Any 2011 brides?!!

[debbmach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashley1316 I went and saw a travel agent about 3moths ago to just find out about the process. And she suggested i come and see her in the middle of Jan to have pricing and to contact the resort. She said most tavel agents do not get info till then. as for the STD's, i am sending mine out come Jan, even if i dont have the exact date i am to be getting married, i am sending them out to let ppl know that it will be in July 2011. Then when i send out the invites, it will have my actual day. I feel like the STD's for a destination wedding is just to give your guests a heads up for the time frame for them to start saving.

I've contacted a TA and she said the new year would have the updated priing too. I like that your sending out the STD's with just the month, that's what I'd like to do too (although others have warned me against that). Glad to hear I'm not the only one thinking this far in advance!

[RonNMel]

This winter we will set up our wedding website with some general info about the date and place (i.e. Cuba, spring of 2011). We will let people know about this website through email and word of mouth. This will be our virtual STD.

 

Once we get the prices in April 2010 and book our resort and flight, we will send out the formal invitation with all the booking info. We'll also ask people to RSVP through our wedding website to help us keep a tally of who is coming.

 

Then finally a couple of months prior to the wedding we are thinking of sending out a "Get ready for Cuba" package (got the idea from this forum). This package would possibly include a welcome booklet and a resort brochure. Just to remind people and get them excited about the fast approaching wedding.

[ashley1316]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonNMel Then finally a couple of months prior to the wedding we are thinking of sending out a "Get ready for Cuba" package (got the idea from this forum). This package would possibly include a welcome booklet and a resort brochure. Just to remind people and get them excited about the fast approaching wedding.

thats a relly good idea!
i have been going thru this forum for the past couple of months, and have noticed a lot of brides bringing their own flowers and centre peices down. i was so not into the loop of this is what ppl do. what are ur plans ladies? i think i may bring down centre peices. but as for flowers, we're gonna be in the tropics where they have beautiful flowers......

[Jennybell1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashley1316 thats a relly good idea! i have been going thru this forum for the past couple of months, and have noticed a lot of brides bringing their own flowers and centre peices down. i was so not into the loop of this is what ppl do. what are ur plans ladies? i think i may bring down centre peices. but as for flowers, we're gonna be in the tropics where they have beautiful flowers......

Hey Ashley,

I've decided Im not doing any of that. The only thing I have planned is the OOT bags and favours and they are basically done. My main reason for having a DW wedding was to avoid having to worry about all of that stuff (i.e centre peices, table settings etc). I dont want to have to pack and lug it all down there, nor do I want to mail it. I dont want the added stress or expense to be honest with you. I really dont understand it when brides do that as the whole thought behind a DW is to get married with little or no worries and to keep it more informal. Not saying that the brides shouldnt do it if thats what they really want, I just dont quite understand it thats all. I thought not doing those things was the whole reason you booked a destination wedding. But maybe thats not how everyone sees it now.
I have seen what some of the brides have brought down for their weddings and how everything was set up and it has always been beautiful...probably much better then the resort would have ever done for them. And to some that is very important. But I know for me and my guests, they wont really care about that stuff bc we are keeping everything informal. I guess if your wedding is more formal, maybe that would be more condusive to the style they are going with. Maybe thats why ladies choose to do all of that. Plus it probably has to do with always dreaming about how they wanted things to look on their day....I think thats great for them....you have to do what you want.....its your day.
I think you should do whatever it is in your heart that you want. Dont worry about what others think or say bc in the end, its your wedding .
Enjoy!

[RonNMel]

Thanks Ashley!

 

I am not doing any of that either. As Ashley said, I'll be in the tropics where they have beautiful flowers, so I'm sure whatever bouquet they hand me will be fine. And like Jennifer said, a big reason for us to do a DW was so that it was less stressful and less expensive.

 

I was already married once, so I've already had a room done exactly the way I wanted, so no need to do it this time. Though even then I had a very tight budget and quite casual tastes, so it wasn't anything big. This time I'm letting the resort plan everything for me and whatever they do will be fine by me. As long as I get to marry my FI with the sand between my toes and the ocean as a backdrop, I'll be as happy as can be. Oh, and let's not the free alcohol (yay for all inclusive!!) and the big party until the wee hours. Hihi

[ashley1316]

ok you ladies put me at ease a bit. i thought perhaps i am the only person out here that thinks bringing all that extra bagage(litterally) is outta the question.

i 100% agree with the whole idea of a DW is to have less stress. yaaa thats what i want!

[Cassie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jennybell1 Hey Ashley, I've decided Im not doing any of that. The only thing I have planned is the OOT bags and favours and they are basically done. My main reason for having a DW wedding was to avoid having to worry about all of that stuff (i.e centre peices, table settings etc). I dont want to have to pack and lug it all down there, nor do I want to mail it. I dont want the added stress or expense to be honest with you. I really dont understand it when brides do that as the whole thought behind a DW is to get married with little or no worries and to keep it more informal. Not saying that the brides shouldnt do it if thats what they really want, I just dont quite understand it thats all. I thought not doing those things was the whole reason you booked a destination wedding. But maybe thats not how everyone sees it now. I have seen what some of the brides have brought down for their weddings and how everything was set up and it has always been beautiful...probably much better then the resort would have ever done for them. And to some that is very important. But I know for me and my guests, they wont really care about that stuff bc we are keeping everything informal. I guess if your wedding is more formal, maybe that would be more condusive to the style they are going with. Maybe thats why ladies choose to do all of that. Plus it probably has to do with always dreaming about how they wanted things to look on their day....I think thats great for them....you have to do what you want.....its your day. I think you should do whatever it is in your heart that you want. Dont worry about what others think or say bc in the end, its your wedding . Enjoy!

Jenny, I have to disagree with you. I am doing a dw because I want to get married somewhere beautiful and keep attendance on the smaller side. I am a complete planner though, and want to make every decision and plan everything out to every detail, I just love that. I don't see it as stress at all, it's complete enjoyment for me. Maybe that's just me though.

[Jennybell1]

Cassie,

 

I wasnt stating this as a fact, it is just my opinion. In my opinion I dont see the need for it Bc I thought that was what a DW was all about. No matter where you choose your wedding to be, in your backyard, to mexico to Rome...its going to be beautiful bc you chose the location that you wanted. I am by no means bashing anyone for wanting to do the centerpeices etc, I just dont understand it. A lot of people talk about doing DW weddings bc its an inexpensive way to get married.....well if your doing all the centrepeices, sashes, chair covers, chuppa, red carpet, etc etc...its just doesnt seem as inexpensive anymore. My wedding/honeymoon is going to cost my just under $6000.00 CAN. Some brides on here are spending over 20K to get married.

Im just stating that in my opinion (and from experience as I have been married before) it just seems like a lot of work, stress and expense for something the hotel is supposed to take care of for you. You see threads on here all the time about brides being stressed out and at the end of their rope bc they cant find flowers or centre peices and how do we get all of this down to the resort....the list goes on and on.....so Im just going off of all the threads on here too. It just seems to be a lot of stress for most of the ladies on here. You are def a lucky one in that respect. Im glad that you arent having any of those issues and you are enjoying the process.

In the end, everyone needs to do whatever it is that they want, bc in the end, they have to be happy. Thats what counts in the end. I wont be bringing anything and many others will be bringing all of the above...neither wedding will be any less beautiful to the bride that planned it. I just think mine might just be a little less stressful then the ones that are bringing everything down. Maybe I dont handle stress as well as others...that could be it too...I dont know...but it just seems to be a lot of stressed out brides on here....I am going to try to avoid that if I can...lol

Good luck with your planning and I wish you all the best!!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassie Jenny, I have to disagree with you. I am doing a dw because I want to get married somewhere beautiful and keep attendance on the smaller side. I am a complete planner though, and want to make every decision and plan everything out to every detail, I just love that. I don't see it as stress at all, it's complete enjoyment for me. Maybe that's just me though.

[Tifuhhknee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashley1316 as for the STD's, i am sending mine out come Jan, even if i dont have the exact date i am to be getting married, i am sending them out to let ppl know that it will be in July 2011. Then when i send out the invites, it will have my actual day. I feel like the STD's for a destination wedding is just to give your guests a heads up for the time frame for them to start saving.

This sounds like a great idea. I really need to get on the ball with choosing a resort and not just an area though. So many to choose from and FI is about to graduate with his BSN degree, hopefully after that he will help me decide! BUT I am one of those laid back girls that isn't lugging extras down there either. I'm just worried about my bikinis fitting in one suitcase and carrying on my wedding dress!

[Ashleyciv]

Hey there everyone!! Im so excited there is a 2011 bride forum!! Im planning a june 2011 wedding most likely in Punta Cana. I was thinking the Bahamas but i dont think that would be affordable for our guests (or us). We have visited a travel agent but i wasnt all that happy with the amount of expertise she had on destination weddings so i was thinking of looking around for a travel agent that actually specializes in destination weddings and has connections with certain resorts, what do you all think? As far as what i have done so far..umm basically just trying to pick a resort and cutting pictures out of magizines of things i like. My fiance and i chose a DW because of financial issues and the beauty of the beach. But, I still have high expectations. I love the idea of bringing my own centerpieces (especially if it saves me money) but flowers i would have to agree wtih Ashley, tropical flowers are beautiful. We were planning on sending save the dates out as soon as we found a hotel, which will hopefully be in march bc we are thinking about heading to PC to see some of the resorts, to make a better informed decision about what resort we pick. Does anyone know if the resorts offer any discounts for that? But as of now, im leaning towards Dreams, either PC or PB, bc of the prices and great reviews. They seem to be able to accommodate whatever people want, whether it be plain and simple or elegant. Wow..ok that was all the things i was thinking of as i was reading this forum!! Im so glad to have joined everyone, you all sound so fantastic and i look forward to chatting with everyone (friends and family also think im jumping the gun and should relax and give it some time, but im just so anxious).