BrookeBrae

Hi Ladies, I just wanted to say that I'm also getting married in Jamaica and using TWJ. I have been extremely happy working with Almarie so far and have no regrets about going off-site for the ceremony and reception. We will be having 120 guests, so when you added the costs from the hotel for just the guest count, plus all the additional charges the hotel wanted for DJ, photography, etc etc, TWJ is well worth it in my opinion. I went with her Always & Forever package which includes everything you can think of from transportation, to photography & videography, to a Saxaphonist for the ceremony, Steel drums for the cocktail hour and DJ for the reception. It's amazing!! Yes, its a little expensive, but we were never planning on getting married in Jamaica to "save money". My wedding is about 1 month away now. So I will write back to let you all know how it went. I cannot wait!! I'm sure my guests will love the location as well. We chose the Grande Oceanview location. From the pics, it looks breathtaking. Can't wait to say I DO on a mountain top over looking the beautiful Jamaican mountain range and turquoise Caribbean sea!!

I just starting corresponding with Almarie and am also thinking of taking the Always and Forever Package. Like you, we didn't intend to save money by doing a destination wedding. My fiance is Jamaican, so its much easier to fly 50 of us down, then get visas, tickets, accommodations for 50 Jamaicans. Plus who can beat a Jamaican wedding?? I know you haven't been on here in a few years, but if you could offer any advise on what to expect, what to ask for, what wasn't worth getting etc... I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

Well the only portion that is considered AI is the hotel. The airfare and land transfers are done by separate companies. It's up to the person booking if they want to take a package or look for deals on each component. I've always found it cheaper to separate because airfare is always going on sale, and hotels often have discount room rates. You wouldn't be able to get those deals if you buy a package (unless they actually factor in the discounts).

When I asked Keisha she said the only thing that is included is the white table clothes and chair set-up at the beach (plus bar & buffet). If you want centerpieces, tie backs, table cloths, napkins, tent etc... you should contact Jan's Flowers Jamaica (just google that and something should come up). She is awesome and half the price of Tai Flora. I was also considering the beach reception for $55 pp because I will have about 100 guests so wanted something more private. I think I may end up going totally off-site. I found the prices for a full package, decorations, flowers, food, drinks ends up being cheaper than the prices at the Riu when you add in decor etc... I've started talking to Almarie at Tropical Weddings Jamaica. Your wedding is pretty close so it may be too late to change venue... but might be worth it to check it out. Happy Planning!

What do you guys think?? I can help out other brides with basic instructions if need be

I used this site... Takes a min to get use to.. but you can do a lot of cool things with it... Try youtubing various videos about using photoshop and you'll get the hang of it.. It's basically a free on-line version of photoshop.... http://pixlr.com/editor/

If you're into DIY... try making boarding pass invites. They're unique and guests love them. You can search them in these threads. Lots of templates and a lot of printers will print and fold for you...

Hi finleya, Quick question... Did your TA give you a group rate for just hotel? My TA (who works with destination weddings) keeps trying to get me to put a deposit down on a package price for $1675 which is crazy. I'm telling my guests to book each piece separately because it ends up a few hundred cheaper that way. No one has booked anything but I'd like to at least secure hotel rooms (seems like a lot of April weddings at ROR). Can you shed some light on the contract you signed... how many rooms... did you get a better rate than the current $108 pp/pn? Thanks in advance for your help...

I'm also getting married at ROR on April 12, 2013... Happy Planning! What did you decide for ceremony/reception location?

Hi, I'm also getting married at the ROR on April 12, 2013. I booked the 3:00pm ceremony on the beach and private reception dinner on the beach afterwards. I've been emailing Keisha the coordinator asking various questions. She was the one who confirmed my ceremony and reception locations were booked. She also answered questions about chairs, larger cake costs, outside vendor costs etc... On top of that I've been reading a lot of these threads.. Some really good info. If you have any questions, I might be able to answer from what I've been able to gather so far. My advice, if you're an anxious bride like myself... Send Keisha an email ([email protected]) and confirm the locations you want. For ceremony you have a choice between beach gazebo, beach (with nothing or a chuppah), or garden. For reception, there's a few more options. You can have a semi-private free dinner in their public dining hall, a private dinner on the beach, by the pool or one of their private dining halls(all have bars and buffet food and ability to have dj/dancing etc... but cost $55pp), or you can rent the disco for 2 hours ($1000) or the beach for just drinks ($15pp for 2 hours). Anyway, Keisha has a list of extra costs for all these things which she's pretty fast at responding. Hope that helps

Sorry to hear prices are high. I'm getting married at the Riu Ocho Rios in April 2013 and found that most of the package prices are really high. What I've been telling my guests is to book each piece separately because it ends up a few hundred cheaper that way. For example... The package price with Signature Vacations is about $1675 for 7 nights from Toronto. If you buy you airfare from AirCanada directly ($600), then hotel from the Riu direct ($108 pp/pn = $756) and land transfer ($20) for a grand total of $1376. Also, airfare is always going on sale and sometimes the hotel room rates drop closer to the date. It's a little more work to book this way, but we do it all the time and always arrive safe and sound to the hotel and back home again.

Sorry to hear about the prices being high. I'm finding the same thing. Getting married April 2013 at Riu Ocho Rios. What I've found is that its much cheaper to book each piece of the package separately. You could end up saving a few hundred dollars that way. For example, the package prices are currently $1675 with signature. If I book my flight with Air Canada $600, my hotel with Riu direct ($108/pp/per night = $756) plus land transfer $20 = a total cost of $1376. Not to mention, Air Canada regularly has seat sales, plus the hotel reduces its rate to $84 per night closer to the date. Anyway, happy planning... Hope you can find some good deals!!

I'm getting married in April 2013 in Jamaica!! Sooooo excited!! We've book the Riu Ocho Rios because we've been there a few times and love it there. This site is awesome for advice and diy tips and tricks... I wish it was easier to scroll through everything... but c'est la vie. Anyway, this is my first post, so I'll keep it short. Happy Planning everyone!!