Has anybody out there let Banyan Bay do their wedding?
As a confirmed control freak, my gut clenches at the idea of letting someone else plan this event. However, I have since proven that I am in no way/shape/form qualified to plan said event either. Chappie said they did nice weddings BUT how would Chap know, bless his heart?
Thanks!
Stephanie
P.S. Beachy, DON'T MOCK THE AFFLICTED!

while banyan bay is a very nice place, i never heard about weddings there. i have heard that victoria house & caribe island do really nice ones. i understand kay scott is the best wedding photographer.

anyone???

I got married at SunDiver and enjoyed it very much. They have a very nice beach for weddings. We actually got married on the pier. Here are some pictures if you would like to see them.
http://community.webshots.com/user/turnbun

I hear the beach around Banyan Bay is in very bad shape and the seagrass emits a foul odor, so check into that before you decide to get married there. Nothing like a smelly beach to ruin a wedding!

Iraida at Belizeweddings.com does a very good job of planning weddings on AC. She arranged everything for us.

OH! And I am also an admitted control freak. Getting married on AC was the best thing I ever did once I let go. No worries!! Wherever you get married, I'm sure it will be lovely!

TurnBurn71, is it true that the beach in front of Villas at Banyan Bay is in bad shape due to the sea grass? I ask because our family will be staying at Banyan Bay Next Week, at which point, I can provide a first-hand report, but what is its condition today? We were hoping not to have to travel too far from our room down the beach in order to find a nice spot to chill out.

Zee: Your worry is the same as mine. I don't know first-hand about the sea grass or beach condition. However, one poster in another thread about lodging posted that the sea grass in front of Banyan Bay smelled so bad it made her want to gag. Not good! We're staying at Mata Rocks next month, and I have heard the same about the beach in front of Mata. I sent an e-mail to Mata to inquire about this condition, and they have not sent a reply. (Of course, when I sent in my request for a reservation, I received a reply within a couple of hours.) I hope the rumor about the beach condition has been exaggerated!

It was me who gagged. I was there June 19-26. It was really bad, however I don't know if it might be a condition that could be cleared up by now, but if I were you, I would make sure before I planned my wedding there. Lots of luck...gp

I think it was a condition, or at least, there were conditions a few weeks ago all over the coast. Masses of seaweeds in the surf and on shore rotting. Done now.

Thanks for the update on beach conditions.

So glad to hear it! Thanks a bunch, Maya!

i was at caribe island during that same time, mid-june, and the sea grass was raked everyday, and no smell at all. pretty stretch of beach there. as secluded as sundiver, but no water-taxis to deal with (i didnt like that about JE, alos up north. thought they were a pain).

caribe pics!! (vicki will handle all your details personally, i think. she loves weddings: [email protected] )

http://www3.pbase.com/sweetjane/caribe_2003

We stayed at Banyan Bay the end of June, and there was no problem with the smell of sea grass. We had a beach front suite and thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't know about a wedding however as the beach is rather small although quite pretty. A small wedding would work quite nicely. Congratulations in advance.

Sweet Jane -a few weeks ago the turtle grass was really bad everywhere this was due to bad weather conditions in the Atlantic-your advice hinges on the 10 days you have spent on the island this year,and advising people to stay somewhere else when they have already booked at another resort is asinine
I walk my dog past Banyan Bay almost every day and the beach looks and smells fine-no worries there.
Also the local non-denominational pastor on the island,David Simpson,works at Banyan bay and is,would you believe it,in charge of weddings at BB.

Pedro-A white shepard type dog?

The entire coastline was plagued by the sea grass/weed last month, an unusual occurance to be sure. Stunk as far down in Placencia as well. Done now.

That is Charlie who is not a white shepherd but a Mexican White.
I will explain Charlie was bought in Mexico and she is white.

Banyan Bay is on one of the nicest parts of the beach on the south end of the island, its called the Mar De Tumbo near the neighborhood called San Telmo. Its a beautiful spot, nice grounds, and there is a cut in the reef near there that allows sea shells to come up to the beach occassionally. Hope your wedding day is fabulous!

From Chetumal? Same litter or family as Billy Valdes has? Trying to track them down.

From Chetumal? Same litter or family as Billy Valdes has? Trying to track them down.

I bought her at the pet shop in Chetumal which is opposite the old market.

Sweet Jane;

If you were on Ambergris Caye during that very freakish seaweed episode there is NO WAY the beach at Caribe Island wouldn't have smelled of it. It was a most unusual occurrence. Every single beachfront property had the "scent", even those that were raked every HOUR. I like Caribe Island too, but I wouldn't say they were capable of the impossible!

And, just to confirm, the beach at Banyan Bay is one of the nicest. On Sundays it is busy with locals having fun. On other days it is clean, quiet and has good swimming.

It is not clear in the original post whether the couple has made reservations or not at Banyan Bay, just that they were wanting to know if weddings were nice there. Of course, I'm not sure what all the Chappie talk means, so maybe that is an indication that their resevations have already been made.
Pedro, why do you slam poor Jane every chance you get?

Seaweed and sea grass infestations are a seasonal thing all over the world.... Not just in Belize. The Texas coast has it's season of stinky seaweed/grass as well. It's a natural thing, and does happen. Unfortunate, but as predicatable as clockwork.... Once it hits the beach it has to rot. Even if raked, where you dump it will smell bad too. Bummer.....
Debbie

The beach at Banyan Bay is fine! At least it was yesterday!

The wind blew quite a bit during two weeks at the end of June and early July. This rooted up not only an over-abundance of turtle and manatee grass but also floating Sargassum seaweed. End result was lots and lots of seaweed on the beaches everyday and I imagine some hotels were a bit slower (and maybe not quite as diligent) at raking it up.
Another weather dependent event that may ruin someone's idea of paradise!