Jas and Gautam Malkani
The Grand Palladium Resort and Spa, Jamaica
We live in Toronto and we wanted a destination wedding outside Canada
for several reasons. We were looking for a quiet, intimate wedding
with a fantastic view for unbelievable pictures. A place where we
could chill-out and have a fun reception. Also, just after the
wedding, we wanted a vacation with the closest people in our lives
along with some personal honeymoon time at an exotic location. We
considered Mexico, but there were some concerns about crime. Dominican
was not at an option, as my brother Sid got married there (click here to read more)
and most guests had already been there. Therefore, we settled on
Jamaica due to its easy accessibility for guests, and the beautiful
yet not-hugely-expensive resorts for stay.
The Grand Palladium Resort and Spa
The Grand Palladium Resort and Spa was a much newer resort with
several gazebos to meet our needs. And we had read some great reviews
on their food, rooms and service. Some of the rooms had ocean views
but all the rooms, which were very spacious, had a jacuzzi hot tub
there as well. Also, we found out that this resort has hosted Indian
weddings, and has a restaurant to cater to Indian lunches and dinners.
The Wedding Planner
Lorainne Yap, the wedding coordinater from the Grand Palladium Resort
and Spa helped us coordinate the wedding. She was fantastic in helping
us accommodate last-minute requests from the priest and the families.
The Functions
Welcome Dinner
On our second night at the resort (and first night for some guests),
we had a dinner on the beach- our party got to mingle and get to know
each other followed by a few games which the resort organised- where
the bride and groom participated, bringing laughter to all. After the
event, we met at the Infinity bar to tell guests the program for the
wedding day and most of us had an early night.
Wedding (January 7th, 2012)
We had a Hindu ceremony with a simple white decor at the garden gazebo
which was on the edge of a cliff facing the ocean and several
mountains. We wanted the view to be the highlight so we didn't go for
elaborate decor - a combination of red and blue flowers to match the
bride's outfit, a gorgeous blue and red lehenga.,
Reception
Our reception started with a cocktail hour with only sangria to ensure
our guests arrived on time. Since Jas was wearing a beautiful
peachish pink lehenga, we decided to have our flowers with a peachish
theme and our cake with peachish flowers to match. Our table set-up
was u-shaped to ensure our guests could see our program agenda (a few
heartfelt speeches by close friends and family along with a touching
video) while they enjoyed the dinner. After dinner, we proceeded to
cut our cake and have our first dance. After which, we played our
music, customized by DJ Double A, a well known Indian Canadian DJ.
For the wedding Gautam wore a Sherwani while Jas wore a blue lehenga
by Reeta Shahani (reeta.shahani@gmail.com). For the Reception Gautam
wore a Harry Rosen suit with a matching peachish-pink tie and pocket
square while Jas wore a peachish pink lehenga saree by Reeta Shahani.
Recommendations/ Advice
1.If you can, organise a Destination Wedding, to ensure your family
can enjoy a vacation and get to experience a new place.
2.A destination wedding can be expensive and time-consuming for
guests, so please thank them with special, memorable token of your
appreciation. We gave our guests an iPod Shuffle (engraved with our
initials and wedding date) with 6 hours of our reception music so they
can remember our big day.
3.Spend time on deciding on the wedding
photographer. We went with Jamie Dimitry (www.jamiedimitry.com) who
specializes in destination weddings, he clicked some amazing pictures,
we shared some wedding pictures at the reception, and it was a big
surprise for the guests.
4.We personally felt that the combination of the Jamaican landscape
and Indian outfits make pictures standout and look gorgeous.
5. Please give your guests sufficient notice so they can save the date
and plan time off accordingly.
Gautam is an IT Project Manager at Procter and Gamble in Toronto and
Jas is a student at Humber College for a post-graduate accelerated
Child and Youth Worker Program
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