Help Me I Don't Know Where To Start!

[lornj29]

So I am just engaged since August and I would like to start planning. DOes anyone have any advice for me as to best places to have wedding. I'm thinking Mexico, but I have no idea where. I want it to be beautiful with blue waters and a nice resort, but also inexpensive for my guests to travel. People are mostly coming from NY. DOes anyone have any recommendations? I also am a teacher, so would love to get married in Summer, but by next summer would that be too soon? Can I plan it all in less than a yr. Has anyone used destinationweddings.com, or have you used this website? I would get married over a school break maybe, but I think it may be more expensive to travel then. Thanks to anyone who could help! Im also not set on Mexico, just want the pretty water.

Lauren

[Maggietron]

Hello and welcome! 

 

You might want to look at the Mayan Riviera part of Mexico. Most places have cheap flights to Cancun and it's just south of there. It's gorgeous and has resorts with all price points. That's where we decided to go. You will want to look into when the hurricane season starts and keep in mind that during the summer it will be SUPER hot and parts of the resorts might be closed because it's the low season for tourism. You can get tons of information about resorts and locations from this forum, so do some browsing! 

 

 Happy hunting!

[Mrsktobe]

This website is fantastic and the ladies on it are great! There are tons of reviews and threads about different places depending on your budget and what you are looking for! I found my wedding venue on here

 

Also, yes it's possible to plan it by next year, we got engaged in Feb and are getting married this November.

[lornj29]

Thank you so far! Just wondering if you planned your wedding through here... Or just get ideas thorough here? Do you plan it through the resorts? Or I've heard of destination weddings.com

[calgarybride2015]

I am in Canada so things work a little different ... but I only used this site for ideas, reviews, connect with other brides, and for the thread on my resort - invaluable!

 

What I did was use a travel agent for my package to the resort (airfare, accommodations, transfers, etc.), and she made initial contact with the resort to get their wedding packages, etc.  Once I decided on a resort, I have had all contact myself with the resort.     Travel Agents who specialize in destination weddings and/or are just good at their craft with certain countries can help steer you in the right direction for resorts that will come back in your price point.  She had me looking at ones I would never have thought would be in my price point, but were.  She was awesome and so helpful!  All travel is booked thru her, so this made it super simple for our guests too.

 

I think you should pick a country first, then a price point to see what area of that country will work best for you (IE - Mayan and Cancun tend to be more expensive than the PV side), then see what is out there in your price range for the week you want.  I was very flexible with our week and I chose one solely based on price!

 

Since you are in the USA I think the travel agents associated with this site are VERY good and get great reviews on here.

 

I got engaged in April.  We booked a resort in May and are getting married in January!   I could have done it in shorter time, as I have most stuff bought - now to complete it all!  Just need to move quick is all!  Somethings take awhile to come in (like dresses, etc.)     Except, I did need to give myself time to save and my guests!!! 

 

Good luck!

 

EDIT: I don't think summer is as high of a season as Feb-Apr is due to crappy weather everywhere else.  You would just want to look into when exactly hurricane season is.  I also made sure to not book on a Mexican holiday as they travel too!

Edited September 8, 2014 by calgarybride2015

[MrsCtoB]

This website is certainly a useful tool... I would start off with picking the location though. I would weigh the pros and cons of your top 3 per say and look up some flight prices. Travel agents can definitely help you there also, especially those that specialize in DWs as they are usually familiar with the packages and freebies you will get with each resort option. I know that our summer break is not considered high season in Mexico so sometimes you can get great rates for guests during that time, especially July and August. There is this really awesome website that lists the average temp for each day in any specific location with average rain fall and humidity etc. I found it helpful when I was planning the date for our DW. If I can find it, I will link it later! Good luck

[Sabes44]

Welcome and congrats!  This is a great website and I am soooo glad I found it.  As everyone else had mentioned first pick your resort and I definitely  recommend working with a travel agent.  I used destinationweddings.com which are good and I got a great rate.  But I had also done a TON of research prior and pretty much had already decided which resort I wanted, just really needed a TA to help book others and get better rates.  I also recommend Wright Travel on here as well.  Good luck and use the resources on here! 

[AllieH]

Get a good travel agent! Start with the team here at BDW: Wright Travel. There's a link to them in my signature. They can help you narrow down your options, choose resorts within your target price range and get all your guests booked. They are AWESOME with destination wedding groups. 

 

The 3 most popular all inclusive destinations for weddings are Mexico (Cancun/Riviera Maya or Cabo), Jamaica and Dominican Republic. All three have beautiful resorts and beaches, at a variety of price points. You definitely need an expert on your team to help you with the options. 

[kimmyd2]

I am in Canada so things work a little different ... but I only used this site for ideas, reviews, connect with other brides, and for the thread on my resort - invaluable!

 

What I did was use a travel agent for my package to the resort (airfare, accommodations, transfers, etc.), and she made initial contact with the resort to get their wedding packages, etc.  Once I decided on a resort, I have had all contact myself with the resort.     Travel Agents who specialize in destination weddings and/or are just good at their craft with certain countries can help steer you in the right direction for resorts that will come back in your price point.  She had me looking at ones I would never have thought would be in my price point, but were.  She was awesome and so helpful!  All travel is booked thru her, so this made it super simple for our guests too.

 

I think you should pick a country first, then a price point to see what area of that country will work best for you (IE - Mayan and Cancun tend to be more expensive than the PV side), then see what is out there in your price range for the week you want.  I was very flexible with our week and I chose one solely based on price!

 

Since you are in the USA I think the travel agents associated with this site are VERY good and get great reviews on here.

 

I got engaged in April.  We booked a resort in May and are getting married in January!   I could have done it in shorter time, as I have most stuff bought - now to complete it all!  Just need to move quick is all!  Somethings take awhile to come in (like dresses, etc.)     Except, I did need to give myself time to save and my guests!!! 

 

Good luck!

 

EDIT: I don't think summer is as high of a season as Feb-Apr is due to crappy weather everywhere else.  You would just want to look into when exactly hurricane season is.  I also made sure to not book on a Mexican holiday as they travel too!

 

 

 

HI! wondering who your travel agent was??  Canadian bride to be from Winnipeg here just starting out as well, just finding it overwhelming but looking to find a travel agent first that specializes in destination weddings.

thanks 

[kmk2016]

HI! wondering who your travel agent was?? Canadian bride to be from Winnipeg here just starting out as well, just finding it overwhelming but looking to find a travel agent first that specializes in destination weddings.

thanks

A few of us here from Canada work with Laurielee who is amazing! I would recommend her (Laurielee.ca)