diadiamond

Hey Everyone! I joined this site a week ago and really love connecting with everyone so far. This site is definitely the most comprehensive site available for destination weddings. I've really loved reading everyone's stories, questions, and experiences. I wanted to start an ice breaker topic for those of us who have a while to go till our weddings. My fiancee and I are planning for October or late November at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria in Cuba. He proposed to me after our city's local santa clause parade in the park overlooking a river. It was the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. I can't wait till we actually start planning our wedding. Are there any brides getting married in 2014, 2015, or 2016? If so, where are you getting married and when? Also, share some details about your proposal. Happy Planning! -Dia

Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. I read each post today and learned so much. I know it sounds weird, but I truly felt the ups, downs, tears, and happiness as I read your posts. You are an incredible woman and a delight to read! I truly wish you and your husband all the best. If you haven't already, I think you should consider blogging or writing. You have such a lovely personality and clearly are good at touching the lives of others. I love D.I.Y. projects and was worried that by having a destination wedding I wouldn't be able to express my passion for DIY projects in my wedding. Boy was I wrong! I loved your idea of the key chain you used to commemorate your friend and family members who couldn't be there. I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you don't mind if I borrow that idea. My grandmother who was very important to me passed away almost 2 years ago, and I'd love to include her memory in some way. I also really loved the giant conch idea. I think I may borrow that one too. I recently got engaged and am planning my wedding for late 2015 in Cuba so I'm in the preliminary stages of planning. Thanks again =) - Dia

We were together for a little over a year. When you know that person is the one you just feel it. We're hoping to get married on the second anniversary of him proposing to me. So by the time we get married it will be 3 years(three is my favourite number).

Thanks hun! After learning about that I'll have to talk it over with the fiancee to decide if we want to legal wedding here or in Cuba. I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both. I'm planning to change my last name once I'm married.

Wow! Thanks ladies, your advice and numbers have been so helpful I can't thank you enough. My fiancee is afraid that it will cost us a fortune, but after reading your responses I now know there are ways for us to cut costs. I hope I'm not coming off as cheap, but we don't want to be going into debt for our wedding and we want to be able to have enough money to start our lives together. That was one of the major reasons we chose to have a destination wedding I heard that a DW is a third of the cost of an at home wedding.

Hi @@csho, thanks for the advice, it was really helpful. Where are you getting married? I want to include the cost of everything on my budget like: the engagement party (we're having one for the people who won't be able to make it to the wedding), our trip to Cuba, the cost of the ceremony and dinner, favours, my dress, his attire, our rings, invitations, flowers (in the package I have my eye on only the bride and groom get flowers and I want the whole bridal party to have them too), centerpieces, and photography/videography. I hope I'm not forgetting anything. We're planning to invite about 72 people, but we're not sure how many people will actually come. In your opinion, is it a good idea to estimate the number of guests? That number will influence how much our reception dinner would cost and our favours as well. If you don't mind me asking, how many people have you invited to your wedding? I'm really surprised that you were able to do an at home ceremony and reception as well as a Cuban one too for about $12,000.00. - Dia

Thanks @@csho I'll definitely e-mail the resort's wedding coordinator to see what she can do for us. I was worried about having to come up with a down payment or something.

Hi Everyone! I know this topic might be a little uncomfortable for some, but I'm really curious as to what the cost of a destination wedding in Cuba is? Is it possible to make a budget well in advance of your actual wedding date? My fiancee thinks that it will cost around $15,000.00 and I think that it might cost closer to $10,000.00. Also, how should I proceed with making a budget? I really want a figure of what my wedding will roughly cost so we know how much to save for it since we are paying for it. If anyone could help me out with that I would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, -Dia

Hi Everyone! Congrats to you all! I wast thinking the same thing! My fiancee and are want our wedding to be at the end of 2015 (we're thinking October or November). Some of our friends and family made me feel like I was just over thinking it. I feel that the earlier the better especially because we have two specific dates in mind. We're hoping to actually book things before the end of this year. So far we've just: picked an ideal venue, picked a tentative date, tried on dresses, and started thinking about our engagement party. We're both students and are graduating this year so we wanted to wait and save money before we secured a date. We're planning to get married in Cuba at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria.

I know that this post was started a while ago and I was wondering if anyone has any wedding pictures or pictures of the ceremony spaces. My fiancee and I are planning to get married in late 2015. We want to get married at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria because it was our first vacation together and the first time we had been on a plane. Also the beach is stunning.

Oh wow, some really helpful information here. I was wondering the same thing. Is it true that it takes about 6 months for you to get your marriage certificate mailed back to you? Do you have to wait to get it before you can change your name? Sorry to pile more questions upon the original question. - Dia

Thanks for your response! After doing some research and reading your post my fiancee and I are considering moving our wedding to the last week of November. From what I read hurricanes rarely form at that time of the year. I also learned that it rains a lot and is very humid in September and October. Our anniversary is in the first week of October and we wanted to get married then. Now we are thinking about getting married on the anniversary of the day he proposed instead.

Thanks for posting! I tried a veil on today with some dresses when I went dress shopping it really does complete the look and give you that bridal feeling. I wasn't originally going to wear a veil, but I've completely changed my mind. They just make you feel like a bride, without one made me feel like I was just wearing a dress.

Hey Hun! Congrats on your engagement. My fiancee are planning our wedding for 2015 in the fall. As far as good places go it really depends on what you're looking for. Do you want a resort that is isloated? One near the city? What kind of vibe are you going for? Also what are you looking at in terms of cost? The best way to determine if a place is for you is to visit it or ask those around you if you really trust their opinions. We're planning to tie the knot at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria in Santa Maria Cuba. Santa Maria is on an island and it is exclusively for tourists, it has a beautiful beach (we're having a beach ceremony) and it's isolated (we really want to be able to spend time with our friends and family). I've also been to Holguin which has some good resorts. It's near a mountain and there are lots of farms in the area. |it also has a lot of culture! It's very quiet in that region with mainly families and couples who visit. I've been to the Brisas Guardalavaca there and it's very beautiful although not many choices in the way of food, but i'm a bit of a picky eater. I hope I helped, if you need anything else or want a more indepth review of the resorts I have been to let me know! You can e-mail me at [email protected]. Happy Planning!

Hi Everyone! Congrats to you all on your engagements or weddings! My fiancee and I are thinking of planning our wedding in late September or early October 2015. I was wondering if there are any brides considering having their wedding at the same time of the year? And if there are any brides who have gotten married at that time of the year as well. We want to get married at the melia cayo santa maria and we want to know what to expect during that time of the year. Also if there are any other people who have been to Cuba or Santa Maria at that time of the year your input would be very much appreciated. Thanks =) - Dia

Hi! My fiancee and I are in a simlar situation. We are planning on getting married in October 2015. As for booking things now, I'm not really sure. We were going to wait until about a year before our wedding to start booking. As for hotels, I wouldn't reccommend going below 4 stars for Cuba. Their standards are very different from Canadian standards. It all depends on what you like. We are getting married at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria in Santa Maria Cuba. It's on an island that's exculsively for tourists so it's very quiet and private. It's about a 90 minute drive from the airport. The beach is incredible and so are the accommodations, service, and food. As for the best prices. Cuba is much cheaper from May to November because of hurricane season. The prices are almost slashed in half during hurricane season. Cuba doesn't usually get hit by hurricanes, but it is humid and rainy during that time. I think the best month to go to Cuba is in April because it is hot, sunny, and doesn't rain as much, it is also the most popular month for a wedding and a bit pricey. The best way to determine which hotel you want to get married at is to actually visit the venue to see for yourself. Booking in the off season or last minute could enable you to get great deals. Happy Planning! - Dia

Thank you so much for your response =) I really appreciate it! Good luck with your wedding planning =)

Hi, My fiancee and I are planning to get married at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria in October 2015. I wasn't sure if there are any other options because the resort is on an isolated part of Cuba meant for tourists. You could try e-mailing the wedding coordinator to ask or if you're going through a wedding planner here maybe they could offer some advice.

Hi Everyone! I'm a long time reader and a first time poster. I'm a little shy when it comes to these things. I was wondering if you can have a weekend wedding in Cuba? Particularly at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria. We want to get married on our anniversary falls on a Sunday. I had read on a few other websites that some resorts only do weddings Modnay-Friday. Also, I was wondering if I could also get some feedback on experiences of brides who got married at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria. Thanks =) Dia