Our Aruba Wedding

Well we went in circles for the rest of the trip trying to figure out what option is the best for us and finally it comes down to the Westin Aruba or the Aruba Marriott. For us this decision is incredibly difficult. Really, we want the wedding and reception at the Westin and want to stay at the Marriott but that’s not practical because the hotels are on opposite ends of Palm Beach. Also, we felt like we’d be able to negotiate a better deal if we kept all of our business in one place.

For the wedding itself, we felt like both resorts were pretty even. The Marriott is the hotel furthest north on Palm Beach and the Westin is almost the last one on the south Palm Beach so we didn’t feel crowds would be a problem on either. Our October date is also considered off season. Neither seemed to be a bad location (or better than the other) in terms of things to do and restaurants, though the Westin would be a little closer to the low-rise area and downtown.

For the reception, we had a lot more confidence in the Westin. We loved, loved, loved their coordinator and were excited about the food. We liked the primary reception space (the terrace) and loved the back-up space, (the ‘gallery’). Unfortunately though the Westin is nice, we didn’t really want to stay there. We wanted the brighter, better decorated rooms and lush pool with the swim-up bar.

We try to ask ourselves, which is more important – the quality of the stay of the guests or our 4 hour party? So many people told us ‘this is about you’, your wedding… guests will just be happy to be there and you need to pick what you want. Well we want our family and friends to get as much enjoyment as possible from the trip. We respect the fact that many of them don’t get to travel much and will be making sacrifices to be able to come to our wedding. And finally we asked ourselves, if we were to go back to Aruba just for vacation, where would we want to stay? That answer was the Aruba Marriott.

So, we moved on to contract negotiations. Would one present a deal that’s so much better the decision will get easier? The Westin was quick to offer a really nice package – they would give our guest all ocean view rooms with breakfast for 2 at a good price.

Initial negotiations with the Marriott were a bit slow. At first their best room price was more than the Westin, didn’t include breakfast and they couldn’t offer ocean view rooms. The difference amounted to around $60 per night. Given that we are paying all expenses for probably a dozen people, that would really add up. Finally, a destination wedding travel agent got involved (this woman is awesome!) She got them to match the breakfast for two and lower the room price to within $10 of the Westin. Room type could not be guaranteed though. We would be offered island, garden or ocean view. Guests would be offered the ‘best available upon checkin’. Given that its off-season in October the manager insisted our guests would be very happy with their rooms.

Sealing the deal was still difficult though. We were still torn between the two. Finally we asked ourselves, if it weren’t for the sales coordinator we met at the Westin – if she weren’t there anymore – would the Westin still be a contender? That answer was finally no. That it was this fantastic woman we were attached to, not the property. There was also the nagging concern about the Westin being at the windiest part of the beach. The independent wedding planner strongly advised against their beach for the ceremony telling us we’d be much happier with an Eagle Beach wedding ceremony. Honestly, I don’t remember it being any windier than anywhere else, but know that’s a complaint I’ve read other places as well. Since we weren’t planning on having videography we just dismissed this during our visit but wondered again about it later.

And don’t get me wrong – the reception locations at the Marriott aren’t BAD. The property is beautiful and they have several options – the beach, a paved patio, the lawn, poolside, the sandy volleyball area… We just wanted something a little more intimate – semi-private. And it was just dinner we were worried about. We liked the beach ceremony area we’d also use for cocktail hour and loved the idea of dancing poolside but wanted dinner to be a bit cozier. Hopefully we can accomplish this with the canopy we have in mind.

Bucuti Beach Resort Review

Positives: Classic boutique-y hotel in the low rise area. Beautiful beach that feels exclusive (even though all Aruba beaches are public). Very peaceful property due partly to the fact that they discourage children. Rooms feature well-done contemporary decor (though we didn’t think they were as nice as they look on the website).

Negatives: the coordinator missed our appointment (and admitted it was the second she missed that day) and starting room price was higher than most other hotels we looked at making this expensive for guests.

Manchebo Pavillion Review

Positives: LOVED the location – the pavilion and beach. Both looked nicer in person than in any of the photos we saw. Its what I think many think of when they think wedding in paradise. Could be as formal or informal as you want. Also, non-commercial.

Negatives: Unfortunately the wedding planner didn’t give us a lot of confidence when it came to the food. This isn’t to say the food would be bad but we weren’t assured it would be great. We also weren’t sure we wanted to transport people from the hotel to the wedding / reception location and back.

Eagle Beach Review

Positves: Beautiful! Large and open. Expansive sparkling beach with no crowds.

Negatives: No ‘facilites’ (bathroom and concession were not available) and shade is limited.

Passions Restaurant Review

Positives: Wonderful outdoor setting! We’re told the food is great and that we could probably rent it out for the night. Its so charming we wanted to go back the next night for dinner (however we went to the Westin’s beach restaurant instead which was awesome!)

Negatives: No back-up location in the case of rain.

Westin Aruba Review

Positives: LOVED the sales coordinator – had total confidence we’d have a flawless wedding and reception (at least from the hotel side). Best pricing of the three high-rises we visited (rooms and reception) and our guests would all be offered ocean view room. All rooms also have balconies.

Negatives: We weren’t sure we actually wanted to spend the weekend at this Westin. Rooms are clean and contemporary but plain. When in the Caribbean I want to see something more cheery. Also, the pool fell short for us – though large it didn’t look like a fun place to hang out even when we went back again the next day.

Hyatt Regency Review

Positives: Gorgeous hotel with beautiful open air lobby and best pool of all the resorts we saw. Newly renovated. Rooms contemporary with splashes of color – very well done. Loved the Ruinas del Mar restaurant as a reception location.

Negatives: Most expensive of the 3 high rises we visited. Our preferred Saturday date was not available. Does not allow the use of outside vendors for decorating or entertainment. More restrictive room contract and ceremony requirements. Small “french / standing” balconies – not full seating balconies.

Aruba Marriott and Stellaris Casino Review

Positives: Beautiful property that has just undergone a $50 million renovation. Fantastic contemporary decor. Large rooms and all have big balconies. Nice pool area. Glad to work with outside vendors like independent decorators.

Negatives: We didn’t care for the reception options. Really didn’t like the ballroom that would be our back-up location. The terrace / patio they offer is really plain – doesn’t even have any potted plants or lounge furniture. Outdoor lawn space is nice but in the center of the resort.

Expectation: We love the idea of having our wedding on a private island. We weren’t crazy of photos we’ve seen of set-ups but hope we’ll like it better in person. We did like the idea of the privacy and the fact that we could be as loud as we want.

Finally – the fifth (and last) appointment of the day – going to see the Renaissance Island. We’re told we would see a wedding set-up and get to walk around the island. When researching the private island I found posts from those who LOVED the island and wouldn’t dream of having a wedding anywhere else. Then there were others that found the island lacking in charm – even describing it as ‘cheesy’. There were complaints of mosquitos, airplanes flying overhead and the boat ride over to the island.

We took the boat from the Marina hotel over to the island along with a few of the vendors that were going to be working the wedding. A manager from the Marina hotel joined us and was really helpful since at first there was a misunderstanding with the boat arrangement. I had wondered how you get over to the island by boat without your hair getting all messed up. While the boat is mostly open, there is a sheltered area where the bride could sit (she’d have to sit backwards at the very front). I had also heard accounts that said the ride to the island takes 17 minutes. I forgot to time it but was certain it took less than 17 minutes – felt like 10 to me. So – the whole boat ride which had me a little apprehensive was totally fine… a non-issue in our book.

The island itself was cuter than I expected. Not really paradise but nice. There are lots of palms for shade and the lagoon areas for swimming looked nice. Also, the ‘peninsulas’ with lounge chairs on them looked like a cool place to hang out during the day.

The manager first took us to the right of the dock to show us the beach where the ceremony was set up. It wasn’t bad. Not a very big area but big enough. If I remember right during the day this is the adult only “Flamingo Beach”. We didn’t love it or hate it. Then he took us to the other beach 50-100 yards away (the family friendly “Iguana Beach”). Again – not bad and they were in the process of setting up. He took us beyond that beach to show us more of the island where they have a fitness center which was ‘kind of’ cool. While we were there we watched a plane take off and never noted it being noisy so we were sure we wouldn’t be bothered by planes overhead.

Then we went back to look closer at the reception area. I could see how some people would love this set-up. Dinner with your feet in the sand and having all that privacy and being able to make as much noise as you want. Still, it didn’t sit right with me. Maybe it was just a little too informal because it felt more ‘beach barbecue’ than dream wedding. The decorations were unappealing to us, though we do have to respect that the couples taste was different than ours (and budget may be more limited). Also, just my personal preference, but I didn’t want to be in the sand for a whole night. They do have a concrete slab / dance floor under the sand in front of where the band was set up so you could at least be on solid ground for dancing. It was maybe 10-12″ square.

Overall I didn’t think the set-up and location was bad – it just wasn’t ‘us’. It felt a little more ‘nice picnic at the park’ than chic event. It would take a lot of decorating for us to be interested in this location. And as for mosquitoes – I normally have a terrible time with mosquitoes – I get bitten up like crazy, but didn’t while we were there. Of course the reviews did say they come out at dusk so we were an hour early. And we did take note of the 6 brand new cans of bug repellent sitting out on the bar.

Conclusion: Great idea but not us at all. We want something a little classier.

Expectation: We were expecting to really like but not fall in love with this property but it sounds like they will work really hard to make us happy.

In our initial research we had ruled out the Aruba Marriott. We had exchanged some emails with them, received their wedding packet and then wanted to schedule and appointment for a Saturday site visit. We were shocked when we were told their office is closed on the weekend! That there wouldn’t be anyone that could meet with us. We figured how can they be effective at running our weekend wedding when they can’t even arrange to have someone show us the place on the weekend?

Well along the way, though an acquaintance, we were referred to a destination wedding planner. This is an organization that specializes in helping you select a resort and arranging your travel. I was skeptical at first but the woman we met through the phone and via email was outstanding! She was eager to help and never applied any pressure. I told her our plan and she insisted that we reconsider the Marriott. She promised the property is gorgeous and everyone she has worked with has been wonderful. After making a call for us, she helped set up an appointment with a manager that was glad to come in and meet with us on her day off. We were really encouraged, enough so that we arranged to spend the second night of our visit on their property.

The Aruba Marriott has just finished a $50 million renovation that is fabulous! Our first impress was that we loved it – the lobby was large and open and very contemporary with a nice bar. The check-in staff was helpful and friendly. We were impressed with our room – theirs are the biggest on the island and ALL rooms have large 100sq ft balconies. They have nice beds, beautiful modern decor, flat panel TVs and brand new bathrooms with double sinks. The biggest downside to the room was that the door to the balcony is a heavy solid glass door that swings out. There isn’t a slider so that you can keep the door open letting fresh air in. On the other hand, the lack of the screen door is probably the reason their room seemed to be the brightest of any of the rooms that we saw.

We were a little early so we decided to go have lunch by the pool which was quite nice. The resort is “U” shaped with the pool nestled in the middle courtyard. While the pool isn’t terribly large, the pool area is lush with palms and tropical plants providing shade an a real tropical feel that you come to a resort for! And I was pleased to see a swim-up bar. We ordered a grouper sandwich that was great and a couple of fruity cocktails. We really enjoyed being there and had fun watching the iguanas. The only downside I saw to their pool area is that they put WAY TOO MANY lounge chairs around it. The pool wasn’t at all crowded with people and it seems they could have done just as well with half the chairs.

The woman we met with was right on time and didn’t rush us at all as we were still finishing our lunch. She pulled up a seat and told us to take our time. Then she showed us around the property. The beach was nice and didn’t seem overly crowded. (The fact that the Marriott is the northernmost hotel probably helps.) All in all, we LOVED the resort.

Unfortunately we didn’t love the reception options. You can have the reception on the beach, on the lawn, on a new outdoor ‘patio / terrace’, by the pool or in a ballroom. While the outdoor areas were nice, when we saw photos of how they are typically done up for a reception, we weren’t impressed. They looked so bland. We liked the lawn area but not the way they just stick tables on the lawn and call it good. We wanted something more intimate vs feeling like we’re having an expensive picnic on the lawn. Not only that, but for the back-up location there are ballrooms. Sounds good but we REALLY didn’t like them. They’re pretty ordinary… no windows, no terrace / balcony in front… So now the challenge is how do we personalize the space if we want to be at this resort? Of course they say they can ‘do anything’ but it will cost and the pressure is on us to be creative or hire a good decorator. (They do allow outside vendors for most things other than food and beverage.) And I cringe at that ballroom as my back-up location.

This is going to be an extremely difficult decision. We love the Westin for the wedding but aren’t feeling like we want to stay there. We love the Hyatt for the wedding but they don’t have our preferred date and may be prohibitively expensive for some of our guests. We love the Marriott as a resort but aren’t excited about their reception options…

Conclusion: We really liked the hotel! We like the lobby, pool area and love the rooms. It’s priced in between the Westin and the Hyatt. Unfortunately we are not excited about the reception site options. We especially dislike having only ballrooms as our back-up location in the case of rain. Our last appointment is back at the Renaissance to see their private island – maybe after that visit this will all be more clear.

Expectation: That we would fall in love with it but find it to be totally out of our budget.

I think many people agree that the Hyatt Regency is “the place” to stay in Aruba if you can afford it. In fact, a week or two before we went for our site visit I had just watched a Travel Chanel special “Top 10 Resorts in the Caribbean” and started to drool! While I was trying hard to not get caught up in needing the ‘dream wedding’ I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I didn’t want to torture myself with an appointment but my fiance took the initiative and made a call two Sundays before our visit.

I was a little disappointed that our call wasn’t returned until Wednesday and almost wasn’t going to return the call back. (She had to leave a voice mail because I was at work. I also later found out there was a holiday in Aruba that was the reason for the delay.) We also had a little difficulty arranging the appointment because she was also out of the office for some time the following week. We did finally get the appointment set up.

We exchanged a few emails before the meeting so my fiance and I would have an idea of what to expect with the sites, menu and entertainment options. They were more expensive than the other hotels though I’m was surprised it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had expected. There was a lot going on in the days leading up to the site visit – we were trying to gather as much information as possible and set up what we thought would be meaningful appointments. I have to say I was a little discouraged in that I found a couple of her emails a bit abrupt. I mention this to someone that knows her – that person kind of laughs and says she’s fine when you get to know her a little bit. I let it go figuring she’s probably bombarded by people all day, many of whom may not be serious. And of course, I had waited until the last minute to push for information.

The scheduling ended up being really tight. The time she could meet with us conflicted with another meeting we had. Since we had done our homework we told her we really just needed to see the sites. She said she could give us only 30 minutes which we were fine with.

When we met her in person we found her ‘pleasant’. Not especially warm or overly-friendly like the others, but professional. She took us around and we loved the property. The pool area is great and beach is very nice. They have a ‘deck’ available for receptions that we didn’t get too excited about, but they had another location we LOVED! They have a restaurant that you can only use on Sundays – the Ruinas del Mar. Our preferred date of Saturday was already taken so maybe Sunday would be perfect. The Ruinas is classy and needs no decorating! It’s beautiful as is. There are two deck patios off of it – one covered, one not, and its nestled within the pool. (Theirs was the best pool that we saw.) And I would have peace of mind that there is no need for a back-up location!

Even though our half hour has passed, she is warming up and taking us to see a room. Along the way she sees the bride that is waiting for her and greets her with a big hug and we are starting to see her as someone we could talk to.

The Hyatt as recently undergone a multi-million dollar renovation that is stunning. Their lobby is gorgeous giving you that “wow!” when you walk in. The hallway to the room is bright and beautifully decorated. The decor of the room itself is fresh and modern – sophisticated and contemporary with orange and green accents that put you in a ‘tropical’ mood. The downside of the room – no balcony. (Rooms at Westin and Marriott ALL have balconies.) UPDATE: Actually the Hyatt does technically have balconies. These are “Standing / French” balconies. You can stand against them an look out, however you can not have a seat and enjoy the view. There is another post with Hyatt site visit photos that shows these. Westin and Marriott balconies are full sitting balconies.

Conclusion: Beautiful hotel! The wedding cost would be close to the other locations since decorating would not be needed. The downsides we have to weigh are that our preferred date of Saturday is not available, they are more expensive for our guests and they do not allow outside vendors.

Expectation: We were expecting the Marina to be more hip but again, weren’t excited by the room decor viewed on their website.

We were enjoying our visit at the Westin SO MUCH that we were running late for our Renaissance appointment. The wedding planner was still gracious and said “No Problem” because we were on “Aruba Time”. We felt we already knew the Ocean Suites side of the hotel well enough so limited this appointment to seeing some rooms on the “Marina” (adults only) side.

The Marina hotel does have a much nicer lobby. Open air, more furniture and space, great looking bar and opens to a pool that is just off the lobby. The lobby and pool are on the second floor over-looking the street. To the right of the pool is a canopied area that has over-sized lounges. While some reviews complained about the size of the pool (that it is small), we thought it was adequate for this hotel. How many people do you see in the pool at an adults only resort anyway? This side is definitely a lot more hip. (Nowhere near “Miami Beach cool” but not bad). The pool / bar area looked like it could be a lot of fun…. for a younger crowd that is… I think I could have had fun staying here 10 years ago when I was a 20-something and more interested in the party and less interested in comfort.

He showed us a couple of rooms that were again, ‘ok’. Again, the ‘new renovation’ does seem to fall a little short and the rooms seemed a little dark to us. I don’t remember any of the rooms we saw having a balcony and the cool hip vibe from downstairs does not make its way up here.

We were pretty sure we weren’t going to want to invite our guests to stay here either but were still going to return later in the evening to visit the private island and see a wedding set-up in progress. On another note, we did think their shopping mall was pretty nice and were also pleasantly surprised by their casino. It seemed bright and clean and I don’t remember it being smokey.

Now, off to the Hyatt Regency for meeting number 3!

Conclusion: This place had probably the best ‘party scene’ of all the locations we visited if that’s what you are looking for. Their rooms were also the least expensive of all the resorts we visited. It seems like a place I might have loved 10 years ago, but now I need something a little more sophisticated.

Expectation: We were expecting to LOVE the Westin. Wherever we travel, Westin is one of our preferred hotels. The sales coordinator we had been exchanging emails with was always prompt and friendly – prior to the trip she was by far the best to work with.

Though we didn’t care for the Renaissance Ocean Suites hotel, we did get a great night sleep there. The beds were comfortable and the room was quiet. Just what we needed before our morning appointment at the Westin!

As soon as we walked into the Westin we said “Yes, we could hang out here!” Their lobby is modern and airy and we felt more at home. We met their sales coordinator for breakfast and fell in love with her. She is warm and bubbly and absolutely adorable. We had breakfast with her and could tell that she was the kind of person that would treat this wedding as if it were her own with attention to every detail. She was ready to take notes and was totally open to special requests, even getting excited about them. She seemed to treat special requests as a welcomed opportunity. You can tell she genuinely likes her job and the resort.

The biggest concerns we had with the Westin were that we had read reviews saying they are on the windiest part of the beach. The independent planner we met with Friday night warned us how busy the beaches are at all of the high-rise hotels and the wind at the Westin is especially troublesome. We were also concerned that the Westin would be way out of our budget.

Well, I can’t really speak to how much of an issue the wind is there, but we ended up not being very concerned when we visited their beach. Also, the Westin is near the beginning of the high-rise section so we also weren’t concerned about  ‘crowds’ or distracting water sports late in the afternoon.

We toured the rest of the property. The beach and spa were very nice. The pool is ‘ok’. It’s really large and there is plenty of room around it, however there wasn’t much shade and we noticed that very few people were by the pool which seemed unusual for an 80+º day. There also was no swim-up bar which was a bit of a disappointment. I can forgive a lot of things for a ‘happening’ pool.

We then moved on to the reception spaces and loved them! They have a wonderful terrace that overlooks the pool and beach. Its open air but covered and sheltered from the wind by the hotel. Its charming and has some casual seating they’ll let you use giving us the mix of functional and loungy seating that we want. It’s a nice intimate space that would not need much decor (and therefore save us money!). Next we looked at the back-up location and almost liked that more! At the moment they had it set up as a gallery and that’s exactly what the space felt like – an art gallery. Gorgeous wood floor, nice lighting, a glass wall looking into the lobby… Fantastic!

She took the time to show us three different rooms. They were ‘nice’ but not quite what we expected. They were inline with what you expect from Westin – contemporary with their famous beds but a little bland for a resort. I remember sage green drapes and beige carpet and wishing there was some cheery pop of color that says you’re in a tropical place. I was also wishing they were a little brighter as far as sunlight streaming in. Every room does have a balcony though, which we appreciated.

In working through proposals we found the Westin to be the most affordable of our top three choices (Westin, Hyatt and Marriott). We were offered a great rate on ocean view rooms for all guests and catering prices were reasonable especially considering they were going to do quite a lot to customize the menu for us (we wanted to see some Indian options).

On a side note - we went back to the Westin later that evening for dinner and it was FANTASTIC! The restaurant is called Azull and is sort of a make-shift restaurant on the beach. Just before sunset they set up dining tables with chaise lounges in front of them. You get to relax on the chaise with a glass of champagne while watching the sunset. Once the sun has set you move to your dinner table and have a fantastic ‘feet in the sand’ dinner surrounded by tiki torches. The night we went there was just us and one other couple. There were two waiters that were the cutest guys! They were having fun with us encouraging us to get up and dance to the romantic music they were playing for us. For dinner, really you get your choice of “Dinner A” or “Dinner B”. The “menu” is written on a board… We both chose grouper I think and the food was outstanding! We have a shrimp appetizer that was fantastic, the main course even better and the desert was over the top. It was just too good to pass up – by the time we were done we could barely walk out of there. And get this – toward the end of the evening it starts to get a little cool – anticipating this, the waiters brought us warm towels to wrap around our shoulders. What a luxury. We highly highly recommend Azull. (To view a larger photo, click on the thumbnail which links to their website.)

Conclusion: We LOVED the sales coordinator and wedding spaces, however did not fall in love with the resort as we had expected. It seemed the rooms and pool could be brought up a notch. Still, we left thinking that if we don’t like any of the options we had yet to see, we’d be ok with that.

Expectation: To be honest, I was not expecting to like this hotel. We’re kind of ‘hotel snobs’. Though ‘newly renovated’, when looking at photos on their site the room decor still looked dated. We were interested in a Renaissance Private Island wedding though and thought guests might like the suites.

For our site visit we booked one night at the Renaissance Ocean Suites. There are actually two hotels – the “Marina” (adult only) hotel and the family friendly Ocean Suites. Since we expect most people to stay on the “suites” side we decide to spend Friday night there.

During our initial research the Renaissance was the front runner. There catering is a little more affordable than the high-rise hotels and they have the Renaissance Private Island which you can have to yourself for your wedding and reception. While the hotel is older, they advertise it as being ‘newly renovated’ and it also seems to have more affordable rooms. We liked the idea of the downtown location where guests would easily be able to walk to shopping, dining and other entertainment. My biggest hang-up going in was that in the pictures I saw on the website, the rooms still looked a bit dated (in particular the sleeper sofas).

Walking into the hotel was a little disappointing in that the lobby is bland. The limited decor looked cheap to me. I love hotels with a “Wow” lobby where I can see myself hanging out with a cocktail before or after an activity. The lobby is open air but plain.

You can walk straight through the lobby to the pool area which I have to say makes up for the lobby! I think the Ocean Suites has one of the best pools we saw. It’s a winding free-form pool with a couple of bars including a swim-up bar. They had some nice music playing by the bars but away from them you could also find quiet. The sandy ‘lagoon’ area was also nicer than we expected and we kind of liked the idea of kids playing in a sheltered area vs in the wide open sea.

We were given a nice room at the end of the hall with an ocean view. We appreciated the view from the respectable balcony. Some of the ‘new renovation’ is clear. Much of the furniture is new, they have upgraded the beds / bedding, beds were comfy and bathroom has at least been face-lifted. They also had robes available, something I love!

On the downside, ‘kitchen area’ is more of a wet bar with a microwave, the blue and yellow decor still feels dated (we like fresh and modern), sofa was uncomfortable to sit on, TVs were old and bulky. And the deal breaker — the bedroom has no windows! Our suite ran front to back – living area, behind that space divided into a ‘galley / hallway’ style ‘kitchen area’ and bathroom, and finally in the back, the bedroom. When we are traveling in a beautiful tropical place we want to be woken by the sunshine streaming in. We don’t want to lose time in a pitch black room. Of course others may see that as a positive. Beyond that, the hotel overall still seemed dated with its brass railings and dark ugly carpet in the hallways.

So, after checking in (very late) we couldn’t get back out of the hotel fast enough. We were pleased to find great sushi very close by. We sat outdoors and had fun ‘people-watching’. Then we walked over to the shopping area and were please to find a nice mix of upscale and more modest shops and boutiques. Finally we checked out a club which was kind of fun. Still, we were pretty certain we weren’t going to invite our guests to stay at the Renaissance Ocean Suites and were really glad we weren’t planning to spend both nights there.

Conclusion: Renaissance Ocean Suites has a great pool and nice location close to shopping and nightclubs, however even though ‘newly renovated’ the hotel still feels old.

Expectation: None at all. The wedding planner surprised us with this stop.

Wow! Now this is what we think of when we think ‘outdoor reception’. Passions is a quaint restaurant that is really cute. The planner tells us we may be able to rent out the whole restaurant for a fair price and that the food is great. Now don’t think traditional restaurant – its more like ‘tables in the sand’ with a hut for the kitchen and a really cool tiki bar. There is a wooden walkway lined with white lights as well as palapas tightly wound with lights and lots of tiki torches. This place has ambiance that includes a wonderful mix of dinner and ‘lounge’ seating.

Conclusion: Passions has the atmosphere we are looking for… except… Again, logistics of having to transport guests. Even more important though, is that there is no ‘back-up’ in the case of rain. No matter how many times someone tells me ‘its not going to rain’, I’m just not willing to take that chance.

Expectation: We didn’t really have any expectations for this area. We had a friend that insisted we not rule out Eagle Beach and have read dozens of posts from people how prefer it much more than the busier Palm Beach.

Another option the independent planner showed us on Friday night was Eagle Beach. This expansive beach is gorgeous. I think its what most people think of when they think of tropical beach and is a favorite of couples that want plenty of room on a huge sparkling beach that doesn’t have many tourists getting in your way.

The downside? No bathroom or concession facilities and not much shade available. You have to back near the road to get to the shade. The wedding planner tells us the bride waits in an air conditioned car until everyone else is ready. Still, I couldn’t help but think of my newly potty trained 3 year old flower girl. And what if we’re running late like maybe the minister is late (which I’ve been told sometimes happens)?

Conclusion: We can easily see why so many couple love Eagle Beach but are again concerned by the logistics of transporting our guests from the hotel to the beach, the beach to the reception site and the reception site back to the hotel. Or even from the hotel to the beach if the reception will be held at the hotel we’re staying at. We are also disappointed there isn’t at least a restroom nearby.