The first decision at Grand Palladium Jamaica in Montego Bay, Jamaica is guest count, and it has to be made before anything else. The ceiling is 200, at Garden Gazebo. A celebration of 100 to 200 guests suits this resort. A 400-guest reception does not. Settle that number first, then read on.<\/p>\n
The resort publishes 8 wedding venues. Garden Gazebo, Angels Atrium, Jamaica Ballroom, Bungalow Lawn and Blue Lagoon Restaurant all top out at 200, and the smallest seat 80. Five of the eight clear 150, which is what makes four separate settings workable.<\/p>\n
| Venue<\/th>\n | Max capacity<\/th>\n | Suitable for<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|
| Garden Gazebo<\/td>\n | 200<\/td>\n | Wedding, Cocktail<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Angels Atrium<\/td>\n | 200<\/td>\n | Wedding, Reception, Cocktail<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jamaica Ballroom<\/td>\n | 200<\/td>\n | Reception, Cocktail<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bungalow Lawn<\/td>\n | 200<\/td>\n | Wedding, Reception, Cocktail<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Blue Lagoon Restaurant<\/td>\n | 200<\/td>\n | Reception, Cocktail<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Beach<\/td>\n | 100<\/td>\n | Wedding, Reception, Cocktail<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Poseidon Restaurant<\/td>\n | 80<\/td>\n | Reception, Cocktail<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Poseidon Terrace<\/td>\n | 80<\/td>\n | Reception, Cocktail<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nA small property, honestly described<\/h2>\nThis is an intimate resort, and it is better to say so than to oversell it. Inside the 100 to 200 range it works well. Each of the four events, the mehndi, the sangeet, the ceremony and the reception, can have its own space because 5 of the 8 venues clear 150.<\/p>\n Assigning the spaces<\/h2>\nA mehndi can go in a space like Blue Lagoon Restaurant. The sangeet needs a dance floor and a stage on top of the seating, so Jamaica Ballroom or something of its size is the fit. A reception of 200 fits Angels Atrium or Bungalow Lawn, both listed for receptions at that capacity, so no one is sent to a second room. The ceremony needs the least: a mandap wants the right setting and seats for the guests who will actually stay for it, and the 80-guest end of the list serves that.<\/p>\n Asking about the late night<\/h2>\nNo entertainment curfew is published for Grand Palladium Jamaica, and we are not going to guess at one. Request it in writing for each venue and night, and ask what an extension costs. Outdoor spaces on this coast are usually capped earlier than indoor rooms, which may decide where the sangeet and reception go.<\/p>\n A 10am haldi or pithi is never affected by an evening noise rule. For each outdoor event, get a named indoor backup written into the contract line that names the venue.<\/p>\n What the resort does not say<\/h2>\nYou get venues and capacities. You do not get a mandap specification, an open-flame policy for the havan, a baraat route or animal policy, or a named South Asian certification for the planners. We have not made up any of those. Put each question to the resort and keep the answer in writing before you sign.<\/p>\n Add-ons that change the total<\/h2>\nPackage price does not settle the final number, here or elsewhere. Vendors are the first reason. The package covers setup, ceremony structure, dinner and bar, and leaves out the photographer, videographer, DJ, dhol player, dance floor and uplighting. Bring your own and the resort adds an outside vendor fee, over and above what the vendor charges. The second reason is guests not staying on site. Published figures for both are in what all-inclusive wedding packages do not cover<\/a>, and a price comparison across resorts is in the true cost of a South Asian destination wedding<\/a>.<\/p>\n For this property, request four figures in writing: the entertainment curfew per venue, the outside vendor fee, the day pass rate and the legal ceremony fee. Answers to all four let you compare quotes honestly. A quote with only a package price is why two apparently identical weddings end up thousands apart. We ask for all four routinely, and couples pay nothing for our planning because the resorts pay us. Send your dates and guest count<\/a> and we will put the questions to the resort.<\/p>\n |