2015 Newbie!

[itsjuliez]

Originally Posted by TropicalBride10 

 

Narrowing down a location was by far the largest decision thus far but it's actually kind of fun to scout out potential places, if anything, Marden and I now have new vacation spots that we'd like to visit one day!

 

We've decided to get married in Roatan Island, Honduras for the fact that is affordable, absolutely beautiful, and not your run of the mill wedding location. Some people may say that it's too rustic for a wedding but it was important for us to find a happy medium of a unique and out of the waytropical beach destination preferably with a rain forest, which was why we were directed to Central America, and a location that is still easy to get too and convenient for our guests. Roatan really does have it all from all-inclusive mega resorts to smaller more boutique kind of hotels but I just can't get over how turquoise blue the water is against the white sand. I way I see it, Roatan is an up and coming destination but it still keeps its distinctive Honduran identity, which is important for as the majority of my family has never been out of the US and I wanted them to have an opportunity to experience a culture completely different from their own.

 

As far as weddings, I do have the contact info for my wedding planner from Roatan Events who works her tail off to deliver the best to her brides. One sticking point for us is decor and we're not having to carry a single thing down with us because she has connections to get us anything we want. She has connections to all the venues on the island and be assured from my own experiencethat if you book with her, prices for everything will be cheaper than if you book directly with the hotel. The two main resorts that I can recommend are Infinity Bay, Las Verandas (very new and upscale), and the all-inclusive Mayan Princess which is where we're leaning toward simply for the fact that they do have an adjacent beach club where we could hold our private reception with no worries.

 

I'd love to see more couples give Roatan a chance because I know they'd fall in love, just as we have, but enjoy this phase of the wedding planning as much as you can and trust me, it's never to early to start planning. Marden and I have been engaged since 2011 and we're pushing for 2015 as well so have fun and if you have any questions then please don't hesitate to PM me, I'd be happy to help in any way I can!

 

TropicalBride - are you sure you're not a spokesperson for Roatan? You convinced me! My fiance is half Hondurian so Idk maybe it won't be too difficult to convince him!

(This is how excited I am now) LOL!

[itsjuliez]

Tonia I've had the same question forever - when do you send STD's? I'm looking at March 2015 so I'm thinking a year and a half in advance for the STDs, that puts me around September? We're taking our engagement pictures on our vacation to the DR this July so that should give me enough time!

[TropicalBride10]

I wish I was a spokesman for the island because I definitely would! Seriously though, my FI and I just adore the island and we've never even been but you should definitely check it out. West Bay is breathtakingly beautiful and it makes for some awesome snorkeling considering the world's second largest barrier reef lies just off the coast. The people that I've met who've visited the island absolutely love it and the culture of the island. My WC's name is Camilla and she owns and operates her own wedding business called Roatan Events. She has the hookup with all of the vendors on the island and she can literally get you anything you want. Her services are completely free and she works with any budget no matter how small. Her website features several different venues and all of the rental equipment she uses as well as she will always email you back within 24 hours. All of the larger resorts such as the Mayan Princess and Infinity Bay offer all-inclusive plans and every room has a full kitchen. If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact me, I'm happy to help in any way I can! Happy Planning

[Tonia Bruyns]

Originally Posted by itsjuliez 

 

Tonia I've had the same question forever - when do you send STD's? I'm looking at March 2015 so I'm thinking a year and a half in advance for the STDs, that puts me around September? We're taking our engagement pictures on our vacation to the DR this July so that should give me enough time!

Yeah I'm doing a year and a half as well.. so I plan on having them out by July, that way people have plenty of time to decide and save. I was thinking of sending the actual invites as soon as we find prices for the time we are going, so like 10 or 11 months before the wedding.. lots of time for deposits and what not. Where are you going in the DR?? We have picked our wedding destination and it is the Majestic Colonial in Punta Cana!

[Marymack]

Hi Ladies.....I am skipping the save the dates and sending my passport invites out in November of this year. That should give everyone time to decide and contact my TA about pricing.....A lot of my friends and family are PROCRATINATORS!!! LOL

[Tonia Bruyns]

Originally Posted by Marymack 

 

Hi Ladies.....I am skipping the save the dates and sending my passport invites out in November of this year. That should give everyone time to decide and contact my TA about pricing.....A lot of my friends and family are PROCRATINATORS!!! LOL

 

I was thinking of doing that, but with pricing not available until 11 months before hand.. I was a bit skeptical. I figure with the STD's, people will know it's a destination wedding and the location as well as the time of year, without me having the complete pricing and exact dates figured out.. how are you doing your passport invites? I love the idea, but I am sooooo not creative with computers so I don't know what to do!

[Marymack]

Hi Tonia....I have mine already done and on here somewhere but I will post again for you.... I had them done by AllurementsByRebecca and they werent expensive....

I was thinking of doing that, but with pricing not available until 11 months before hand.. I was a bit skeptical. I figure with the STD's, people will know it's a destination wedding and the location as well as the time of year, without me having the complete pricing and exact dates figured out.. how are you doing your passport invites? I love the idea, but I am sooooo not creative with computers so I don't know what to do!

[Marymack]

[itsjuliez]

Originally Posted by Tonia Bruyns 

 

Yeah I'm doing a year and a half as well.. so I plan on having them out by July, that way people have plenty of time to decide and save. I was thinking of sending the actual invites as soon as we find prices for the time we are going, so like 10 or 11 months before the wedding.. lots of time for deposits and what not. Where are you going in the DR?? We have picked our wedding destination and it is the Majestic Colonial in Punta Cana!

 

We are going to Puerto Plata since it's cheaper - but would love to one day head to Punta Cana. Right now our budget didn't allow us too many expenses since we're saving up for the wedding PLUS it's during the July 4th holiday (we're celebrating my birthday so date wasn't flex).. but I'm looking forward to it either way!

[itsjuliez]

I'm torn between the passport invites vs plane ticket ones but either way I want to try to them myself to save money. I'll shop around to see if it's worth it but we'll see.

Also the STD I'm def doing - as Tonia mentioned it's hard to send out invites without pricing so I want to make sure I have all the info first but don't want to wait too long to let people know location and date so they can start saving up.

 

PS I love the way your passport invites came out! I'll def check out AllurementsbyRebecca! thanks for sharing!