One of the biggest thing I learned when planning my Aruba wedding was to have patience! It takes a while to get used to this concept of “Island Time”. People almost always follow through though maybe not as quickly as you’re used to.

Beach Ceremonies

• There are no private beaches on the island of Aruba, however some are less crowded than others. In our research we read about couples that were disappointed with a lot of ‘gawkers’ being around or people in the background of their photos. The most crowded beach is Palm Beach in the high-rise hotel area. (We chose the northern-most resort, the Aruba Marriott, so we are not concerned about onlookers.) If onlookers are a concern of yours consider Eagle or Manchebo beach. If you want to be married on the beach and want the ultimate in privacy, consider the Renaissance Private Island.
• Aruba is WINDY. Not breezy, but windy! (Believe me, its a blessing!) Because of this most brides wear their hair up or at least ‘half up’. And elbow or fingertip length is more practical than a longer one.

Aruba Brochures

• The Aruba.com website has some wonderful brochures you can download including an interactive map. There are also a few brochures that you can have mailed to you. You select the brochures you want and fill out the name and address you would like them mailed to. These are especially helpful for guests that don’t have internet access. I considered contacting them directly and asking for a couple dozen of each to mailed to me, but instead decided to fill out the form for each of the household. The few minutes it took me to fill out the form saved me time and postage later.

Wedding Planning

• While hiring a wedding planner for a local wedding can seem extravagant, for a destination wedding they are totally worth it. Many hotels will include an in-house wedding coordinator who’s services you can use. However, if you find yourself loving a resort but wanting more than they are able to offer, it may be worth your time to at least talk to an independent planner.
• If it is in your budget, I would definitely do a site visit. We found locations we loved online but not in person and locations that didn’t impress us online that we did loved in person.
• Sunscreen – be sure to wear plenty of sunscreen, especially on the days leading up to your wedding. I’ve seen several pictures of brides in a gorgeous strapless dress and a very distracting strapless ‘bikini’ sunburn.

Wedding Resort

• Find out if your selected resort has any construction planned during your event that might make your chosen venue unavailable or might create inconveniences for guests

(I’m hoping other brides will help me continue to develop this page by sharing their ‘must know’ tips!)