Does anyone have any suggestions for when and where to have a wedding in Jamaica? We will most likely have about 75 people so we are looking for somewhere big and decently affordable. We’re open to suggestions about different styles (in terms of formality).

Also, for reasons of expense, we are thinking that the off-season is a better time to have it. Can anyone give me an idea of exactly how much it rains during the off-season (during different months)? Does it tend to rain every day at a certain time and clear up for the rest of the day, for example?

And if there is anyone who knows Negril… I have been speaking with people at Charela Inn about holding the wedding there. Does anyone know anything about this place? It seems very nice, but I would love to hear other people’s opinions who have been there.

Thanks, in advance, for any help I get!!

In response to your question, my wife and I were recently wed at the Marineers Inn in Negril. The experience was absolutely wonderful. The owner, Carrie, worked with my wife for about 8 months leading up to the date. We had about 35-40 people and the entire thing cost around 5k.

This included everything, DJ, photos, decorations, priest, etc. The event was picture perfect. The nice thing about the Marineers Inn is that it is located up on a hill, on the cliffs away from the crowded beaches so it is much more private and romantic, but, they also have a sister resort on the beach so what we did was stayed up in the cliffs until the morning after our wedding, then transfered down to the beach. Our guests, many turning our wedding into a vacation, stayed down by the beach so we would go visit them everyday, but by nightfall we could retire in privacy to our cliffside room.

As far as the weather, we were married in August. It rained a little bit every other day, but our wedding day, 8/15, was perfect. We did it semi-formal. Note that it is very hot there obviously, so pick your dress accordingly. My gentlemen and I went with pink and white linen, my wife with a breezy dress.

Good luck,
Mr. Cayes
PS.
attached is a picture of Jacqueline and myself (Ron)

the Ritz montego bay every nice

Talk to Sun Gold Weddings (I think they have changed their name to Weddings in Negril now though. Their website is www.SunGoldWeddings.com. They are wonderful. We got married through them in June and they did such a great job. They booked our hotels, personally picked us up at the airport, helped us plan our BEAUTIFUL weddings. They even put together the Grooms dinner and a trip to YS Fall and Black River for all of our guests. They are the greatest!!

I'm Jamaican-American, and I have to say that the stuff from Oriental Trading looks very stereotypically "Hawaiian" to me (no offense to the poster). I think more meaningful, and less disposable, favors would really reflect the location of your wedding. Here are a few of my suggestions: give out small bags of Blue Mountain coffee, which can be bought on the island for a small fraction of what it costs up here. You could get small bottles of our famous rums (appleton, meyers, and wray & nephew) or bottles of spice mixes and hot sauces. There are many workshops now that offer body care products made with Jamaican botanical ingredients, like lotions, scrubs, and yummy-smelling soaps. You could arrange to get this stuff through the wedding coordinator at the resort or buy it online up here and have it sent down. I could probably come up with a few more ideas if you need more suggestions.