Thinking of destination wedding --- so many questions!!!

[shaneandalana]

Hey!! My fiance and I just started to throw around the idea of a destination wedding. What do destination weddings at an all inclusive resort usually cost? And what are some good things to look for? Any suggestions for resorts/destinations???

[Jamie5280]

  That's very exciting.  You came to the right place.  Unfortunately, it varies so much from resort to resort on the cost.  All inclusive doesn't mean "free" wedding.  I would recommend looking at resorts and locations first and then figure out if it's something you can afford.  So, good luck with everything!!!

[Cassie South]

Hello Shaneandalana

 

Congratulations on your engagement and on your decision to start considering a destination wedding.

 

Typically couples find that compared to having a wedding in their home towns, destination weddings are more affordable. This is obviously not always the case depending on how many guests you have, where you go, where you stay, and what exactly you want for your wedding day. The most affordable way to have a destination wedding is to get a group contract and once you have filled a certain amount of seats you may qualify for a "free" wedding package. These are usually very basic and you can add what you want at cost. DWs start to get expensive when you start adding private dinner and reception parties.

 

There are so many options as far as destinations and resorts go. If you need help my best advice would be to come up with a budget and an approximate number of guests. If you are not paying for your guests (which lots of people don't), you should decide on a budget that you would feel comfortable asking your guests to pay for their packages. Then, I would highly recommend finding a travel agent who specializes in groups and weddings to help you. They will be able to help you match a resort/destination to exactly what you envision for your wedding and your guests. If you find the right person, they will be able to guide you through every step of the process and negotiate a group contract that fits you. DWs are lots of work and many brides enjoy the experience more when they have a professional on their side!

 

Good Luck with all your planning!

 

Kielah

Blue Petal Destination Weddings

[SweetFire]

Congratulations and welcome to the forum!!  Great advice from Kielah at Blue Petal.  This forum is filled with information to help make you feel more comfortable with your decisions about DWs.  

 

Best of luck and warmest wishes, 

Lori

[Sllefebvr]

 Cheers to your engagement!!!

 

I feel as though the best part about a destination wedding is it last longer!! It is not a rushed wedding day where you only talk to your guests for maybe five minutes... It's usually a relaxed week! You get to spend the beginning of your new life together with the family that loves you and spend quality time with each person!!!

[kymish]

thanks for posting this !!! im sure she apperciates the advice / help.. i know i do !!

Originally Posted by GingerBluePetal 

Hello Shaneandalana

 

Congratulations on your engagement and on your decision to start considering a destination wedding.

 

Typically couples find that compared to having a wedding in their home towns, destination weddings are more affordable. This is obviously not always the case depending on how many guests you have, where you go, where you stay, and what exactly you want for your wedding day. The most affordable way to have a destination wedding is to get a group contract and once you have filled a certain amount of seats you may qualify for a "free" wedding package. These are usually very basic and you can add what you want at cost. DWs start to get expensive when you start adding private dinner and reception parties.

 

There are so many options as far as destinations and resorts go. If you need help my best advice would be to come up with a budget and an approximate number of guests. If you are not paying for your guests (which lots of people don't), you should decide on a budget that you would feel comfortable asking your guests to pay for their packages. Then, I would highly recommend finding a travel agent who specializes in groups and weddings to help you. They will be able to help you match a resort/destination to exactly what you envision for your wedding and your guests. If you find the right person, they will be able to guide you through every step of the process and negotiate a group contract that fits you. DWs are lots of work and many brides enjoy the experience more when they have a professional on their side!

 

Good Luck with all your planning!

 

Kielah

Blue Petal Destination Weddings

 

[JayKay]

A DW at an all inclusive can cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars up to 20 or 30 thousand, depending where you go, the resort you choose, and how much money you are willing to spend on your wedding.  We found that making a list of what we wanted in a resort helped us narrow down our choices.  We also used a travel agent for advice about resorts and locations.  Good luck!

 

Originally Posted by shaneandalana 

Hey!! My fiance and I just started to throw around the idea of a destination wedding. What do destination weddings at an all inclusive resort usually cost? And what are some good things to look for? Any suggestions for resorts/destinations???

 

[KatieJ]

Lots of great advice ladies:) I would also say to look for the hidden costs, per person over the wedding package.. sometimes it seems like a really good price, but it costs alot one you go over 10-20 people!! Good Luck!!!

[nancya]

We are also in the beginning stages of our research and I found this site along with tripadvisor.com helpful when researching. We narrowed down to areas where we actually want to vacation and get married, costs (we want an all inclusive) and i just found out that certain islands have specific rules about getting a marriage certificate (documents and some actually require you to be there a certain number of hours prior to the wedding)....this site is amazing though everybody is so helpful and encouraging

[heavenone]

In my initial research of the Caribbean, I found that Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Aruba had the most AI resorts.

 

Another option to avoid the legal paperwork hassle would be to do the official paperwork stateside before you leave and have a symbolic ceremony there. No one really has to know.