Well we’re finally comfortable with having the wedding and reception at the hotel but are still struggling with decor. Dinner will be held on the lawn between the pool and the beach and we’re looking for ways to make this space more intimate. We want 1-2 long tables but don’t want to feel so ‘exposed’ sitting on the lawn. While we know we won’t get privacy there has to be a way to at least personalize this space.

While we love Aruba, we don’t like many of the outdoor setups we’ve seen. We want something more sophisticated (think “Miami Beach”) versus feeling like we’re sitting at an expensive picnic. One idea we love is to have a bamboo structure around the tables with white draping. We’d also love to have some loungy seating for guests to enjoy after dinner. Unfortunately the hotel does not have these items available and neither does the independent planner we adore. The hotel can hire this from a third party but we’d rather work with that party ourselves, especially since the hotel charges 19% service charge on everything, even services they do not provide!

So, we now have recommendations of two more wedding planners / decorators to try to get proposals from.