Jessica4LUXE

If you are looking for paper lanterns, we sourced a bunch of them in Toronto's Chinatown for around $5 each!

Hi Ladies, With our process, we send out STDs as early as possible with either travel information and pricing or the information of your Travel Account Manager. Your guests are then directed to your TAM and there is a deposit deadline where they will have to commit to. This is done with some time before the actual wedding- how are you supposed to plan accordingly without knowing how many people are attending!? They also need to make sure that the hotel isn't going to be sold out if they wait until last minute. There are almost always last-minute stragglers and we accomodate them as best as possible when the time comes! It is important to us that we let your guests know that this is not a last-minute vacation, it is a wedding so it has to be planned in advance! Invitations with a Destination Wedding are really just a formality. Since there are deposits, etc. you would know how many people are attending after sendign out the STD. Saying that, we suggest maybe only sending out the formal invitation to guests who have booked (this saves on cost) so they can have it as a keepsake! Many brides are opting out of sending out the formal invitation and just sending out an extra-special save-the-date!

Hi Gina24- We are destination wedding specialists and our office is located downtown in Liberty Village. If you were interested, we would absolutely love to meet with you!!

Hi AgnesL - Just an FYI, Secrets Cap Cana (Sanctuary) is no longer a Secrets property. I'd avoid this until the new management team works out the kinks, etc. Excellence Punta Cana is a great choice - I'm assuming you have adults only?? I'm a huge fan of the Riviera Maya as well - many good comparable hotels. DM me and I'd be happy to help further!

Congrats! I visited the HRH last year and it was so much fun! How many guests are you expecting? As it's such a huge property, the more the merrier! I'm pretty sure there is another thread about this hotel - I've seen it before. Good luck!!

There are many Catholic Church options in Dominican Repbulic! This is a very easy option.There usually aren't discounts on wedding packages but it's worth asking, I suppose! One of my personal favourites is the St. Stanislaus Church at Casa De Campo in the village of Altos de Chavon (in La Romana). It's a very old church and really beautiful for photos. If you're thinking of a resort in Punta Cana with onsite chapel, here are some options to consider: (1) Barcelo Bavaro Caribe Beach (2) Caribe Club Princess (3) Majestic Colonial/Elegance Lastly, there are offsite chapels as well - if you like a particular hotel then there are offsite chapels that you can use as well! We'd be happy to help!

Hi Cherylming, you are right. Planning in Hawaii is a bit more of a challenge because of the time difference. How's your wedding planning coming along? Also, there are "newish" laws about beach weddings in Hawaii - do you know you need a permit?

I hear all of you! No matter what the relationship, these situations are not easy. Generally I always say that the "important" people will always make it to your destination wedding no matter what... but then it's still not always the case. People get pregnant, people hate flying, people don't want to go, people hold grudges... I've seen this scenario many times over. It's hard to please everyone's wishes. Could you offer to spend some of your wedding budget towards their trip (if they truly cannot afford it)? Many of our clients do this as a discreet way of making sure certain guests are in attendance. At the end of the day, life is precious and too short to hold grudges. No matter how much this bothers you or hurts your FI inside (even if he doesn't admit it), be supportive of him and try and look at the bright side of things, focus on the positives of who's coming and how amazing your wedding will be!

I also recommend petalgarden.com! We've used them for some of our past weddings and the product they deliver is really good. Flower petal aisle runners are beautiful but sometimes the quotes we get for a real petal runner (from the florist) is just way outside of our client's floral budgets. So ordering the freeze dried petals not only makes economical sense, they also don't risk shriveling away in the heat. AND you can get the specific color of your liking to match your wedding theme. Last good point, they are light to carry on board (which is something to keep in mind when you're considering bringing anything down - luggage weight is costly, especially on charter flights).

We love Pastor Rick! Definitely a LUXE preferred contact!!

I'm also a huge fan of Tensing Pen. It's very intimate, and there's such a wide range of accommodations at that property that there's "something for everyone"... Tensing Pen is also home to that famous "bridge" shot (see below) - although I'm not sure if any of you brides would be brave enough to walk that plank in your wedding dress??? Would make for some incredible photos though...thoughts?

Hi Aquamaniac, They should soon be available at local travel agencies though I am happy to send you a copy in the mail as they likely have not arrived yet in Calgary. PM me and I am happy to send over!

Hi Ladies! I just wanted to share some exciting news with our Canadian Brides! LUXE has just created a Destination Wedding magazine with Sunwing Travel (our partner)! Check out the link below! Sunwing Travel Group launches first ever Destination Weddings Guide Sunwing Travel Group launches first ever Destination Weddings Guide. www.travelweek.ca/.../1292-sunwing-travel-group-launches-fi... DestinationWeddingsGuideCover.pdf

Hi Ladies, Have any of you considered the Roundhill Resort? It is a beautiful property and they are an absolute dream to work with There is also a new property called The Jewel that is worth taking a look at!

As a representative from LUXE Destination Weddings, I wanted to chime in! TA's definitely do not charge service fees to plan and book travel, with LUXE you are paying for wedding planning services! The services we offer are different than weddings by oceans. Our travel services are a bonus included in every wedding planning package. Not only that, Fnacosta is right. Our service packages are fully customizable based on wedding planning hours, do not be shy to ask for more information regarding this! I am here to answer any questions you may have regarding LUXE and our services! Please do not hesitate to ask

A great way to let your guests know of information and updates is through your wedding website! There are many companies online that offer them for free. We include a wedding website in all of our planning packages.

Hi Glam-girl, usually the services included in any hotel’s wedding package include the day of coordinator from the hotel. Although some brides choose to work with an outside dedicated wedding planner as well, especially if you’re considering an offsite location. Depending on the hotel, their onsite wedding planner can vary in degrees of expertise when it comes to wedding planning (i.e. sometimes their wedding planner is the catering manager or another hotel employee). So it’s worth finding out the role of the person at the hotel and then decide. Many of the hotel wedding team is used to working with a wedding coordinator in Hawaii. I hope that makes sense!

Hi Jenni, Moments said it well. If you are looking to have a fairly basic wedding and aren't looking to 'customize' too much, the wc at the resort should be able to get everything done for you. If you are looking for something a little more unique, to work with outside vendors, etc. it may be best to hire a planner stateside. It can often be a less stressful experience going through an outside planner as their response time is much quicker and can get things done in half the time it would normally take just based on their vast experience! Happy Planning!

May is the busiest destination wedding month so it is great that you are getting started! It is important to confirm your preferred wedding date/time at a specific property as they tend to book up quite quickly. Happy Planning!

Hi Everyone, I just wanted to chime in as a representative of LUXE Destination Weddings. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions about 'negative' reviews. We are committed to each and every one of our brides and do not ever want unhappy clients! As a Canadian planning agency, I completely agree with Blue Petal. We also charge service fees for our planning services as anyone would have to! I encourage any Toronto/GTA brides to meet with us in person should you have any further questions. Feel free to PM me any time!

Hi MichCraw, Please do not feel so discouraged!! Reviews are often very misleading. You have no idea who is writing them and where they are coming from. We have planned many succesful weddings at that property and have never received an overwhelming response of anyone getting sick. Peach is absolutely right. Look forward to your wedding and do not think about this again! It is going to be perfect

Just wanted to wish all of you ladies a Happy Thanksgiving long weekend!

We are very careful to get to know our brides and grooms before suggesting hotels for this reason! Brides who want a very unique, customized wedding should not be booking at properties that have very strict vendor policies. Be sure to review vendor policies before booking your resort!