Jessie

Congrats! St. Thomas is beautiful! Nice job getting to the 150.....I still am soooo far away from that step!

Donna - the price I got does not include airfare. My guests are flying mostly from Chicago and DC, but like I said, that wasn't rolled into the price. Maybe ask your planner for a breakdown of the price - ie, how much for hotel, airfare, etc. Also, maybe ask her to go back to the resort and see if she can get a better price....that's what I did. We are going in November 2011. Good luck!

Welcome and congratulations! It is great to see a groom on here!!

Very sorry to hear about your miscarriage! Congratulation on the engagement. I had my heart set on a destination wedding, and knew that whatever I decided, the most important people would make it. That being said, I tried to make it somewhat economical for my guests bc I didn't want it to be a big burden for them to attend if they wanted to. I don't know how much it costs to travel from Australia and Canada, but as far as resorts go, the one I'm staying at (a five-star resort) costs much less than $3000 per person. The daily rate per person that I've gotten is $160. I don't know how long your guests intend to stay, or how much airfare will go for, but I definitely think as far as a nice resort goes, you could find something for $160-$200 per person per day. Hopefully that helps as far as trying to estimate costs for you and your guests. Also, I highly recommend contacting a travel agent. You can tell them how much you want your guests to spend, and they can help you find a place within those parameters. Good luck!

Welcome to the forum! I don't know if you are still looking for a place to get married, but I know I was totally overwhelmed when I got started too. Didn't know what location I wanted, let alone which resort. What really helped me was hiring a travel agent. It didn't cost me any money, and I was able to tell her a few things that were important to me - needed a family resort, wanted it to be all-inclusive, wanted it to be relatively affordable for my guests, and she was able to give me some recommendations. We narrowed it down to Riviera Maya mostly because of the cost (better than most places in Caribbean or Jamaica) and because of the all-inclusive. She gave me her top pick for a resort (Azul Sensatori) and also priced out several others for me. We kept talking and looking until I felt comfortable making a decision. Every travel agent has their own experiences and their favorite places, so it will be different no matter who you talk to, but I was just happy to have some help. So if you haven't done so yet, you should definitely consider hiring a travel agent. That way once you pick a resort, she can negotiate for you with the resort (and get a better price) as well as handle the travel arrangements for your guests. Then you don't have to worry about it! Anyway, good luck planning!!

When I first chose AS, I read through the ENTIRE AS thread. It took me forever bc it is VERY LONG, but if you start at about page 400 and read through, you will learn pretty much everything you need to know. You can have a free dinner for 40 people or less in a semi-private area of one of the restaurants. I'm sure you could do speeches in there, but you wouldn't have your own music or anything. It would more or less be a dinner, not like an actual reception with music and a dance floor. You can have a private reception, but then you have to pay separately for the meal. Then you can hire a dj, or you can hook your ipod up to the resort's speaker system (they charge some fee for that but I don't know how much). There are a lot of options at all different price points, just depends on what you want and how many guests you are having. Good luck planning!

Congratulations and welcome to the forum! This is a great resource and I've spent more hours than I care to admit on here reading different threads!

Congrats on choosing a resort.....that's the hardest part! Wow....I envy you your upcoming wedding.....fine feels so far away in November 2011!

Adele - I booked my wedding at Azul Sensatori for November 2011 in September. We have a price locked in and my guests are in their booking period right now. My TA never told me anything about waiting until after the new year for pricing. But maybe it is different at different resorts. Good luck and happy planning!

Congratulations! I am getting married on the same day as you - at Azul Sensatori in Riviera Maya. Good luck planning!

Congratulations and welcome! I'm getting married as Azul Sensatori, another Karisma resort in November 2011. This website is a great resource!

Congrats.....I am nowhere near the 150 yet!! But I'm picking up my pace, so hopefully it won't take too long!

I felt exactly like that. I looked around as much as I could on my own, but it was just getting overwhelming because of the amount of choices. I didn't make any headway until I hired a travel agent. I looked for one that specializes in destination weddings. I told her what was important to me (and I didn't really have that many specifics other than it needed to be a family resort, all-inclusive, beachy, and something my guests could afford), and she was able to narrow it down quickly for me. We zeroed in on Riviera Maya, and then she gave me her recommendations. I had sticker shock for a while, and then got over it. I just didn't want it to be too expensive for my guests, but I also wanted it to be a nice place where I would be happy having my wedding. Anyway, it doesn't cost anything to get a TA, so I would do that for sure if I were you. They are a big help as far as finding a place. Once you have a place, the TA will work out a contract for the discounted room rates, with specific booking timeframe, estimated number of rooms, and then your guests can book directly through them and you won't need to worry about any of the travel arrangements. Also, if you get with a TA, they get prices for you right now. I booked my November 2011 wedding in September, so you definitely don't have to wait until after the new year. Anyway, good luck! Don't give up.....you are in the right place at BDW, the brides here are super helpful! Feel free to contact me if I can help in any way!

Nooooo....the price I got for a week is $1120/pp. Maybe $2300 is per couple?? If that is the price your planner is giving you.....I'd consider looking around for a travel agent and then just using the wedding coordinator at the resort.

I used a custom map like this for my Save the Date (by http://www.etsy.com/shop/Efinestationery): She was wonderful to work with and it came out just how I wanted it!

Beautiful dress, Chong!!

I'm getting married at Azul Sensatori on November 12, 2011. Is it just me or does November 2011 feel like a lifetime away???

Love the bracelet Mrs.GP!! All of your stuff looks really pretty!

Maggie - you added me to the list last week, but I seem to have dropped off! I'm getting married at AS on November 12, 2011. Thanks!

Thanks for adding me to the list Maggie!

I have Amanda Patek too. I just started with her about 2 weeks ago.....so far so good. Her response time is fairly quick.

I don't know who is keeping the list, but if you could add me, that would be great! I'm getting married at AS on November 12, 2011. Thanks!

Thanks for the heads up, Tammy!

TLG - LOVE your jewelry! I should not be looking through this thread....I already have a terrible Etsy habit.

Has anyone had a WC by the name of Cesar? My TA told me he is my WC, but I've read this entire thread and don't remember seeing his name mentioned by anyone. I'm still waiting for him to contact me....