I have always wanted an outdoor wedding. Luckily, my fiancé and I are on the same page in that regard. So we started looking at places in the great outdoors where we could be wed.
Since I was about 15, I've thought Astwood Park would be ideal for an outdoor wedding. It is so dramatic with the cliff overlooking the water; it's really beautiful. I started looking at renting tents, tables, chairs, etc. before a horrible thought entered my mind... After having several drinks over the course of the reception, would I need to hike up my bridal gown to use a port-a-potty?? This may seem like a trivial thought, but I have a thing about public bathrooms in general, particularly port-a-potties. Yuck!
I decided right then that this little wedding was going to have to take place at an establishment with a nice outside view, but also with a nice, clean, indoor facility.
One of my favorite places on the island is the Lido complex at Elbow Beach. I think the Seabreeze Terrace is particularly charming with the gazebo and ocean views. After emailing Karen to find out what would be possible, she suggested going away from Seabreeze Terrace, which would be expensive to rent out during usual business hours, and to look at the Marina Terrace instead. The Marina Terrace allows us to host more people than we would have been able to at the Seabreeze Terrace, and the area is still quite beautiful. If we pick this location, we would have both the ceremony and a cocktail reception out on the terrace, which would have to be tented in case of inclement weather. While we simply cannot afford to host everyone for a full meal, we would like to have dinner with our closest family members, bridal party, and out of town guests as well.
Another location that I love is Grotto Bay just before the airport. I've actually already done a site visit with my mum and gone through the menus etc. with my fiancé to see what is possible. We would have our ceremony and reception on the back lawn, which would need to be tented, again with an intimate dinner in the small dining room later on in the evening. A benefit of choosing Grotto Bay would be getting a group rate for my friends who will be coming from Canada. Drawbacks, however, are not being able to use certain dining areas on certain days or until certain times because of hotel guests. Since one of my best friends will only be able to attend on a Saturday, I'm trying my best to accommodate her. (This rules out the large dining room, and leaves the Bay Terrace only available after 6pm.)
The last venue that I would really like to use is Coco Reef. While not as fancy as my other two choices, the cost is more reasonable, the terrace is covered already (eliminating the extra cost of a tent) and there is space to move indoors if outdoors becomes impossible due to bad weather. While I haven't received a quote or gone on a site visit yet, I am thinking it may just be our best bet.
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