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St John Wedding recommendations
St John Wedding recommendations
Hi,
I have been following this forum for several months and it has been a great source of info as I searched for a wedding destination. I have never been to STJ but have decided that it is a great place to get married! So, my fiance and I will be married there this April and we are staying at the villa Bongo Bongo. Does anyone have any first hand experience/ recommendations/advice as far as wedding vendors..i.e. coordinators, flowers, cake, officiant, photographer? Thanks so much for your help!
I have been following this forum for several months and it has been a great source of info as I searched for a wedding destination. I have never been to STJ but have decided that it is a great place to get married! So, my fiance and I will be married there this April and we are staying at the villa Bongo Bongo. Does anyone have any first hand experience/ recommendations/advice as far as wedding vendors..i.e. coordinators, flowers, cake, officiant, photographer? Thanks so much for your help!
Hi Allicat! Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!!
We were married on St. John 8 years ago, but it was just my husband and I, so we didn't have the need for a coordinator. We were married by Anne Marie Porter. She was great and we highly recommend her. Our photographer was Sonya Melescu and she was perfect for us. I'm not sure if she still does this, but she made us a 4x6 album and then gave us all the negatives so we could go home and print our own pictures.
As far as our flowers, we used Today's Flowers. They were outstanding!! The owner herself delivered the flowers to our villa, and then helped me put some in my hair, and also took several pictures of my husband and I at the villa. She didn't charge any extra but she got a good tip!
We were married on St. John 8 years ago, but it was just my husband and I, so we didn't have the need for a coordinator. We were married by Anne Marie Porter. She was great and we highly recommend her. Our photographer was Sonya Melescu and she was perfect for us. I'm not sure if she still does this, but she made us a 4x6 album and then gave us all the negatives so we could go home and print our own pictures.
As far as our flowers, we used Today's Flowers. They were outstanding!! The owner herself delivered the flowers to our villa, and then helped me put some in my hair, and also took several pictures of my husband and I at the villa. She didn't charge any extra but she got a good tip!
Allicat, Congratulations! My husband and I were married on Trunk Bay in May 2001. We used Stacey from Ceremonies St. John to help coordinate everything - she is wonderful! http://www.usviwedding.com/ Her husband made our cake - it was delicious. Ann Marie Porter was our officiant - she was great! You will have an amazing wedding. Feel free to PM me with any questions!
NancyB
NancyB
NancyB
Thanks for the welcome, mbw1024!! I spent hours/days, once I decided on St John as the location, looking at all of the villas choices and trying to decide which one! It's nice to hear that you enjoyed it so much.
Thanks for the recommendations, kijoto!! It is only going to be my fiancee and I as well and I have been trying to decide if I should use a coordinator or try to arrange it myself. Did you find it easy to make the arrangements yourself? Did you get married on the beach or at another location? I think we may want to have the ceremony at the villa and then take some photos on the beach as well.
Thanks for the recommendations, kijoto!! It is only going to be my fiancee and I as well and I have been trying to decide if I should use a coordinator or try to arrange it myself. Did you find it easy to make the arrangements yourself? Did you get married on the beach or at another location? I think we may want to have the ceremony at the villa and then take some photos on the beach as well.
Congrats on your upcoming wedding! My dear hubby and I got married on the island this past June - our 1st trip there, sure won't be our last!!
My two cents - I debated planning and organizing everything myself but in the end I just decided that my piece of mind was worth the extra $$ for a coordinator. We used Mary at Island Style Weddings and found her to be very helpful, accomodating, flexible and overall just a great and easy person to work with. Highly recommend. We got married on Trunk Bay around sunset and it was very private. Let me know if you have any questions, glad to help if I can! PS - Bongo Bongo looks great!
My two cents - I debated planning and organizing everything myself but in the end I just decided that my piece of mind was worth the extra $$ for a coordinator. We used Mary at Island Style Weddings and found her to be very helpful, accomodating, flexible and overall just a great and easy person to work with. Highly recommend. We got married on Trunk Bay around sunset and it was very private. Let me know if you have any questions, glad to help if I can! PS - Bongo Bongo looks great!
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BreakawayBarb
- Posts: 105
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2007 9:55 pm
- Location: San Francisco CA
Hu, Allicat,
First of all, congratulations! My husband and I were married on STJ 10 years ago, and cannot imagine a more beautiful and special place for exchanging vows. We were married by AnneMarie Porter (incredible woman) and our photos were shot by Constance Wallace, who did a fabulous job. She even put together a montage of us as a gift! We bought our flowers once we were on the island at the flower shop in Cruz Bay...I can't remember the name but I believe it's the only one in town. Everything was perfect. We got married on Trunk Bay but there are so many incredible spots. Coincidentally, we returned to STJ for our 10-year anniversary last month and stayed at Bongo Bongo. We loved every second. It's the perfect house for a couple (I used the second bedroom as my private dressing room/bath!!). Romantic lighting, perfect views. Feel free to send me a private message if you'd like to know more about the wedding stuff or Bongo Bongo. Enjoy!!! --Barb
First of all, congratulations! My husband and I were married on STJ 10 years ago, and cannot imagine a more beautiful and special place for exchanging vows. We were married by AnneMarie Porter (incredible woman) and our photos were shot by Constance Wallace, who did a fabulous job. She even put together a montage of us as a gift! We bought our flowers once we were on the island at the flower shop in Cruz Bay...I can't remember the name but I believe it's the only one in town. Everything was perfect. We got married on Trunk Bay but there are so many incredible spots. Coincidentally, we returned to STJ for our 10-year anniversary last month and stayed at Bongo Bongo. We loved every second. It's the perfect house for a couple (I used the second bedroom as my private dressing room/bath!!). Romantic lighting, perfect views. Feel free to send me a private message if you'd like to know more about the wedding stuff or Bongo Bongo. Enjoy!!! --Barb
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gimpiegirl
- Posts: 58
- Joined: Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:01 pm
we were married there in july 2005. ann marie was also our officiant. i can't recommend her enough!!! she is fabulous. she has this peacefulness about her. we were married on trunk bay at sunset (my Father-in-law is handicapped, and the park has wheelchairs that go in the sand! they kept the beach open for us). we uses janelle as a coordinator from islandblissweddings.com. her and her husband stu are great too. we had our reception at zozo's. i can give you a run down on everything else if you'd like, and share pics. my email addy is gimpiegirl at yahoo. it's truly one of the best decisions we made, and i don't think you'll regret it at all!! congratulations 
Hi! My husband and I were married on STJ this past July. We used Mary from Island Style Weddings - www.islandstyleweddings.com - she was great. Handled all of the details for us and everything went perfectly. We had about 30 guests, and she handled everything and even helped with some activities before the wedding. She has relationships with vendors on the island and knows who is the best to work with AND she served as our officiant. Can't say enough good things about her! Good luck!
Congratulations on your wedding!
We were married in July 2004 on STJ and had a fabulous wedding. We also used Stacy from Ceremonies St John and she couldn't have been better. She has lived on STJ for over 15 years, so she really has all the info and details down. It is much easier to have an on-island planner and is worth it just for the hassle factor, IMHO. We had our reception at Asolare and it was just great. Stacy is a really great person to work with and her husband is a chef and makes incredible wedding cakes. I can't recommend them enough!
Good luck with your wedding and congratulation - STJ is a great place to get hitched!
We were married in July 2004 on STJ and had a fabulous wedding. We also used Stacy from Ceremonies St John and she couldn't have been better. She has lived on STJ for over 15 years, so she really has all the info and details down. It is much easier to have an on-island planner and is worth it just for the hassle factor, IMHO. We had our reception at Asolare and it was just great. Stacy is a really great person to work with and her husband is a chef and makes incredible wedding cakes. I can't recommend them enough!
Good luck with your wedding and congratulation - STJ is a great place to get hitched!
We were married 8 years ago on St. John and was just the two of us. We used "Weddings the Island Way" out of St. Thomas as our coordinators. They took care of the photographer, minister and videographer which also served as our witnesses. Sent the paperwork ahead of time, all we had to do was show up in St. Thomas at the courthouse to pick up marriage certificate. Used Todays Flowers for my bouquet, even ordered day of wedding. Everything was perfect. I didn't have to worry about anything using a coordinator. By the way, if you want me to go with you, let me know (haha). 
By the way, I tell my husband he has to take me back every year to St. John to ask for another year as the marriage is only good for one year at a time. (hehe)
By the way, I tell my husband he has to take me back every year to St. John to ask for another year as the marriage is only good for one year at a time. (hehe)
allicat wrote:
Thanks for the recommendations, kijoto!! It is only going to be my fiancee and I as well and I have been trying to decide if I should use a coordinator or try to arrange it myself. Did you find it easy to make the arrangements yourself? Did you get married on the beach or at another location?
Allicat, I found it very easy to arrange everything myself. In fact, Anne Marie (our minister) gave me some suggestions for the photographer, and after picking one of her suggestions, I think she pretty much coordinated everything between her and the photographer after that. As for our flowers (which only consisted of my bouquet and my husband's boutonniere, plus a couple for my hair) we just communicated with the owner at the time...I'm thinking her name was Susan. She was a BIG help!!
We were married at sunset on Hawksnest Beach. Because it was just the 2 of us, our witnesses were the photographer and a taxi driver named Fred!!
We brought our own camcorder, and my husband set it up on a tripod to film the service. Not exactly as good as a professional videographer, but a whole lot cheaper!!
Thanks for the recommendations, kijoto!! It is only going to be my fiancee and I as well and I have been trying to decide if I should use a coordinator or try to arrange it myself. Did you find it easy to make the arrangements yourself? Did you get married on the beach or at another location?
Allicat, I found it very easy to arrange everything myself. In fact, Anne Marie (our minister) gave me some suggestions for the photographer, and after picking one of her suggestions, I think she pretty much coordinated everything between her and the photographer after that. As for our flowers (which only consisted of my bouquet and my husband's boutonniere, plus a couple for my hair) we just communicated with the owner at the time...I'm thinking her name was Susan. She was a BIG help!!
We were married at sunset on Hawksnest Beach. Because it was just the 2 of us, our witnesses were the photographer and a taxi driver named Fred!!
We brought our own camcorder, and my husband set it up on a tripod to film the service. Not exactly as good as a professional videographer, but a whole lot cheaper!!