kmk2016

I would either put Mr and Mrs_____ or find their names (Facebook creeping or asking around- or have FI text his friends and simply say, "we are sending out our wedding std and wanted to address them correctly- and I'm having a mind blank on your wife's name"... Guys don't care about that stuff and it's better than leaving their name off the STD! I would try as much as possible not to use "and guest" on the envelope... As it's impersonal.

My grandma will be 87 for our wedding and booked last week. She was worried at first but got health insurance in case and we needed to promise we wouldn't desert her in the airport to fend for herself (hahah- as if that would EVER HAPPEN) I think she was just worried no one would want to hang out with the "old lady" but she is a blast and we are thrilled she is coming.

That's so odd about the Spanish thing in DR since many of their local people do not speak Spanish at all- but rather Haitian (basically French). I didn't realize that they were strict about their symbolic ceremonies!

We chose feb 29th... A leap year day! The running joke is that my FI is scared of commitment (will be 43 and getting married for his first time)... So we joked that it would be perfect as he would only need to count anniversary years every 4 years. All kidding aside it was a date that would be easy to remember and far enough away that allowed our guests to save $ in order to join us on our special day!

Depending on your website, there are ways to prevent this. I have mine built on wedshare and there is an option to only allow guests to RSVP for names already loaded by you... They can't add names. It's perfect! Be aware however, that for a DW it may be unrealistic for you to ask people to travel without a guest since many hotels charge a premium for single supplement and since not every moment of the time at the destination will be about your wedding, it may be not considered fun by some guests to use their holiday time but then not be welcome to at least bring one guest to share in their vacation.

Check the reviews section of this website and start there. I would then contact the photographers that peek your interest and get an idea of pricing... They will have many suggestions for locations for your shoots as they are most familiar. You will also want to research outside vendor fees as many of these add to your costs when not using a resort approved photographer. Each hotel has different fees for this.

This is a popular site for brides on BDW... It is used often.

Welcome! Two pieces of advice.... Read a ton here (you found the best resource ever!) and find a great TA that specializes in destination weddings. Both of those steps will get you well on your way to the wedding of your dreams!

Hmmmm most resorts that offer babysitting will not allow parents to leave the resort while their child is being supervised so this may not be an option. If you are inviting friends/family that have children and you make it clear that your wedding is being held at an adult only resort and no children are welcome at your wedding events, be prepared for some of those guests to not travel for your DW. This would require them to likely leave their children at home while they travel out of country for the wedding, or travel with a nanny or caretaker who will provide child care while they are at your wedding festivities. Both make it more expensive or uncomfortable for parents when looking at attending your DW. It's your day and your FI and yourself need to decide for yourselves how you picture your day (with or without kids), but know that if your events or resort are not child friendly this will likely deter many guests with children from attending. Be very clear in your invitations on your wishes regarding kids- so there are no misunderstandings and guests can make an educated decision for themselves.

We have 4 gateways plus US guest, land only rates... We had the same price for Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Our Toronto departures were a bit less. This was with Sunwing travelling to Cancun.

Absolutely not. If a guest chooses to stay somewhere else than where we book for our wedding, they are responsible for paying for their own day passes to attend. No way I would pay after negotiating a group rate at my chosen resort and have it not used. My only exception would be if my resort was oversold and a guest couldn't get a room at no fault of their own, or I knew someone very close had financial hardship that makes it impossible for them to stay at your resort, but they still made the effort to attend at a less expensive place. Both of these instances would be dealt with discreetly and I certainly wouldn't publicize that this is even an option! In fact- I made a note on my website that stated that a day passes would be an additional cost to any guests not staying on property.

I have an amazing TA that worked with the tour operator (sunwing) about getting me a locked in contract before release date (this can be done when a TA submits the request old school paper- so it takes longer than when they can simply submit electronically. It was great! It has allowed me to have a lot of time for my guests to put down their deposits down and save.... And we have a price drop guarantee which will lower the price if it comes down in the coming months. As for the question regarding the number of Canadians who do DW it is because we have tour operators that do packages. This is very different than US. Since the planes are charters only filled with guests travelling for 7 day holidays to all inclusive locations, they tend to make the prices very attractive to fill the plane.... And include transfers etc. Because of this, DW to AI resorts are very common for Canadians.

I was sooo worried too- but it turns out I had several people say "what a great price you got us" when looking at a $2000/pp price for the week. Lol.... I know it's a lot of money and some may not be able to come because of the cost, but so far no one has said anything and people are booking quickly (61 ppl so far and we are 18 months away!) I do feel guilty though still- so We are paying for all the bridal party clothing (5 on each side) and am planning a few extra events for our guests and making OOT bags etc, we really want to spoil everyone who decides to come, and hopefully that will ease my guilt!

Email for me...but you can always just log on to their website and find them weekly. They come out Thursdays.

Tons of great options on etsy! Just search sand ceremony frame in their search bar

Yup- all the time! (Boxes more than bins). As long as the dimensions/weight are the same as luggage allowance of airline it is totally good! Go to a baggage carrousel at Christmas... Hahahaha boxes are every other bag with people packing presents for the holidays!

Etsy really is the best choice. For passport invites there is a great vendor some here have used that do as much or as little of the process as you need.... But if considering the boarding pass?- it's really a simply DIY project that anyone can do.

Sunwing is the same way from what I have been told. Bridal gown is an extra item permitted for the bride. We plan on using the extra allowance we get in elite plus, along with the luggage we are permitted for our kids (who won't need all that space) and will likely have 2-3 more suitcases going down to Mexico than on the return. Will either use boxes or old luggage that can be tossed before returning.

Well you are in the right place! welcome! Search the threads and post where your questions/ideas best fit for feedback and answers from fellow brides! If you can't find an applicable topic after using the search tab, start a new thread and away you go! It's a great community of DW planning brides (and some grooms) here... You will be glad you stopped in!

So are you hoping to have your guests bring things like china with them to your DW??? If you have your heart set on receiving some things like this I would definitely host an AHR. The likelihood of people bringing large gifts like this is higher by doing so. Wedding China is not cheap..... It's as inflated as weddings themselves. Perhaps someone unable to attend your wedding may opt for something like this as a gift at your AHR. If you are wanting to build a china set I would register and let your family know to spread the word. Regardless of whether my guests are making it their holiday for the year, I could never register/ask for gifts. My guests are spending $2000/pp to join in our celebration, we chose the country, resort and dates... So they are truly doing this for us, since they may not have chosen the same had it been their choice and just a typical vacation. It makes me nauseous to think some may feel obligated to then buy us a gift on top of that! So it's why I'm adamant in saying I would rather they not gift us with anything more than their presence. If people who can't attend (or even those that do) opt to still offer a gift, we will of course Thank them graciously for their generosity.

There are a ton here.... You need to participate in the community with 150 posts before you can see all the templates people post/share here but it's worth it! If you don't want to participate and are only needing to come here for a quick template or two/ there is a "contributor" option to remove the 150 post minimum that allows you to pay a nominal fee and have access to everything.

Ok.... First off, the WC department is transitioning to a team approach so it's not unusual to now be hearing from different designers on the team answering your questions. It is true that there are private reception packages that are 4 hours and that this is the only way to have something for a group your size and be able to accommodate for that length of time. 80 is a large group- and if originally you were thinking of just having dinner at zocalo terrace, it would still require a private event. I have never heard of a taco bar reception that wasn't a private- and the semi private events where you use spoons for example, don't have any Mexican choices on the menu. If it was first thought you would all just come to zocalo for dinner around the same time and eat off their regular menu, they won't put tables together for you etc,,, and 4 hours would make it impossible for other guests at the resort to utilize this dining space. We have around the same number of guests and we are doing our reception at plaza zavas- a private space and hiring a DJ. Although you are, as you mentioned bringing a lot of $$ to the hotel, they don't look at it like this since it's a popular hotel that reguarly sells out- so they need to have staff and amenities available for the other 150-200 rooms not a part of your wedding party. Having a private event allows you to really make the event your own. There are several options for food that aren't too pricy in the banquet kit- and you can still do a seated dinner... Or how about a cocktail hour with passed tacos and hot Mexican appetizers. (This may be what you are talking about?)... You could do this and then have your guests disperse for dinner and then regroup for dancing in the disco after if you don't want to host an actual seated reception? We wanted to host our friends and families for a true reception with a great meal as a thank you for travelling so far- but will be doing a passed appetizer cocktail reception and/or s'mores party on the beach as our welcome event. You can do as little or as much as you want,,, it's one of the reasons I liked Karisma since it didn't include a lot of stuff in a base package that I likely wouldn't want. Once you lock in your reception and ceremony spaces then you can research here on how to make the spaces unique and beautiful. Reading through this thread and the other sensatori thread will help a lot I think! Good luck and happy planning!

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/index.php?/topic/30824-Post-all-%22Knock-Off-Wedding-Dress%22-questions-comments-here Read through.. It gives you a ton of info on custom dresses. Also a very active thread on wedding bees that tell you which vendors are good and which to stay clear of.

There is a knock off thread with tons of info!

We are booked and photographer, reception/ceremony sites are reserved and 3/4 of our guests have booked and paid. Expecting around 70-80 people so the early planning got us a great rate for our guests! (Invited 120)