What have I learned from planning a destination wedding?

[KK2013]

Originally Posted by 1Pris 

 

I bought a veil already but I am in love with the cathedral length. I will be having a beach ceremony and love the way the breeze makes it sway So yeah, I think I might invest in another veil. 

What is first look? Now I'm kind of worried for the parasols. I am thinking about getting some also. 

 

First look is where they film or take pictures of the groom seeing you for the first time...if you do pictures before the ceremony.

[Jessica Correa]

I am so afraid that I do not decorate enough.. but what if I were to decorate too much? I have no idea where to draw the line.

[zeman321]

Originally Posted by missde09 

 

Love this thread! Thanks for all of the great advice ladies! I am eagerly counting down the days until we leave for our wedding in paradise

Your day will be here soon! Don't forget about us when you get back! LOL!

[trishk]

RNtoBe-

Your wedding video was amazing!  I teared up a little and I don't even know you personally

I'm getting married March 2014 at the Riu Palace and had noticed in another post you booked with Suzanne Morel, I think?

What time did you make your appointments for and was it difficult getting there?  Or did you pay the vendor fee to have her come to the resort.  Just wondering how to work on the timing of the day if we want to have a first look prior to our ceremony at 4pm.

 

Thanks for all of your advice and posts- you have been very helpful to those of us earlier in the planning stages.

[RNtoBe]

Originally Posted by trishk 

 

RNtoBe-

Your wedding video was amazing!  I teared up a little and I don't even know you personally

I'm getting married March 2014 at the Riu Palace and had noticed in another post you booked with Suzanne Morel, I think?

What time did you make your appointments for and was it difficult getting there?  Or did you pay the vendor fee to have her come to the resort.  Just wondering how to work on the timing of the day if we want to have a first look prior to our ceremony at 4pm.

 

Thanks for all of your advice and posts- you have been very helpful to those of us earlier in the planning stages.

Thank you! I love our video, Angel Zapien did an amazing job. Our appointments at Suzanne Morel were scheduled for at 9:30, 5 of us got our hair done, 3 out of 5 got makeup and we were out of there before 11. The salon is a 5 minute cab ride from the resort. I did a first look with my dad and husband, and it didn't take long at all. 

[EVKnowsitall]

Originally Posted by 1Pris 

 

I bought a veil already but I am in love with the cathedral length. I will be having a beach ceremony and love the way the breeze makes it sway So yeah, I think I might invest in another veil. 

What is first look? Now I'm kind of worried for the parasols. I am thinking about getting some also. 

No, we did our first look on the hotel grounds. I chose not to wear my veil for the first look because I wanted to save some element of surprise for when I walked down the aisle. It worked! because he totally fought back tears when I walked down the aisle (I wanted him to cry we had a bet) My wedding was at 5:00 PM in the church but at 6:30 we hit the beach to grab some beach shots and that's where we realized the parasols wouldn't work. Even the veil was a little of an issue. I took just a few shots with it and then took it off. And I was kicking myself because I wanted to do one with both of us under the veil and in the chaos of it all, I didnt. At my AHR however, my friends and family grabbed my veil while I was dancing and encircled my husband and I and threw it over both of us like the parachute you run under in kindergarten haha. I loved it and the pics are pretty cool- Since you are on the fence- here are a few: I am biased but I looooove cathedral. I say get the cathedral and use the shorter one for the rest of the time. Something to consider. It made me feel so bridal- since you give a lot of that up with a DW.

 

Church in DR

 

 

 

Dancing at our AHR under the veil

 

Had to hold the veil to dance

 

 

Me dancing and the veil swinging into my husband- we got a good giggle from this pic

 

 

One professional shot- my photog for my AHR only gave me a teaser lol

 

[heather1214]

Planning a destination wedding has been the most stressful, but amazing experience of my life!  I have to say, there are no regrets about having our wedding in Jamaica.  We had the best 7 days with friends and family on a vacation that we never would have been able to experience had it not been for the wedding.  Having said all of that... as a bride-to-be, I learned a lot!

 

-Keep yourself organized.  It seems most destination wedding coordinators are.... MIA!  If you concentrate on what you want your wedding day to be, keep all the details outlined, everything will fall into place. 

 

-Pick a great photographer.  Look at A LOT of pictures before choosing, and do a MUST have list of shots.  I will say the one part of my wedding I regret is not making that list.  I trusted my photographer would be on top of it and he missed a lot of those sentimental shots that I would like to have had.  (I'm actually getting $ back because of this)  I paid a lot for photography and researched a lot of different photographers (almost $3000 with day pass) and did not have near the shots I anticipated, from TWO photographers!  The ones I DO have are beautiful but I was definitely disappointed in what they missed. Perhaps letting them know ahead of time how important those shots are. Maybe I'm to critical, but a wedding photographer should be the absolute best of all photographers! I also didn't do a first look, and would probably do one if I could change it.  It gives the photographer time to capture that amazing moment, without it all happening to fast.

 

-Write your own vows!  I wanted to do this and the weeks leading up to the wedding were so busy, we never got around to it.  I think its even more beautiful to write your own! (We will do this eventually on our wedding vow renewals)

 

-Cut costs where you can, the place you chose is already beautiful... let it show, and save some $. Guests really don't remember all of that little stuff anyway!

 

-If you are traveling with decor and favors, ask around if anyone has any old suitcases they don't want anymore.  We took one with favors and decor and just left it down there... we didn't have to pay to bring the bag back!

 

-Speaking of "stuff"... decide on decor BEFORE you go buying all kinds of crap!  I changed my mind a few times and I have a room full of junk now!  Save yourself the running around and plan from photos online first before buying!

 

-Jamaica is an amazing, amazing place!!  Once you go, you know!!

 

 

Here are a few photos from our day!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pongyang2001]

this is one of my fave threads!

[NJBride2014]

Such good information and advice keep them coming.

[heather1214]

Originally Posted by EVKnowsitall 

 

 Surely ; ) We didn't get a trailer because it was more money so this is the full length clip. Feel free to skip around to the parts you want to see like the actual reception lol I think the entire church sermon is on here.

 

http://vimeo.com/70292354

Love your video!!