Information is a bit hard to find on the internet about Destination weddings!! I'm getting married on 06/14/2008 in Negril, Jamaica at the Riu and have tons of questions!! We have about 50/60 people attending including some kids. I've learned that wedding coordinators are on "island time" where as I'm in Chicago and used to getting response times much quicker!

I've got the welcome bags all set - FYI careful if you send any boxes to your resort beforehand - It's worth the $$ to track it - Ive heard some horror stories! Also you can't send food, alka seltzer, etc. I did find some great, cheap stuff at Party supplies, crafts, party decorations, toys: Oriental Trading. Also found some sample size hempz sunburn treatment for under $1 each at amazon.com

Questions!!
1) My fiance's father passed away when he was younger...what can we have in memory of him on the beach during the ceremony? I've only found candles, vases - any suggestions??
2) We are having a reception back in Chicago in August & I would somehow like to incorporate sand, seashells, white roses in the centerpieces - Our theme is sapphire, silver and white - any ideas?

I'll submit more Q's later !!

Any advice, story, suggestion is appreciated!

Hi Samiec1,

It's very common to place pictures of family members in frames by the sign-in table at the entrance of your aisle. Another thing that is special is to find one of his favorite things - kind of tree, hobby, animal - and do something with that. For example, let's say that he loved maple trees. You could place a wreath of maple leaves on the seat he would have been in, in rememberance of him. You could also blow a conch shell in his memory. That's more of a Hawaiian tradition, but can still apply. It's meant to summon spirits of the couple's loved ones to gather for the ceremony. You could include the meaning in the program so people know the significance.

Also as far as your question about the decor - you could fill short square vases with sand, sapphire sea glass, shells etc with a candle in the middle. Then with other sized square vases encorporate your white roses. To bring in the silver - in place of napkin holders use a silver ribbon to tie around the napkin, then tuck a starfish under the ribbon to finish it off. You can get these items at most fabric/specialty stories like Michaels or Joanne Fabrics.

Hope this helps!

You could also have a Sand Ceremony with a dedication to your fiance's dad.

We had a sand ceremony and it was beautiful....

I as well as being a Travel Agent, with Destination Weddings as a specialty, I am currently a Mom of the Bride as well as Feb 2008, My son got married and "We" my husband and I handled the planning of his wedding from start to finish. The planning of this wedding was quite somthing. Anyway.. They got married in February and Adri my daughter inlaw wanted a Beach Theme... But using Red and Silver and elegant ... we used "Real Beach" Sand that her and her bridesmaids gathered as well as Sand and shells that my son had from scuba diving We lucked out and found glass cylinders 3 different heights and that had a insert for a candle that was suspended over the sand and shells we also used the red craft glass and small packaged shells from Michaels and mixed that in they were beautiful. Adri and Kyle gave a Sandollar in a red sheer bag as a token to all their guests. Feel free to contact me if you would like any information regarding your chosen destination.

Hi! I to am getting married at the RIU Negril on 11/7/08. I sent an email to the wedding coordinator 3 weeks ago and still haven't heard back even after getting an email that I would recieve a reply in 24 hours!

Samie- Do you know anything about having a rehersal the night before? Also how much decorating are we allowed to do? I'm so confused and have so many questions...

Ahhh!! It's so frustrating isn't it!?? I actually got a Word document with some FAQ which was a lot of help in the beginning. If you send me an email at samiec1@yahoo.com and I can forward you what I received. Pretty much the response I got was - she will contact me via email a few months before. Soooo it's in less than 3 months - I'll probably email her in the next few weeks. I sent our original birth certificates down to her in November of 2007 and after I sent a few emails to her she finally responded mid January mentioning she was going to the post office to pick up the mail!!! ??? She got them but...weird. I guess I can't wait to be on island time!

As far as a rehearsal dinner I have no idea. Since it's all inclusive and we're having a reception in Chicago when we get back, I didn't want to pay more to have a private dinner. My understanding is we are able to make reservations in one of the restaurants beforehand. We have ~45 people so it should be interesting. Keep in touch and I can forward on some more info!!

As you can see I don't get on to this site as much but I'm always checking my email!!

Pictures are a great way to honor a deceased parent. I had a memorial candle made in honor of my parents when my husband and I got married. We also had their picture on the table with a single red rose.
I too had a destination wedding and I also have a destination wedding website. I don't know what your other questions are, but feel free to browse my site at Todays Destination Weddings - Planning - Suggestions
Good luck!