Your Story
If you are a bride or groom that has been married in Aruba or is planning an Aruban wedding and would like to share your story please email me at info@ourarubawedding.com. You can share as much or as little personal information as you would like. Whether you want to send me snippets to post, or would like to actually log in and be a ‘guest author’ we’d love to have you.
I’m one kind of bride but know there are many others out there with different styles and preferences. While doing my research I found a lot of good information in bits and pieces. What I couldn’t seem to find is comprehensive stories of couples’ experiences start to finish, the excitement and the set-backs. We’re looking for credible real stories, not just plugs for your favorite vendor.
Especially valuable would be tips of things you learned. Were there things you weren’t sure of but were glad you did? Or things you wish you hadn’t done or dwelled on? Things you’d have done differently? Hindsight is 20/20 right? Well chances are you have (or will have) some invaluable insight our couples would really appreciate.
Do you want to share but don’t know where to start? Here are some topics you might consider writing about:
- Did you have a town hall ceremony?
If you did a town hall ceremony, did you have any difficulties with the paperwork? Was a lot of paperwork needed? Was it expensive to send it to Aruba? How far in advance did you have to have everything submitted?
Did everything go smoothly when you got to Aruba?
Did you like the officiant?
What did you like most about your Town Hall ceremony? Least?
Did you follow it with a beach wedding? If yes, did you have them on the same day or two different days?
When you got home, did you have any problems with your legal Aruban marriage certificate? - Did you have a beach, church or other symbolic wedding ceremony in Aruba?
Did you elect to have only a symbolic ceremony in Aruba (meaning the ‘legal’ ceremony was at home)? If so, what drove your decision? Do you regret not getting married in the Town Hall?
Tell us the details of your ceremony! Where was it? What did you, your groom and wedding party wear? What kind of aisle did you walk down? How many guests? How was the weather? Did you do a sand ceremony or any other type of special blessing? Who was your officiant? Did you love your service? - What venue(s) did you choose for your wedding and / or reception?
What were the biggest factors in choosing that location?
What locations did you rule out and why?
Did you get to visit your venue in person before planning your wedding there?
What did you like most about your experience with your venue? Least? - Did you use a wedding planner?
If yes, did you use a planner provided by the hotel? An independent Aruban planner? A non-Aruban planner? What was your experience with your planner(s)? What were their biggest strengths and weaknesses? - Did you do any excursions in Aruba?
- Did you have a welcome party or other group functions?
- Did you create Welcome Bags / OOT Bags for your guests?
If yes, what did you put in them? What were the best items you put in them? Was there anything you put in them that you wish you hadn’t? - Looking back, what were the best decisions you made?
- Looking back, what things do you wish you had done differently?
Our Aruba Wedding is written by brides that are planning or have had their wedding in Aruba!
Anne
20 Nov, 2009
Hello,
Thank you so much for posting all this information. We are getting married in Aruba in May 2010. We have a lot taken care of, but the information you have provided is extremely helpful and it is always great to read other bride’s stories!!
I was wondering if you know of any tuxedo rental location on the island? We are actually having a Catholic church wedding and a beach terrace (Westin) reception. So, the men will be wearing a tux.
Thanks again for sharing your story!!
Anne
Aruba Bride
20 Nov, 2009
Congratulations Anne! That sounds wonderful! There is something about how many look so great in a tux. =)
So are you also doing the town hall ceremony? We did a secret magistrate ceremony at home before our trip to Aruba. As far as our guests know, our beach ceremony was the ‘real thing’ and we will continue to celebrate that anniversary with them. But we will also have our ‘private’ anniversary that will be just for the two of us.
The Westin’s property is so beautiful. The night after our wedding we walked back down to ‘wander the Westin’ and had dinner at Blossoms. We were so torn between Marriott and Westin and have to admit we much preferred Westin’s reception facilities. I’m sure it will be a beautiful wedding and hope you’ll share more.
Neely
11 Dec, 2009
Hi there!
Just wanted to say thanks so much for doing this! I stumbled upon your site a few months ago after deciding on the Marriott for our wedding as well. All of your info has been SO helpfull! I’m now working with Edwina, and will be using Knipoong as well, per your advice. I love that there was once a bride as meticulous as myself out there!! I commend you on being able to do this on top of everything else! Thanks again! =)
-Neely
Aruba Bride
11 Dec, 2009
Congratulations! I’m sure Marroitt and Edwina will do a fantastic job for you! I hope to hear more! Were still on a high after our wedding. I’m hoping to post some bits from the video one of these days…
Howard G
23 Feb, 2010
My wife and I will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary and renewing our vows in Aruba with our children. It will be small about 12-15 people. Your site was very helpful and if you have any suggestions that would be great. For you, I would suggest, you enjoy the early years and kids growing up (when that comes), because it goes faster than you think and we both miss them now they are gone.
Aruba Bride
24 Feb, 2010
Congratulations Howard! I hope we are lucky enough to be together 25 years!
I expect the Aruba.com Weddings and Honeymoons forum would be a great resource to you. I found it invaluable during my planning. Just trust your gut and go with what feels right. While vendors are not allowed to ’self-promote’ via the forum, some find clever ways to do it without breaking the rules. We were lucky enough to have several fantastic vendors, none of whom recruit via the forum.
Also using the forum are lots of couples planning their weddings and renewals. You’re bound to find someone with whom you have ideas in common. Chances are someone has asked the questions you might want to ask. I relied heavily on the reviews of other couples, though I did discount the ‘one hit wonders’. These are people that join only to write a ‘glowing review’ or two about a specific vendor or set of vendors. Maybe they are legit, but to me those seem a lot less genuine. I trusted the couples I ‘got to know’ through their active participation. Also, their moderators do a great job of keeping the forum honest. If someone posts controversial information, they are quick to get to the bottom of it and find out the truth for you.
And thanks so much for your suggestions. We try to take things a day at a time but those days are already going so fast! Best of luck and if there is anything you think I can help with, feel free to ask!
daphne
23 May, 2010
Hi there!
So nice to see there are other Aruba brides out there, looking for info! I am getting married August 12, 2010. I have done a lot of preparations and I would love to share it with you guys.. There is only 1 but.. I’m from Holland, so I don’t know if my findings will be helpfull?
flipflops2011
13 Oct, 2010
Hi – My fiance and I are considering getting married in Aruba in April/May 2011 and are doing a site visit at the end of this month. This site is a fantastic resource – thanks so much for organizing it and to all contributors! I would love to add my two cents once we get some more details nailed down. I think we’ll be deciding between the Westin and Marriott.
Aruba Bride
13 Oct, 2010
Ahhhh, yes. That was our big dilemma! I’d love to hear what you think of each location and how you decide. And maybe you’ll fall in love with another place that’s not at the top of your list yet. Best of luck to you!
Valaya
22 Apr, 2011
Hi! I’m currently planning my wedding in Aruba and I would love to be a guest blogger here. I’d love to share my experiences, ideas and DIY projects to help other brides have a great experience planning their wedding ont his beautiful island!
Kova
4 Sep, 2011
Hi – I was wondering if anyone had any advice on arranging a Catholic Ceremony or any type of church ceremony (my fiance and I are both Catholic but if there is a lot of red tape, we are willing to go a protestant ceremony). I have tried calling churches (no response), emailing prists (no response) and our wedding planner at the resort will not help us with this. Any advice would be so helpful! Thank you!