Destination Wedding Nightmare - Advice Needed!

[mitzy7]

I am still in shock with the news that I got this morning and I have no idea what to do!! I have booked my wedding at the Riu Palace on May 13th, 2010. I found out this morning that the plane leaving from Toronto to Los Cabos for that week is already completely sold out!!!!! How can that be so far in advance?? And to make things worse, there are no other flights available from Toronto that week. I only got the “Save the Dates†last night and I was so excited to send them out. Now I don’t want to, because I know that people will not be able to book a flight to join us.

 

Here is where the situation gets tricky. There was a fuel charge savings discount if we had booked before August 31st. So I sent an email to close family, friends, and the bridal party ONLY, advising them of the discount, and 24 people booked! So, if I were to change the date at this point, I would directly affect all those people that have already booked. Plus, I would have to reprint (and repay) for everything that I have already had printed (i.e. save the dates, OOT bags items that were personalized, etc.).

 

If I keep the date the same, I potentially will not be able to have anyone else attend our wedding. I know 24 is a great number, but I think family and friends that were not invited will get upset that they never even got a chance to book. I mean I haven’t even printed the invitations yet!! The only option for guests who would like to come, if we keep the date the same, would be to drive the 1.5 hours to buffalo, and book a connecting flight a day earlier. I already know this is going to be a huge inconvenience.

 

Has anyone else had this happen to you before and what did you do in this situation? Do I go through the hassle of changing the date for the potential of more people coming? Or do I leave the date the same, be happy with the 24 I have coming, and just apologize for the inconvenience to our guests when we send out the invites?

 

…And I thought destination weddings were supposed to be stress free!!! Please help!

[LadyTrunck]

Did you check a different airline? I just did a quick expedia search for May 10-17, and it looks like there are flights--but they're not cheap. I don't know for sure if I'm getting the cities right though!!

 

In my opinion, I say you keep the date the same, for the people that already booked. Anyone else can drive the 1.5 hours.... I don't know about anyone else, but in order to get a cheaper flight (from San Jose, Monterey is expensive) I always have to drive over an hour to get to an airport.... I don't think it should be a problem. I mean, they're going on vacation!!

[YaelM]

Im confused...cant the other people book on a different airline? They may not travel on teh same flight as you or get the same deal but i feel like they could just book their plane ticket separately.

[autjo]

I'm with Yael... none of my guests are flying together and it hasn't been an issue at all.

[Jess]

yeah or can you just have them connect in the states somewhere on that airline or another?

[flipflop.tee]

Ya I checked out expedia and flight centre and there are flights but all of them have a connection so they wont be direct...you should check with your TA since they are who will have to deal with the problem..they also have enough time for the airline to use a different sized plane if it is already booked. My sister is a travel agent and our plane is almost booked and if it is booked before the new year the usually use a bigger plane and then they can book more poeple! Hope this helps...Good Luck!

[scrouse]

I know this has happened to a lot of us flying out of Toronto (and maybe other parts of Canada). In fact there was another thread a couple of months ago about this situation. My situation was also similar...

 

Back in March, my fiance and I confirmed a group booking through Sunquest (flight and hotel for our November wedding). At that time there were lots of seats available. All of a sudden, in April, my TA called to tell me there were only 9 seats left!! We hadn't even sent out our invites!! I totally freaked out! However, my TA reassured me that this happens all the time, and that Sunquest "always" adds another flight as the date gets closer. So we crossed our fingers, and we went ahead and sent out our invitations as planned, with our original travel info included.

 

It was super-stressful, but in the end, Sunquest did add another flight and over 200 more seats opened up for us. Apparently this happens all the time...but trust me--I understand that the situation is really frustrating. It's hard to plan when the only answer you have is "MAYBE or USUALLY another flight will be added."

 

Sorry I can't give you more answers, but at least you know you're not alone...

[mitzy7]

Thank you so much for your replies! It makes me feel better to know this has happened before. I never even considered Sunquest offering a larger plane. That would be fantastic if they did that.

 

I wish people could come down on a different flight. But at this time, my TA is saying that is the only flight from Toronto to Los Cabos. I don't care how people get down there or even when... just as long as they can make it for the day of the actually wedding. My TA said it is rare for a plane to book up this early for a vacation. I mean it is almost 8 months away still.

 

I guess keeping the date is the best thing to do, and just keep my fingers crossed that more seats become available. I just feel bad for making people have to drive all the way to Buffalo, if no seats get added.

[mitzy7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrouse So we crossed our fingers, and we went ahead and sent out our invitations as planned, with our original travel info included. It was super-stressful, but in the end, Sunquest did add another flight and over 200 more seats opened up for us. Apparently this happens all the time...but trust me--I understand that the situation is really frustrating. It's hard to plan when the only answer you have is "MAYBE or USUALLY another flight will be added." Sorry I can't give you more answers, but at least you know you're not alone...

How close to your actual wedding did they add the extra seats?

[Patti]

Hopefully, it will all work out. None of our guests are on our flight.