Sarah from Birmingham

You can't count on having any privacy for an outdoor ceremony, but if you're OK with an indoor ceremony, privacy shouldn't be an issue at the Westin Grand Bahama. We had both wedding and reception outdoors, so other guests at the resort were nearby. I was only irritated by the couple who refused to leave the pool area where we had our dinner reception. Otherwise, it's a spacious resort, so while people are around, it's generally not very crowded. There are numerous indoor venues which can be used for the ceremony as well as the reception, such as the Pavilion, ballroom, Manor House conference rooms, and Portobellos.

Hi Tobi We're getting married at the (Westin Our Lucaya) on Grand Bahama next weekend. I've looked into many different islands (esp. St. Thomas and St. John) and I picked Grand Bahama because the rooms were affordable for our guests and there are numerous flight options. Please let me know if you're still looking at different destinations. Sarah

Hi! I'm a Bahama bride. I need to vent right now, so I'm sorry to be starting off on a bad note. Our wedding is next weekend (May 24th) on Grand Bahama. We're holding the wedding and reception at the Westin Our Lucaya resort and it has been a miserable experience working with them. The property is beautiful and well maintained, and we are so lucky to have a top notch wedding planner in Janet Albury from VIP Services. The problem is that the Westin keeps making up new fees and charges that are not included in our original contract. Most recently, they are requiring that we pay the group rate for our rooms even though we can get a much better rate by calling the hotel directly of through their own website. I urge every bride who is considering this property to think twice and if you choose to move forward, hire an attorney and be very careful and thorough in your original contract. I'll let you all know how it turns out in a couple weeks. Hopefully I don't need to vent anymore!

Thanks Leigh. By any chance are you available May 24? Your website is fabulous! It looks like you must love your profession.

My fiance and I are very concerned about the overfishing trends, so we are putting "seafood guides" in the OOT bags (along with all the normal fun stuff). These little pocket guides inform people what kind of fish and seafood are considered "good" to eat, either because they are fished in a sustainable environment or are low in Mercury. It also identifies seafood to avoid, such as Chilean Sea Bass and Pacific Cod. It's a passion of ours, and we thought it was appropriate since people often like to eat seafood in the Caribbean. Best of all, they are available free from the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. You can request large quantities of them online. Monterey Bay Aquarium: Seafood Watch Program - A Consumer's Guide to Sustainable Seafood

I was just about to put down a big deposit on my reception in the Bahamas. I checked with my credit card company and they charge 3% to convert from US to Bahamian dollars. This is a joke, because Bahamanian dollars are pegged to US currency. My mom told me that Capital One credit cards have no foreign exchange fee, so I applied for a new card that I will use to book and pay for all of my wedding expenses. This is going to save me over $1,000! I promise, I don't work for Capital One. I just thought it was a good idea on how to save money.

I created this spreadsheet to help us select a wedding date and location. We were considering Grand Cayman, Turks & Caicos, US Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Key West, Florida, Cozumel, Cabo, and a few other locations. We looked at temperatures and rainfall for a variety of locations as we wanted to avoid hot and rainy weather, as well as to find a location that was affordable for our guests who would be traveling from Detroit, Chicago and New York. It took a long time to find all this info, so I thought I'd pass it along in case it helps anyone else. It's in excel. PS: We selected Grand Bahama. Good weather, cheap flights, nice hotels for < $300/nt. I LOVED St. John, but the only hotels on the island were too expensive (>$350/nt in low season). St. Thomas was also a consideration given the cheap flights. The problem was that the Wyndham and Marriott had some pretty negative reviews, and I hear it is very buggy. Destination Selection Considerations 2.xls

Quote: Originally Posted by matty-g Anyone Getting Married Or Attended A Wedding At The Westin On Grand Bahama Island? I am planning a wedding at the Westin on Grand Bahama in late May. I'm very interested in any referrals for vendors. I'm heading there for a look-see on Jan 31. Let me know if you'd like me to take some photos while I'm there.

Is anyone else out there planning a wedding on the Island of Grand Bahama? I'm getting married in May. Still need lots of help selecting vendors, rehearsal dinner site, hair stylist, etc.