Just Got Engaged And Not Sure Where To Start

[Taniaandedward]

Hello everyone... My fiancé and I recently got engaged in Cuba and are strongly considering a destination wedding... For a few main reasons:

- our family is spread out through Ontario & Saskatchewan.

- we love to travel.

- we are also hoping this helps us avoid inviting a whole bunch of people we don't know.

- costs

 

We are a bit confused on where to start... A few questions we have are:

 

- which countries can you get married in with out having to jump through the hoops of blood tests, etc.

- I have noticed a lot of people on this site our getting married in Mexico.., has anyone been or planning a wedding in Aruba?

- if your planning a destination wedding is it proper to still have to stag/doe, bridal shower, etc?

- for the wedding party should we help pay for the fights, dresses/ suits, etc?

- we are hoping to keep our wedding costs around $5,000 - $6,000.

- what is the protocall for gifts... Do we still resigter for gifts or do people normally not purchase gifts since they are traveling to the wedding?

 

We are hoping for a Feb 2015 wedding hopefully we have enough time to pull this off. If anyone has any websites to recommend or a good travel agent in Saskatchewan please let me know.

 

Thanks.

 

Tania.

[kmk2016]

Congratulations! You are in the right place... So much support and great information here!!! I think the reason mexico is so popular for us Canadian brides to be, is because of the amount of all inclusive options there are. Aruba doesn't have as many choices in that area, and it's always nice to have a package negotiated which have your guests spending less once they arrive.

 

I have a great agent that deals with brides coast to coast and specializes in Canadian destination weddings. Laurielee.ca she has been great!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AllieH]

Hi Tania - Congratulations on your engagement! here are some answers to your questions:

 

- which countries can you get married in with out having to jump through the hoops of blood tests, etc.

 

I don't think Jamaica or DR require blood tests. As far as I know, Mexico is the only place that does in the Caribbean.

- I have noticed a lot of people on this site our getting married in Mexico.., has anyone been or planning a wedding in Aruba?

 

Aruba is a gorgeous island, though AI resorts there are somewhat limited (and more expensive than other locations). It's my opinion that Aruba is one of those islands where you can do a European plan or breakfast inclusive only, and be just fine. They have tons of restaurants, and depending where you're staying, many are within walking distance, or you can take the public transportation (bus).

 

- if your planning a destination wedding is it proper to still have to stag/doe, bridal shower, etc?

 

If you want to, absolutely!! There will be friends/family who probably won't be able to travel with you, but will still want to celebrate.

- for the wedding party should we help pay for the fights, dresses/ suits, etc?

 

That's totally up to you & your groom, and your budget. We chose not to have a bridal party, because we didn't want them to have to incur additional expenses for their attire. Some brides/grooms do pay, some don't. No rules..

 

- what is the protocall for gifts... Do we still resigter for gifts or do people normally not purchase gifts since they are traveling to the wedding?

 

If you'll have family and friends who aren't attending, go ahead and register. You can also tell them that their presence at your wedding are their gifts, so impress upon them you don't expect gifts if they are traveling. Many of our guests both traveled and bought gifts for us - completely unexpected!

 

Definitely find a travel agent to work with you & help you narrow down your options. Happy Planning!

[FutureMrsGlover]

Hi Tania,

 

Congratulations!!!

 

I have been engaged since July 2013...and we too are planning a destination wedding.  I have had a hard time choosing between Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.  I think I am finally on-board with Jamaica (my fiance's first choice).

Then it is the narrowing down of resorts (I am down to three) - Iberostar, Secrets and Royalton White Sands (all in Montego Bay).  I looked at resorts in Aruba also but as stated above there aren't many all inclusives and I didn't like all the pictures with the iguanas.  (Not a fan of lizards).

 

I chose Montego Bay because of the airport being right there and not wanting my guests to have to take an hour or two ride to the resorts in Ochos Rios or Negril.

 

Jamaica doesn't requre blood tests and the documents needed are pretty standard.  The issue with the Dominican Republic is the translation services needed and the cost of the judge/minister for the wedding.  (I thought the cost was a bit much!)  Like you, I am trying to keep my budget between $5k and $6K.

 

I had the same concern as to whether to pay for the flights for the wedding attendants but the cost just got too much.  I am trying instead to find inexpensive dresses and linen suits so that the additional cost will be minimal to them.

 

I am also using a travel agent who lives in the States but is actually from Jamaica.  She has been a tremendous help. 

 

I hope this helps.

 

 

Tish

[tygrrlily]

Hello and congratulations! I'm in the early planning stages too so thought I'd answer some of your questions

 

We are from Toronto and chose Mexico because of all the all inclusive resorts, and because there are a lot of fun options for people that aren't beach/resort people (mayan ruins, tours, ec.). We thought about doing it somewhere a bit more exotic, but the cost would have been a lot higher. We also like that the flight is short and direct

 

I think my bridesmaids are still going to have a shower and bachelorette for me. i told them I want to keep the costs down for people. My fiance's friends are big spenders and they are probably going to Vegas for his, even though we are doing a destination wedding

 

I chose to have a small wedding party (just 2 bridesmaids) because I wanted to keep things intimate and costs down. I paid for their dresses, but they will be wearing their own shoes and paying for their own hair/makeup (if they want to get it done).

 

We are planning on registering for gifts because we know that some of the people that will not be able to attend will probably get us things. But we haven't done this yet and when we do, we'll register for things with a wide price range

 

Best advice is to get a good travel agent as they will help you a lot! And don't be afraid to switch agents if you have to. I'm using my 2nd agent now

 

Good luck!

[acw271011]

@@Taniaandedward - Congratulations and welcome to the site! Every comment above is great and dead on point! You will absolutely find tons of information and tips here!

 

I'm a Jamaica bride, so i would probably be biased in favour of there for a DW. If it helps, we were both divorced and older, so if you think about paperwork, it was super easy for us to get married in Jamaica! No translating documents which can really run you up some money. No blood tests, or aggravation. That's the main reason we opted for Jamaica. We both love Mexico, but in terms of working everything out, it was just too much. I did also look at Aruba, I think like everyone else, and if you read the rules to get married... ouch. There is a lot there for rules. It put me off, and your price point for Aruba is really expensive! We have friends that were married in St Lucia, and the only reason they did was because her father knew the one of one of the resorts there and gave them preferred pricing on their rates. When I looked at the pricing for us, it was just too cost prohibitive so that put St Lucia out of reach too.

 

I would definitely recommend Jamaica. There is such a wide range of resorts and pricing available, and resorts that you wold be able to fit to any age range of your guests. We were married at the Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica in Runaway Bay, which is about an hour from the airport in MB, but the ride went pretty quickly. Not bad at all.

 

As to your other questions, I agree with AllieH. Just about anything goes nowdays with weddings, within reason of course. And absolutely you will have people that won't be able to attend your wedding so will very likely give you a gift. We put it out there that we didn't want to add to costs for anyone travelling (no one did in the end) so no gifts were expected, and we had been living together anyway for 10 years so there was nothing we needed. If you wanted to you could save your bachelorette party for your destination. Would be something different to consider so yes - go ahead with a bachelorette party!!

 

You could investigate itravel2000 or selloffvacations if you wanted to. They both have wedding coordinators that will do group rates for you, and when I inquired the rate from itravel2000 was pretty good. We used an agent in downtown Toronto and loved her. She was great to work with. But getting an agent is a must. They will make your life so much easier, and answer the myriad of questions that your guests are bound to have.

 

Good luck and happy planning!!

[Moments That Matter]

Congrats on your engagement and upcoming wedding, Tania & Edward!!! yes, you're already off to a great start - as you can see from all the great info + advice you've already rec'd - so well done

You may already have seen this, however here's a link to some wedding tips too: Wedding Tips and Etiquette

 

Enjoy your research and planning, and all the Best !

 

 

cheers! team MTM

[danielleandryan2015]

Congratulations! We are doing a Jamaica wedding and there is no blood test. Just send birth certificates and be in the country a few days prior to the wedding and that's about it for requirements!

I also will be having a bridal shower and such, but we are going to be having a reception at home when we return so there are a lot of people who want to celebrate but aren't coming to Jamaica.

We are not paying for our bridal party's attire or tickets however I am keeping it as inexpensive as possible. Bridesmaid dresses are around $100 each and the guys are just going to wear khaki's and a white shirt, so both things they will be able to wear again. Shoes are optional and so will be hair/makeup for my girls!

I think you can do it however you want although we did make sure to give each member of our bridal party a price up front and made sure they did not feel obligated in any way if they couldn't make it work. So far everyone we really really wanted there is able to come!

[MrandMrsBonitto2016]

Congrats:) This site is truly helpful. Happy planning!!!

[dreamweddings]

Hello everyone... My fiancé and I recently got engaged in Cuba and are strongly considering a destination wedding... For a few main reasons:

- our family is spread out through Ontario & Saskatchewan.

- we love to travel.

- we are also hoping this helps us avoid inviting a whole bunch of people we don't know.

- costs

 

We are a bit confused on where to start... A few questions we have are:

 

- which countries can you get married in with out having to jump through the hoops of blood tests, etc.

- I have noticed a lot of people on this site our getting married in Mexico.., has anyone been or planning a wedding in Aruba?

- if your planning a destination wedding is it proper to still have to stag/doe, bridal shower, etc?

- for the wedding party should we help pay for the fights, dresses/ suits, etc?

- we are hoping to keep our wedding costs around $5,000 - $6,000.

- what is the protocall for gifts... Do we still resigter for gifts or do people normally not purchase gifts since they are traveling to the wedding?

 

We are hoping for a Feb 2015 wedding hopefully we have enough time to pull this off. If anyone has any websites to recommend or a good travel agent in Saskatchewan please let me know.

 

Thanks.

 

Tania.

Congrats on your engagement

 

 

I would advice to start your search with the Travel agent on here.  based on your budget and vision they should be able to assist you.