Newbie And Confused On Destination Venue!

[FutureMrsRescueRiley]

Hey Everyone,

 

I am new to this forum. We got engaged on the beach in San Felipe during the Baja 1000 race in November 2015. It was so awesome, no one was on the beach with us and it was sunset...perfect! So now...we are in the midst of planning what feels like a lot of overwhelming decisions! We are both really wanting to do a destination in Mexico, but preferably at an all-inclusive resort so that our families can have a cool vacation and keep the cost down for everyone. There are so many venues to choose from and we won't be able to visit many, if any, of them. I'm hoping for some insight as to how to choose the right venue, past experiences with resorts, what helped you make your final decision when choosing a destination venue, etc. Help! We are interested so far in Cancun, Cabo, and Riveria Maya for January 2017. 

 

We are also kicking around the idea of having a wedding in Oregon, where we are both living, but the venues that we are the most interested in, and that would make a trip worthwhile for all of our out of town company, are about 10-15k for everything, for just one day! We have been doing a lot of research and it seems you can have a whole wedding and a couple weeks of vacation for the same price. All of my family (bride) lives in Oregon while my fiancee's family lives in Nashville, San Diego, and Phoenix. Our friends are spread out through the country as well as Australia and New Zealand...so everyone will need to be traveling at some point, so we thought a destination would be a good happy medium.

 

Any advice would be helpful, I've been scouring forums and feels like I'm getting more lost in the decision making process. Thank you all!

 

Cassandra

[acw271011]

@@FutureMrsRescueRiley Congrats and welcome to the site! You've come to the right place for information and the brides here are always willing to help!

 

You'll find choosing your resort probably the most difficult part of your planning journey. You're right - there are so many to choose from! The first thing I would say is find yourself a good travel agent. They will become your new bff as you move towards your wedding. A good TA will help you work within your budget, help with what you do and don't want and also work with you to keep the price to something affordable for your guests. Every resort has something going for it, but an agent will help you decide what is really important to you. The owners of this site are destination wedding specialists, and I'm sure would be able to help you work through what you're looking for. In fact the owner is also a destination bride. You can contact them through this site: http://wrighttravelagency.com/inquiry/

 

The other thing I would recommend is making a budget so that you know what you have to work with. You'll get lots of recommendations on resorts here, but it will depend on what you want. Not every resort works for every bride.

 

Good luck and happy planning!

[FutureMrsRescueRiley]

Great suggestion, thank you! Beautiful pictures and ceremony!

[Moments That Matter]

Welcome to our forum community Cassandra, and Congrats on your engagement on the beach and upcoming dw!!! yes, acw271011 is so right about there being lots of great info, advice, suggestions + support from everyone at these boards - so you're already off to a great start....big exhale!

LOTs of brides (like Most of them) feel some degree of being overwhelmed in the beginning of this amazing journey - so you're in good company However with all the resources you find here, it's bound to make your decision process easier and get you started off on the right foot.

 

For some added inspiration, here are some magical wedding moments that matter we've captured in our magnificent Mayan Riviera.....to ramp up your creativity even more.....enjoy!!!

 

....from our Cover Photos Album:

 

 

 

 

Wishing you happy research and all the best with your plans - cheers!!! team MTM

Edited January 25, 2016 by Moments That Matter

[TAPreety]

@FutureMrsRescueRiley Congratulations on your engagement and welcome to BDW!  Working with at TA is the best thing you can do to help understand what each resort includes and how they do weddings.  If you need any help please contact us here to help get you started. 

[AdamnJenn17]

Yes TA can be a huge help - The day is yours but it is also a vacation for your guests - look at your demographic and plan accordingly

There are many great options that wont break the bank and be a dream come true