Wedding Coordinators

[gujarwala]

Generally who contacts the wedding coordinator to get the ball rolling (for example for a destinatino wedding in Mexico) - the couple themselves or their travel agent?

 

Our travel agent was helpful in picking a resort, getting us a quote, and accepting deposits from guests, however now that I asked my agent to book the actual wedding party she responded and told me I need to contact the hotel directly myself for that.

 

If that is customary I dont mind (I really have no idea who generally does this), however is it usual for the travel agent to take care of this when the couple wishes not to, or do travel agents simply tell the couple to do it thsemselves?

 

Thanks. P.S. I am going to paste my intro from the newbies forum here which I just posted to give some background:

 

"So I was recommended to start a thread here to introduce myself.

 

I am new to this whole thing, and neither my fiance nor I have any experience planning other's weddings or help available from others to plan our wedding, so I am as newbie as it gets

 

What else...I am the groom....want to have the wedding party on either Dec. 19 or 20th/2010, have booked with a resort in Riveria Maya (Grand Sunset Princess) and have started emailing some friends the info although we don't have actual invitations done up yet as we are not even sure of the date.

 

Next step is to get in touch with a wedding coordinator from the resort. "

[gujarwala]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TA Maureen It depends on the travel agent. TA's that are DW specialists may offer to get the wedding date/time confirmed for their clients as a courtesy. Regular leisure TA's usually refer the bride/groom to handle all wedding details themselves directly with the wedding coordinator as they are TRAVEL AGENTS and will therefore handle all TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS but not wedding details. I, myself, will book the date/time at certian resorts as a courtesy to our clients (and I say certian resorts because some resorts require so much personal info it's best that the bride and groom do it themselves but it depends on what the resort needs to book the date/time) but the bottom line is that it is a courtesy. TA's work on commission and the commission on a DW isn't any higher than a regular honeymoon or vacation so lots of typical TA's are unwilling to take on any additional tasks such as this.

Thanks for the response.

I guess my expectations were a bit higher since the particular TA is the bride's best friend (and maid of honour) and on top of that she knows both of us are horrible planners lol. But if its not the norm I can't argue against that. Would be nice if she did though.

On the flipside she is a brand new travel agent but we chose to go with her as a favour simply because she is our friend even though we could have gone with a more experienced TA.

I am still debating whether to reply to her and ask her to book it for us lol.

[gujarwala]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TA Maureen I think if you are working with someone that does not have a lot of travel agent experience let alone DW experience that you should let her focus on the travel and you guys should handle the wedding details. DW's are actually way more difficult to arrange and involve a lot more work without any more pay as compared to vacations and honeymoons. My point is setting your expectations so high for a brand new TA may not be a great idea. Let her focus on the travel because you do not want that to get messed up plus in the time you email her and post on here you could have your wedding date/time booked with the resort! The form is right on their website so it's really not a big deal: Grand Sunset Princess hotel Mexico, Princess Hotels & Resorts, Promotions, Meetings, online reservation Riviera Princess

LOL, thanks for the link, I guess I should stop being lazy and just do it.

However, off topic but regarding your post I would assume the TA makes more money on DW's than a honeymoon since a honeymoon only includes one couple whereas a DW includes many more bookings, and if its commission I would assume greater # of bookings = greater commission.

[gujarwala]

OK so I filled out that form and pressed the submit button and it took me to a blank white page with the following info in grey/black text:

 

"Páginas Active Server error 'ASP 0113'

 

Tiempo de espera agotado para la secuencia de comandos

 

/web/en/fpw/17_Detalle_Hotel.asp

 

Se excedió el tiempo máximo de espera para una secuencia de comandos. Para cambiar este límite especifique un nuevo valor para la propiedad Server.ScriptTimeOut o cambie el valor en las herramientas de administración de IIS.

"

 

Sounds like my request did not go through? But I dont understand Spanish so not sure what it's saying.

[StephyD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gujarwala OK so I filled out that form and pressed the submit button and it took me to a blank white page with the following info in grey/black text: "Páginas Active Server error 'ASP 0113' Tiempo de espera agotado para la secuencia de comandos /web/en/fpw/17_Detalle_Hotel.asp Se excedió el tiempo máximo de espera para una secuencia de comandos. Para cambiar este límite especifique un nuevo valor para la propiedad Server.ScriptTimeOut o cambie el valor en las herramientas de administración de IIS. " Sounds like my request did not go through? But I dont understand Spanish so not sure what it's saying.

The same thing happened to me when I tried to fill the form out (when I was considering the Grand Sunset Princess for our wedding...) and I sent them an email and got a reply within the same day. I believe I found the email address right on the website where I filled the form or somewhere on here in the GSP thread. I don't have access to my personal emails here at work, or I would have give you the wedding coordinator's direct email address.

Good luck!! They were great to deal with.

[Princess402]

For me, my TA was in touch with my wedding coordinator to book and secure our wedding date, but that was it. Other than that, she is responsible only for the travel needs of our group. And believe me, she has her hands full with that! All of my questions related to planning the details of the wedding need to be directed to the resort wedding coordinator.

 

I *think* this is fairly normal, and seems fair to me!

[MDLady]

You would still need to be the one in contact with the resort for the wedding plans because the contract for the wedding itself would have to be signed by you and not the TA. There are many stipulations in the contract that only you can sign such as prices, cut-off dates, room types, minimum room requirements, etc. There are also stipulations in the contract regarding penalties in case the event is cancelled for some reason so no TA would sign that type of a contract. So it's all on the happy couple.

 

However, if you have a Wedding Planner at home (not a TA), then he/she will definitely be in the position to help work with the resort. If you are not a good planner and know that you will need help, then I would definitely hire a planner to help. That way you have someone who knows how to organize everything and will be your advocate when working with the resort.

[TanyonL]

Hi gujarwala. I don't think it's the travel agents "job" to take care of any non-travel related wedding arrangements for the client. However, some travel agents (and mine) called and emailed the WC until the wedding date was secured in writing. And at that point, my TA handed me over to deal with the WC exclusively. She is top-notch in every sense of the word but I would not have expected her to book on-site reception locations for me or anything like that. That is probably too far "out-of-scope."