Chapel on the beach at Jewel Runaway Bay
Who hasn’t imagined a destination wedding on the beach? Everybody barefoot, surf nibbling at your heels, the best man keeping your ring secure, he insists, in a bright yellow pail.
And who, on second thought, hasn’t imagined their beloved grandma sinking in the sand all the way down to her hip replacement?
To which we say thank goodness for Jamaica’s Jewel Runaway Bay Beach & Golf Resort. With its open-air wedding chapel sitting right on the sand, this new 266-room all-inclusive allows guests to follow the ceremony, dressed in heels if they prefer, without having to lose sight of their beach chairs.
“A wedding in the sand is what most people come to Jamaica for, and that’s fine, we can certainly do that,” says Jewel Runaway Bay’s general manager, Scott Robbins, “But the beach chapel gives you more options for footwear.”
Sister property to Jewel Dunn’s River, Jewel Runaway Bay was previously Breezes Runaway Bay. Unlike the other two, however, it is not couples-only, but family-oriented, so that guests can combine a wedding with their family vacation.
And although Jewel Runaway Bay is new on the Jamaican wedding scene, Robbins’ experience as a wedding planner goes back more than 20 years and hundreds of weddings, and his commitment to weddings at Jewel Runaway Bay is such that he has two full-time coordinators on staff.
“What I tell them is to reassure the bride it’s her wedding, and there are no wedding police, so she can do whatever she wants, even if it’s bring down autumn leaves to spread all around, or have two maids of honor, or serve jerk popcorn for reception hors d’oeuvres” said Robbins.
So if you want a beach wedding with high heels, or if you want to get married like the Jamaicans do, indoors, in air-conditioning, Jewel Runaway Bay can make it happen.
Go to the website to get the basics, or if you want some personal attention, get in touch with the resort’s crackerjack wedding coordinators, Victoria Abbott Victoria.abbott@jewelresorts.com or Kamika Baboram kamika.baboram@jewelresorts.com.
