Olga,

My wife and I got married on STT ten years ago so this may not be much of a help but we had the concierge at the hotel make all the arrangements. minister, flowers, photographer, and even my wifes hair appointment. I was very simple and there was no charge (just a nice tip).

Our travel agent called around the hotels / resorts and found out what services they offered and how much they cost. This was before all the information on the internet but could still be a good option. All you have to do is tell them what you want and evaluate answers as you get them (I am not a travel agent or have any stake in their business)

FYI - We stayed at Sugar Bay, they had a beautiful overlook for performing the ceremony and provided an excellent service. Since this was a while ago I can't vouch for how they are now (or even if its still under the same management but we were pleased then).

Paul

Thank you so much for replying Paul! I will keep on researching 🙂

Hello Olga,

If you find a nice villa certainly you can have the wedding and reception there. If you are concerned about caterers and costs perhaps your group might choose a nice restaurant and have a reception dinner there.

If the wedding websites you visited don't have a villa option contact them and ask about arranging what you want and if that is an option and how much.

Whats your budget for the hotel room?

--Islander

Dear Islander, thank you for getting back to me.
As there will be no more than 10 people attending the wedding, at first we were thinking of renting a villa, but then thought it would be too much to have parents and youngsters all crammed up in the same space.

That's when the idea of renting the villa just for the ceremony came into place. We were thinking of staying at some all-inclusive hotel (4 or 5 star). What would you recommend as far as where to stay? Does it make more sense to stay at an all-inclusive hotel?

Oh, and all of us will be flying in from Chicago, so airfare might be a huge issue.

Please let me know your thoughts.
-Olga 🙂

Hello Olga,

There are villas that have 6,7,8 even 9 bedrooms. Costs of course increase the larger the property. Check out http://www.mclaughlinanderson.com/
and enter your dates and see whats available.

Wyndham Sugar Bay is an all inclusive that matches your description: http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/STTSB/main.wnt
You might consider having your wedding there, on the beach perhaps, and maybe the reception in their restaurant. Check out that option and see if they have any wedding packages for ceremony and accommodations.

Some will say don't stay at an all-inclusive because there are so many great restaurants to enjoy around St. Thomas and you will feel compeled to eat at the resort to make the most of your money. However if your group plans to enjoy the resort and eat out only a couple times then the all inclusive works well.

Start monitoring airline specials, sign up for the newsletters that send out news of promotional prices.

--Islander

Thank you so much for the heads up!

After researching for a while, I think we are going to do a wedding at Villa Sunset - we'll have the reception and the dinner there. The only thing is that photos of that villa look different on different web sites. Have you heard about Villa Sunset? Is it nice?

As far as where to stay - I was thinking Wynham for all of my guests, but some forums say that the beach there is not very nice and is very small - is that true? Their gazebo location is very very nice, but I just don't think the wedding is going to be as special with other people around ... the villa will be more private, I think. Any other good st Thomas hotels you would recommend?

It is so challenging to plan a wedding and only go by website photos (I am a web designer, so I know how easy it is to photoshop and make stuff look way better than it really is 🙂

Any of your expert advise would be greatly appreciated.
-Olga 🙂

Hello Olga,

There are many villas, I am not familiar with the one you named. Wyndham's beach is ok and it is small. The beach isn't the highlight of the resort, the property itself is (the pool, tennis courts, bars/restaurant...). Other properties you might look into, but that are not all inclusive; Mariott Frenchmans Reef or Morningstar, Secret Harbor, Elysian. Bolongo Bay Resort has an all inclusive package.

All the best with your planning.

--Islander

Hi Olga,
I know of a great wedding planner whose company already owns their own private Villa just for weddings and receptions. That way you don't have to pay someone else extra for the use of the Villa. It overlooks the cruise harbor. Terry Casner will work really hard for you and your guests.

Villa St Thomas and Wedding Chapel is at the very top of Raphune Hill

Weddings and Events International
[email protected] is the email address

or call Terry Casner at 340-775-4047
She does most of the cruise line weddings as well as fly in weddings.

I have had a few friends who have used her, and she has a great reputation for customer service. The minister she uses is the most sought after guy on the island.
His name is Sam Ray. He is tremendous. He made 200 of us laugh and cry. at the same time. You can read about both of them on the cruise critic wedding and honeymoon message boards. They get really high reviews.

To: Islander
Thank you yet again for all of the info 🙂

Candy, thank you so much for the info. I just left Terry a voicemail.
Is the name of the villa Villa St Thomas or Candy has a selection of villas?

Olga: Villa Sunset is an older, but very well kept villa on the Peterborg Peninsula b/w Maqens Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. We just spent a week there celebrating our son's 1st wedding anniversary--he was married on the beach at Magens Bay in Dec. '03. It has a large deck, larger than usual pool, tent/gazebo for outdoor dining, and wonderful views both day and night. The main part of the villa is more than large enough to accomodate a sit- down dinner for the number of guests you mention. It has a large living/dining area, with two bedrooms and a full bath. A separate part of the villa has two large bedrooms, each with their own bath. For videos/pix/written descriptions on Sunset, go to:
www.mclaughlinanderson.com
We have rented several villas from McLaughlin/Anderson, and also had other interactions with their CEO, Nancy Anderson. They are a first class operation: friendly, professional, attentive to detail, patient and reliable. I can send you a map showing the exact location of Sunset if you want; it would be a very conveninet location if you plan to marry on the beach at Magens Bay.
Our son and his wife used Weddings the Island Way, and they were very pleased with the arrengements and the ceremony itself.

Olga: forgot to mention that Sunset Villa would not be accessible to mobility impaired individuals; there are three short-but steep-flights of stairs from the driveway up to the deck, and no ramps are provided.