Hi, Congrats on your engagement! I am new to this site and still trying to figure out how to post a thread it tells me holding for moderation whatever that means, maybe you could help? I would love to help you with insight on where to start bases on my experiences of a year in the works of planning. I have been engaged a year coming up on October 5th and been completely overwhelmed and explored every avenue there is for a local wedding vs. destinatin. We just now figured out after months and months of planning and research and changing directions min. 5 times a DW is was the way to go for budgets costs and also keeping your wedding an open invite but knowing a lot less will attend and keeps finances and budget from gettting our of control. I am in similar situation as you..... My fiance has a LARGE family 9 in immediate and mine is just 4. My entire family and friends are all excited about the destination wedding and all want to attend prior to invites even going out! His family is not as excited as all the brothers and sisters will not be able to travel due to new babies and also cost.... It is very hard to plana wedding and even harder when you tthink about or try to make everyone else happy!!!!! Remember this is you and your fiance's time and it is all about you! You will never be able to satisfy or live up to everyones expectations and will drive yourself crazy trying to do so escpecially if you have a budget to keep you in check! We initally discounted idea of a DWdo because his family is so large and some of mine will not be able to afford coming and costs ect! We looked at a wedding from all angles and thought just keep it small to stay in budget and then rent a beach house locally and invite all friends and family for casual reception / celebration over an entire weekend or 4 days. Rentals, food, venue, band, ect.ect. add up quick!!! WE wasted months doing this to find out houses we wanted are booked or for sale or can't look at or getting no response. Find ing out how expensive and hard it is too coordinate with little time. Is budget a big part of your planning decisions on what you will do? If so I recommend a DW ALL Inclusive Resort! WE wanted to keep it around 10K total and that hopefully includes our honeymoon to Costa Rica an extra week after our wedding of 4 nights in Cancun Mexico.. Most weddings at an all inclusive resort will be offered free or complimentary to you if you stay 7 nights or just 3-4 as long as you book min. of 5 rooms ( each resort is diff) We thought we were 9% on Secrets Maroma beach which is beautiful and has highest reveiiws of all resorts, but due to budget and not being sure guests could afford coming and staying there it are now duing Moon Palace Cancun. Check into it ! Hope this gives you a little guidance to get started