New & Already Overwhelmed in Cali!

FutureMrsHudson · January 30, 2013

Hello!

My name is Keri & I live in the Bay Area in California, with my fiance Josh. I'm 24 & he's 26 & we've been together for over 4 years. We got engaged December 6th (our 4yr anniversary) & knew we wanted to do a destination wedding but had no idea where. I've spent hours online looking and am just overwhelmed with all the options but hey at least there are lots of great options to choose from! I was very excited to find this forum, it seems like a lot of friendly & helpful people providing great info!

Not much is set in stone yet...we are thinking fall 2014 and somewhere tropical, but we really haven't narrowed down the location at all. We are thinking an all-inclusive for the amenities for our guests but that is not a must. My fiance only cares about beautiful clear water lol, but I'm of course concerned about a lot of other stuff.

Anywho that's a bit about me and i'm looking forward to being a part of this great site!

-Keri

AllieH · January 30, 2013

hi Keri - congrats on your engagement, and welcome to BDW! This site is a treasure trove of info on destination weddings, the resorts, and what to expect. Wedding planning in general is overwhelming, and when you take it international, it has its own set of challenges. BUT the end result is AMAZING. I honestly couldn't have planned my wedding without this site.

Good luck with all of your planning!

Marymack · January 30, 2013

Hi Keri and welcome!!! It is a bit overwhelming at first. Research is the key,just like knowledge is power. Narrow down first by country,then resorts that have the things you want,then hire a TA and let them guide you.Make sure you get a destination wedding certified TA though....

Moments That Matter · February 2, 2013

Congrats on your engagement, Keri & Josh! and welcome to the forum:) wishing you all the best with your planning decisions, culminating in the perfect tropical wedding you've always dreamed of!

Enjoy that sand in your toes

team MTM asst, Lynda

karyc · February 2, 2013

Originally Posted by FutureMrsHudson

Hello!

My name is Keri & I live in the Bay Area in California, with my fiance Josh. I'm 24 & he's 26 & we've been together for over 4 years. We got engaged December 6th (our 4yr anniversary) & knew we wanted to do a destination wedding but had no idea where. I've spent hours online looking and am just overwhelmed with all the options but hey at least there are lots of great options to choose from! I was very excited to find this forum, it seems like a lot of friendly & helpful people providing great info!

Not much is set in stone yet...we are thinking fall 2014 and somewhere tropical, but we really haven't narrowed down the location at all. We are thinking an all-inclusive for the amenities for our guests but that is not a must. My fiance only cares about beautiful clear water lol, but I'm of course concerned about a lot of other stuff.

Anywho that's a bit about me and i'm looking forward to being a part of this great site!

-Keri

congratulations keri! i think the key is to use this site for advice on the things you WANT to do, but not to have it become a giant to-do list. so many people have so many cute and fun ideas, and it's easy to start to think you need to use all of them, but at the end of the day your guests aren't expecting such intricate favors and out-of-town bags from you - they are just going to be there to celebrate you! have fun!

mandjphoto · February 2, 2013

Congratulations Keri (who lives in one of our favorite cities in the world),

We think you would be hard pressed to find a better destination than the Riviera Maya for a destination wedding. We live here, got married here and love it!

Here is our take on the different resorts here on our blog.

However, you said a fall wedding and you should know that the entire Caribbean and Pacific coast's most active hurricane months are September and October. The water will be nice and warm and the prices will be good, but I wouldn't chance it.

If you are set on the fall, I would wait until November.

Best of luck,

Jennifer