Newbie.. where do I begin!??!

[Katiemac1082]

Hi Everyone,
I am somewhat recently engaged (March). My fiance and I have decided on a destination wedding for May 2011. We are not so concerned with the wedding details, we really just want to have a small wedding consisting of close friends and family (approx. 50). We are looking into St. Thomas, Bahamas, and the Beaches resort in Turks & Caicos. That's as far as we've gotten. Does anyone have any advise? I am don't know where to begin and time is running out if I want to get married next May.

Thanks!

[murmel]

Welcome! Good luck with your planning, this site has lots of great information and helpful advice. I can't help you with your choice locations...I have only been through St. Thomas and the Bahamas on cruise ships. But if you do a few searches, I am sure you'll find lots of info.

[eholt]

Welcome to the forum!  You can find info on all the places you mentioned here.  50 people is actually a reasonbly good sized group for a destination wedding.  Try to make a decision as soon as possible so that you give your guests plenty of time to plan for the big day.  I am a May 2011 bride as well!  Happy planning!

[mexicanlily]

Happy planning.  Where are you from?  There are some really great travel agents on this site that might be able to help.  

[lsjhik]

First things first--chose a place! Check out the specific threads for your location.  Keep us all updated! Welcome, and happy planning. 

[Rachel&Chris2011]

I reached out to our local travel agent and asked what he and others thought of different results along with prices for each resort. Then I went online and looked around at everyones reviews for the hotels I picked. Be aware you will find a lot of negative reviews but remember that most people that love the place will most likely not leave reviews when they get back from vacation on the other hand people that dont like it will leave horrible reviews. 

[BecaJ]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations!

 

I was like you before I booked, I felt like I didn't know where to start!

 

First things first you've got pleanty of time. I get married in March 2011 and I only just booked a couple weeks ago.

 

At first, like yourself I was torn with locations. I was torn between Mexico and Cuba, but I instantly noticed that with Mexico you get a better hotel for your money so I went with Mexico.

 

Firstly you need to get online or go into a travel agents and get some brochures and basically just look through the resorts and pick out a few favourites. Im not sure about American travel agents but in England they have special wedding brochures (also downloadable) which list all the hotels which offer weddings so it helps narrow down your search straight away. A good place to get advice is here and Trip Advisor. It was the reviews on here and Trip Advisor that allowed me to book confidently.

 

I chose a few favourite hotels based on what was important to me (rooms, wedding site, location) and other peoples experiences and reviews. I went into the travel agent and she helped me decide on one. It turned out we couldn't go with our first choice so Im glad I had back-ups in mind as we went for our second choice which Im now so pleased about, it must have been fate x

[Ayslinn]

welcome! i would say you still have plenty of time- first things first, pick a resort!  happy planning!

[Punta Cana Weddings]

Congratulations & !!! You will love this site. Have fun planning your dream wedding!

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http://www.mypuntacanaweddings.com

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[Mrs.S2B]

It's great that you are on this site with so much time before your wedding!  You will find so many wonderful and helpful hints!!  Welcome and congrats!~