Meet Almarie

To celebrate the perfect wedding in a tropical location needs expert guidance. May Almarie Walters, Certified Destination Wedding Specialist of Tropical Weddings Jamaica, make your day extra special.

What you do must require a lot of TLC. Is it down to your own sense of what’s appropriate or did it involve much training?

It involves an equal balance of both — it requires an immeasurable amount of patience and dedication, along with a strong focus on communication, problem solving and organisation skills. 

Of course every wedding is different — how do you even begin to plan a happy couple’s objectives?

You first listen to their vision then you get realistic on how this vision can be achieved by way of budget analysis and assessing the logistics.

Do you work alone or as part of a team?

Both, there are some things that I must do alone and there are some things that must be done as part of a team, and I have my winning team with whom I have established and cultivated very strong association.

They have all been thoroughly researched and vetted and have proven trust and never disappoints… in fact, some of them have been with me since Day 1!

Is Ochi your primary setting? Have you ever worked in other parts of the island, the Caribbean, the World?

Ocho Rios is my favourite playground in which to create magic. However I have executed weddings at many locations throughout the Island such as Negril, Montego Bay, Discovery Bay, Falmouth, Runaway Bay, Portland, Kingston, etc, etc.

As far as the Caribbean, yes I have coordinated weddings in the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, St Lucia and The Bahamas to name a few. As for the World — now that’s a very objective goal.

Are there significant advantages in using a wedding planner, rather than arranging things oneself?

YES! Planning a wedding is no easy task and there are many reasons to use a wedding planner.

However the number one advantage of hiring a qualified and experienced wedding planner — rather than ‘trying’ to get the components organised on your own — is that it eliminates the irritating inconvenience and stress of figuring out the best ways for pulling it all together.

An expert wedding planner has the skillset, knows the trusted contacts and possesses the aptitude for making the day come together seamlessly.

What’s the most outlandish function you have been asked to arrange?

I would not say ‘outlandish’ but would rather categorise it as the most memorable; and that would be many, many moons ago when a bride (a lover of horses from Texas) asked me to get her a white horse for her grand entrance!

It was the first and only time I received such a request and, because I knew how important it was to her, I could not disappoint. I found her that white long haired big powerful mover to escort her down the aisle… her groom was not expecting such a grandiose appearance and her guests were certainly blown away when, as they sat on the beach waiting, the bride suddenly came riding in on horseback to marry the man she planned on spending the rest of her life loving!

Now, if that wasn’t a fairy tale magical moment, then I don’t know what is!

Conversely, can the simplest wedding on a budget be among the most difficult to get right?

Absolutely not — planning a wedding on a small budget may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s really not. Once a budget is established and the details clearly defined, the wedding is then tailored around those components for the actual wedding day.

How do you unwind with such a busy day-to-day schedule?

In my downtime I love to read and learn more about reinventing and improving my craft, and then I also enjoy writing (about love — maybe because I have spent half my life creating love stories and happy beginnings for my wonderful couples lol) and when I am not writing, I love to be in my own company, in a quiet space and doing absolutely nothing at all.

We love amusing stories about working life — tell us a good one…

Hmmmm, do you mean when your shipment of about 30 boxes of fresh flowers did not make it on the flight three days ago, and by this time the wedding is tomorrow and not a single plane in sight… imagine the stress, tension, headache, drama and chaos that gets underway that day/night before the wedding when anything that can go wrong will — according to Murphy’s Law — but then, as if by magic, the problem is solved and the wedding day executed seamlessly!

Imagine you were given carte blanche and an unlimited budget… how would you dress up the town of Ocho Rios?

My passion is with weddings, I am not a general event designer. For me, you can’t be all things for all people — you choose what you are passionate about and give it your all. Doing something you aren’t passionate about means it will not be done to the best of your ability… ask me how I would dress up a fantasy fairy tale dream of a wedding — now that I can vividly describe for you… :-)

Do carrots scream when you chop them?

Sorry, I don’t kiss and tell lol… Actually I would not know, I’m more of a sweet potato girl… :-)