Need a lot of help! Coordinators? DIY? Where to begin!?

My travel (AAA) says we are using the tour operator Travel Impressions. She says Travel Impressions negotiates directly with my resort (not sure what tour operator negotiates with Excellence or PPR though -- maybe try Apple vacations?). So, we set up the block of rooms and once we got the nod from enough guests, they all put down their deposits ($150 per person or $300 per room, whichever is more). So, we've got 20 rooms reserved already and another 20 on hold for more guests as long as the pricing holds out.

Basically, the guests who have alrady put down their deposits simply have to pay the remaining balance in full no later than 60-days prior to our arrival (the deposits are non-refundable, but if someone backs out ... you don't have to give the resort actual names until 60-days prior ... so someone else could pay them to use that room).

We've been upgraded already due to the number of our rooms booked and will be getting at least 1 room, if not 2, for free for a 3-night period based on our bookings.

I would contact a travel agent who can help with the Canada/London connection. What I did was go to a TA I knew ... but since she wasn't familiar with the DR, she sent my info to someone who had knowledge ... and its working out great. Plus, my TA speaks Spanish, so she is most helpful in translating wedding details to the WC at PPC and helping with negotiations for free wedding upgrades, etc.

let me know any other questions!!

Most helpful Tami. Thank you kindly, we certainly have a lot of things to look into now!

 

I do have to say to everyone that this forum has been a life saver. Everyone is so knowledgable it makes me wonder how I know so little about all of this!

 

But hey grooms out there. . .let this be a lesson to you. . .You can use this forum as well! And you will find it helpful! (It's not ACTUALLY like asking for directions )

 

Sarah and I are planning everything together and I wouldn't have it any other way

 

Cheers all,

Myles

I can't help much with your situations (I was married in Mexico!) but just wanted to say ... happy to see another active groom on here! Jason (lambert13) has been one of the more active ones - he was just married a couple weeks ago.

Great to hear that!! I wish my fiance was able to be more active in the planning process!!!

happy to help!!!

Hi, I also used dw.com and found them subpar. At the time, I couldn't decide where I wanted to get married. They advertise themselves as experts in the field with connections to several resorts all over. I was looking for someone to give me information on the different types of resorts available as well as cost comparisons to help me choose the best location for my 50 guest wedding in the Caribbean.

The first planner assigned to me was very nice and took all of my details and info and promised to get back to me in a week with options. I was soooo excited I could barely wait the week. At the end of the week, I called her and she gave me quotes to resorts that we never discussed previously...and they were WAYYYYY out of the price range we'd discussed. Turns out, she'd confused me with some other bride who was getting married the same day as me! I tried to let that slide, but she had no useful information for me. She called me the next day with quotes that she obviously got online--I could have done that myself!

I requested another planner and was assigned one who told me that Sandals properties don't allow non-heterosexual couples to stay on the property--meaning my 2 widowed aunts wouldn't be able to share a room to attend my wedding. It just didn't sound right to me, so I ended up contacting Sandals myself and found out that it wasn't true.

After that, I just felt I couldn't trust the information they were giving me and the price quotes they gave me for several resorts were the EXACT SAME as the ones I was researching online. I decided to do things myself at that point and haven't looked back.

I guess I expected DW to have more influence among the resorts, have access to better travel deals as well as be more knowledgeable about the various resort properties. They were very nice and everything, but it just wasn't helpful to me.

Sorry for this long post, but just helping you be informed!

Wow! Sorry to hear about your luck with that company. Its good that you were able to find that out ahead of time though!!! How is the planning going on your own? Have you talked with a TA?

yea! mine too! lol

I'm glad I found out too! As far as getting a TA, I'm up in the air about it. I've already done the majority of legwork (contract negotiations for both accomodations and air) and feel I've gotten some great deals. Plus my FI recently started a new travel business (YTB) and through that, we will be getting a commission on the group booking, which will help us a lot.

The hard part is dealing with the travel plans of all our guests. I don't really want to, but feel sort of stuck doing it. While my FI says he wants to do it, y'all KNOW how that could go! LOL! I'm not going to surrender control to him in that area--too important!

I've made arrangements to have my paypal account (with payment buttons) added to my wedding site so that guests can RSVP and submit deposits, payments, etc. I'm hoping that everything will work out. Hopefully, I can find someone to help me once the STD's go out and the responses start coming in. I am already anticipating the headache!

You are too cool, Myles!!!! Im sure lots of brides-to-be wish they had grooms like you

Happy Planning!

Robyn

That's a great idea!!!