Hello,

I've just started planning my Caribbean wedding and am seriously considering Aruba as the destination to have it. I've been told by many frieds and have read multiple reviews on how wonderful the island is. My only (and biggest) concern however, is the wind. I've done some research online (as well as searched videos of Aruban weddings) and it seems to be quite windy year round. Despite what I've found, my fiance and I are quite enamoured by the idea of getting married here.

- For those of you who have gotten married in Aruba, did you find the wind to be a problem? (We will probably be getting married on hotel property overlooking the water rather than actually on the beach)
- We'd like the wedding to be sometime between March-May of 2009. Is there a time within those three months that is less windy?
- The Riu was reccomended to us by our travel specialist but I read on a recent review said that the hotels two high-rises act as a wind tunnel. Has anyone stayed here? Is this true?

I'd appreciate any advice the group can provide. I realize I may sound a little "wind crazy" but I'd really like to make this Aruban wedding work and am trying to plan it for the best possible outcome.

Thanks!

Hello,

I've just started planning my Caribbean wedding and am seriously considering Aruba as the destination to have it. I've been told by many frieds and have read multiple reviews on how wonderful the island is. My only (and biggest) concern however, is the wind. I've done some research online (as well as searched videos of Aruban weddings) and it seems to be quite windy year round. Despite what I've found, my fiance and I are quite enamoured by the idea of getting married here.

- For those of you who have gotten married in Aruba, did you find the wind to be a problem? (We will probably be getting married on hotel property overlooking the water rather than actually on the beach)
- We'd like the wedding to be sometime between March-May of 2009. Is there a time within those three months that is less windy?
- Is there a time of day (i.e. morning vs evening etc.) that is less windy?
- The Riu was reccomended to us by our travel specialist but I read on a recent review said that the hotels two high-rises act as a wind tunnel. Has anyone stayed here? Is this true?

I'd appreciate any advice the group can provide. I realize I may sound a little "wind crazy" but I'd really like to make this Aruban wedding work and am trying to plan it for the best possible outcome.

Thanks!

Congrats, on planning your wedding!! I haven't gotten married in Aruba yet (July'08), but I have been there many times. All of the reviews you have read are correct and Aruba is very windy, but I actually find it to make it more comfortable because you don't really feel the heat so much.

From everything I have read it seems like most hotels have their weddings around 6pm so that the sun is just starting to set. I don't think it is any more or less windy at that time, but if you are worried about your hair and dress blowing in the wind, I have spoken to many people that said their hair never budged. I've also seen pictures where the girls dress was blowing slightly in the wind but it looked beautiful (not annoying).

As far as some hotels being windier than others, I have to agree that I liked staying in the low rise section better because it always seemed so much windier down near the hight- rise hotels. It probably is b/c the tall building create "wind tunnels" lol, but I actually hated being down there and couldn't even enjoy laying on the beach because of all the sand blowing up.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask ) Kristin

Thanks Kristin for your insight! Any reccomendations for all-inclusive Low Rise hotels? (Are they on a different beach?) Right now we're looking at the Riu (anyone ever been??) but that has TWO high rises ... eek!

Low rise all inclusive DIVI all inclusive sister property of the Tamarijn.
Divi is very honeyooners/couples friendly.
The Tamarijn has more families.
Low rise area is more laid back, quieter. more space, less congestion overall.


Re: the wind.
Aruba Amy has long gorgeous hair and wears it pulled back and up while in aruba.
Her secret..........................tons of hairspray!

the wind is a non issue imo. (unless you are inviting sister bertrille to your wedding)

The wind is one of the BIG factors that cause many of us return to aruba many times over. the wind makes the hot aruba air feel comfortable!

andrea

Hi All,

I've heard so many good things about Indira in this Forum - I'm totally intrigued! Can someone tell me about her? Does she work for a specific property on the island?

Congrats! Great that you are considering Aruba as a possible wedding destination.

Aruba has on average 20 miles per hour wind. This is all year round so it would not matter if you would choose one month over the other. The Aruban wind is what makes the Aruban weather to many nice and enjoyable.

The wind does get a little calmer during nightime. No guarantee though. Maybe you could take into consideration when planning your wedding that the Aruban winds blow from East to West.

I give salsa classes every week at the Riu Palace Aruba (to my opinion one of the nicest resort in Aruba), and I can tell you it is very windy! The 2 gaps between the 3 buildings do make a wind tunnel effect. So much that it blows water out of the pool and makes the pool umbrellas unable to remain open. This doesn't however stop anybody from enjoying the pool or getting a nice suntan.

Whatever you decide, have a great wedding!

Salsa Greetings,

Reggie
www.arubasalsa.com

Reggie,

Thanks so much for the feedback - it was really helpful!

I did a little research on my own and I all of the comments stated the same thing about the Riu's wind tunnel effect. That's so disappointing b/c the pictures of the resorts look beuatiful and it would have been perfect otherwise. I'm looking for an all-inclusive hotel (b/c of the large number of guests I'll be having) that has a bit of an upscale feel without being pretentious. Any other (less windy) suggestions you have for a location site??

Thanks all - so glad I found this forum!

-Floria

The RIU is located in between the Radisson and Westin. That area can be a bit more windy then other resort locations in Aruba. However, we never found the wind to be a problem as not to enjoy our stay at either of these resorts. We have never stayed at the RIU, but stayed at the Aruba Grand before it was RIU. The stretch of beach at these 3 locations is very beautiful. During our next visit to Aruba May 16th to May 30th we plan to visit the RIU and will report back our findings to this board in June. We are timeshare owners, but have enjoyed our stays at both the Westin and Wyndham before it was the Westin. We have also stayed at the Radisson too and found both of these resorts to have wonderful and accomodating staffs. As far as choosing a wedding planner, you should make sure that the individual you choose will understand your needs and be in touch with you on a frequent basis through out the entire wedding planning process. Frequent communication is the key to a perfect wedding day when you live so far away from Aruba

http://www.cayenaweddingsandevents.com
Your Aruba Wedding Planner

Thanks Karen - any thoughts on the Occidental vs. the RIU?