Freakin Clueless!!!

[~*DiAnE*~]

I kind of feel dumb saying this but I honestly have no idea where to start with any of the planning!!! I have no idea what to do first and I have no idea of all the things that a TA can even do. I have emailed a few TA's and I just don't know!! I know we want to go to the PPR - I have contacted someone there who directed me to a website - which also didn't help. I'm really frustrated and just feel dumb at this point!!!! I am not good at planning and usually do everything at the last minute.. but of course there is no way I would or even could plan a whole wedding at the last minute!! Any thoughts out there!!??!

[TammyWright]

• the first thing to do is to figure out where you want to get married
• then narrow it down to the resort
• then pick a date
• negotiate group rates if you have a larger group/if not then get an idea of what prices will be for your guests
• if you are going to do STD, website work on monogram
• put together website with travel information, booking information, resort info etc.
• send of STD with website information

after you have that done, you can slow the pace down a bit...and do the fun stuff like dress shopping, picking out colors, flowers, wedding details...

[jennierin]

First things first...breathe...

 

I totally felt the same way as you when I first started this venture. I had no idea where to start. Then I found BDW and all my trouble's seem to have disappeared!

 

Okay, you have already picked your destination and resort...believe me, THAT is half the battle. I had a hard time trying to decide...there are so many of them out there.

 

Next, I would try to narrow in on a date that you would like to have your wedding. When that is finished, talk to a TA and let them know the dates that you plan on getting married and then pick a week for travel and get some quotes for group travel. If you are planning your wedding far in advance (like more than a year or so), don't get discouraged if the prices seem ridiculous...it only means that the published prices for the resorts aren't out yet. I FREAKED out at first because I couldn't get any quotes until mid-December 2008 for a planned November 2009 wedding...which is why I am getting married the last week of October...they were already published before December...LOL! I can be a little OCD at times! My FI calls it impatience. LOL!

 

Once you finally decide around what dates you are interested in, get in contact with a wedding coordinator at PPR (BEAUTIFUL resort BTW) and secure a wedding date...after that, get your group travel in place.

 

I hope that helped some. Good luck with the planning and I promise you that you will enjoy every moment of it...even the frustrating times!

[zoetwin]

I am in the same boat! I am so overwhelmed by the volume of resorts in the DR. I am not sure if I should contact a travel agent to help me decide or if I should work directly with the resorts. At this point I am just waiting for anyone to just tell me where to go. The only thing I have set is the date.

[~*DiAnE*~]

Thanks ladies for the replies I guess I really do just need to calm down and worry about one thing at a time!! This site has been Sooo Soo helpful so far but I just wasn't too sure where to start.. so basically I should decide forsure where I want to go - then I contact the resort and book it through them (the day and the type of wedding etc..)- and use the TA for travel and accommodations but they do not actually do any of the wedding booking or anything like that correct? that would be a WC if I had one, which I don't think I will get.. sorry for sounding like an idiot.. some of this is probably common sense!!

[vickyphan]

This thread really helped. I feel the same way and FI isn't helping. I'm trying to decide between DR and Jamaica.

[Jenn K-W]

Good to know I'm not alone!

 

Some girls are so good at planning and organizing and paying attention to every last detail... NOT ME!!!

 

Thanks Tammy and Jennierin for the advice.

 

Jenn

[seaprincess]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamy101 then I contact the resort and book it through them (the day and the type of wedding etc..)- and use the TA for travel and accommodations but they do not actually do any of the wedding booking or anything like that correct? that would be a WC if I had one, which I don't think I will get.. sorry for sounding like an idiot.. some of this is probably common sense!!

Hey! First off congratulations on deciding on a DW - even though its overwhelming now, it will be the best decision you will have made when it comes to your wedding - Promise! As for the TA, I actually used a fantastic TA who specialises in DW and is based in my city. I found her at a bridal show, but I'm sure if you google it, or ask around, you'll find one in your city too. My TA actually arranged all the details with WC at the resort for me including dinner location, the judge, the location, the time etc. The rest I figured out with the WC when I got there. A good TA who is exerienced should be able to help you choose a resort that meets your wedding needs and is appropriate for your guests. Shop around if need be to find someone who you will enjoy working with.

Good luck and happy planning!

[taratoons]

Hi Dreamy101,

 

I totally hear you on feeling overwhelmed! There are so many decisions to make, and I feel like none of the really big decisions can be made straight away, because we have to wait for rates to be released, then visit the resorts, THEN decide. It's just hard when all the wedding books tell you to have most of this stuff done a year in advance! I'm just stocking up on information (which may be a bad thing, I'm noticing that there are TOO many options!), and I'm trying to focus on the smaller things. Details like wedding party, clothing, favours. Not that I'm making those decisions for sure, but they are small things to tide me over until the bigger, more stressful decisions need to be made.

 

Hope things are going better for you now than they were earlier in the month. :0)

[xxashleyxx007]

I thought I was the only one who felt like this! At least you have your resort picked. I have no clue where to do it, I just know I want to be in Punta Cana. I was looking at Excellence because it's got a great website and reviews, but then I realized they don't allow kids, and we have a few under age 18 coming. So now I'm back where I started...at zero haha.