Spring Wedding 2012

[emflag09]

Hello Everyone!

My fiance and I have been to Aruba two times and have chosen Aruba as the destination for our wedding! We are looking to get married in the Spring. Right now we are trying to settle on the hotel where we would like to have the wedding and where we will also be staying with our guests. We like the high rise area, and have previously stayed at the Marriott Stellaris Casino and the Hyatt. We would like to make the hotel stay as economical as we can for our guests. We are estimating between 30 and 50 guests. I am looking for suggestions of which hotels in that area would be recommended when looking at thing such as value, quality of service and quality of the rooms, quality of the food, etc. Any suggestions / tips would be greatly appreciated!

I have read a lot of the other posts and have seen all of the suggestions for wedding planners / coordinators and photographers and such. So right now we are just focusing on the hotel itself.

Thanks to all!
Emily

[Andrea J.]

check out this thread.Just started planning

also too, you may want to consider the MANCHEBO at the lo rise end.
great beach
great food and staff
ideal wedding location
now, granted the lo rise area isn't as "busy" as hi rise area, but for the costs it may be "just the ticket"

in fact, many folks once getting a taste of the quieter section, prefer it to the hustle and bustle of the hi rise area.

and only a 5 minute cab ride away or a $2.50 r/t bus ride up to the hi rise or downtown.

your guests do not want to or need to break the bank and you will get a PERFECT wedding at manchebo.
(again, only my opinion)

[Jason_Margarita]

Hello and congrats on picking Aruba as you destination wedding location...!

If I may be very direct...
Quality of the rooms - Hyatt
Quality of the food - Westin
Service minded - Marriott

Every hotel has their strong points, and every hotel will appeal to you differently, when it comes to photography, Hyatt and Radisson make for amazing pictures, when it comes to service, Marriott goes above and beyond and when it comes to food, I LOVE the Westin! If you are looking for Romantic and private, definitively The Renaissance Island, not in the high rise area but you get a complete Island all to yourself and your wedding party.

When it comes to value, send me a private message and I can reply with exact amounts of what things will cost and where you would definitely get your money's worth. And if you are looking for a good all inclusive, the RIU Palace might be something to consider.

If you are having problems deciding, a bride last week send me her final choices and requested me to go to each hotel and take pictures of the wedding area, the ballroom, the cocktail area, and the rooms for her to compare, and all 5 hotels were very accommodating, so if you feel you've gotten stuck that could also be an option. So besides having the hotel's cost you'll have up to date pictures to compare side by side.

Best Wishes, and we are always here to help!
__________________________________________________ ___
For all your Wedding Photography, Cinematography, and Planning
http://www.everafteraruba.com | http://www.jasonmargarita.com

[risa1818]

I just had my wedding at the Manchebo on June 11th and it was AMAZING!! The staff, location, food... everything was beyond exceptional! I would be happy to give you some information and show you some pictures if you like! I saw a few weddings going on while I was there on Palm Beach and I am SOOO glad we picked Eagle Beach for our wedding! It was way more private and just gorgeous!

I highly recommend our wedding planner also Lissy Lampe. She is beyond great to work with and made our day amazing. Definitely message me if I can be any help!

[Angela Munzenhofer]

Hello Emily,
Aruba is a great place for a wedding destination.
I agree with Risa and Andrea, You should check out Manchebo Resort towards low rise. It is a fabulous location and the beach is practically empty with hardly no one walking at sunset. I just captured two weddings last week at Manchebo and Lisa did a fabulous job as always at coordinating the marvelous wedding. One of the weddings had a Chinese theme and OMG i loved it and so did the newlyweds and 65 guests. At both weddings they had buffet style and the food was delicious. The staff is very attentive and the backdrop is phenomenal. I love it to because the ceremony is in one location, the cocktail in another under the stars and the reception under the pavilion that creates great lightning for pictures and videography. The rooms are comfy and large and have full kitchens. I personally never stayed there but photographed many pre-ceremony there. Many of the weddings bus the guests from the hotels and pick them up at the end of the night.
My expectations on Aruba hotels are pretty satisfying as every hotel has great restaurants, staff has to be great in order for them to stay in business and many of the hotels have done remodeling- Marriott and Radisson have done a marvelous job in the renovation...
Check out Radisson for the full package of romance , lush gardens, a quiet beach, waterfalls and a bridal expert who responds quickly, The Occidental is also my choice for an all inclusive wedding. Ask the hotels to see the rates for booking rooms as they are they are the professionals for this and can give you the packages. Many of my brides book in advance and block rooms and keep adding on as the guest list increases.
Happy Planning,

Angela

[Arubalisa]

I will say that we just enjoyed our 5th stay at the Radisson since their opening in 2000. By the end of September the entire resort will have newly remodeled rooms and lobby area.

If all of your guests are not able to afford to stay at the Radisson there are other lower cost alternatives nearby, some within walking distance.

We just witnessed the makings of a destination wedding at the Radisson. I was jealous

Friends and family members of the wedding party arrived on Saturday. There was a nice welcome cocktail reception at the Laguna Lounge on Sunday evening.

Tuesday afternoon the beach was set up for what was presumably a sunset ceremony, followed by cocktails on the beach and a poolside reception.

I am attaching a few of the photos I took...

[Angela Munzenhofer]

Wow Lisa nice pics, r u sure you are not a photographer...
Great to see you had a relaxing vacation

[Arubalisa]

Originally Posted by Angela Munzenhofer

Wow Lisa nice pics, r u sure you are not a photographer...
Great to see you had a relaxing vacation

Thank you! No worries of competition from me It will always be just a hobby.

[Andrea J.]

jason are there particular hotels where you do your photography? or in other words resorts where you do not go and why?

QUOTE=Jason_Margarita;205455]Hello and congrats on picking Aruba as you destination wedding location...!

If I may be very direct...
Quality of the rooms - Hyatt
Quality of the food - Westin
Service minded - Marriott

Every hotel has their strong points, and every hotel will appeal to you differently, when it comes to photography, Hyatt and Radisson make for amazing pictures, when it comes to service, Marriott goes above and beyond and when it comes to food, I LOVE the Westin! If you are looking for Romantic and private, definitively The Renaissance Island, not in the high rise area but you get a complete Island all to yourself and your wedding party.

When it comes to value, send me a private message and I can reply with exact amounts of what things will cost and where you would definitely get your money's worth. And if you are looking for a good all inclusive, the RIU Palace might be something to consider.

If you are having problems deciding, a bride last week send me her final choices and requested me to go to each hotel and take pictures of the wedding area, the ballroom, the cocktail area, and the rooms for her to compare, and all 5 hotels were very accommodating, so if you feel you've gotten stuck that could also be an option. So besides having the hotel's cost you'll have up to date pictures to compare side by side.

Best Wishes, and we are always here to help!
__________________________________________________ ___
For all your Wedding Photography, Cinematography, and Planning
http://www.everafteraruba.com | http://www.jasonmargarita.com[/QUOTE]

[hatteras]

I agree that Manchebo is an amazing spot for a wedding. However, someone stated that the rooms have full kitchens. We've stayed there several times in the last two years, and have never seen a full kitchen in any of the rooms. Our rooms had a small dorm size fridge and a microwave, all in one room, along with the bed. They are remodeling and the new rooms look very nice. The location is amazing. There's very little foot traffic at sunset, which is a plus over some of the busier spots.