ValentineMrs2Be

Quick update. Wedding is still on but we have to move the date. Our wedding planner will be reaching out to all of our vendors to reschedule. Hopefully, either April, May, or June of next year. I am a bit bummed but it is what it is and for the best.

I will be checking in with TAs this week for flights and hotels. Thanks ladies. My cake. I should be booking the cake vendor this week. My design will look something like this: The edible cake is a decorated sheet cake with rosettes to mimic the dummy cake. Flavors I am thinking of is Vanilla Brandy, Vanilla with Strawberry filling, Butter Cream and Caramel, or just plain vanilla. Next up are florals and decor. YAY! This should be a lot of fun. Booked: Wedding Planner/DOC Venue (ceremony & reception) Photographer Videographer Booking pending: Baker Hotel !!! Need to Book: MUA Hairstylist Event rentals Flights !!!!

Very pretty! Congrats.

The goal is to get the best rate for both flights and rooms. My DW planner was able to secure a room block with a hotel and I just received the agreement. However, it appears as if I and my fiance may be on the hook for a minimum amount of rooms and a cancellation fee that could be uber expensive. I sent back a whole gaggle of questions to better clarify the agreement to the hotel's event/group sales manager to clarify. If I am correct, then it makes sense for our guests to just book directly with the hotel since if a cancellation occurs they would just need to cancel within 48 hours of the arrival date and not be charged anything. If the fee is not what I think then we will secure the room block and just have to deal with flights. I think you are right and that it is best to check in with a TA to see what options we have. I'd like to make it as easy as possible for our guests and for them to get a good rate for this trip on the whole. I am just concerned about my guests not incurring any extra cost if, God forbid, that we should have to postpone or cancel delay. I also don't want any more cost heaped up on me and my fiance either (i.e. the possibility of the room block fee).

Yep so going with my "show" cake for the pics and will be having a butter cream cake waiting in the kitchen for consumption. So happy to have my butter cream cake. Quick updates: Waiting on the room block agreement from the hotel. My planner will be going to the venue with the tent vendor to see about design for the reception space. One of her team is working on finding the music vendors. Three and a half months to go. I do have a question. I need to make the reservations for flights. Should I use a travel agent if all I need to do is to book flights?

Thanks ladies. I will push for my buttercream cake.

LOL! I hear you. I really want to be able to enjoy all of my cake. The reason I was given is actually the same rationale for what I was told from the bakers here in the States. A buttercream cake will melt in the heat and humidity unless it is kept in a cool place. Since I am having an outdoor event in PR I am being strongly encouraged to go with a fondant cake. I am considering getting a sheet cake using buttercream and the flavors I desire and just having a "fake" cake put on the table for the decor/wow factor for photographs and video.

OK. Work has been a bear but I've made some progress with the DW planning. Adding to my booked list is the videographer and venue. The next few items my planner is working on is the hotel rooms, cake, and event design.

My photographer is booked. YAY! The venue proposal came in last night. The estimated cost is great. I am so happy with it. It is based on a hypothetical menu but the intent was to give me a number to work with. I also had a few follow up questions. So now I am just waiting for the answers including the deposit amount to secure my date and then the venue is a definite check. YESSS!!!! One thing I am a bit bummed out by is the cake. I just completely didn't think about the fact that I would be in a tropical place and getting a buttercream wedding cake would not be a good idea. Thus, I have to get a fondant iced cake. (**Sigh**) I know it will be a pretty cake but as a cake lover I really want to be able to eat ALL of my cake. LOL! You can't eat fondant too well. Oh well.

By the end of this week I will have my photographer and hopefully my venue. The venue I want is available. YAY! My planner visited the site this past weekend and called me via FaceTime. The venue's event manager was there as well. They showed me where the ceremony and reception would take place as well as showed me the grounds. I am super excited. We are just waiting on the proposal now and then the venue is a check!

Thanks. Very information and useful.

Woohoo! So two of the three photographers are available for my date. My planner is going to send their packages over to me tonight (hopefully) for review by myself and my FH. I hope to book one by the end of this week. Still waiting on the venues...

My wedding planner is off and running. Because we only have 5 1/5 months to plan we are behind the eight ball for sure. I am also super nervous since the date we chose is a popular one and it is during the high travel time in the PR. The priorities right now is the book the officiant, photographer, videographer, and of course the venue. This past Saturday we had a FaceTime session. She presented me with two to three possible vendors in all planning categories. We looked at the priority vendors together and I had her look at my Pinterest boards so she could see how I am envisioning my wedding. I really like how engaged she is and how detailed she is being with me. This week we should hear back on availability for the venue and photographer. Oh, and I booked the officiant on Friday after speaking and interviewing with him over the phone. We are off to a good start.

@@jackyrae - One of my BMs said something similar to what you said. She said our love is not traditional so it makes sense for us to have a DW, something wonderful, different, and special. I hope your treatment goes well and that you are able to set a hard date sooner rather than later. @@MarieSamSanchezPhoto - Thank you. Good things do come to those who wait.

Couple of reception inspiration pics: Couple of bouquet pics: I told my wedding planner I would like to use soft pastels for the wedding but that is not set in stone. I love jeweled tone colors too! Decisions, decisions... Couple of cake inspiration pics: I LOVE cakes. I may need to get one just for me. LOL! Back to Destination Wedding Planning Journal

Couple of altar inspiration pics:

My cousin got married there in May 2014 I wasn't able to make it but her pictures were so pretty! I love Ocho Rios. In fact I love Jamaica period. My mother's family is from there. :-) However, I am not getting married in Jamaica. LOL! We are going for 2/14/16 in Puerto Rico.

Only immediate family will be attending our DW. Thus, we are not sending out anything. We just told everyone verbally and plan to give them verbal updates as well until the itinerary is set. At that point I will get the event schedule, hotel information, etc. printed and sent to them. Everyone will be attending.

Ladies - since most of you have been planning for a while now can you tell me what your biggest challenges were (are) and how you dealt with it? TIA!

For those of you who read my intro thread you know I was supposed to have gotten married on 9/5/15. We had to postpone because my FH is going through very intense cancer treatment in another state from where we both live. August was a rough month. Last weekend was even tougher but we are OK especially as his weekly test results keep showing the cancer is disappearing. YAY! He's not 100% yet but he is on his way. My FH was adamant that he wants to marry me ASAP. He originally wanted to do so by the end of 2015. We thought about the JOP and then having a reception later on but decided that we wanted to be married in a way that was more intimate and special for us. So he said let's do a DW and invite only immediate family and let's do it in Puerto Rico (Vieques). Well I knew if we were going to get married by the end of the year I'd have to start planning right away. I put out a few feelers with wedding planners in Vieques and resorts/hotels for December 2015. Yeah...no. It wasn't so much that we couldn't find a day to get married but finding accommodations and flights that didn't require a second mortgage was going to be difficult. So my FH said let's go for 2/14/16 of next year (Valentine's Day) and so here we are. We've got a lot to do in a short period of time but I am confident that we will get it done. First thing I did was hire a wedding planner in Puerto Rico. I had originally tried to get Sandy Malone with Weddings in Vieques but she was booked for our date. The team we hired are awesome. I love everything about them. So far we've had excellent communication via email. We hired them to do EVERYTHING as most likely we will not be able to visit the island until the wedding day. They are all about telling your wedding story and start off by asking their clients to complete a very detailed questionnaire to get to know the styles and personalities of the bride and groom and what the couple envisions for their wedding event. From the responses they build a story board and works with the client throughout the planning process to make that storyboard happen. I love it! So high on their list for me to secure right now is the minister, photographer, and venue. I can't wait to see what options they come up with. I LOVE weddings and planning has never been a chore for me so I am looking forward to this process. And, honestly I need this to keep me occupied. This week was supposed to by my HM. I miss my FH so much and can't wait for all of this to be over with. I see him on weekends but it is never enough and it is hard for us to part. OK. Enough. Let me find some of my inspiration pics and post them for safe keeping. Before the pics I forgot to give some background info on our wedding. No of guests: 20 (including me and my FH) Wedding style: sophisticated romance Location: Somewhere in Puerto Rico (LOL). I'd like to be on the water but open to just views of the water or a lovely garden or terrace space Budget: $20k - $25k (we'll see) When we postponed our 9/5/15 wedding ALL of our vendors were so amazing. They gave us credit for everything we paid and agreed to move our contracts to another date. We were urged by family and close friends to have a formal event where we say our vows and have a reception. My FH chose the AHR date too. It will be held on March 26, 2016. The AHR is all planned. Here is my dress. I had intended to use it for my reception gown before the postponement. I think it is perfect for a DW. My shoes I am still debating and, of course, depends it the DW will be on the beach or not.

1. Budget. What amount are you looking to spend since you will have just spent quite a bit of money on your DW? Did you include this in your overall wedding budget? We had to postpone our stateside wedding. Everything was literally paid for. The budget for that is twice the budget or the DW. 2. Type. What kind of AHR are you planning? Is it formal or informal? How long will it last? Will you also have a dance after the reception? It is formal. When we postponed many of our guests suggested that we get married in a small ceremony and then recreate it. The DW is only for the immediate family. Everyone else is expecting to be invited to the "wedding" once we reschedule. the AHR is a 5 hour event taking place on a Saturday evening. We will have a ceremony where we say our vows, cocktail hour, and reception. We originally asked for no gifts rather contributions to the charities that we feel strongly about. 3. When. How long after your DW are you planning the AHR? The AHR is approximately 6 weeks after the DW. 4. Food. Are you having a buffet or a formal sit down dinner? Sit down dinner. 5. Clothes. What are you wearing to your AHR? Your wedding day attire or something else entirely? For the wedding I had to postpone I had a ceremony and reception dress. I had planned to wear both. Now with the DW I am going to wear my reception dress and the ceremony dress will be worn for he entire AHR event. 6. Invitations. Formal or informal invitations? We are thinking about having it in the small town where I grew up and many people just put an announcement in the local paper for people to attend but then it is difficult to determine the amount of food you need. Formal invitations. 7. Photographer. Are you hiring a professional photographer for the day? Yes 8. Cake. Are you having a traditional wedding cake for the AHR? Yes 9. Decorations. What kinds of decorations are you having for your AHR? We are having all the decor you would find for a ceremony and reception. 10. DW Photos. Are you going to have these on display and if so, how? It is something we are considering if they are ready by the AHR event date. I just don't know where we'd display them. Maybe with the guest book or as part of the escort card table.

Thank you. My FH went there for work earlier this year and fell in love with PR. When the idea of a DW came up PR was his immediate choice. :-)

I am very excited and yes good things come to those who wait. We've have optimism on steroids! We won't be beat. I am eager for the big day and I know it will come soon. Yes the fun begins. I hear planning a DW can be challenging but oh so rewarding. Thank you. I will check out the link you gave me. I will definitely be interested in getting help with all of the travel items for this wedding. That is awesome that you will be renewing your vows. I am sure it will be a great event for you.

February 14, 2016 in Puerto Rico. Working on the details now.

Thank you. I see you are fairly new yourself. How's everything going?