June 2013 brides- what are you doing?

[Avborges]

Originally Posted by shannonmarie 

 

Hey Avborges! I'm confused on when you should send out your invites since you just sent out save the dates 7 months in advance. You probably could have saved some money but skipping the save the dates and just sending the invitations. I send out our save the dates in June of this year and i'm planning on sending invites after the holidays. A lot of brides getting married in June/July have already sent out their invitations. I am including an RSVP card and travel info will be on the back side of the invite. The RSVP card will also list meal choices for our guest to choose. With that said, I know you just sent out the save the dates but I would send out the actual invites by February.

Hi Shannon,  We were going to just send out our invitations but we didn't want people to sit on them for 8 months.  Also, I used groupons for both STD and invitations so they were pretty cheap.  I got a $300 groupon to spend $800 at delphinepress.com.    But back to the plan, I am thinking of sending the invitations in March/April.  What do you think?  Also, I'm not sure if I should include an RSVP or info card.. I guess I will decided based on how many people uses our website to RSVP by then.  Invitations for destination weddings are tough.. there's not much formality to them or set etiquette to follow.  I feel that everyone just seems to do whatever works for them.  My best friend is getting married in May and she also just sent out her STDs as well.  I'm not sure if she will send out invitations.

[Avborges]

Originally Posted by Jamie613 

 

I sent out my STD's about 2 weeks ago.  I'm not too concerned about the invites, but once I get all of the details nailed down such as rehearsal dinner (we're hosting everyone since it's a pretty small group) and menu choices, I'll probably start worrying about them.  I feel like it's more of a formality in terms of the invite and more of a way to get information to everyone about what's going on when.  We will do an RSVP, but the big thing is that we're having a plated dinner and we need to get people's choices before they get out there.  As we talk to people, we're getting a sense of when they can start booking (unfortunately, everyone needs to put down the full flight when they book, not just a deposit, and it's not as easy to get that kind of $ free around the holidays for everyone).

 

I want to start OOT bags so badly, but I'm holding back until I know how many I'll need.  I don't want to overbuy or have to go back and try to get more.

 

Do you know what you will include in your OOT bags?  I think I will start mine when I have a better head count.  Also, I have no idea how I will get all this stuff to Mexico without paying duties!

[shannonmarie]

Originally Posted by Avborges 

 

Hi Shannon,  We were going to just send out our invitations but we didn't want people to sit on them for 8 months.  Also, I used groupons for both STD and invitations so they were pretty cheap.  I got a $300 groupon to spend $800 at delphinepress.com.    But back to the plan, I am thinking of sending the invitations in March/April.  What do you think?  Also, I'm not sure if I should include an RSVP or info card.. I guess I will decided based on how many people uses our website to RSVP by then.  Invitations for destination weddings are tough.. there's not much formality to them or set etiquette to follow.  I feel that everyone just seems to do whatever works for them.  My best friend is getting married in May and she also just sent out her STDs as well.  I'm not sure if she will send out invitations.

Your absolutely right! Things are so much different with a destination wedding! It's all about what works for you. I think you'd be fine sending invites around then.. For me, I'd like to have my RSVP's and a head count by March (latest April) for my own sanity! I'll need to know how many chair sashes, centerpieces, etc to have and I don't want to wait till the last minute. My resort doesn't need an exact count until I believe 45 days in advance, but I'm telling my guest 90 days (although I'm sure we'll have some last minute people book!) Unfortunately we didn't do a room block so I don't have a deadline for them to book by. I wish I did so people wouldn't wait until the last minute! So far (besides our parents and my sister, we've only had 6 guest book). As for an info card, I have all of the info on our website, which I'm sure most of our guest have looked at, but we put some of the important info on the back of the invite. How many guest are you inviting? We invited most everyone we would invite if we were having a local wedding and our guest list is around 150. I'm hoping for no more than 40 though! It gets expensive!  It's amazing how things add up so darn quick!

[shannonmarie]

Originally Posted by Avborges 

 

Do you know what you will include in your OOT bags?  I think I will start mine when I have a better head count.  Also, I have no idea how I will get all this stuff to Mexico without paying duties!

I too am anxious to start my OOT bags! I have a list of everything I'm putting in but I refuse to buy anything until I have more of a clue how many guest we'll have. Right now I'm clueless. So many people say they are coming but when it comes down to actually booking, I'm not so sure. I am not making them too fancy, and I'm trying to keep the price reasonable. Just plain gift bags with a "Wedding Week Survival Kit" filled with medicine, tissues, chapstick, handsanitizer, aloe, ect, welcome letter, and then a koozie. Trying to keep it pretty simple! I'm trying to keep the OOT bags, and decor limited to one suitcase, POSSIBLY two if I have no choice! From my understanding, each person is allowed to bring in $300 worth of items without paying duties. 

[Avborges]

Originally Posted by shannonmarie 

 

I too am anxious to start my OOT bags! I have a list of everything I'm putting in but I refuse to buy anything until I have more of a clue how many guest we'll have. Right now I'm clueless. So many people say they are coming but when it comes down to actually booking, I'm not so sure. I am not making them too fancy, and I'm trying to keep the price reasonable. Just plain gift bags with a "Wedding Week Survival Kit" filled with medicine, tissues, chapstick, handsanitizer, aloe, ect, welcome letter, and then a koozie. Trying to keep it pretty simple! I'm trying to keep the OOT bags, and decor limited to one suitcase, POSSIBLY two if I have no choice! From my understanding, each person is allowed to bring in $300 worth of items without paying duties. 

Hmmm where's your wedding?  Be very careful before taking all that medicine on your suitcase!  I haven't done proper research on it yet but they could consider it "smuggling drugs"... last thing you need on your wedding weekend.  I would love to hear from other people how they got medicine over the border.  Or maybe they bot it there?

[Avborges]

Originally Posted by shannonmarie 

 

Your absolutely right! Things are so much different with a destination wedding! It's all about what works for you. I think you'd be fine sending invites around then.. For me, I'd like to have my RSVP's and a head count by March (latest April) for my own sanity! I'll need to know how many chair sashes, centerpieces, etc to have and I don't want to wait till the last minute. My resort doesn't need an exact count until I believe 45 days in advance, but I'm telling my guest 90 days (although I'm sure we'll have some last minute people book!) Unfortunately we didn't do a room block so I don't have a deadline for them to book by. I wish I did so people wouldn't wait until the last minute! So far (besides our parents and my sister, we've only had 6 guest book). As for an info card, I have all of the info on our website, which I'm sure most of our guest have looked at, but we put some of the important info on the back of the invite. How many guest are you inviting? We invited most everyone we would invite if we were having a local wedding and our guest list is around 150. I'm hoping for no more than 40 though! It gets expensive!  It's amazing how things add up so darn quick!

We have to present our final list on April 14 but I have inquired about that and have been told they are flexible and will add more guests as long as rooms are available.  We started our guest list with 125 guests.. this would have been our max for a traditional wedding.. couldn't afford more than that.. now that we are having a destination wedding, we are at 188!  I'm nervous because I wanted something small and simple.  They say usually one third of guests invited normally attend so can you imagine if I have to make 60 OOT bags?  I'll be in trouble!  hahah  I would love if our guests started to book.. right now it's only the two of us!  A bit nerve-wrecking but I know of at least 30 people who will be there (including family, of course).

[agm04]

Waiting for people to book is driving me CRAZY.  I'm so impatient.  I went ahead and started buying for my OOT bags, just because 1. I am really type A and needed to check some of the stuff off my list, and 2. I have a huge professional exam 3 weeks before my wedding, so I really need to be finished with as much as possible by like February.  Also didn't want to be left with the entire expense at once.  So here's what I did:  I have a spreadsheet with my guest list, then whether or not they are likely to show, and whether or not they are likely to bring someone.  I'm basing my welcome bags on that #, which I'm calling "likely to show".  I could definitely be off, but from what I've heard, the # of people you think will come and back out kind of evens out the # you think won't come and do.  It's  gamble but oh well.  I've made 56 bags (we sewed the bags), and I don't have the materials to make more, so I'll have to make that # work.  We're planning on about 100 people.  If it gets bigger than 105 we have a problem.  Haha.  I can't WAIT to get invitations out mid January so I can start getting replies.  A lot of my close friends (ones I already knew were coming) have started asking if they should put down deposits and booking flights.  The answer is an enthusiastic YES!

[AllieH]

We had a number of individual OTC medications for our OOT bags (advil, tylenol, immodium, etc), and didn't have any issues with them going into Mexico. They were pre-packaged in weekend survival kits, not bulk bags of each med, so maybe that helped.

Originally Posted by Avborges 

Hmmm where's your wedding?  Be very careful before taking all that medicine on your suitcase!  I haven't done proper research on it yet but they could consider it "smuggling drugs"... last thing you need on your wedding weekend.  I would love to hear from other people how they got medicine over the border.  Or maybe they bot it there?

[shannonmarie]

Originally Posted by Avborges 

 

Hmmm where's your wedding?  Be very careful before taking all that medicine on your suitcase!  I haven't done proper research on it yet but they could consider it "smuggling drugs"... last thing you need on your wedding weekend.  I would love to hear from other people how they got medicine over the border.  Or maybe they bot it there?

It's in Cancun. I'll be fine bringing the medicine but thanks for the heads up! I've talked (and read on here) a so many brides have brought advil, immodium, etc for their welcome bags and nobody has had any issues with smuggling drugs. If you do a search on these boards you'll read dozens of reviews and threads on OOT bags where brides have brought stuff down in their suitcases. If your worried, you can go to the Wal-mart or Costco in Cancun but I just don't want to deal with that once i get there. I'd rather just bring it all down with me & just enjoy my vacation right when we get to the resort!

[shannonmarie]

Originally Posted by Avborges 

 

We have to present our final list on April 14 but I have inquired about that and have been told they are flexible and will add more guests as long as rooms are available.  We started our guest list with 125 guests.. this would have been our max for a traditional wedding.. couldn't afford more than that.. now that we are having a destination wedding, we are at 188!  I'm nervous because I wanted something small and simple.  They say usually one third of guests invited normally attend so can you imagine if I have to make 60 OOT bags?  I'll be in trouble!  hahah  I would love if our guests started to book.. right now it's only the two of us!  A bit nerve-wrecking but I know of at least 30 people who will be there (including family, of course).

Oh wow! This sounds so bad but I hope one third of our invited guest don't come! I wanted something small and simple too! That's why we chose to go this route! 60 is too many for my liking as well!! (I hope none of my guest are on these boards!!!) lol!