No planning until arrival?

[khomac]

My friend is such a "worry wart". But when it came to a wedding at the Majestic, she booked her date, booked a flight and that was it!! The day after she arrived, there was note under her door to meet with the wedding co-ordinator where they chose locations, food, flowers, cake, hair appointments, etc. The caribbean is a beautiful setting anyway, decorations aren't needed. DW are supposed to be simple and stress-free. It's truly about the marriage and not putting on a "big show" for your friends/family.

 

Once you get to the resort, you may end up changing your mind anyway once you see all the beautiful options.

[Beach Bride 80]

I think it should be up to you how much planning you want to put into it. When you get to the resort they set you up completely with everything you would need as far as cakes, flowers, dinner, etc. I did a few extras for our wedding just because I wanted to and I like to do crafty things. Thats just one of the perks of a DW, its very flexible.

[hockeymom97]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glamourina lol I was one of those brides who brought down a bunch of stuff like linens, centerpieces, candles, favours, place cards, you name it! While the extras are nice and I'm glad I brought them they definitely NOT NEEDED The beach and the grounds of the resort are so beautiful that people really don't notice centerpieces and linens etc. I used the flowers from the resort package and they were gorgeous so I didn't need anything else really.. I think as long as you book your date/location/time and a good photographer as early as possible you're good to go with planning everything else upon arrival..

I agree with you that the destination and the resort is so beautiful the way it is, you really don't NEED to bring anything else. But at the same time I think by choosing to have a DW, you get the flexibility to have it as simple or as elaborate as you want. And while some do chose a DW for the "stress-free" planning, I also think that others choose a DW just because they want a tropical wedding.


For me personally, I really do enjoy the planning process. I think I probably fall somewhere in the middle of being OCD with the planning and leaving everything until we get down to the resort. There are a few things/ideas I have in my head that I really want for my ceremony and I know it will be less expensive if I do these things myself versus purchasing things at the resort. And since the budget is important to us, I'm just choosing to do it this way.

[midnight24]

i'm glad you started this thread. after reading all the 'planning' threads i thought maybe i was one of the few who wasn't doing all the 'extra' things.

 

as much as i think the 'extras' look good, i kind of think a lot of it is wasteful-for the environment and money-wise. i'm not doing favours, oot bags, placecards etc.

we are hoping to show up at the resort with our wedding attire and use the resources available to us there. we are still undecided what to do about photography as i would like to splurge on that. we might have a poolside reception as well, but those costs are just for a private bar, and maybe dj if we don't end up using our ipod.

 

so far the only stressful thing is everyone asking me if we have set a date yet. hopefully soon!!!

[ms.nadia]

Nice to hear other brides coming at it from this perspective. I think if your DW is in the Caribbean especially, this attitude is more compatible with the atmosphere

[Outdoor_girl1010]

I am not planning much, but there are a couple of things I did plan. I was told that some spots at the resort fill up, so I went ahead and pick all of my places like for my dinner for the cocktail and that time of stuff. My WC sent me menu's to pick from and it was as easy as telling her what number I wanted. As for taking things down I am going taking OOT bags for my guests. I feel its the least I could do for them making the trip. I will not be talking anything else down. I will use what the resort has. I didn't want to be all stress about planning for a year, but at the time I don't want to wasted that much time when I am down in the DR to plan either, so I guess you would say I am doing half and half.

[SusanaLaLoca]

I am a meeting & event planner by profession, so I am loving the simplicity of a DW. I just can't be bothered with all these minute details, especially when from experience I see just how little it all matters. There will be some things I will DIY here and bring with me just to personalize it a little, but I'm not killing myself. I think the worst part of this whole process is picking the date and resort. In so many instances it's comparing apples to oranges to lemons... a side by side comparison just makes it that much harder - I like the rooms of this one, the pool at the other, the beach at the other, the dinner package at the other, the ceremony package at the other, etc... makes me want to scream!

[sea bride]

Hello!

Yes, seems you are not alone! I am doing the same thing most brides here are doing or have done. This being a second wedding for us both, we wanted simplicity and ease!

We picked the destination, booked the wedding date, picked our package and that's it! I will take care of the rest the day after we arrive, as per my wedding coordinator. We are bringing our first dance song on a CD, few extra flowers will be ordered for moms and some guests, but that's it! I want it to be more of where we are rather than all the extras...to have the family, friends that will be there, is all we need to make this day special and memorable.

 

I did the traditional wedding with the 300 guests years ago, the planning was actually painful, not pleasurable! lol! this is way better, and I would recommned this to anyone.

 

so relax and enjoy, the rest is done after you get there...!

 

M.