St. John Beach Wedding

leiannes · Post by **leiannes** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:14 am

Hi All:

I'm new to the forum but have already learned so much from all of the great advice posted -- so I should start off by saying Thanks! Now for my question -- we're coming to the island in May and are planning a small (12 guests) morning beach wedding. We'd like to get changed after the ceremony and enjoy the day on the beach. Which beach do you think would be best for our wedding/ beach day?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Leianne

equinox · Post by **equinox** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:26 am

How about Maho? It is conveniently located right off the road. It is very pretty. There may be turtles there in the morning. Changing might be an issue after the ceremony. But, for the rest of the day you might move along to some other north shore beaches for a change in scenery. It is so peaceful there in the morning.

loria · Post by **loria** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:36 am

I would vote for Francis-the morning light is beautiful and there is a 'bathroom' hat you could use for changing

CariBert · Post by **CariBert** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 4:57 pm

loria wrote:I would vote for Francis-the morning light is beautiful and there is a 'bathroom' hat you could use for changing

O.K. now you got my curiosity up, what is a bathroom hat?

-Bert

djmom · Post by **djmom** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 12:19 pm

I love Francis too. However, please do note Loria's quotation marks around the word bathroom.

loria · Post by **loria** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 12:26 pm

CariBert wrote:
loria wrote:I would vote for Francis-the morning light is beautiful and there is a 'bathroom' hat you could use for changing
O.K. now you got my curiosity up, what is a bathroom hat?

-Bert

whoops--left out the 't' from That!

a bathroom THAT you can use for changing......

stltimmy · Post by **stltimmy** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 12:37 pm

I just got married last month on Trunk. Originally wanted Hawksnest, but the swells/tide was so high that it was not possible. Take this into consideration.

Also, while some of the mentioned beaches may be more 'remote', you have to consider your guests. If you are looking for a place to entertain for the entire day, you may want Cinnamon or Trunk due to the amenities. I know that I would not want to worry about how to feed 10-15 people by packing coolers for the day. Also, as mentioned, some of the bathrooms at these beaches are bushes.

My two cents....

sea-nile · Post by **sea-nile** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 12:42 pm

If it was Me I would say Trunk in the early morning. It has facilities and parking and is beautiful and not crowded in the early morning.

TouristTrapCheryl · Post by **TouristTrapCheryl** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:20 pm

SORRY, I was wrong about the showers. I thought hawsnest had showers, it does not.
It does have pavillions you can reserve "on a first come first serve basis after obtaining permission from the National Park (776-6201)"

I'm pretty sure you can reserve a pavilion at Trunk, Hawksnest & Openheimer. I do not know Northshore beaches that well so I cannot comment on which are best, but if you have a lot of people changing and they are changing out of nice clothes then you need to consider that some of the "bathrooms" in The National Park are not much more than very nice outhouses. I recommend you choose one of the several locales that have pavilions and full bathroom facilities that are roomy and cooler than the "outhouse" style bathrooms.

Once you decide on the locale, I recommend you immediately reserve a pavilion. For reservation info start by calling The National Park Info Center in Cruz Bay: 340-776-6201.

Hope that helps! -c

sailorgirl · Post by **sailorgirl** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:31 pm

TouristTrapCheryl wrote:Hawksnest has very roomy restrooms with showers. -c

Is this new? Showers at Hawksnest? Last time I was there all that was avaaible were composting toilets. They were large, but not sure I would use them as a changing room.

TouristTrapCheryl · Post by **TouristTrapCheryl** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:52 pm

Sorry guys & thank you Sailor Girl for correcting my earlier reply: Hawksnest does not have showers. My bad.

I agree with Sailor Girl that I would not want to change in the individual "pit" toilets located around the park. (Those are what I meant by "very nice outhouses". The pit toilets can be very hot inside and usually have damp floors which make them icky for changing clothes.)

budman · Post by **budman** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:44 pm

Congrats!

Have you been to St John before? If you are looking for one spot that has it all, fantastic views,nice bathroom/shower convenience of a walk up bar/grill, a great beach to spend the day is Trunk Bay(just check the cruise ship schedule first!!) It's very quiet there early in the morning, probably 0930-1000.

If ships are in town then maybe Cinnamon is a good choice because of the outdoor shower/bath house and the commissary. There's a nice sandy point on the right hand side of the beach for you, hopefully the winds are light! I've actually attended a sunday service next to the beach gift shop...years ago, wonder if they still do that??

Now if it were us....and we still wanted to plant ourselves there all day, my friends and family would make sure that the coolers were well stocked and we would head for Maho. Change behind your vehicle after the wedding and start the party!!! It's our favorite beach.

Good luck,
Budman

leiannes · Post by **leiannes** » Tue Mar 09, 2010 3:34 am

Yep -- we have been to St. John before but only once and didn't make it to a lot of beaches because our hotel was on STT so we didn't get to fully experience STJ (even though we went there everyday after our first ferry trip over -- we couldn't stay away -- STJ is so beautiful

. We cannot wait to come back and truly check out all of the beautiful beaches and trails that the island has to offer. I totally agree with the changing room issue and there will be three kids so probably going with Trunk or Cinnamon Bays is the way to go. If you had to choose which beach do you think would be better in the morning -- Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay? (Can't wait to check out the other beaches listed on the days we won't have to change out of dress up clothes! :0) Thanks again to everyone!

stjohnjulie · Post by **stjohnjulie** » Tue Mar 09, 2010 5:40 am

I am going to throw in a vote for Hawksnest. They don't have showers, but they do have changing rooms and separate bathrooms. There are two pavilions there and grills if you choose to do a cookout. For groups more than 10, you have to get a permit through the National Park to use the pavilions. Which ever beach you choose, do it early, I would say no later than 9:30am, so that you can have a little privacy for the ceremony. The lighting this time of morning is absolutely fantastic as well! I was married on Hawksnest beach in October. We went down to the end and had the ceremony in the shade (which was much more comfortable) and it was just perfect!

Congrats to you!!!!

TropicalFocus · Post by **TropicalFocus** » Tue Mar 09, 2010 7:05 am

Hi Leiannes and everyone else -

First, congrads on your upcoming nuptials! Both Trunk and Cinnamon are excellent choices. I personally lean towards Cinnamon for its larger variety of photo ops and being more removed from the cruise ship traffic that Trunk may experience (it depends on the day of the week). I have photo examples of morning beach weddings at both locations (and others) both on my website and Facebook pages. PM me if you need help finding them. The shower/changing rooms at both locations are the best available (and both have food/refreshments). However, the water is turned off and bathrooms locked up at Trunk at 4:30 pm but not at Cinnamon.

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