How to Happily Say I Do with a Spectacular View!

A Jamaican Resort Destination for our Blended Family’s Wedding

Hello, I’m Ella, a King Charles Cavalier and the family’s 4-legged best friend. I am also the last member of our loving Blended Family of 7. This Jamaican Resort Destination wedding happened way before I was born, in May 2018, but my family still talks about it today. Let’s see how they said I do with a spectacular view!

After getting engaged on July 1^st, 2016, my parents began planning their wedding the following year. My dad, Frank, and my mom, Cécile, wanted a small wedding and something that would create amazing memories for the whole family. They opted for a destination Wedding to say I do. Their first real travel vacation as one big family of 6.

The best part of an all-inclusive wedding destination is that everything is already planned and is a stress-free vacation. What blended family or anyone else traveling with kids do not want that?! Yes, you heard right…Worry free! Here some steps and tips to consider before booking any vacation with a big group to say “I Do”:

Meet with a travel agency

I recommend going through a reputable travel agency located in your area. Usually when my parents travel, they plan and book everything themselves however traveling with kids and a large group for a special occasion is quite different. They wanted an expert advice, so they met with Melanie, a travel specialist from Sell of Vacation, based in our area.  

My parents shared the details of what they were looking for and with her experience, Melanie was able to find a destination suitable for both.  She also made the initial contact with the assigned wedding planner from the resort of their choice. They chose the Riu Resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  Also, keep in mind that most resorts give a better rate if you are traveling with a large group.

Symbolic VS Legal Marriage:

Many resorts can accommodate a symbolic marriage, meaning couples simply get legally married at home and then have a symbolic destination marriage. My parents wanted to get legally married in front of close friends and family, so a simple symbolic marriage was not an option for them.

Marriage requirements vary from country to country. You should discuss these options with your travel agent. For example, if you decide to get legally married in the Dominican Republican, chances are that your marriage certificate will be written in Spanish and you will need to have it translated when you get home. Meaning extra translating and legal fees.

Jamaica was the perfect destination for our blended family’s wedding.  My parents were able to get legally married and have the marriage certificate in English with no extra fees. This is a particularly important subject to discuss with your travel agent, so you don’t end up paying extra fees and have more complicated papers to complete once you get home.

Find the perfect date

Blended family and co-parents first :

Since you will be traveling out of the country, chances are you will need the approval of both co-parents. To avoid frustration, I suggest talking with them before settling a date. You might require a letter signed from both co-parent before boarding a plane. Start the applications for passport a year in advance which could save you a lot of trouble at the end.

Close friends and family:

Talk with the people you want present at the wedding. It will be hard to accommodate a date that works for everyone, but make sure that the most important ones can make it. Gather a few possible dates from them so that you can have more flexibility when it comes time to officially book this dream vacation with a spectacular view.

Children activities and school:

Make sure the dates do not interfere with big activities, events, or final exams. If so, make arrangement with the teachers or coaches as soon as possible. It will reduce the kids stress and make their vacation much more enjoyable.

Activity for all ages

It was important for my parents to stay in a family-friendly resort with activities available for all ages. They wanted to make this wedding a positive milestone in our ongoing journey for Xavier, Jacob, Benjamin, and Nicholas.

Jamaica Ocho Rios Hotel Riu

They officially booked the All-inclusive vacation at the Hotel Riu in Jamaica, Ocho Rios in June 2017 to say I do.  They were trilled that more than 30 family members and friends were able to join them for this destination wedding.  Stress-free, no meal to prepare, and no extra surprise fees for a whole 7 days. For any busy mom, it sounds amazing doesn’t it?

What Riu Hotel in Jamaica had to offer

Besides a spectacular waterfront view at the hotel, here a few perks Hotel Riu has to offer:

• 24 hours all inclusive food and beverages
• Wide range of entertainment for kids and adults throughout the day and night
• Pools, free gym, and sauna
• Free Wi-Fi
• Their famous Jerk chicken every day on the beach

HELLO! Jamaica:

It was a direct flight for everyone which is a bonus when traveling with kids. The Hotel is approximately 90km (56 miles) from the Montego Bay Airport, so it takes about 1h20 mins to get to the Resort. This winding drive was quite nice. You get to follow the coastline and ease into the Jamaican lifestyle.

The only downside of the hotel is that they only have rooms that accommodate 2-4 persons. My large family of 6 needed to plan a bit more before leaving just to make sure the boys had a place to sleep. The grandparents took turns and hosted 2 of the boys in their room while the other 2 stayed with my parents.

So, if you are traveling with a large family, do not expect this to be a honeymoon. My parents did not get much time alone during the entire week, but they were more then okay with that. This is what they wanted, a family vacation not a couple’s retreat

Be safe:

My parents felt safe at this resort, however when travelling with kids, no matter where you are, safety should be a priority.  Always discuss and decide a meeting point if ever someone gets lost. This will ensure that they will know someone will wait for them at this predetermined meeting point. This should be decided as soon as you arrive at your destination. Finally, always walk with someone or with a group while going for dinner, at the beach or the pool, etc.

The Wedding Day ~ Say I Do with a View!

My parents met with the wedding planner a couple days ahead. They had the chance to decide the flowers, the venue, the cake, restaurants, etc.  It was quite easy and worry free. They had booked the Wedding date on a Thursday so we would have a couple days prior and a couple days afterwards. I suggest picking a wedding date in the middle of the trip in case there is some flight delays, you would not want to miss your own wedding.

It does not rain much in Jamaica, but the only day it rained was on the wedding day. But it didn’t bother my parents at all. They were happy! They were all together and would be married no matter what. Fortunately, it stopped raining a couple hours before the ceremony as the sun peeked through the clouds.

My family was quite pleased with this day. The ceremony lasted about 20 minutes (perfect length to keep the kid’s attentions) followed by pictures and a ended with a nice steak dinner. The following day, my dad spent some quality one-on-one time with each of the boys.

Excursions

Dunn River Falls:

Like many resorts, Jamaica Ocho Rios offers different adventures and excursions off the resort. They chose something suitable for the whole family. My parents decided that the family would enjoy the Dunn River Falls Tour. This is a day long tour on a catamaran including snorkeling that culminates with visiting the Dunn’s River Falls. More then 12 family members and friends joined them for this exciting adventure. My mother was quite surprised when Nicholas, who was 9 years old at the time, decided he would try snorkeling too. He is usually scared when it comes to those types of things. From the stories they tell is seems like everyone had a lot of fun snorkeling.

After approximately 30 minutes, they arrived at their destination. My mother was quite skeptical when they had to climb the cascades of the Dunn River Falls. To her delight everyone including the 4 boys did it and still talk about this adventure today.

On their way back, they had the chance to sample some local cuisine on the catamaran. They also listened to Jamaican music while dancing all the way back to the resort.

Note: There are always more adventures and tours available.  Your resort host will be more than happy to give you all the information and tour date and times throughout your stay.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end:

Unfortunately, the amazing Jamaican resort vacation had to end. They all enjoyed the pool during their last day at the resort, especially the boys. This Jamaican resort destination for our Blended Family’ s Wedding was a huge success and was very memorable for everyone. And this is how to happily say I DO with a spectacular view and worry free!

Hope this post was helpful. If you are planning a destination wedding or a family vacation, we would love to hear from you. You might also love to read about my parents’ vacation to Germany: 3 Beautiful Places to Visit in Germany.

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