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  1. It is a question many travelers ask themselves before booking a trip — should I use a travel agent? And when it comes to booking your destination wedding or honeymoon, the answer to that question is an absolute YES. The agents at Wright Travel Agency not only organize and arrange all travel plans for you and your guests, their agents are also the person in your corner who you can turn to if you run into any issues during the travel process or if you have problems at your destination location. A good travel agent is there from beginning to end looking out for your best interest to ensure that your travel experience is as stress-free as possible. Here are several reasons why you should use Wright Travel Agency (WTA) — the official agency of the BestDestinationWedding.com — to book your destination wedding group: Wright Travel Agency does not charge a service fee, so it is completely free to use one of their agents to book your group. Wright Travel’s agents have decades of experience working with destination wedding couples, small/large groups and honeymooners -- many of these agents are also destination brides themselves, so they are familiar with the special ebbs and flows of a destination celebration and can help you every step of the way. Their agents are well-versed in the intricacies of booking a small or large wedding group and familiar with resorts throughout Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Costa Rica and other Caribbean destinations, as well as other locations throughout the world. If a WTA agent’s services comes at absolutely no extra cost to you, why wouldn’t you take advantage of one of their agents’ assistance and expertise in coordinating your trip and helping your guests with their travel plans? Aside from booking travel plans, their agents can offer in-depth knowledge and insight about your destination location, the resorts you’re interested in and any fun activities or excursions your group may want to participate in. WTA agents can provide a wealth of knowledge to any traveler — and if their services are completely free to use — what is there to lose? It’s a win-win for you in more ways than one. Wright Travel agents have access to special promotions, discounts and perks for the wedding couple and the group as a whole. Resorts and hotels (along with travel suppliers) are often offering special booking discounts and promotions that can save a couple thousands of dollars. And because Wright Travel is a top producing agency with many of the destination wedding resort brands, there are exclusive bonuses when it comes to working with a WTA agent. This is in addition to perks that allow couples and their guests to receive complimentary room upgrades and extra amenities. But with all these special promotions, there are strict rules and deadlines the couple must adhere to in order to qualify for these perks and there is no better person to explain these terms than an agent who is familiar and knowledgeable about your wedding resort. Based on the number of rooms/nights/guests that book into the group, cashback amounts can range anywhere from a few $100's to several $1000's. Truth be told, you can’t expect a hotels/resort to provide you with personal reminders on important deadlines and numbers you must meet in order to qualify for a promotion or discount, but when you’re using a Wright Travel agent, he/she can give you that personalized service you need to stay on top of things. Wright Travel agents can give you valuable insight when it comes to finding the best resort/property that will fit your needs, budget and preferences. When you find yourselves early in the planing process, completely confused about what resort will best fit your needs, Wright Travel agents are there to help. Their agents are extremely well-traveled and visit several resorts throughout all destination locations at least a few times a year. A good travel advisor is a huge resource that can provide you with valuable insight and information on resort options at your destination location. Most of the time, WTA agents have either stayed or done a site inspection at the resorts you’re considering or had past couples get married at the property you choose — this is expertise and knowledge that you simply can’t put a price on. Wright Travel agents can help secure a room block so that your resort does not run out of rooms and all your guests can book at a consistent rate. One of the biggest mistakes couples make is not securing a room block at their destination hotel/resort. Sure it may seem easier just to have all your guests book on their own, when they’re ready. But when you go this route, you also risk having some guests find out the property is sold out or that the rooms that are left are double, sometimes triple, the rate that other guests have booked. And then you'll end up with family and friends not being able to attend your celebration. The other downfall to not setting aside a proper room block is that you won’t reap the benefits of a group booking — that means, your resort will see you and your guests as a bunch of individual bookings rather than a large group. So you won’t qualify for group perks, amenities, promotions or discounts. This could mean missing out on thousands of dollars in cash back benefits and perks. The resort also won’t prioritize putting your group’s rooms close together, because again, you are not recognized as a group booking. When it comes to group blocks, there are deadlines for releasing rooms that go unused to avoid any penalties. This is another key moment when your travel agents expertise is vital. So word to the wise, get a room block. It will save you a lot of money, headaches and stress and you will reap all the benefits of having a room block. Wright Travel agents will have established relationships with the resort you choose and their wedding department, which will benefit you throughout the planning process. If there’s a consistent complaint that destination wedding couples have, it’s that resort wedding department’s don’t reply to their emails and calls quick enough. Understandably, these wedding departments are dealing with hundreds of brides each year and being able to respond quickly to each and every questions isn’t always feasible. But having a travel agent who knows your resort’s wedding coordinator/team will do a lot to ease your worries. A knowledgeable agent can also answer some questions you might have about the wedding process at your resort. A good working relationship between your agent and the wedding department can be really valuable especially when it comes down to crunch time! Wright Travel agents will handle all your group’s travel details and questions, so you don’t have to. Imagine having to answer 20 questions from Aunt Betty about the best flight to take to your destination, followed by Uncle Mike’s wanting to know what the difference is between the different room categories and three of your guests suddenly going MIA once final payments are due — and this is all between your wedding coordinator sending you questions about the kind of bouquet you want, and by the way, you still need to create a seating chart and your dress suddenly is too big so you need to find a seamstress to fix your dress 10 days before your wedding. And one more thing, on the day that one of your bridesmaids is supposed to leave, she unexpectedly misses her flight so now she’s asking for your help in booking a new flight. Does all of this sound stressful? If it does, it’s because it is. Your job as the bride should be solely focused on being the bride, NOT a glorified travel agent or travel advisor. There are so many questions and unexpected hiccups that can happen when a group is traveling, let your travel agent handle those intricate details. This is stress you don’t need, especially when you can turn to a travel agent who will take care of everything without it costing you a dime. Wright Travel agents can offer travel insurance at a reasonable price. When booking through Wright Travel Agency, all travelers have the opportunity to purchase travel insurance, which allows you to cancel your trip for any reason prior to the originally scheduled flight departure time and receive a full refund (minus the cost of the policy). The policy offered also includes reimbursement for trip interruption, medical expenses incurred on the trip, and lost or delayed baggage. It’s a security blanket offered to travelers that offers great all-around protection for little investment. Wright Travel agents can give you suggestions on good vendors to use at your destination location. Gathering a solid crew of reliable vendors who can make your wedding vision come to life can be quite the challenge. So it’s always helpful when you can turn to your travel agent as a resource for referrals and suggestions. With WTA having worked with thousands of wedding couples, their agents will likely have a list of vendors they can recommend to you — referrals are great to have when it comes to planners, photographers, videographers, DJs, hair/makeup stylist and florists. WTA agents are happy to share their recommendations with clients. Wright Travel agents can help book any other excursions or outings that you or your guests may want to do on their trip. In addition to sharing their knowledge and suggestions of things to do/see at your destination, a WTA agent can also pre-book excursions so you don’t have to hassle with organizing these outings during your stay. If you want to do a special activity or excursion off-site with your guests, your agent can help give you ideas and options to consider. Having your WTA agent assist you means you’ll have more time to enjoy your family and friends. Wright Travel agents work for you and look out for your best interest from beginning to end. Your WTA agent works as a liaison between you and the travel supplier and resort — so your agent is always looking out for your best interest and can handle problems that you or your guests may experience prior to, during or after the trip. WTA agents are in your corner, so don't hesitate to use their expertise, knowledge and experience to make the travel planning process one less thing you have to stress over. When it comes down to it, the question really is — Why wouldn’t you use a Wright Travel agent? A travel agent is the travel expert who can save you an incredible amount of time and money when it comes to planning your destination wedding or honeymoon. They are there to guide you through the process and find the best property to fit for your needs, don’t be afraid to use their knowledge and resources as much as you can. At the end of your wedding journey, you’ll be glad you did! Click here to read more than 100+ reviews about Wright Travel Agency and their destination wedding services. For more information about booking a group, wedding, vow renewal or honeymoon at any destination location, contact Wright Travel Agency at: www.wrighttravelagency.com or you can contact them HERE!
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  2. Hello!! My fiancé and I are planning on a destination wedding and we are wondering if there are any recommendations for a travel agency to use. I’ve emailed some I found online, but find it tough just communicating through email before we decide where to book. After we book, obviously email is convenient! We are in the Niagara Falls On area and would love to sit and meet with someone but don’t know where to start. Any help is greatly appreciated!! Thank you
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  3. Hi all! I am trying to plan my wedding, and would love some pictures so I can get some ideas as to how things will look. We have chosen The Cove at the Atlantis for our ceremony and outdoor reception. Anyone else have a wedding there, who can share?
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  4. You are definitely not alone in this I am sure! As much as you want all of your friends and family there, DWs can be tough for a lot of people to make. Some for financial reasons and others because they have a weird chip on their shoulder about you having one. It sucks initially but you aren't getting married for them! And for all of the people who make it, you will create an even stronger bond. I hope it gets better and please keep us posted!
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  5. Hi Kiara, There are a lot of great venue options for large wedding groups in Cabo, it really depends on what you're looking for in terms of budget and location in the San Jose del Cabo/Cabo San Lucas area. A great route in booking a big wedding would be to choose a resort that can both serve as lodging for you and your guests as well as provide the venue space for your celebration -- when you go this route, many venues will actually offer free events, complimentary rooms and free upgrades. So you not only get a wonderful spot to vacation at, but it will also serve as the location for your wedding festivities. Feel free to shoot an email to [email protected] -- Wright Travel Agency is the agency that owns and operates this website. Their team of agents have helped thousands of couples plan their dream destination weddings over the past decade and they have worked with with most of the resorts in the Cabo area, so they have great relationships with the resorts' events teams and are familiar with the different properties to ensure that you find the perfect location for your celebration. Hope that helps!
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  6. Hello Vernicula - Congratulations on your engagement! I agree with everything MarieSam previously posted. One of the most important things when choosing an agent is there experience and their level of expertise with destinations and resorts. All of the Wright Travel agents have years of experience working with wedding groups, we have built excellent relationships with many resorts and we have visited, toured and stayed at many resorts in several different destinations. Email is one way of communication so you have everything in writing and can access this a anytime, but phone calls can be just as useful. Our goal is to make sure all of your questions are answered from beginning to end and we are happy to set up a phone call whenever you would like. Some couples prefer to only communicate via email and others also want that reassuring voice with a phone call. We can do whatever works best for each coiple. Please let us know what questioned
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  7. Hi guys, I am getting married in May :-) I saw pretty nice floral crowns at the miami wedding photography page https://www.maleen-johannsen.com/wedding I would love to wear this as well. Now I was wondering: Do you have any experience with it? How expensive are floral crowns? Is it possible to order this at your florist - Or is it possible to do it yourself? Thanks for your help!
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  8. Im Australian and getting married at Dreams Los Cabos, Mexico. Originally we thought we would only have 20 guests coming but instead we have 71! So to show our appreciation, we wanted to make sure our Guests loved everything surrounding our wedding & their week in Mexico. I am a Travel Agent so you may notice a bit of overkill on the destination info... this is purely so I didn't have to answer the same questions 50 times We started off with A4 white gloss gift boxes from the UK (ebay) to which I almost hot glued my fingers every night putting the damned things together. I brought a full roll of Black edging lace and inch wide black satin ribbon to create the runner across the lid. Easily hot glued under the flaps of the folded lid. Included in the Box was : -Invitation -Dreams Resort Booklet (Had a box sent from the Hotel to my house), -Small bottle of essential oil which we popped different labels like our names, Cabo & Dreams Resort. -DVD of a destination & resort video we created. You can view it HERE. We mixed together official tourism clips along with our own video. - Disneyland DVD & Brochure - (We knew most people would hit it up before Mexico) We also included the above MEXICAN PASSPORT type booklets. It had loads of info.Below are some of the pages. If anyone would like to use it as a template, just email me and I can shoot it across to you These are not in order but you get the picture. Our website was loaded with info to combat everyone's questions so my best advice to keep it updated. I was amazed at how many guests mentioned they were on our website during the day especially whilst at work hahaha. They are excited to be travelling too so it cool to add things regularly. Being a Travel Agent and obviously taking care of 99% of the bookings, I wanted to make sure that I was giving everyone the correct info. Most of the info in this Departure Brochure is specific to Australian Travellers. These brochures were done on a Vistaprint special with a $30 coupon so ended up free + shipping. And these are my OOT Bags Messenger Bags in 6 bright colors from Oriental Trading (26) $10 Sunglasses from Oriental Trading (26) $11 First Aid Kits from the Reject Shop $1ea Hand Sanitizer from the Reject Shop 75c ea Mr & Mrs Playing Cards from Oriental Trading (24) $15 Mint Tins with mints from Oriental Trading (24) $15 Beer Koozies from Oriental Trading (24) $10 Bottle Openers from Vistaprint on a special and have a $30 coupon so came down to $17 for 25 Postcards from Vistaprint on their 50 free special. Tissue packs from the Reject Shop $1ea Trivia Books Covers (Thank you card) from Vistaprint (25) $5.99 BEAUTY BAGS Cosmetic Bags in 6 colors from Oriental Trading - Actually Pencil Cases (26) $10 Nail file from the Reject Shop (30) $2 Facial Cleansing Wipes from the Reject Shop $1ea Razors from the Reject Shop (6) $2ea Nail Varnish, mixed OPI, Loreal & Revlon brought locally. Lip Balms from Amazon (26) $13 Hair Ties and pins (always lose mine so thought this was great for a hot destination!) (500 pins & 100 ties) $6 Reject shop Nivea Creme Tins from the Reject Shop $1ea My Trivia Books have a personalised word search, lots of movie trivia and some personalised trivia questions about us. Happy to email copies out if you want to use the template. Lanyards with Plastic slips from Oriental Trading (48) $22 I got these printed from Vistaprint on their Business Cards for free deal.... usually available all the time! The outside is printed in color and to fit inside the lanyards. The insides include a rough tipping chart for the Aussies and also a currency converter into Mexican Pesos. This was a little idea to let people just throw their room keys and credit cards etc into and maybe not wear it, but pop in their pockets outside of the resort. MIDNIGHT SNACK BOXES Fortune Cookies from Oriental Trading (30) $18 Buttermints from Oriental Trading (150) $8 HANGOVER KIT BOXES Hydrolyte from the Chemist (12) $20 Panadol from the Chemist (24) $8 Stickers from Vistaprint Mini hot pink & orange boxes from Oriental Trading (60) $4 My Welcome booklets were also printed from Vistaprint for the covers. We included a personalised Thank you to all our Guests, Order of Events, Our Story and some other bits and pieces about the resort. Front cover and inside front cover = Inside back cover and back cover = We matched these up by using the same design but different covers for the Ceremony booklets For our Menus, we decided to play around with the reverse side and its something fun that we can keep. From Vistaprint they are just the oversized postcards. Last but not least is our Guest gifts. The ladies all received a pair of earrings or a necklace whilst the gentlemen had rolled cigars. I brought the Tin boxes on a trip to Bali (24) $4 bargain! I had to make these from scratch so I brought the foam, black felt and pink & orange ribbon from Spotlight here in Aus and put them all together. The earrings are then clasped around the ribbon. There is sooo much more that I havent uploaded, so slowly, I will add more to this but please let me know if I can help make any of this easier for anyone out there
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  9. Hello Everyone, I am new here, I heard about this site from a friend of mine that had a destination wedding back in 2012 which was beautiful. I am leaning towards the DR if I find a place that has all that I am looking for if not Mexico is another great option. Thinking of May 2020 if that is enough time to plan this! I like modern looks, all inclusive for sure. I definitely want the beach very very close to the pools and rooms, a swim up bar is a must. I really like the idea of the swim ups in the rooms if possible. I am going to have friends that bring their kids so it can't be adult only. I do want to get married on the beach which seems like most of the all inclusive resorts offer. My friend got married at the SENSATORI AZUL BEACH RESORT RIVIERA MAYA and it had all I would want in a resort if anyone has stayed there and has any advice. Thanks for all the help ahead of time. M&B
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  10. Hi there!! Congrats on your engagement. You have definitely come to the right place to plan your destination wedding -- this site is a gold mine for ideas and tips for destination couples. I was a destination bride myself 10 years ago and lived on this site obsessively for 2 years For the Dominican Republic, I think a great resort that fits what you're looking for is Now Onyx! They have amazing swimup suites, they are an oceanfront resort and best of all, they have both an incredible adults only section with the best pool area and a family friendly areas as well. The adults in your group will also have access to Breathless Punta Cana, which is next door where they have a great nightclub and casino but they can also use all the amenities there as well (as long as the property has not been bought out for your travel dates). I along with a few agents of Wright Travel Agency, which is the official agency of this forum, stayed there for 4 days this past January and I was thoroughly impressed with the accommodations, amenities, food and excellent service. Also, they have an amazing wedding team there that does everything to please couples and give them the wedding of their dreams! If you want information about this resort and pricing, I suggest you contact Wright Travel Agency and one of their Dominican Republic specialist will get back to you! Wright Travel also has exclusive promos and discounts to many resorts -- including this one. There is a great promo called the Bride and Groom Fly Free credit, which can save you up to $1,000!!! You can contact them here www.wrighttravelagency.com or email directly at [email protected] Hope that helps and again, congrats!!! ❤️
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  11. Congratulations Amanda and welcome to the forum! Absolutely use a travel agent. You will get the best rates & personalized for you and your guests. We can definitely give you resort suggestions & answer any questions you have, but your best bet for pricing will be to contact a Canadian TA. Canadian rates are different than the US market and are typically packaged with the air plus using a Canadian TA you and your guests can pay in CAD. Karisma resorts are known for their "gourmet inclusive" food options. Sensatori Punta Cana is a beautiful resort that opened a few years ago. They offers a sky terrace for weddings & reception. They are next to Nickelodeon Punta Cana and share many of the same restaurants. There is an awesome waterpark for kids that is available for a nominal fee. In Punta Cana Now Onyx is a popular option & we have stayed there twice. The food is good and adults have the added bonus of being able to go to Breathless Punta Cana which is an adults only resort next door. Now Onyx is in the process of adding a sky terrace for weddings with reception area attached. Royalton Resorts are another great option. Royalton Bavaro in Punta Cana has a terrace overlooking the ocean and Royalton Riviera Cancun has an open air chapel overlooking the ocean. They are great family friendly resorts. Resort info is attached for all of these options & we have stayed at or toured all of them as well. Please take a look and let me know what questions we can answer. Thanks! Patty Sensatori PC fact sheet.pdf Royalton Bavaro resort map.pdf Royalton Bavaro fact sheet.pdf Royalton Riviera Cancun factsheet 8.2018.pdf Royalton Riviera Cancun brochure 8.2018.pdf Royalton Riviera Cancun - Location Images 2017.pdf Royalton Riviera Cancun resort map.pdf Now Onyx Resort Map (2).pdf Now Onyx Brochure (1).pdf Now Onyx fact sheet (1).pdf
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  12. Hi! Well, I stumbled on this forum, and then when I realized it was run by a travel agency (while being really impartial- the fact that there are reviews for OTHER agencies was a good sign!) I didn't look any further! Their website, where you can fill out a contact form: https://www.wrighttravelagency.com/ Babs actually sent me an email on a Sunday (she had been out of the office on Friday) so that's how we started- I was so impressed right off the bat! You may not get Babs, but I can only imagine that the entire office is amazing! We're getting married at Azul Riveria Cancun (formerly Sensatori). We chose it because we have kids coming. We actually just went down for the Brides Dress Rehearsal (A really cool program Karisma Resorts do, where they give you a special price/couple to go down and check out some resorts, meet wedding planners and vendors etcetc- it's great having never been there to leave knowing and seeing it all- http://www.memorablemomentsweddings.com/Memorable-Moments-Weddings-Dress_Rehearsal.cfm) I'm pretty laid back- it's Mexico. Where ever you are, how ever it's decorated, whatever the weather is- it's going to be gorgeous. I wanted a destination wedding so that I could not worry about things! It will be what it will be- and regardless of what it is, MEXICO! lol I did just see a post about travel guidelines for the DR (Below). Just something to consider, it seems really restrictive! Have you been to the DR? I'm struggling at the moment with people who are afraid to travel to Mexico, which I've always found funny because I've been 6 times and I'm still alive! AND only 3 of those times were on resorts! I felt the least safe of all my travels in the DR, so it's just something that I like to mention!
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  13. Weddings are very important occasions, especially in the lives of the bride and groom. There are so many things to think about such as the venue, food, guest list, and cake. While getting all of these in order, you should not overlook the importance of a great tie. All eyes would be on you, and for that reason, you have to sport the best tie. In this article, we would be sharing the best wedding ties you should add to your closet in preparation for the big day. Pick a tie that matches the color scheme: Your bride and her bridesmaids will most likely have their preferred color scheme for the big day, so you might pick a tie that blends into this color scheme. Common traditional wedding theme colors are peach and ivory, so this Peach Luxury Paisley Silk Tie will be a great option. Match your tie with your pocket square: If you want to wear a pocket square on your big day, you can create a great look by choosing a patterned pocket tie and pairing it with a plain colored tie. Ties such as the Cyan Satin Silk Tie orLight Lilac Satin Silk Thin Tie will look amazing. Wear a floral tie: What better tie will match a wedding theme than a floral tie? Choose a stunning floral tie, such as the Silver Floral Patterned Silk Tie or Bright Gold with Floral Pattern Silk Tie and you’ll look stunning. These ties will get the job done just right. If you need other options, you can always find great wedding ties here.
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  14. Both are gorgeous - but you never know what the short one will look like until you order it and try it on. Is it able to be returned if it doesn't work?
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  15. This is, what I found on the webpage, and would love to wear.
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  16. It's your wedding. Do what YOU want to do. I think both are gorgeous!!! But my feeling is for the long. It's simple but very elegant and I think it would suit beautifully for a wedding in Italy. I wouldn't even shorten it for the AHR. You could absolutely but why? It's your time to celebrate. You don't have to go the whole route. You could put a single flower in your hair to make it more simple if that's what you want. But the thing about a destination wedding is there are no rules. Go with what you're comfortable with, not what it her people think you should wear. My vote is for the long dress. Good luck and let us know the final decision. Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
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  17. Hi! I did all fake flowers except for my bouquet. I just put them all in a carry on and brought them down. They were fine when we got there Our resort charged way too much for natural flowers, which is why we went the fake flower route. If your resort charges you something decent, or if they let you work with an outside florist that can give you good prices I would go with natural flowers . Our resort didn't let us use another florist.
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  18. I actually had a real-touch flower bouquet made by a local vendor here in Southern California and then flew with them, and then a family friend made our centerpieces for the wedding reception. Everything traveled extremely well, it's a matter of packing your florals correctly with enough cushion so they don't get flattened out. And then also the willingness to "fluff" them and fix them should you need to once you arrive to your destination. It's totally a great idea if your destination is a place that either doesn't carry the flowers you want or if they're simply too pricey. Also a good option if you want your flowers to look exactly how you envisioned. Surprisingly for me, having my flowers made was actually much more affordable and now I have wonderful keepsakes as well Here's a photo of my bouquet ...
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  19. Hi ladies! I was going to wait to post this until they were all done but I know there are quite a few of us getting married this fall, so I thought I would share it now and we can all update each other as we finish it Thanks to quite a few ladies on this board.. Rach220, Deniden, Ayita, & a few others...thank you so much for sharing all of your information with all of ladies, it really helps us out! I took bits and pieces, added my own and now we have what you see here in our welcome book Obviously you will have to change the information but it's a start! The plan is to take the stuff to the printers and get it printed out (as I have 25-30 to print out) and then print out the cover on card stock in our wedding colors (mint or navy). I won't be putting them together till October 3rd when my small army of ladies come down to help me with things but I will make sure I update - I look forward to seeing everyone elses! Anyway.. enjoy! PS - I created it so you print it out front and back on one sheet of paper, so the corresponding numbers (which you can cut out) show what page it is. That way when it's cut out, you have the pages in order.. if that makes sense. Ultimately laying the pages on top of one another so the pages go 1-20. Also, I saw some really good advice on another thread on here about removing the lines when you go to print as the template doesn't match up completely (I tried playing with margins.. no go) So just make sure you remove the page lines before you print and you should be golden! L & R Welcome Book Template for BDW.ppt
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  20. there is a thread in this forum with pics .. you may want to go back a couple of pages // $99 suits or something is the title
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  21. So, this will be another one of those venting it all out topic but it won't be the last one (Well last one done by me)😂. I got engaged back in the August bank holiday last year when covid restrictions were lifted. I knew this problem would occur so I wanted to get things rolling with my group of friends asap. I have 2 sets of friends that I plan on inviting to my DW (Next year). The first group are from the UK and the other group is from the other side of the world. Before I get started, we are planning our DW as normal with the hope that covid will be as less impact as possible. Me and my SO planned our guestlist and we would predict that there will be problems with both sides of invites. We both predicted that the UK groups would pose possible problems due to costs etc. Our other groups (Other side of the world) most of them will come barring any restrictions but all of them pretty much confirmed it. Now, this is where it gets interesting. My UK group (JAWSNA they're the initials of people within this group) posed the problem straight away when I announced that me and SO will have a DW (Even though A, A and W knew of this before I got engaged!). This group revolves around the first A and W. A - I have known A since I first started university and it happens that A lives in the same city as me. Common sense will dictate that A will be the bestman of the wedding. Before I get started if it weren't for A then I would not have met everyone from the UK lot.Everyone knew including the test of the groomsmen knew I would ask A to be the best man. In total 3 groomsmen and a best man. I asked W to be one of the groomsmen and he gladly accepted it. The other 2 spaces were filled up by 2 people from the other side of the world group which means all I had to do is ask A to be the best man. So forward 2 weeks after I got engaged I asked him. At first he paused for a few seconds then A went onto say "I feel the other 2 (Referring the 2 people that I asked to be part of the groomsmen from the other side of the world group) are better placed to be your best man because I feel suitable". When I heard that my heart literally stopped. He then went onto say "If the other 2 are still not up for it according to you then I will be your best man". That was the first warning sign. I didn't say much to A the following few days but I was adamant that A will be my best man. Ovdr the next month or so I kept at it to the point when he said "Sorry I do not want to be your best man so you can now do that 'group' you kept on saying" (Referring to my earlier point where I knew this will be a problem. Things calmed down and he said that "We will have a heart to heart talk about your situation and will talk about the best man position" right until this day I have been waiting to see him in person. I know there wete 2 lockdowns but at the same time before the lockdowns occured couldn't A find the time even for an hour to talk about this? He said he wanted to do this face to face which is why he does not want to have this conversation over the phone but it's very hard considering we're still coming out of lockdown and easing of restrictions. This is where things take for the worse. From last February I kept in contact with A with everything and I let it slip that out DE will be next year. He went into a rant where he was "shocked" to find out that the DW was happening next year and warned me if I do not have a clear concise figure then people from the UK will not out effort into the DW. This is where I started a group from my side of the guest lists with the UK group and the Other side of the world group and effectively telling both sides of the group that DW will happen next year at this location (I do not want to disclose the location so I can remain as anonymous as possible). The other side of the group all confirmed they are going and this is where the UK group start to say their views. S and W sugfested that I was "loaded with money" whereas A start to say that I needed really clear figures otherwise people will not turn up. Ever since A messages that text the group has been stone called silent. A is literally impossible to get a hold off. I live really close to him yet he always has excuses to why he is not free. These ranges from "I have been getting a property", "Lifes busy man" or "Work gets in the way". Because of these lists of excuses I started to question whether I want him to be the groomsmen or not. He keeps on making excuses and I even tried to lie to him I was down the road from him to which he said "I have to get this furniture in place, watch the football then I need to get to bed by 9:30 pm)." I will invite him to the wedding but at the same time serious doubts are there whether I should or not and regarding the groomsmen? I don't even know because of all these doubts. To make things worse, A's girlfriend is a makeup artist and for obvious reasons A will have her as a plus one if he was a groomsmen. My SO reached out to her asking for a price to be my SO's MUA. A's girlfriend tried to make my SO to pay for her travel and flight costs along with her rates as the make up artists for the day. When this failed, A's girlfriend then mentioned that she looked at the costs and flight and it would be very costly for her. Then she made the point that she does not want to travel currently due to covid and wouldn't know if it's safe or not so my SO should reach out to her later down the year to seek clarity. Needless to say this is the works of A because this is something he would do so A must have taught his girlfriend to try and get a holiday out of my SO. A keeps on saying that I am.mkte financially stable than a lot of people throughout. This may be true but at the same time I have had to save and budget out money throughout my life so I do not see a major problem although I do understand where A is coming from. That's it for now for A. We move onto W who has been unsupportive but not to A's scale. W - as I have mentioned he is the other person I asked to be the groomsmen. Unlike A, W accepted straight away. I told him that the wedding would be abroad back in September and he was excited about this. Fast forward late February where I made the group telling people that it will be a DW, I felt something was wrong with him. I called him up a week later to which he said "I'm not going to lie, it seems pretty expensive. I have been saving up for a holiday since 2019 with a couple of the lads in the UK group. The destination we are going? It is a lot more less expensive than your DW. We wil be going to this destination for 2 weeks whereas for your DW it is for a week. Not to mention the costs. Before I step foot at the location of your DW I would need to spend hundreds of pounds before stepping into it. Not to mention the petrol costs and the car parking costs. I also have a plus one, that will be double. I can get off work for a week and wouldn't need to spend that much money on flights to your DW. If we did something in the UK you would receive a larger wedding gift and I still wouldn't be anywhere near your figure. What happens if S said "We not going to your DW but we will celebrate your wedding before you set off?" That would mean everyone from the UK group will stay here to celebrate with you but not come to your wedding." At first I didn't think much of W's comments. But the longer it went his comments infuriated me. I have been transparent from the first day I understand that costs for my DW will be a problem for some but it feels like I am forcing them to my DW at this point. S - probably the most sensible one out of everyone. He said he will try his best with his wife to save as much money as possible. It will be a test because he has a lot of things to pay for (But don't we all?). He is one of the ones who had supported me more than the others. He did mention that if the UK lot cannot make it they will do something to make it up to me. Nice gesture because A and W never thought of this. N - he is a nice guy because he is someone who I can talk. However I felt that he will be the first ones to drop out for my DW because he is less financially stable compared to the others. J - quiet throughout. Hasn't said a word to me. Thinking the same as everyone else and moaning about my DW. A2 - Ah, the second A. A2 has been one of the most supportive person throughout. I understand that he will probably drop out because he is the only person working from his family and money is hard to come by. He can even see that A has been very unsupportive. If he drops out I will not have a problem with him. He would have like to come but at the same time I know it will be very difficult for him because A2 and his wife wilk struggle to save up. I have already prepared my Plan B. Unfortunately I would like to not to use plan B but hearing from the consistent moaning of A and W's comments made me do this. I am planning for the worse and everyone from the UK group will drop out which is why I am ready to execute plan B. Forgot to mention. My SO's UK lot? We both feared it would have ended up the same situation as my side but to our pleasant surprise all of them confirmed they were coming! We were shocked to find out they are already booking that week off to celebrate our wedding! To make things worse, my SO's UK group's salary are a lot lower than my UK group yet her UK group can make it? Time to evaluate the friendship of my UK group!!! /Rant over
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