Destination Wedding at Sandals Ochi Jamaica
It's true you can find the perfect match online!
Brooke & Blake found us on Facebook and reached out to see if we were available for their destination elopement in Jamaica, They live in Tennessee and we live in Texas, so we arranged everything virtually and met in person at Sandals Ochi in Ocho Rio, Jamaica. It was just the couple and us (wedding photographer + content creator) for their destination elopement.
The Sandals Ochi Resort
Sandals Ochi is an adults-only resort located in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, on the northern coast of the island. You can fly either into Montego Bay (MBJ) or Ocho Rios (OCJ) airport.
Pro Tip:
I recommend flying into Ocho Rios since it is a quick 15 min transfer to Sandals Ochi, but there is only one flight per day from Miami. The transfer from Montego Bay is 90 min, but has more flight options.
The resort is really 3 resorts in one:
Hillside: Quiet, lush, private, and garden-heavy. Very hilly, steep slopes, features a "village" of swim-up butler and villa suites. The only downside is it's a LONG walk to the rooms, so you need golf cart assistance and it's not near the beach.
Caribbean Riviera: Rooms closest to the beach and the majority of restaurants, nightly entertainment venue.
Beach Club: Main beach, pool with Dj and activities, oceanfront cabanas to rent, and overwater wedding chapel
There is a shuttle to take you from area to area without crossing the main road between the resorts.
Sandals Ochi has 16 restaurants, 11 bars including a speakeasy with a changing daily password and 7 pools to enjoy.
Getting Married at Sandals Ochi
Sandals Ochi has 4 different ceremony locations (Beach, Garden Gazebo, Wedding Garden and Overwater Chapel), 3 of which are included in the free wedding package if you stay at least 3 nights.
It's an additional $750 to upgrade to the overwater chapel, but 100% worth the cost.
The Wedding Day
We started wedding photography coverage in their butler suite with wedding details, the bride getting ready, and the groom leaving for the ceremony. The bride brought shells and starfish from home to use as beach decor for the detail photos. Once the bride was ready, the butler took us together in a private van to the ceremony site.
The bride and groom had their wedding ceremony in the overwater chapel and took photos afterwards inside. The couple upgraded to the overwater wedding chapel for their wedding, which really worked out since it was an exceptionally windy day. After the ceremony, we went to a location on the cliffside that overlooks the beach and chapel for their mini reception.
The reception included snacks for the bride and groom to enjoy, a wedding cake, and a private first dance. We started photography coverage at 11am and we finished all the wedding activities by 2pm. It was a VERY hot day, so we all went back to our rooms at 2pm to rest and refresh until we met back up at 5:30 to finish off the wedding photos during sunset.
What Is the Best Time for Your Wedding at Sandals Ochi?
I recommend a split wedding timeline to get the best possible colors of the gorgeous Caribbean water. The sunlight makes the water color pop most dramatically from 11am-2pm. If you can plan your ceremony in this window, your photos will have that electric blue water color. You can also schedule 60-90 min before sunset to get that romantic golden hour light.
We offer a split wedding schedule for elopements to do 4 hrs in the morning to cover getting ready, ceremony, and your reception, and 2 hours in the evening to do couple photos at golden hour.
Can You Bring Your Own Photographer to a Sandals Ochi Wedding?
YES! Sandals will waive the outside vendor fee as long as your photographer stays a minimum of 3 nights. All you have to do is ask. All our packages include travel for 3 nights, so there's no additional charge for travel.
Why Hire a Destination Wedding Photographer for Your Jamaica Elopement?
Communication: We will be available for you before we ever travel and after we come home.
Custom Timeline: We tailor a wedding day specifically for you and will do everything we can so you have a magical experience.
Pricing: All the images, travel, USB and online gallery are included in one price, so there aren't any extra charges. The resort limits the number of photos you get and you have to spend time on your vacation choosing the ones you want. With us, you get to keep hundreds of memories without having to make hard choices.
Professional Gear: Sadly, the resort photographers at Ochi were joking about "stealing my camera" because what they are using are entry level cameras.
Content Creation: We also offer content creation as an add-on!
Here is a selection from our most recent Destination Wedding at Sandals Ochi. The sunset and night photos at the end are my absolute favorite!
Tiffany Hopwood Photography specializes in destination weddings and destination elopements throughout Jamaica and the world. We love Sandals destination weddings specifically and have a goal to shoot a wedding at every Sandals resort. www.TiffanyHopwoodPhotography.com/dw-pricing
Destination Wedding, Destination Elopement, Sandals Wedding. Sandals Ochi, Jamaica Destination Wedding, Destination Wedding Photographer, Jamaica Wedding Photographer
