been talking very seriously about marriage and having a destination wedding between Aug-Oct 2011 (no ring yet but was promised I would have one before December). BF and I decided that it would be wise to reach out to the WC and schedule a visit to the hotel while on vacation. BDW has been such a valuable tool for me researching a DW and just having a realistic idea of how much these weddings can cost and what options are available. I will take plenty of detailed pictures of course on my visit and will make sure to link them to the site. Happy wedding planning!

I will be visiting the RMB in a few weeks (end of August) to celebrate my 2 year anniversary with my boyfriend. We have been talking a lot of marriage and I'm awaiting the ring ladies (he told me I will have it before the end of the year). With that said, we talked about a destination wedding Aug-Oct 2011. I have already been inquiring about destination weddings just to have an idea of the costs. While in Montego Bay for vacation, I will meet with the WC. I will give a review about the resort when I return with pictures.

Thank you all for the warm welcomes. I'm looking forward to this experience and learning as much as I can from the veterans and those who getting married before me.

I came across this website a few times while researching about caribbean destination weddings. I'm visiting Jamaica in August for my 2 year anniversary (staying at the RIU Montego Bay) and me and my BF talked about doing a DW in Aug-Oct 2011. I decided to take advantage of our trip by visiting Iberostar and possibly other resorts. I anticipate there being at least 40-100 guests and we will be having kids incorporated in the ceremony so I believe based on everyone's post that the IRH or IRHS will be among my choices. I will also meet with the WC at the RIU. Thank you all for your posts and it nice to see that there was a site created for us ladies that decided to think outside the box when it comes to weddings. I'm looking forward to this planning process and have enjoyed reading everyone's post up until this point.