Brides without travel agent?

[jamieirene]

I am using a TA who is extremely helpful, but I have done a lot of communicating with the resort myself. I am getting married at the riu caribe in cancun but the way the riu hotels run weddings anywhere is very similar because they are one large corporation. My weddingis july 28th 2012. And we booked our wedding in march of 2011 no problem well over a year in advance. I am very curious about every little detail of my wedding so of course I kept asking questions from the day I booked and I am yet to stop. Here's a little bit of information you may find helpful. Yes. Your wedding coordinator will contact you about one to two months prior to your wedding, but if your anything like me you can get in contact with her well before that. For example I have been talking with her and getting questions answered by her personally since may of 2011. Everything at a riu wedding is coordinated by MISE operations department. Meaning the people you are emailing with when putting in your wedding request etc. (Most likely who you are talking with now unless you are at your two mounth mark) are simply general customer service agents in general for riu weddings. This is not the person who you will be working with at our particular resort. If you request to have your personal wedding coordinators email they will provide you with her name and contact information just ask. I have been able to find out a lot more little details about my wedding which I would other wise probably not know about until we arrived. For example my lastest email inquired about corking fees for bring in your own champagne. If you have any further questions please feel free to let me know! Hope this helps!

[MrsDesz]

Thanks for the info!

When you got started did you get  2012 group rates that were comparable to the 2011 prices that far in advance?  If so, what happens if your guests decide to book on their own and your group is not large enough to fulfill the requirements of a group? 

I'm just wondering because we have chosen a resort, but we want to make sure that when we book or enter into a group rate situation that we aren't locked in with them and have to pay more for our (bride and groom) travel if the guest book closer to the wedding date.

 

 

Dilemmas dilemmas!

What do you think?

 

[anichols8]

I think that having a TA has put me a little more at ease.

[MrsDesz]

Maybe that's what I need too!  When is your wedding?

 

[jamieirene]

We are doing all individual booking. I have heard too many horrible stories about group.bookings. also we r waiting to book our actual stay and airfair its way too.expensie this far in advance.

[MrsDesz]

@ jamieirene Okay I thought I was the only one that noticed this.  Not only is it too expensive, it isn't available for next summer (July 2012) if you call the tour operators individually.  So I'm wondering how the travel agents are able to give quotes.  Are they guesstimating?

In any case, aren't you concerned that you may not get the date you want to get married on and the flights? Were you able to book your wedding day with the resort without having booked your flight? 

[jamieirene]

@ jamieirene Okay I thought I was the only one that noticed this.  Not only is it too expensive, it isn't available for next summer (July 2012) if you call the tour operators individually.  So I'm wondering how the travel agents are able to give quotes.  Are they guesstimating?

In any case, aren't you concerned that you may not get the date you want to get married on and the flights? Were you able to book your wedding day with the resort without having booked your flight? 

Yeah...I did a lot if research way ahead of time and I actually checked prices for an entire year in advanced down to one month in advanced. Most places even the actual riu website you can not book until 8 months in advanced. The first travel agent we had quoted us an absurd amount. We have stayed at this exact hotel we are getting married in so I am well aware of re cost of flight and airfair. My new travel agent told me do not even bother booking until at exactly one year in advanced she is much more honest with me and answering my questions. They work direct with the hotel to get you a quote. I was able to book the hotel without booking my stay with out a problem. I was a bit concerned about not getting the dates all lined up but the riu has over 500 some rooms so im not really worried about rooms being sold out. As far as flight im not too worried if we have to fly a few ezra days before we originally planneed we r okay with that but I have been assured by travel agents and the hotel if I wait until even 6 months in advanced there will be no problem!