Newly engaged Calgary girl , need some tips and suggestions! Anything is appreciated!

Just got engaged in February, and planning on getting married in either Cabo, Mayan Riviera, Dominican or Vegas at end of 2013 or early 2014. Looking for resort suggestions and average prices for 40-50 people attending. We are looking for something nice and simple, also for travel agents in Calgary who specialize in DW's and any other advice for a newbie! Thanks in advance!

Lisa

Congrats to you! 

Another Calgary girl here! )

So I did a bunch of investigating myself on different resort websites, they usually have wedding package prices posted so we did a bunch of comparisons. I guess first off deciding if you want a big resort or small resort is important...we wanted/needed a bigger one so I checked with Dreams, Sandos, Barcelo, Majestic and a few others. The cost of the package and extras were very important to us, as well I really wanted a beautiful gazebo. I found the resorts I liked the gazebos best at and then once we narrowed down the ones we were most fond of we asked for quotes from our travel agent for the different resorts and different airlines. It is a bit of work but I just printed out the packages (usually pdf files) and then had them to lay out in front of us...some of the different resort wedding package costs are literally THOUSANDS more than others. 

My travel agent has been nothing but fantastic to deal with, if you'd like her information I can forward it on to you.

Happy Planning!!!

Welcome Lisa!

Im also from calgary

My FI and I made a list of what was important to us in a resort and location. We pretty much did the same as FireyNurse and laid out the different resorts and packages in front of us and made comparisons. Our TA was a huge help in narrowing down our list.

My friend is getting married in Vegas April 2013 at Mandalay Bay and is getting the ultimate package which includes every detail of her wedding.

Happy to share any info

I am not from Calgary, but live in Medicine Hat.  

We found it really helpful to sit down and make a list of what we want in the resort, such as all inclusive, fairly large resort, lots of dining options, variety of wedding packages and options ect.  From there we (I should say I!!) did tons of research on this site, trip advisor and any other sites i could find with info.  We were able to narrow our search down to a few different locations and particular reports.  From there we used a travel agent to help us with more info and pricing. 

Good luck with your search!

I'm also in the process of attempting to narrow down resort options (a seemingly impossible task at this stage...) but am trying to come at it in the form of an excel spreadsheet.

We are in the very early stages of planning, but so far have narrowed the location down to somewhere in the Mayan Riviera/Cancun area. What I've been trying to do (and it's a very slow and tedious process) is come up with a chart that compares important features of the resorts we are potentially interested in. I've created column headings like;

              - distance from airport, size of resort, # of restaurants, # of pools, wedding ceremony locations, etc....
                (There's MANY more columns, and the list is still growing)

I may sound like a huge type-A nerd right now, lol, but I find the chart to be a good visual to help lay all the information out side-by-side. So far, I only have the whole chart complete for 3 resorts...but it's slowly coming along.

I was wondering if anyone else has gone at the resort selection this way?
If so, does anyone mind sharing their charts (or at least their templates?) with other brides-to-be?

I did make a spreadsheet of all the resorts we were considering.  I would share it if I had it, but unfortunately my usb drive with all my wedding stuff was stolen so I lost everything off it.  I found it a great way after it was done to go back and quickly look and compare to be able to eliminate some of the resorts.

Originally Posted by katman 

I'm also in the process of attempting to narrow down resort options (a seemingly impossible task at this stage...) but am trying to come at it in the form of an excel spreadsheet.

 

We are in the very early stages of planning, but so far have narrowed the location down to somewhere in the Mayan Riviera/Cancun area. What I've been trying to do (and it's a very slow and tedious process) is come up with a chart that compares important features of the resorts we are potentially interested in. I've created column headings like;

              - distance from airport, size of resort, # of restaurants, # of pools, wedding ceremony locations, etc....
                (There's MANY more columns, and the list is still growing)

 

I may sound like a huge type-A nerd right now, lol, but I find the chart to be a good visual to help lay all the information out side-by-side. So far, I only have the whole chart complete for 3 resorts...but it's slowly coming along.

 

I was wondering if anyone else has gone at the resort selection this way?
If so, does anyone mind sharing their charts (or at least their templates?) with other brides-to-be?

Hey Katman - I am currently doing the exact same thing for a few resorts around the Mayan. Still in pretty beginning stages but we should swap spreadsheets.

Hey Katman - I am currently doing the exact same thing for a few resorts around the Mayan. Still in pretty beginning stages but we should swap spreadsheets.

Hi ladies,

I'm newly engaged and in Calgary as well. Looking to plan for a feb/mar 2014 wedding. Just wondering if you could update for me, which resorts you chose. or if ur willing to share your spreadsheets since you've all got a head start on me!