Caribbean Wedding Planning Secrets

Dreaming about an extravagant Caribbean wedding that will more than impress your guests but unsure as to how you can afford it? For many brides a dream wedding consists of a few important things: Spectacular location & great food & drinks. Achieving all of these things is very possible even if you are on a strict budget.

Secret #1:

Find the Right Venue for Your Reception on a Budget

The first thing you, the bride and groom, need to do is decide what percentage of the wedding budget will be allocated to your wedding day.

In deciding this, it will be much easier to choose the place that best suits your needs.

Some venues offer discounts on the rental fee depending on how much you spend on the menu and bar. This can bring down the cost by a few thousand dollars – money that can be spent on other things such as décor or even the honeymoon.

If you are on a tight budget, the best option for choosing a venue would be to find a place where you can bring in your own consignment bar and catering services. This way you can shop around for more affordable options and you are not limited to pre-set packages.

No matter what your choice, be sure to investigate thoroughly, do your research and decide on your budget carefully.
Having a lavish wedding could be great but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t save money where you can.
Here are some options for brides and grooms along with some strategies for saving.

Option 1 – House Venue

If you have a house with a big backyard, or have a friend or family member who does, this can be an inexpensive option. A house venue gives you a lot of flexibility in your choices and makes for an intimate and romantic affair that is more personal.

Using the right décor, the right caterer and having the event coordinated properly, a backyard wedding could end up being even better than a Caribbean wedding in an expensive hotel.

If you are having an island or beach themed wedding, a house down the islands or a beach house could also be an affordable venue. Ask around and see who has a house available to lend or rent.

Search the classifieds and the internet to see what is available to the public. Depending on the weather and your budget, try to choose a wedding date that is in the ‘low season’ as prices will be much cheaper and more available. Having a wedding at Christmas time, or closer to Carnival will be more expensive and you will have less to choose from.

Option 2 – Venue where the couple can BYO (Bring Your Own Food & Drinks)

If a house wedding is not for you and your budget allows you more flexibility here- then renting a small hall or facility where you can BYO might be a better option.

BYO means that you are only paying for the rental of the venue and you will provide everything else. Normally, the venue is available for a certain length of time. Be sure to find out the earliest time you can get it and when you have to leave the premises.

Decide whether you want an air-conditioned venue or an outdoors venue, in which case you may need tents in case of rain.

Option 3 – Hotel or Banquet Hall

A Caribbean wedding at a hotel or banquet hall can be an easy option for a bride with many guests and a large budget.

This option can also be fun, but you will have less say in the process, and spend more money on food and beverages. You will also have to pay for the rental of the venue. In some places this fee is waived if you spend over a certain amount of money on food and drinks. This can save you thousands of dollars and as a result, you will be left with more money to spend on your honeymoon!

If the fee is not waived, be sure to ask the manager or a person with authority to make big decisions, whether this is possible. Although they may say no, there is no harm in asking.

There is minimal hassle, when it comes to the bar and food, because most places already have their menu organized.

Secret #2: Saving on Food & Drinks

If you chose option #1 or #2 be sure to organize your menu early. Hiring a caterer is easy but do it early. Word of mouth is important when choosing a caterer as people will always tell you that they are the best, that may be so, but your best and their best will probably be different.

Ask the caterer for a sampling of their selection, especially the items that you will be having on your wedding day. You certainly don’t want any surprises on the big day. Do these things early and get them out of the way so you have time for other tasks.

There are a few places that offer bar services, just be sure to go with a reputable one, cheaper doesn’t always mean better. Remember that aside from the venue, food and drinks are the next most important items..

If you chose option #3 remember that most places will charge for food depending on how many people attend your wedding. For example, if you are having 100 people, and you choose a menu for $50US a meal you will be charged $5,000US.

These places also charge 10% service charge and 15% VAT on top of your final price which can increase your budget by A LOT!

The same rule applies to the bar, some places will charge per head. This is something that you may want to avoid, especially if you will have a lot of elderly people or those who might not drink a lot at your Caribbean wedding. Ask the venue if they can charge you by ‘consumption’. This means you will only get charged for what you use.

This can save you a lot of money since this is how bar services usually work when you hire them out privately. If this is a reputable establishment they should have no objections. If they do, then reconsider having your reception there if you are on a tight budget.

Remember that there are many benefits of using a hotel or full service venue for your reception even if it does cost a bit more. It can save you a lot of stress.
One of the biggest hurdles we have noticed for engaged couples is finding the right vendors Big Day. For this reason Isle Do has created the most extensive Wedding Vendor Directory in the Caribbean. Isle Do lists all wedding related businesses, for each country, in the categories they relate to. We also give advertisers a chance to describe their products and services in detail so bride & grooms-to-be can decide who they would like to use more easily.

Here are some great sites we’ve come across for Caribbean weddings:

• Caribbean Weddings – Love Never to Be Forgotten! | Wedding News – What could be more sensual and romantic than getting married on a pristine, silver-sand beach; by the turquoise water of the Caribbean; enjoying the.
• Romantic Caribbean to Celebrate Your Love | D2P Webwork – You can take Caribbean weddings and honeymoon packages to Bahamas, Curacao, Panama, Puerto Plata, Jamaica, and Brazil at Breezes resorts and hotels. Plus, their all inclusive vacations that will also allow you to see all of the sights …
• Intimate Weddings on the Beach – Budget Caribbean Weddings – Mail (will not be published) (required). Website. You can use these HTML tags. …
• miss universe 2009 at bahama beach club resort – caribbean … – the bahama beach club resort in treasure cay, abaco, bahamas played host to 20 of the most beautiful women in the world. the girls are all contestants in the upcoming miss universe pageant being held at the atlantis resort in …
• Weddings the Island Way » Blog Archive » Experience From Our … – Suggestions, Ideas and Experiences on Caribbean Weddings. Home · About. Search. Pages. About. Categories. Featured (1); Ideas (4); Planning Ahead (3); Things to Do (3); Uncategorized (4); Wedding Locations (2). Archives …
• caribbean weddings destination tourism – us despite the unstable economic climate, destination weddings are still popular in the caribbean, tourism parties were told at a romance update on friday. one of a series of tourism workshops held for cayman islands tourism association …

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