AnnCam2011

Here's another question: Is it crazy to try and have 2 Rounds of invites? Â I am against the "save the date" cards - it is an additional cost and once we have the date and location we are going to order and send out the invites as soon as possible. We are shooting for next March/April and should have things set in the next week or so. We are hoping to have invites out by the start of October - how long do you give people to RSVP? 2 months? That would give us enough time to do a second round of invites (if we need to) since we would know by December who will be able to make it or not from Round 1. There are several aunts/uncles that I am pretty sure won't be able to come, if we know they aren't coming, why not invite some friends who we couldn't put in Round 1 because of family? Â Once we have the final list, I am planning on putting together a more detailed info packet (things to do, places to see) along with either a luggage tag or passport holder for each guest to mail out a month or so before the trip. Â Has anyone else done this?? Am I crazy? -AC

We are going to have a very simple reception when we get back. We are going to rent a pavillion at a local park ($400 for the day) that includes outdoor game equipment, paddle boats, lawn games, etc. and are just going to do BBQ pig roast and get a keg! It's our goal to keep the cost under $1500 for everything and make it an all day thing. That way people can come and go as they please, if they can only come for a short time, no big deal. It is going to annoy my FMI that it is going to be so simple - she wanted to call and book the country club for a big extravagant party, which is NOT our style (hello, DW to begin with to avoid that!). She doesn't know that we are going to do a picnic-y reception - it might be entertaining to watch her reaction to the idea! Â We decided to do a reception like this at home since there are so many people that we simply can not invite to the wedding due to cost. I come from a large extended family and there is no way we can keep our guest list at the right number just with my family alone. This will also give an opportunity for out of town people to come for the weekend and relax and enjoy eachother's company.

Those are so cute! With all the information we are going to have to provide to guests about the trip (travel agent info, resort info, things to do, etc) I think this is a great way to give everyone the information. We were going to do regular invites, and my fiance wanted to include an additional letter with the travel information, and to let people know we understand if they cant make it since it is costly (that we will also be having a reception at home once we return). This is a great way to organize it all in one! Â

Congrats! Can't wait to hear about your experience at the Ren. I am now working with my second travel agent to get more info and am hoping (praying) to hear back tomorrow from her. I'll keep my eyes peeled for your review!

I am emailing a friend of a friend to see if she has any direct contact information. I am looking for info on options for ceremony/reception, potential costs with these options, etc, etc, etc. I tried calling the 800 number listed on the website and talked to someone in reservations. She told me I needed to call the hotel directly and gave me a long international phone number. I was going to try that if my friend's friend didnt have any information, but I first need to figure out how to make an int'l phone call (haha!) Thanks again, if I come up with anything specific, I will let you know!!

Congrats Sheree10!! How exciting I am meeting a friends friend tonight who got married there in 2005, I think this might be it! *Eeeee!* Any advice, tips, photos, warnings, must-do's you can reccommend? An email address for the coordinator or anyone else at the hotel that can start giving me rates or other info? I appreciate it,and congrats again!

Where do I find the threads I am subscribed to? Am I completely missing it somewhere? Thanks!

I have sent 2 web based messages to the Reniassance this past week and havent heard back from them yet. Is this generally a slow process with this resort? Anyone else running into this issue - I am just looking to get rates and possible dates lined up. Also wondering about air traffic noise, as it looks like it is close to the airport.

Good to keep those dates in mind - I appreciate it. I did send a request to the resort via the website a few days ago, and haven't heard back. Hopefully in the next few days we hear something since I think this is the best place I've seen during all my research! Any other suggestions you have for other resorts as well would be great. Thanks!!

I am contemplating the Renaissance for our DW next year (march/april). Any/all photos & info you have would be appreciated!!

Thanks Bryan! It looks perfect and am getting butterflies thinking about it all. We are trying to make this as simple and as dummy-proof as possible. I've talked to a TA who told me the Renaissance is adults-only, however the website suggests they do allow children. We have nieces and nephews who will be invited along and want to make sure our location will be kid-friendly. Do you know if this really is adults-only resort? I sent them an initial email request for more information and am hoping to hear back in the next few days. We are aiming for a March/April wedding, so hopefully we are allowing enough time to plan

Hi All - I have heard nothing but good things about the Renaissance resort in Aruba - a friend of a friend got married there, but I am looking for photos of a wedding there to get a better idea of what to expect as far as options go. Does anyone have pitcs online that I can see?? Thanks a mil!!

Does anyone know if there is a list online of all spring break dates for 2011? We are trying to plan a March 2011 wedding in Mexico, but don't want to run into all the college spring-breakers. We are thinking early March to try and avoid it all, and googled to see if a list was out there. I came up with nothing - has anyone else successfully found such a list?

mmc1105: where did you end up choosing? Think we will end up contacting a TA but I feel like time's a ticking - we want to get married in March! Eeeee!

dianep: how did you pick the Gran Porto Real in PDC to get married? I have been looking at their website and things look great. Any secrets you can share about this location? Rooms decent? Pool/beach good? Food? How was the coordinator?

My fiance thinks I am jumping the gun a little bit, that we can still wait a few weeks before thinking about doing research even. I am concerned by the time he wants to seriously start looking, it is going to be too late to book anything. We are already only 9 months away from our target wedding month (March 2011, no date set) and am concerned that we are missing a window as far as timing. Am I crazy to try and plan this whole thing in 9 months, top to bottom?!? The last thing I want is stress over something that I have been waiting so long for.... Gahh! Do things fill up as fast as I think it might?? He said it best last night, doesn't matter where we go, we will have a great time anyplace. He is right, but I want to make sure it is somewhere we want to be! help!

Haha - thanks! I am new to all this wedding-stuff

MaggieandJay: That place looks lovely! I have been back and forth on trying to pick a COUNTRY to get married in, let alone a resort. I am thinking somewhere in Mexico might be easier for us and our guests (more cost-effective as well), however I want to make sure the location is somewhere new and exciting for everyone as well. My extended family are not travelers by any means, so I think this would be a great way to give them a taste of what's out there. We are also tossing around the idea of Turks & Caicos or St. Lucia, but I am afraid those locations might be over budget for our guests. How did you pick Azul for your wedding? Have you been there before? Any other places you can recommend to me to checkout? I want to plan this wedding as dummy-proof & simple as possible, any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks - a friend recommended this site. She used it to plan her DW and said it kept her sane! Already found some great information.

OOT = ? I can't figure this acronym out - haha!

Soon-to-be-McRae: Honestly, I can't remember how I came across these resorts. We want a DW because a traditional wedding just isn't our thing. Plus after being together for 11 years, we wanted to make it a vacation & something special that our friends and family can enjoy as well. We haven't picked a spot yet, but I am thinking Mexico might be the way to go, because flights can be found easily, and there are deals to be had for tickets. We vacationed in Puerto Vallarta 2 years ago (Paradise Village Resort) and had a great time. Would love to go back there, but would also like to have the nice waters off the Eastern coast. We want to pick a unique spot to vacation, but also don't want it to be so ridiculously expensive that none of our friends/family can afford to go. I want a place that will take care of the details for me, since I really don't want to get wrapped up in all that. I've seen what wedding-details have done to some friends, and I swore up and down that would never be me! The locations at the Real resorts look lovely, and as long as the water is the right shade of blue, I'm in Being able to spend time with our families, having a good time, and getting a simple wedding planned is all that matters! ANY advice would be appreciated - only been engaged a week, but I'd like to try and have something figured out quickly, so we can give our guests time to plan and save on their end as well. Any other recommendations of places to check out would be appreciated. THANK YOU so much!!

Sounds like these resorts are beautiful and the wedding packages seem to be dummy-proof (which is what I am looking for!). I have been looking at the Gran Porto Real resort for a March 2011 wedding. All the Real resorts look lovely, any advice on how you choose the Gran Caribe over any of the other Real resorts? I have never been to that part of Mexico before and am looking for any advice. We want to keep everything as simple as possible, the place needs to be family-friendly as we will have young nieces and nephews along as well.

My name is Ann and I am from the Twin Cities. After 11 years together, we finally got engaged last week. We plan on having a destination wedding and inviting anyone interested in attending. The problem is we are having a tough time deciding where to go. I would like to pick a place that is all inclusive, somewhere on the Caribbean, and not so expensive that none of our friends will be able to go. I am thinking Playa del Carmen, MX, but ideally St. Lucia or Turks & Caicos. Any suggestions on places to go would be appreciated! Thinking March 2011 wedding. We've been together 11 years and dont want to wait any longer than we have to, to make it official! Best, AC