June 23rd, 2008
When is the right time to start planning your destination wedding?
By Laura Rostenberg Sangster, CTA
The exact answer to this question is almost as varied as the number of possible wedding locations! Let’s first consider the required time-frame to secure your desired ceremony date at the resort. High Season in warm weather locations for a Caribbean wedding, Mexico wedding, and Hawaii wedding is from mid-December to mid-April. High Season essentially means the airfare and resort rates are higher, spiking because of the popularity of these four months. High Season in the tropics also correlates with the best months for perfect weather, an important consideration for any bride! Being that resorts sell out first for High Season dates, 12 months out is a good scale for brides preferring this time of year. Following High Season, May and June is the second most popular time of year for Destination Weddings and planning 9 months out is recommended. Fall is peak hurricane season and the least desirable weather-wise, but offers the most advantageous rates. The lower the rates, the more people will likely be able to attend your wedding day“ something to consider if fêting the night away with your entire family and many friends is important! For a fall wedding, you can usually secure your top time choice 6 months out.
Of course, there are other essentials to consider when knowing when to start planning. Because photography is likely the most crucial element to any wedding, many brides are opting to bring their own wedding photographer. Good Destination Wedding photographers and wedding coordinators book out 12 months in advance. Most other necessary vendors such as florists and caterers are based locally and 6 months out is a good plan, longer if you want flowers that are not grown locally. For my own Destination Wedding in Jamaica, I dreamed of a Calla Lillie bouquet, not being grown on the island we had to have them flown in, requiring extra planning time.
Lastly, but certainly not least important, your guests will appreciate as much notice as possible so they will have adequate time to plan and research their own travel plans!
Cheers,
Laura Rostenberg Sangster, CTA
www.CaribbeanJourney.com
www.VillaCollections.com
www.CaribbeanGroups.com
June 11th, 2008
Here are some more pictures from my Jamaica photography adventures after Brenda and Jason’s Riu Ochos Rios wedding. The first day we drove up to the mountains and visited a couple of Jamaican schools. The 2nd day our main mission was to make it to Rick’s Cafe Negril for the sunset! The ride from Ochos Rios to Negril was amazing! We stopped by the SOS Village of Jamaica on the way, then hit the road again.
The jumpers would climb up the tree and jump about 95 feet.
That was too high for me….so I jumped off the 40 foot cliff instead. Video to follow…
Some of the locals….
The local kid even showed off for the crowd.
The kids counted their tips.
I learned a lot about the meaning of “worth” to different people.
This dude was awesome…the music started playing and he started jammin’!
This was NOT an easy shot of Rick’s Cafe.
The crowd huddled to see Rick’s Cafe’s famous sunset!
Negril Jamaica is definitely my next stop when I visit Jamaica again!
You must tip everyone. It’s disrespectful not to. Carry a lot of US dollars and tip often.
The local Jamaican people will take care of you if you take care of them.
~Rob
May 31st, 2008
Here is some more photography from my adventures after Brenda and Jason’s destination wedding at Riu Ocho Rios Jamaica! Kevin (my tour guide) and I drove all over Jamaica! We stopped by his old high school and I was able to photograph some of the Jamaican High School kids through out the day!
I saw this crew and knew they were trouble. Of course they were waiting to see the Principal!
This was one of Kevin’s old teachers.
~Rob
May 23rd, 2008
After photographing Brenda and Jason’s Riu Ocho Rios wedding, I spent the last two days in Jamaica driving around and scoping out the non-resort areas. Kevin Green of Sunset Taxi Service (shadaekevinian [at] yahoo.com/1876-3875451) and I drove up to the mountains, to some local schools and then down to the beach! If you want a private tour with a local….make sure you contact him! Tell him Rob the photographer sent you.
On our way out to Negril and Rick’s Cafe, I saw a road that looked familiar to me. I had Kevin take a left and go up the road for about a mile. Well, I was correct and we ended up at SOS Children’s Village of Jamaica. It had only been two months since I had visited the Village last while on my trip covering the Prince Charles events. It was great to see the kids again and a couple ran up the road and gave my knees huge hugs!!! The kids were awesome!!!
This little boy with the bag is the one from “my top 3 favorite pictures in my LIFE!!”
Click here: SOS Children
This little girl is the one from “my top 3 favorite pictures in my LIFE!!”
Click here: SOS Children
Look at those cheeks!
I wish I could bring this little girl home!
~Rob
