Midwest Brides Unite!

[schmizer]

We are getting married in April of 2012 on the west side of Maui:)

 

Yes.  ONE week!  

 

I did nothing but research for the first 3 months.  We mapped out our budget using wedding wire, and I put together an outline of everything we wanted to book and do.  It's making the booking process really easy, because we have a good estimate of what everything costs and what exactly we want.

 

Trust me, it all comes together quickly once you have everything figured out.

 

I would rather have most things planned ahead of time instead of scrambling last minute to get things done, and booking so early has allowed us to get every vendor that we have wanted so far!

 

[TATrisha]

Hello Midwestern brides!

I'm Trisha and I'm from 20 minutes north of Milwaukee!

Little bit about me, I was a destination bride in April of 2008.  I got married at Gran Bahia Principe Akumal in the Riviera Maya.  I actually joined this forum right after it switched to a worldwide destination planning source (it used to be Cabo only) and I made life long friends, which is why I'm still here today! 

Now I'm actually a wedding photographer and I'm lucky enough to travel around the world doing destination weddings, so I stay on this board to keep up to date with the different resorts and such. 

Anyway, I love seeing the Midwest presence here, and definitely some ladies from Milwaukee!!  It's so cold and snowy right now that planning a destination wedding is like heaven! 

[QueenDiva]

Welcome Tlseege! It looks like you have been here for a while!

Yeah, Schmizer, I was gonna say Swap-o-rama in Alsip, but it really can be a hit or miss...

[acireta]

Damn too bad... I think the Alsip one is called Swap-o-Rama on 129th Street. I also just found this one, which I haven't been too, but will probably check out at some point:

 

ELMHURST - 2ND SUNDAY

Flea Market. 310 W. Butterfield Road, Elmhurst, IL. American Legion Hall. Ample parking. Market is primarily antiques & collectibles. Glassware, vintage clothing, coins, silver, jewelry, linens, advertising items, primitives. Some quality secondhand merchandise. Food available, restrooms, h/a. (312) 393-1795.

 

 

Good luck with your search!!

[BeachBridein11]

When did I start planning.... hmmmmmmmm we were engaged in July and decided on a destination in late August.  We booked our resort the beginning of October (June wedding, the date we wanted didn't have the time for the ceremony available, so we had to push the wedding up a week).  Pretty much after deciding on the resort, there isn't much left to do! LOL We told the resort which entertainment we wanted and what package, so I guess I just need to decide which flowers I want.  Menu is picked out. Photographer was booked early November. I ordered my dress early December and finally found the BMs dress this past weekend ($60 at Macy's, great deal!).  Currently finalizing the drafts for the invitations (Passport Invites) and ummmm I'm booking the salon/makeup appointments this week. All I'm really doing now is getting things together for the OOT bags.  LOL  Less than 5 months!!  So excited!!!

[PVP2007]

 

Hi Ladies! What a fun thread!

 

My name is Natalie, and I came across you Midwest Brides while doing some research for what I hope to be an April 2012 destination wedding in St. Thomas. (just a few days before you, Erica!)

 

I have actually been engaged since October 9, 2009 ... but we got engaged as we were in the process of buying a house (which took MONTHS longer than expected!), and decided to put off starting the wedding planning till we were more settled in. 

 

Once we decided on a doing the whole destination thing, we wanted to make sure we gave people a lot of time to save - and us too! :-) - so we are now trying to plan for at least a year out. I had originally had my heart set on an October wedding ... but being hurricane season down in the islands, we decided that was probably not the best way to go! :-)  LOL

 

So, anyway, a little more about me:

I was born and raised outside Detroit in West Bloomfield (right next to Commerce, BeachBridein11 !) . After college (at WMU) I moved out to Chicagoland and have been here ever since! Well, the Western 'Burbs to be exact. (work in Lombard and live in South Elgin with my FI and our 2 cute kitties.) My FI (Jeff) owns his own business, and because we both work such crazy hours, I wonder if we will actually EVER get a date set and a wedding planned!!! 

 

Maybe this will be the push I need to really move past the 'research' phase and into 'planning' and decision mode. Any advice?!? :-)

[BeachBridein11]

Welcome Natalie!!  My advice is to first decide on your budget (not only yours, but your guest as well), then it's on to your destination.  If you want a fully all-inclusive resort, that will narrow it down a bit.  Anyway, once you have your location, then start researching resorts!  I would say get down to about 5, then start getting information on available dates and times for your wedding.  Once you book that, it's smooth sailing!  LOL  Well at least for me it was!  That was the most difficult part I say!  Good luck!!

[merrylee]

Welcome Natalie, you will love this place.  It has been such an awesome and welcoming place for new Destination Brides.  I hope you have the most amazing wedding.

[schmizer]

Welcome Natalie!  Congrats on being a home owner!  We have started looking, but I don't think we will purchase until after the wedding.  Too much stress as it is...

 

I agree with Beachbride.   The first thing you need to do is apply all the research you have been doing to a budget.  I actually started doing mine on Wedding Wire which has a great template that you can also view and modify on your iphone (if you have one) and then transferred it to an excel spreadsheet later.  Once you set your budget, the rest will start to fall into place.  Another good thing is to have an idea of how many people are going to attend.  Most vendors will ask you this question and some venues will be determined by this.  If you choose an AI, the rest will come easy as you are probably booking a package.  If you are like me and don't choose an AI, there is still alot to do at this point, but it gets MUCH easier.  Once we picked and secured our date, the whole thing became real and I found myself so much more engaged in the process! 

 

One you pick your resort, ceremony location and reception venue, IMO, the most important step is the booking your photographer.  Prices seem to continue to rise, and the earlier you book, the more likely you are to get the person that you really want.  

 

Let us know what we can do to help you along:)

 

[schmizer]

Oooohhh, and to all my Chicago ladies, I just had to say...

 

"GO PACK, GO!"