Welcome to OurArubaWedding! What is this site about? Its being developed as a resource that couples can use to help each other in planning their Aruban wedding. I am a newlywed who shares my story of planning our Aruban destination wedding. When we started planning we kept thinking to ourselves, “Why isn’t this easier?” We were kind of naive in thinking that we set a budget, pick a resort and they take care of the rest! For some couples it really is that easy. For us, the planning was work.

After we decided a destination wedding was right for us, the first thing I did was start ‘googling’, desperate for information. I was hoping that I’d find the resort that was just right, the set-up that was perfect, that set of pictures I could point to and say, “That’s it! That’s what I want!” (And of course hopefully the groom wants the same!) Turns out that’s much easier said than done. Not only is the inspiration harder to find than I expected but did I mention we are paying for this and have a budget we have to pay attention to? Well we ended up having an amazing wedding and learned a lot along the way! There were ups and downs but in the end we were so happy and had the time of our lives. (Though I do hope my husband will stop reminding me of how much we spent!)

Even though our wedding is now done, you can read our experiences and reviews posted under the screen name “Aruba Bride”. And now we are inviting other Aruban brides to share their experiences! There are so many different kinds of couples and weddings. We’d love for “OurArubaWedding” to represent a wide range of experiences and personalities. At the moment we’re grateful to “Jingle96” who is sharing her experience of planning her Westin Wedding and “NYC2Aruba Bride” who is planning a wedding on the private Renaissance Island!

If you want to blog about ‘the process’, you’ll be amazed at the support you receive from other brides going through the same thing. Or if you simply have some helpful information you’d like to share – like notes and photos from a site visit, please pass it along! And of course, reviews are greatly appreciated.

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A little more about me? Well I’m not the girl that dreamed of the “barefoot on the beach” wedding. I’m more the girl that loves my 4″ heels and a designer gown but didn’t want to get caught up in a complicated wedding. We decided an intimate destination wedding was just the thing for us. After all, even a city girl like me can’t help but love the Caribbean! We want a wedding that was relaxed and comfortable but still sophisticated and chic without breaking our bank accounts.

When I think beach wedding I think tiki torches, steel drum music, tropical cocktails, draped white fabric, contemporary lanterns glowing with candle light, swanky lounge seating near the dance floor… How close did we get to this vision? With a little work it was everything I dreamed of! Thank you so much to all the wonderful vendors and brides who helped me plan the most amazing wedding I’ve ever seen!