Where to begin ....Bahamas Wedding????

[KarMaIsSoTruE]

I'm in the beginning stages of trying to plan a wedding in the Bahamas (7-30-07) ... However I have never been outside the US ..... I hear a lot of good things about the Bahamas ......put I would like some input ......

My fiance and I have set a budget of $5000...we want a small (no more than 15 people) wedding...our wedding party consist of 2 people besides us


Also we want a tropical atmosphere, beautiful flowers, waterfalls, birds, outdoors, does anyone know if the Bahamas offers this kind of settings, or maybe someone can suggest a better destination....


Also is it smart to go through a wedding planner, I have been looking on the web and I have saw many different wedding planners, can anyone possible suggest a good one

[LM81]

I don't know too much about this stuff, but I will tell you what I do know.

Anytime you do a destinatin wedding, it will be easier to have a coordinator who knows what's around and who the best people for the job are. Also the laws of that country. Usually you must be present on the island for a certain number of days before you can get merried. I think it is usually two or three. But they will know that and be able to tell you exactly what you will need to do.

Some hotels like Sandals, offer free weddings with the purchase of a vacation. (I think I may be kind of expensive though, but just to give you an idea). I know that most hotels there will have their own wedding corrdinator so if you have an idea of where you want to stay, then you may be able to use thier coordinator.

Hope this helped you even a little bit!

[BahamasBride]

I Hi fellow Bahamian Bride to be!

I too am planning an intimate Bahamian wedding. Well maybe not so intimate, I'm inviting around 30 guests - just my close family. We chose the Bahamas for our location after a cruise there. We went once and fell in love with it. We visited Nassau and originally considered having our cceremony at the Radisson Cable Beach resort. It's gorgeous! I have pictures that we took while doing a site visit there (I'll try to post them later). But we've now found out about the Our Lucaya Resort on grand Bahama Island. We're going to do a 'go-see' visit sometime this spring just to make sure their website pictures are as good as it seems.

Anyway, the first thing I would recommend is consider taking a visit. There are so many Bahamian Islands and each one is unique in it's own way. Now, I know that you can get a reasonable package through a planner at the Radisson Cable Beach resort and they also work for the Our Lucaya Resort (which is a little more pricey). You can visit the Bahamas tourism website at www.bahamas.com and see which planners you may be able to work with. We have chosen to utilize the services of www.seashellweddingsourlucaya.com. The Beaches Resort in Nassau offer free weddings with a minimum of 5 nights stay (for the couple). This may help if you're on a tight budget.

I hope this helps. Good Luck!

I'm in the beginning stages of trying to plan a wedding in the Bahamas (7-30-07) ... However I have never been outside the US ..... I hear a lot of good things about the Bahamas ......put I would like some input ......

My fiance and I have set a budget of $5000...we want a small (no more than 15 people) wedding...our wedding party consist of 2 people besides us


Also we want a tropical atmosphere, beautiful flowers, waterfalls, birds, outdoors, does anyone know if the Bahamas offers this kind of settings, or maybe someone can suggest a better destination....


Also is it smart to go through a wedding planner, I have been looking on the web and I have saw many different wedding planners, can anyone possible suggest a good one

[rosiesc]

congrats on your choice; I live on Paradise Island right beside the most beautiful site for a ceremony- The Cloisters Ruin- a 14th century Augustine chapel that was brought here by Huntington Hartford. Beyond it on the slope to the sea ( harbour side) is a little wrought iron and stone tiny temple we call the "temple of love" as that is where the couple usually take their vows.
You might have heard of Hartford's plantation home as it is now the site of the One/Only Resort across the road. Anyway you have to go thru them to reserve it; but I think you can use any planner you want ie. not necessarily theirs.
I can send you some pics if you like and a contact name
the beach is across the road for additional pics; ( same beach that Cindy crawford took her vows) or you can charter a boat etc. The sky is the limit here for gorgeous places for pics. My pics are too large for uploading here and my son is off in college so I dont want to mes with them by reducing them.
good luck whatever and where you go.

[islandpreachaaafa]

I agree with rosiesc. I have married a number of couples there and it is always a beautiful location. You have two options, you can get married in the gazebo down by the water(which over looks the nassau harbour) or you can get married near the cloisters stone structure. Either way you are guaranteed great scenery!

Matthew Sweeting
http://www.islandpreacha.com