AshleyBrooke

So sad to hear this....we had our wedding at the Veranda in October and it was amazing. 

We just got married at the Veranda in October and it was AMAZING!! I'm happy to give more detailsif you're interested!

Happy planning!

Wow, this thread is SUPER helpful!  We are getting married this October at the Veranda in the Turks.  We are hoping to us Brilliant for the photographer and Bowen Arrow for the band (i really want live music at the wedding).

I am SO far behind with planning right now.....not good!

Right when we got engaged we told people it would be a destination wedding in October, but just sent our STDs out 2 months ago.  We're working on the invitations now...hope to get those out in the next 2 weeks.  Though, we already have 80 people who have booked their trip! 

I'm not doing flowers on the tables b/c I think the scenery is already so perfect.  I would be curious how everyone else decorated their tables...I too am considering bringing my own decor to save on costs.  Would love to hear more about everyone's plans.... welcome bags (where are you finding everything?) etc.

Where are you guys spending your honeymooon (if you are taking one)?  We are thinking of just spending a few nights on a different island in the turks....i need to start researching!

overwhelmed bride to be

Hello,

We have finally set our date....10.12.12 at the Veranda in the Turks....SO excited!

I would love to hear what people are doing for music.  i've emailed a couple of people and they are not very quick to respond. Does anyone have good band recommendations?

Thank you!

I am excited to read about the T&C brides planning!  We have just decided that we are getting married in T&C this October (we were slow making the final decision).  Now that we know this much, we have to work out all the other details!  I would love recommendations for photography and for a band for our reception.  Let me know!  Thank you!

Congrats!

I too am planning an October wedding (and we don't have our place yet) so you are one step ahead!!

Same as Katie2012, we used wedding window for our website.  It's not free, but there are so many options on how you can customize it to what you need that I really liked the flexibility.  I figure, it's like a save the date (though we'll do those too) so it can go under "invitations" in the budget!

And even though we don't have a location just yet, it was helpful to send the website just letting people know that we're getting married in October and we'll keep them posted about the details.  We also did a "poll" to gauge how many people were interested in coming, and that's been helpful.  You can also see how many people have been visiting your site, so you know if people are checking.

happy planning!
 

Originally Posted by Moments That Matter 

 

Congratulations and welcome to the forums! Have fun with all your planning for your wedding day.

If there is anything I can do to help... don't hesitate to ask!

Talk to you soon!

Linkn

Originally Posted by Oct 2012 Bride 

Hi Everyone! 

 

I am recently engaged and I have been reading through this site for the past week. And I must say this has been very helpful. I'm just starting my planning and already I feel over whelmed at times. Am I the only one that is up all night long?

 

We decided on Paradisus Punta Cana for our location. I'm really excited about that. There seems like so much that needs to be done but not enough time. Since the wedding is less than 8 months away I think I'm behind in the planning phase.

 

Can anyone give me good advice for my wedding website. I need to set that up asap. What is a good site/template to use for destinations? I want to have a very detailed section for the guests that are traveling. I know I need to hurry up on it so I can send out my save the dates.

 

  

Hello!

Okay, we've been engaged now since the end of December and we've been trying to find a place for our destination wedding ever since!  We were first stuck on Aruba (guaranteed good weather) but I'm not loving the hi-rise options, and some of the low-rise resorts have not had the best packages.

Now I'm really liking the Turks, but I'm not sure what venue. I love the island (i had first ruled it out b/c there is no direct flight from Boston, now i don't care).  Are there any brides out there who have recently been married in the Turks that loved it?  I've found some threads, but they were a little outdated.  

I'm looking for a low-rise location (any island) with an intimate feel that someone has been married at and loved (preferably all-inclusive, but that's not a must)!

Also, can anyone recommend a good travel agent? I've spoke with three and have been quite underwhelmed.  And I've been getting better prices reaching out to these resorts on my own than with an agent.  Should I not use a TA at all?

Any/all suggestions welcome!

Thanks so much!!

Hello!

We am looking into getting married at the Divi in October 2012.  Where did you have your reception? which location did you stay at?  I"m so curious and can't seem to find too much about the Divi on this site.  Thank you!!!!

Originally Posted by jmastr05 

This thread started out with a question about how to save on a wedding at Aruba. Here are some of the things that I did to keep control of my budget.

• I wore flip flops instead of heels. The ceremony was on the sand and the whole island has a beech vibe. (We also chose flip flops as our wedding theme). The options for flip flops are limitless and much less expensive than a regular shoe. (Same thing for my husband).
• I didn't wear a veil. It's so windy in Aruba that my wedding planner advised against a veil. I wasn't planning on wearing one anyway. Instead I bought a flower hair pin that I ordered from Amazon. I think it cost $30.
• We used the bridesmaid bouquets as the center pieces. We had vases with water and clear marbles at each table. Right after we all had our grand entrances at the reception, the bridesmaids walked to a table and dropped their bouquet in. So the centerpieces essentially cost us the $10 rental fee per vase.
• We went light on flowers and decoration in general. Aruba is so beautiful that you really don't need to dress it up. No corsages. No boutonnieres. No throwing bouquet. The arch for the ceremony only had a white drape on it (no flowers). We ended up having fewer guests come than we expected, so we did "splurge" on a colored sash for every chair at the ceremony. However, originally, we were only going to have sashes on the chairs that line the aisle. At the reception, we opted for a colored overlay on each table instead of sashes on each chair, which ended up being less expensive for us.
• I bought my pearl jewelry from topearl.com. I was a little worried that this site would not be legit, but figured I was willing to gamble the $50 I was about to spend. The jewelry was really nice! The $50 included 2 necklaces (wasn't sure which length to get), 2 pairs of earrings (wasn't sure of which style I preferred), AND shipping! I think the delivery time is a little long though, so take that into account.
• I ordered the welcome bag items from minimus.biz, soap.com, and orientaltrading.com. These sites have pretty good prices! Soap.com offers free shipping on orders over a certain amount. Even if you don't buy that much for your wedding, it's an on-line drug store. Everyone can use shampoo, tissues, moisturizer, etc.
• I'm not very crafty, but I made my own save-the-dates. Many on-line stationary sites will give you a certain number of free business cards, and you only pay the shipping. They have tons of designs, some of which are really attractive and colorful. Instead of your contact information, enter your wedding information. Vistaprint.com is the most popular of these sites. Staples sells magnets that are business card sized and have a sticky side. So all you need to do it peel the back off the magnet (like a sticker) and apply the business card.
• I chose a in invitation that is simple, but one that I really liked. Most people are going to throw it away anyway, so I didn't feel the need to spend a lot of money on the invitation. Also, instead of adding all of the additional inserts (reception card, directions, etc), I directed everyone to my wedding website. So the shipping was the standard amount for a letter. (Shipping adds up!) Here's a link to my invitation, which can be customized with many different icons and font colors: http://www.invitationsbydawn.com/Wedding-Invitations/Destination-and-Beach-Wedding-Invitations/2660-DRWA04945-By-Design--Invitation.pro.
• If you have the time to wait before making certain purchases, then sign up for e-mail notifications form the company where you plan on making these purchases. They'll send e-mails about upcoming sales that you can take advantage of. But this means starting to shop around early.
• I did without a lot of the non-essentials. No toasting flutes. No cake topper. No cake cutters. Another benefit of this is that you will have fewer wedding supplies to transport to Aruba and back.

 

Hope some these suggestions help!

We are looking at the Divi Aruba.  I've been there a bunch with my family, but never seen any weddings.  How are you finding the planning going?  Are you doing a band or DJ? are you getting married on the beach? are you doing the all-inclusive?  how many guests do you have?  (sorry...i'm just getting started, so i have so many questions!!!)  Let me know, thank you!!

Originally Posted by kfady529 

Congrats!! What divi? I am getting married at the divi Phoenix beginning of April I will def be posting a review afterward. Happy planning.
 

 

Thank you! I'll check out that thread.  we're down to aruba, turks & punta cana, but really leaning aruba.

we're expecting 100 guests (yikes)! i'm leaning all inclusive b/c I think that will be more economical for our guests (divi divi, westin or marriott).  hopefully we'll decide soon!

Thanks again!
 

Originally Posted by katie2012 

Hi AshleyBrooke, We're getting married at the Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort. In the off season, studios are in the 200-250/night range. It works for us because there are 1 and 2 bedroom options for 4-6 people per room. The most expensive part of the trip should be the flight. Fortunately, there are frequent direct flights from NY/NJ, where most of his immediate family lives. We're having a small group (inviting 60, expecting 22 to actually make it). There are larger resorts on Palm beach that can cater to larger crowds and get $$$. 

 

Like Carly said, you can get married anywhere! Check out some of the threads on here about how much people are spending on their weddings and look at their locations. PM me if you want any of my research... 

Originally Posted by katie2012 

Here is one of those threads http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/30580/how-much-is-your-wedding-costing-you

Good luck!

We are looking to get married in October 2012 and are seriously considering the Divi.  I would love to hear more about your experience in having your wedding there.

Thank you!

Thank you for all the tips!  The links have been helpful in my research.

Katie2012, where are you getting married in Aruba?  I've been there a bunch and love it, but I thought it might be pricey for my guests.  Would love to hear what you found.  thank you!

Thank you for all the tips!  The links have been helpful in my research.

Katie2012, where are you getting married in Aruba?  I've been there a bunch and love it, but I thought it might be pricey for my guests.  Would love to hear what you found.  thank you!

Thank you!  I will keep on reading!  I am really liking St. Lucia/ Antigua and Aruba..... we'll see!

We are recently engaged and decided that we wanted to do a destination wedding.  The only place we ruled out is Mexico, and now we're doing research to decide where to go.  I've been reading all the forums on the various locations/resorts, but I'm finding it a bit overwhelming. Any advice on how to select our destination? Or a good travel agent to work with to help us?  Thank you!!