2012 Brides - Roll Call!

[Praye]

Congrats!!! 

 

 

Originally Posted by asiamarie1 

Hello 2012 Brides! My Fiance and I are getting married on 12/12/12 in Punta Cana, DR. We are still deciding between 2 different resorts, the Majestic Colonial and the Hard Rock. We plan on getting our STD's out by the end of the month once resort is finalized so that we give our guests plenty of time to pay for the trip. We currently now of 10+ that will be booking and can't wait to have the finalized number so that I can begin making my OOT bags. Congrats to all the brides out there. I love this site and look forward to all the information that other brides can provide!!!

 

[BarbieBrideU]

You should totally do it! My fiancee gets tired of all the daily issues and tasks I talk to him about, so I will vent on the blog from now on!

 

Originally Posted by torilynnsmith 

Welcome to the site Ashley, it will be a great resource for you!!!!! I would recommend sending out your STDs as soon as you have your wedding date set with the resort, doesn't mean you book travel etc. but it will at least give your guests time to save and plan, book vacation etc.  We waited to book so we bypassed STDs and just sent out invites.  We made the arrangements with our TA, when we booked we mailed out our invites (May) for our February 2012 wedding.  Our guests has 3 months to book from the date we put down our deposits so this made the most sense to us!!!!!  I would definitely choose your resort and secure your date as a lot of brides have mentioned, dates book up quickly!!!!!!

 

I think it all depends on travel.  Where your wedding is at home you can probably follow more at home "traditions" rather than DW standards because I am assuming less people are travelling.  One reason for the advanced STD and invites is because people have to book and AI vacation (or flight/hotel) and need time to save, book etc.

 

I have been wanting to start my own planning blog because I have so many ideas floating in my head and want to help other brides!! I will definitely check it out!!!!!
 

 

 

[beachbum21]

Hi fellow brides!

Just wondering if anyone has encountered a good thread on photography?

There are a lot of comments about photographers within my resort thread but I haven't found a more general thread.  It looks like a lot have been started but I'm looking for one where girls have exchanged info on how they went about choosing a photographer, costs, bringing them with you, etc...
I think we have found one, he's a member of the Wedding Photojournalist Association, his work is really amazing! BTW, if anyone is looking for a photographer who's a member, check out this link: http://www.wpja.com/

I guess what I'd like to know is what should I be asking? What should I be expecting?! Seems a bit silly, but since I've never done this before I don't actually know the first thing about choosing a photographer.

Any help would be great!

[Shay12]

Hey! Just got my photographer all squared away! We are bringing her with us and it's going to be awesome to have her capturing everything along the way. I suggest you figure out what you can work with your budget and let them know up front before you sign a contract. My photographer is an amazing wedding photographer and she is interested in building her DW work so we worked out a super deal! And we are both so excited! If anybody is getting married in Cancun/Riviera Maya area around Feb. 25 let me know if you want to get in on my photographer! She will be looking for more work while down there! Alisonleaphotography.com

[torilynnsmith]

Found this and thought I would share:

 

 

Top 10 things to consider when hiring a wedding photographer.

1. Talk with them on the phone if you can and don’t just email them. With email it can be hard to understand tone and context. Get to know them,  ask questions that get you closer to who they are and what makes them tick.

2. If you are in the same state make sure to meet with them. Make sure this person is someone you would like at your wedding. You may spend more time with them than family and friends on your wedding day. You want to be on the same page and click with them!

3. If you have a chance look at a full wedding. Don’t get fooled into looking just at one gallery of favorites. Make sure they are capable of creating what you expect at each and every wedding.

4. Make sure you like there style. Some photographers shoot every wedding the same hence a style emerges. Others shoot freestyle and create different looks for each client. Make sure you trust them enough to create something special for you. Another thing to think about is just because you like there style make sure it fits who you are. In other words it may look great for the last bride but not you.

5. Ask your photographer if they have a backup plan. Digital photographers rely on hard drives to archive your images. Anyone with a computer will know that computers frequently have problems. If they give you a blank stare or can’t explain what they do then you know they are unprepared. Your photographer should have your images backed up in multiple places and perhaps a copy off site. These things cost money so be prepared that photographers with good back up plans will cost more.

6. Does your wedding photographer have liability insurance. This is important because many venues will require they have insurance before they are able to provide services. It’s also good to be covered when accidents happen!

7. Ask about backup equipment. Again if you get a blank stare you know they are not prepared to shoot your wedding. They should have a at least 2 bodies for each photographer and multiple lenses and flashes. This sounds trivial but digital cameras do fail. We have had 2 cameras and two flashes stop working at a wedding before. If we were unprepared and only had two cameras we would be unable to take more photo’s. There are many photographers who do not have enough gear to shoot at weddings, so make sure to ask.

8. If they get sick what happens. If they can’t talk about it then they haven’t thought about it. The answer you want to here is that they are in professional organizations (ppa, wppi) or have other photographer friends who they have made a deal with. Make sure they will replace themselves with someone of a similar style and price point.

9. Pricing- make sure you understand what you are getting up front and their pricing practices are up front and understandable. Many photographers have introductory pricing that is back end loaded. They know that they can upsell you after the wedding.

10. Do a search on the internet to find out all you can about your photographers. Search items like there names, phone number, and business name. It is amazing what you what you can find out these days. You can find complaints, praises that they may not want you to find. The internet and information are on your side

 

 

Personally we have had a lot of trouble deciding, booking etc our photographer!  I highly recommend fully understanding their procedures etc.  Ask for a contract before signing or committing to anything so you can understand what they are all about.  We put a deposit down with one photog just to regret our decision, we never got a contract or anything so we didn't know where we stood.  luckily we were able to get a refund of our deposit (30 days) and was able to book our dream photographer.  She passed along a VERY detailed contract and this had us thinking again.  luckily we know that with her contract every question or concern was answered.  Anything we wanted to know we also communicated through email so we had it in writing! Hope this helps, let me know if you have more questions I feel like our photog dilemma really tested me but in the end I am happy with our choice!

[JenelleJTD]

2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am getting married 3/3/12 at Gran Caribe Rel Resort. However, I am really nervous after reading so many mixed reviews. Does anyone know if there is a charge to stay at Gran Caribe and have a wedding at The Royal? Do you know if they allowed kids?

[SouthernBelle83]

Let's hear for the 2012 Brides!!!

 

I am getting married June 24, 2012 @ Iberostar Rose Hall Beach.

 

So far we have about 25 confirmed guest and counting!!!

 

We are SUPER excited!!!

[Samantha88k]

Congrats ladies!!

[luvmoo]

Yayy!!  congrats!!! I am getting married Februaru 23rd, at Iberostar Rose Hall Beach! We have 29 confirmed and booked so far, with more booking soon.. i am sharing your excitement girl!
 

Originally Posted by SouthernBelle83 

Let's hear for the 2012 Brides!!!

 

I am getting married June 24, 2012 @ Iberostar Rose Hall Beach.

 

So far we have about 25 confirmed guest and counting!!!

 

We are SUPER excited!!!

 

[Fabiola Cadet]

Hi beachbum,

Would you mind sending me your boarding pass template? Thank you. [email protected]
 

Originally Posted by beachbum21 

I'm making them myself right now, am going to send out boarding pass save the dates/invites and direct people to a wedsite to RSVP.  There will be info on the travel agent and where to go to book. Once I know who is coming and have details around welcome party/gathering, wedding location (ie, beach), time, etc... i'm making passport books for those that are coming and will probably send them out right before we go.  If you need a template on the boarding passes, i can send you mine! I was hoping to mail them but looks like i might be hand delivering! lol