MarieSamSanchezPhoto

I honestly think you don't have to worry about keeping your guests from boredom. Destination weddings are so much fun, your guests will have a blast just socializing amongst each other, getting drinks from the bar and just enjoying the fact that they are in beautiful Mexico!  

I would suggest doing something the next day after all your guests have settled. With flight delays and cancellations, plus exhaustion from travel, I think planning something the day everyone arrives is cutting it too close.

If you'd still like to do something with your guests the day they arrive, maybe plan something really casual and optional -- like a bar meetup/mingle -- for those who want to take part. But let the official start of your wedding celebration begin the next day when everyone has hopefully arrived safely and gotten some much needed rest! The excitement will still be the same, but everyone will be much more rested and energized to celebrate your union!!! 

Hi there!

You can use this site to figure out sunrise and sunset times at the location of your choosing on the exact date  As a photographer, I often use this for my client shoots.

Not sure if they will have your exact city referenced, but you can plug in the closest major city and get an idea of when sunset will be. Hope that helps!

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa

Definitely suggest contacting Wright Travel Agency! They are the official travel agency for this site and their agents are phenomenal and experts when it comes to all the destination locations, like DR!!!

You can contact them HERE!

This makes me want to get married again!!! What a spectacular gift for the lucky bride who wins this  

I think destination elopements with just the bride and groom are amazing! You can then do completely as you please, catering to only your own needs/wishes and put money toward a kick ass photographer who can beautifully document your experience. Go for it!!! These types of weddings are becoming more and more popular and they are a photographer's dream

Hi everyone!! I am getting married at Azul Sensatori in Mexico on January 21, 2017 and I'm really struggling with deciding on what to do for hair/make up. I'd really like to hire this Karen Lopez and she says that she can come to our room at the resort and all I'd have to pay extra is a daypass fee for a guest. I'm concerned I guess about this not working and they wind up charging me another whopping 800 dollar outside vendor fee. Too nerve wracking! But the salon prices at the resort are too high so I'd really like to go with another vendor for this. Any thoughts/advice or experience dealing with this kind of issue??

 

 

Thank you!!!    

The outside vendor fees at resorts are definitely tough to deal with and there is usually no way around it. Have you tried looking at hair/makeup stylist in the area that have a salon you can go to? That might be the best route! I know Styling Trio has a salon in PLaya del Carmen where you can get services done. 

Otherwise, I know some brides will actually have a friend/guests do their hair/makeup. For myself, because I have had a tough time finding people who can do my makeup to my liking, so I actually hired a local stylist here in Southern California and flew her down to my destination wedding in Cancun and she provided services for me and my bridesmaids as well as the moms. 

@@MarieSamSanchezPhoto, Thank you so much. Your article is incredibly helpful. We've been wondering how to "word" in the STDs and on the website that guests really should book through our agent and at our resort. Also I wasn't sure who paid the fees, bride and groom or guest, if the needed a guest pass for the resort. I'm relieved to hear that it's not unusual for that fee to be on the guest since we have already arranged the block of rooms.

I am so glad you found the article helpful! Best wishes and let us know if there's anything else we can help with!!! 

I don't think you can really put a range or average on how much a group rate saves your guests as it will fluctuate depending on wedding location/venue and time of year. But it's safe to say that establishing a group rate will help the wedding couple as well as their guests save overall. I actually just wrote this planning tip article on how to deal with guests who choose to book outside the established group rate -- it includes insight on ramifications of not booking through the group rate -- with lots of valuable insight from the BDW forum's official agency Wright Travel. 

Here's that link to the article on the forum: 

Hope this helps! 

Well obviously David's Bridal for bridesmaids dresses is a popular option, but it can get pricey. 

Have you considered a convertible dress, so that each bridesmaid can wear the same color but style it in a way that is most comfortable for their own body type, etc?

My sister in-law used this Etsy shop for her bridesmaids dresses and they were beautiful and super affordable! Plus you can order the color you want And yes, they do have a beautiful coral color that would look amazing on the beach.

Here's the link to her shop on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/thedaintyard?ref=pr_faveshops

Hope that helps!!! 

I would suggest reaching out to one of the BDW Travel Agents if you want to get some ideas on pricing. They specialize in Destination weddings.  You can contact them HERE! They are familiar with all these resorts and can be a great resource of information to help you narrow down your choices!!!   

What a great recap!!! This will be so helpful for brides looking at these resorts And whatever your decision, your options are beautiful -- you're going to have an amazing wedding!!!!

Hi Michelle! Congrats on your engagement 

I would totally suggest getting in contact with the BDW Travel Agents, who can give you a plethora of options for you and your guests. They will be able to best guide you to resorts/locations that will fit your needs.

If you want to get some ideas of pricing, you can contact them HERE! Best wishes!!! 

Look into Styling Trio whose studio is based in Playa del Carmen, but their stylist will also travel to you! They specialize in women of all colors and ethnicities and are considered the best in the area and are also active on the BDW site, helping brides with hair/makeup questions!! 

www.stylingtrio.com

I would suggest reaching out to Styling Trio! They have a studio based in Playa del Carmen, however, their stylists travel throughout the Cancun-Riviera Maya area and can come to you. They are the leading hair/makeup team in the area and have more than 40 stylists on their team all trained to work with women of all nationalities, shades and color. They do some incredible work!!! 

http://www.stylingtrio.com/

First of all, congrats on the upcoming wedding! You must be so excited

I will chime in as both a former BDW bride as well as a California/destination wedding photographer. For $350 you should jump at having an additional photographer My husband and I are a wedding photography team and we've been shooting weddings together now for 6 years. Unless the wedding group is really small (25 or less), we always shoot together and I wouldn't have it any other way. There is so much going on during a Wedding Day, especially when the group size is 30+ -- it's a tough task for one photographer to truly capture everything, so having a second shooter is gold and will only give you many more photos to love and cherish. Having two shooters also allows for there to be constant coverage should the other photographer need to take a bathroom/food break, etc.

I know weddings can be expensive and I remember number crunching and stressing late in the planning process as well because I had overspent on various details. But photography is definitely an area where the investment is worth it. You don't get "do-overs" when it comes to your Wedding photos, so go for it and enjoy the day without worry that your photographers are missing something Hope that helps!!! 

I love that you are planning your 10-year vow renewal!!! I think a lot of those types of brides will be popping up on this forum very soon I am a former BDW bride as well and I am still 3 years away from this milestone but I cannot wait for the planning process to begin!

As the BDW Content Curator, I just want you to know that we will be pushing lots of content on Destination Vow Renewals very soon -- so look out for those articles on the site in the coming months. We're super excited to welcome vow renewal brides on the site and hope to provide you with lots of tips and guidance on planning another amazing celebration for your marriage 

Having my daughter be a part of our celebration was really important to us. She stayed with us during our entire two weeks -- but on certain nights/days she spent them with her cousins or my parents. Of course on the Wedding night she was with my parents Weddings are about celebrating love and family -- I don't think you'd regret having your children be a part of your event, but I do think you might regret not having them there and end up missing them. And definitely be open to asking family to help with the kids on special nights or days you'd like to have some alone time.

Maybe you can say something along the lines of ...

"Please join us in celebrating _________ (couple's names) before they tie the knot in ______ (destination location) on ______ (date).

We look forward to also having you join us for their at-home reception on ______ (date) when they return from their destination wedding" 

As my best friend would say -- Girl, do you Go forth with your own plans and don't let what another person is doing hinder you from what you want to do. While you guys may be sharing a similar invitation, what you have that she doesn't is a fabulous destination wedding for your guests to attend. That alone will set you two apart. A wedding is an experience when you truly get the chance to design/do as you please -- so make it your own and don't look back! 

Congrats on your engagement and on the start of a journey that is sure to be exciting! You have definitely come to the right place

Europe is such a magical place and I really enjoyed my time traveling there While I can't give you ideas on European locations, I suggest you reach out to one of the forum travel agents who have a lot of expertise and insight when it comes to planning Indian Destination Weddings. They are a great resource and can give you a lot of advice on the best locations throughout the world for Indian Destination Weddings. If you want to get some ideas of pricing, you might want to try one of the BDW Travel Agents.  They Specialize in Destination weddings.  You can contact them HERE!

Off the top of my head one country that comes to mind that you may want to consider is Mexico, the Riviera Maya area specifically, which has a group of extremely experienced and talented vendors who specialize in Indian destination weddings. This area is also equipped with wonderful resorts that can accommodate large groups involved in numerous special customs and events like that of Indian Weddings. And there are some great resorts like Moon Palace in Cancun that actually offer delicious Indian cuisine on site -- if that is an important aspect when it comes to planning your wedding (I can attest to this because I enjoyed some of that amazing Indian cuisine just last week!!! ) 

As one of the Content Curators on this site, I also want to give you a heads up that we are actually going to be producing a lot of content on this site in the coming weeks geared toward Indian Destination Wedding brides. Here are some blog features we've actually posted in reference to Indian destination wedding planning:

Should You Use a Travel Agent When Planning an Indian Destination Wedding?

Should I plan a trip to my destination wedding location prior to the Big Day? If so, how many visits would you advise?

What Kind of Budget Should I Set Aside When Planning my Indian Destination Wedding?

Hope that helps a little, and congrats once again! Definitely reach out to one of the BDW Travel Agents when it comes to location ideas -- I think they are an incredible resource and will be a huge help in finding the perfect location to host the wedding of your dreams!!!! 

I've always liked the idea of letting my guests know what's on the menu. I know when I've attended big events/weddings I always like to know what I'm eating especially for a buffet! 

I think you can do it several different ways:

-- putting a complete menu of the options on each plate

-- putting a full menu of the options at each table

-- putting a label of each dish right in front of the serving container (I just spent a few days at a resort in Mexico and this is how they did it at each buffet and this was more than enough for me!)

Hi Emily! Welcome to the BDW site It's great that you've already chosen a location, Cabo is beautiful! And often times, picking the general location for your destination wedding can be the hardest decision to make.

If you haven't already chosen your resort, I suggest reaching out to one of the BDW Travel Agents if you want to get some ideas on pricing. They Specialize in Destination weddings.  You can contact them HERE! One thing you will have to consider because you mentioned that your guests will be staying elsewhere, is that some resorts will make you responsible for paying a surcharge or day-pass fee for each guests that is not staying at your wedding venue resort. So definitely keep that in mind because it will affect your budget greatly.

But again, a great place to start with your wedding venue search is to reach out to one of the BDW agents. They are a great resource of information!!!

I would definitely suggest reaching out to Wright Travel Agency -- the official BDW travel agents --  and consider utilizing their services. They have so much knowledge about the different resorts and will help you greatly in providing you with suggestions for the price point range you're looking for. They specialize in Destination weddings and you can contact them HERE!    

Also consider maybe even looking at a different time of year when the rates will be less and fall into your price range -- again a skilled Travel Agent will be able to help you with that. Wright Travel happens to do A LOT of business with Moon Palace so I'm sure they will be able to give you all the ins and outs when it comes to that resort if that's your first choice!! Hope that helps

I would definitely suggest reaching out to Wright Travel Agency -- the official BDW travel agents --  and consider utilizing their services. They have so much knowledge about the different resorts and will help you greatly in providing you with suggestions for the price point range you're looking for. They specialize in Destination weddings and you can contact them HERE!