Wedding Review-12.31.08-TWJ/Mariner (long)

[nuyearsb2b]

Over a year ago, we began planning our wedding cruise, and at the time, it seemed like the day would never arrive. I visited these boards all the time and loved the reviews and pictures. Well, our day did arrive, and on 12.31.08, we had a perfect wedding on Reggae Beach in Ocho Rios. I hope this review will help future brides prepare for their big day as well!

 

We enjoyed a pre-wedding vacation in Orlando where we played at Universal and Animal Kingdom. Saturday night we drove to Port Canaveral where we stayed at the Radisson. Their cruise special is a great deal—it includes parking for the week and a shuttle ride to and from the ship.

 

On Sunday, 12-28, we departed on Mariner of the Seas with nine of our closest family and friends. The ship was beautiful! I had no problem getting a 8 am hair appointment for the wedding day. We enjoyed the pre-wedding day at sea, lounging by the pool, dropping quarters in the slot machines, and dressing up for dinner.

 

Our first port was Labadee, Haiti where we took a different type of plunge—a ride down the Dragon’s Breath zipline. That evening, my mom and I did the mother/daughter spa package, which was a great way to relax before the wedding. Late that night, I sat on the balcony alone to write a letter to the DH. We decided to write letters to each other instead of writing our own vows.

 

I was up at dawn the next day. My dad came down, and we sat on the balcony and had coffee together before my friend and I headed to the ship’s spa at 9am for my hair appointment. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed in the up-do—a little too much hairspray and my bangs were too large. With the help of a friend, a flat iron, and some bobby pins, we rescued it. The girls and I calmed our nerves with a few mimosas before heading to the taxi terminal at 11:15 am to meet the driver.

 

As soon as we arrived, the driver was waiting, and the wedding party and the blindfolded groom were off to Reggae Beach. The van and driver were both really nice, and we arrived in just a few minutes. Almarie, from Tropical Weddings Jamaica, greeted us and quickly had us organized and ready to walk down the aisle. The steel drum band was playing and the set-up was picture-perfect. Reverend Mullings performed a moving ceremony—I know I wasn’t the only teary-eyed person there!! We were really impressed with the photographer, who listened to our requests but also had plenty of good suggestions for shots. We had made the last- minute decision to get the video, and we are happy we did. The videographer was also top-notch. Because we got married later in the day (12 noon) and were leaving by 4, he did not have time to edit the video on site. He will mail it in the next few weeks.

 

My DH’s family surprised us with the sand ceremony as a gift, and it really was a nice addition to the day. The cake was gorgeous, and everyone said it was one of the best cakes they had ever eaten. The whole experience was perfect. My only regret was that it didn’t last longer! The two hours flew by, and before we knew it, we were off to Jimmy Buffett’s for our reception. I highly recommend Almarie at Tropical Weddings Jamaica for anyone who is considering a wedding in Jamaica. I was nervous about going with someone I found on the internet and had never talked to, but in the end, she far exceeded our expectations! She took care of everything, just as she promised.

 

We celebrated at Margaritaville with good food, drinks, dancing, and laughter. I changed into a white bikini but left my veil on, which made for some hilarious pictures. Our photographer came back about an hour later to deliver a memory stick with all of our pictures, just as he promised. We were also pleased with Margaritaville. We had called and reserved a table about a month before we left. We were sure they would forget, but to our surprise, the manager was waiting to greet us and to take us to our table.

 

Back on the ship, we were surprised to find that our family had decorated our cabin. We read each other’s letters, which has to be one of my best memories of the entire wedding experience. Before dinner, I had to re-do my hair since I slid down the water slide at Buffett’s. We put back on our wedding attire and walked down the main dining room staircase to the cheering of the entire room! It was unreal—celebrating with 1500 of our “closest friends.”

 

We decided to get a few pictures taken by the photographers who were set up for dinner. These pictures turned out great, too. We had inquired about getting the photographer to take pictures of us on the ship after the wedding, but it was going to cost us $75 an hour, and he could only do it at 2pm, which would have cut into our time at Buffett’s. We decided to take our own candid shots on the ship and save the money. No regrets.

 

We rang in 2009 with our parents in the ship’s Promenade, enjoying a balloon drop and champagne. At 2:30 am, we finally decided to call it a day and head back to our room. Our decision to get married on New Year’s Eve for the built-in party was the right one for us—we could not have imagined a more festive atmosphere!

 

Our first day of 2009 was spent in the Cayman Islands where we all swam with the stingrays, and we made our first purchase as newlyweds—matching Movado watches. Our last stop was Cozumel where we enjoyed a catamaran trip before joining everyone at Senor Frog’s for lunch. Of course, there was more shopping! Our last day at sea was windy, but we took shelter in the dining room and the casino, where my dad and I were lucky enough to win at Roulette.

 

The entire trip was like a fairy tale. Our only regret is that everyone we know wasn’t there with us to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience, but we are all talking about planning an anniversary cruise. To all of you who answered my questions and shared your experiences over the past year—THANK YOU! To all of you with upcoming weddings—GOOD LUCK, enjoy the excitement and savor every minute—it goes too quickly!

 

I am attaching the link to some of my pictures. If anyone has questions, you can email me at championm2000@yahoo.com

 

http://s386.photobucket.com/albums/oo304/thehursts/Wedding%20Day/

[Dpeeps]

Congratulations! What a beautiful wedding and the 2 of you are such a cute couple! Thanks for sharing it with us! Brings back memories of when we were married in the bahamas 19 years ago!! :)

[Pug3636]

Thank you for posting that detailed review! I am getting married in Ocho Rios via RCCL Freedom of the Seas in a few weeks. I can't wait to look at your pictures (blocked at work). Who was your videographer?

[Shawntay]

Congrats, Love your pictures too:).