Help! Do We Need a Planner?

[LysaandRob]

My fiance and I want to have a beachside ceremony and reception at one of the high-rise resorts in March 2011. The catch is that we have a timeshare at Casa Del Mar for a decade and nearly everyone that will be celebrating with us stays at their timeshare there as well. We were told by the Hyatt that you have to be a guest there to have your wedding there, and most of your guests need to book at the hotel. Seems ridiculous considering that we are used to the States were you can book a ceremony and reception without having to use the hotel for rooms. Do we need a planner to resolve this? I can't imagine why we can't stay where we want and pay whatever price is necessary to have the ceremony and reception. HELP!

[cukiecutr]

Congratualtions on your engagement. If you are from the states and getting married in Aruba, I would definitely use a planner. We are using Edwina for our upcoming wedding in Aruba and there are many others that sound great on this fourm as you read through the posts. I think I got the final document today that is needed for us to get married in Aruba.....All I need to do now is scan and send along to Edwina and she will get everything coordinated. A planner will communicate with you via email and get everything coordinated based on your requests. It will take a lot of stress off of you so you can enjoy your soecial day.

[uncle dave]

I may be wrong, but I believe that the Ren people will let anyone use the private island for events. The O's should know.

[luvsun]

I didn't use a planner. We had ours at the Playa Linda and the conciege did all the work for me (except for the reception). It was great didn't have to do anything. But.....if its your first wedding and you're a little bridezillish, you might want a little more control. I was just happy to be there getting married and new it would be beautiful no matter what, and it was! from the flowers to the reverend.
Also, when i contacted other places no one said we had to stay there. And i contacted a lot of places. they would give me a deal on rooms but didn't say we had to stay there.

[christene]

We visited the Hyatt last spring when we went for our site visit and their restrictions was one of the big things that bothered us. I don't think a planner is going to help you 'resolve' the room issue... its just their policy. I think you need to book at least 10 rooms for two or three nights each. We ended up going with the Marriott -- they don't care where you stay and they're pretty flexible with vendors. Our wedding and reception were amazing. Marriott ran the show but Edwina provided us with rentals and decorating. If you want a beautiful upscale hotel, you should check out Marriott -- they've just completed a $50 million renovation that turned out awesome. The place is like brand new. And the people you would work with there are so much warmer and follow through quicker than Hyatt (though the initial contact with the Marriott is notoriously difficult - get past that person and they are awesome).

[Stephanie10857]

Most hotels are going to expect you to have a certain percentage of your wedding party staying at their hotel IF you are using their wedding planner accociated with their hotel. Otherwise, all the beaches in Aruba are public so you can get married in front of any hotel you want. Definately get a planner, they will coordinate everything for you, the minister, flowers, setup and decorations, champagne toast, music, photographer/ videography. Trust me, I was married their 2 weeks ago.... you dont want to deal with that stuff on your wedding day, please trust me on that. You should check out Robert Arnez. He was my photographer and has a wedding planning business (but he wasn't mine, i was married at the Riu with their planner) with his wife. He is absolutely wonderful. I didnt go with the hotels photographer, I wanted to research my own and found Robert. check out my wedding pics. Good Luck!

[Sheree10]

If it's a part of your budget then you should definately get a planner. I know that the Rennaissance and Marriott are just two places that will allow guests to stay elsewhere. This is one of the reasons we chose the Renn., we wanted it to be flexible for our guests if they choose to stay elsewhere. There are a few private planners that can help along with ones from the resort.

[LysaandRob]

Thanks to all for your ideas and info! We are definitely going to hook up with a planner and try some of the locations mentioned here. I prefer to turn this over to someone else to plan - so we can really enjoy! Congrats to all the newlyweds!!

[Karen Lutzker]

We just returned from Aruba last Tuesday after renewing our wedding vows for our 50th wedding anniversary on January 16th. My dear friend and colleague and representative Edwina Werleman did a beautiful setup for my husband and I. I posted all of the photos if you would like to see. Diane Keijzer and her husband attended as well as Robert Arenz and his wife. Robert took some very beautiful photos. Reverend Robert Gibson performed the most meaningful and beaufiful ceremony. In fact, our Aruba honeymoon was the better then the first . Maybe it was because we chose Miami as our honeymoon destination (had never heard of Aruba) and maybe because we were both so very young (18 years old to enjoy it) As far as having a wedding planner, it has to fit within a couples budget. Planning a wedding from so far away can be very difficult. The couple needs to feel confident that they will have someone that is knowlegable and will work with them and will be there for them on a continuing basis for any questions or concern that they may have all through the planning process.

[cindyo]

Originally Posted by uncle dave

I may be wrong, but I believe that the Ren people will let anyone use the private island for events. The O's should know.

Ah yes, the O's know, to funny uncle dave...YES, you can use the island for events w/out having to stay there...that place is heaven....You must see The Rennaissance Island to fully appreciate its beauty and peacefulness...
Timbaland ( kids knew him, not me)anyway, had a huge wedding on the private island..(and we got a menu given to guests from our dear friend Maluska)