How long did it take you to decide on the destination?

[adias.angel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BachataBride With trip advisor, just remember to take the reviews with a grain of salt.

I SOOOO agree with that. Some of the people on there seem to complain about the littlest things...

[2bebridejamaica]

Hey what happened with the road trip and the Keys?? I loved that idea you had... it sounded like so much fun... I hope that is still in the top 3 or 4 you have....

[nevisbride2010]

It took us 7 months to decide! Mostly because we need to find a location that would be conciniwnt for most I'd nor all of our guests since they are traveling from so many different countries. At first I really wanted PR as I am from there and since my father is no longer living I thought having it there would make me feel as if he was with us in some way. That didint work as many of our guests are monolingual and don't speak enough English let alone Spanish to be able to go out anywhere on their own.

 

We finally agreed on Nevis as it will be a new destination for both of us but also because it's easiest in so many ways for our global guests.

[Lenchika]

Dear SgtPepperette!

Don't fret! It took us (well...me really) about 1.5 months - just did searches on google over and over for "destination wedding in Mexico". Just like you was totally overwhelmed by the choices.

 

I've made a list with names of hotels, links, tripadvisor rating, my own photo rating, and approximate price. Having the links readily available prevented from going to the same pages over and over.

I knew I wanted Mexico - we've never been there. Once I've narrowed down the hotels to about 7, I've looked at each hotel's package options/choices/prices. Again, listed out all options side by side.

Last step - sat down with my mom and sister for 2 hours, showed pics, ratings, links - I felt that I could not make the decision without them since they'll be the only ones invited and should have some say in it. My FI was totally cool with anything I choose... of course I showed him pics when I ran across anything really really pretty/magnificient/unusual.

My decision was solidified with mom and sister being really excited and approving the hotel I had my eye on (Riu Palace Las Americas in Cancun).

 

Also - if its just two of you - just decide what you want to do on your vacation. What would two of you do if it wasn't your wedding/honeymoon? Are you the type of couple to lounge around the pool all day? Are you going places to see?

 

My original choice was Moon Palace but I realized that its HUGE and that's not something I wanted, 2nd thing against it was that it was so secluded! RPLA on the other hand is in the middle of the hotel zone and walking distance to places!

One thing I regret that I will not get at RPLA and would get at Moon Palace - horse carriage ride at the ceremony

 

Good luck with choices!

 

-L

[EngagedToBeMrsB]

Im going through that same thing RIGHT NOW! lol Its incredibly stressful! We debated between Jamaica, Cali, and FL and finally I decided that Fl would be the cheapest so I would go with that. Thing is, I still have picked an area in Florida! I got engaged in June 08 and am getting married in June 09 no matter what so its taking me a long time to figure this out so dont worry! Youre not alone! Good luck to you and remember--the truth is that if the two of you are meant to be together itll be great no matter what!

[Chicagogirl]

Hi!

 

We are also going through the decision right now!!!! We are actually planning on doing a site visit to Mexico (cancun and RM) next weekend. I am hoping that this will clear up my confusion as to what place I want!!!

 

I have been looking since we got engaged in September!!

 

-- Jen

[Ayita]

It took us a month and a half and it seemed to me like an eternity because we're on a tight schedule here (7 months between engagement and wedding...).

 

We went all over the Caribbean ! I knew it would be on the Atlantic side because a lot of my guests are coming from France so Hawai wouldn't do it. I think I know all the hotels in all the Islands - I used Trip Advisor of course, and also Travel Impressions. So helpful. I usually start by the negative reviews - I know how to recognize the person that will complain about anything and everything... (some people even complain about the poor state of the road to the hotel... ) - when 3 or 4 reviews add up to the same thing (mosquitos... beach farther away than described... restaurants closed... etc), I take it as an objective observation.

 

We ended up eliminating Bahamas, Jamaica and Puerto Rico because we couldn't find a place we liked ; Antigua, St Lucia, St Vincent because it was turning too expensive for most guests ; Punta Cana, Curacao, too far and not enough direct flights from Houston ; then we ended up in Mexico and I thought it would be quick but NO ! Places I liked : did not accept children. Or imposed crazy room filling quota (like : 80% of the guests had to stay in theproperty... how can I guarantee where my guests want to stay ?) + daily pass fees + wedding packages with a lot of stuff I don't need and none of the stuff I need. Or were just too expensive.

 

When I finally found THE place, my TA warned me that it was not sold by wholesellers and so, it could mean taking a risk (if something happens, we stay with nothing...). But I finally decided to go for it. It's a very small boutique hotel (25 rooms only), secluded, no policy about outside vendors, no internal WC so I'm free to chose, and they have been so accomodating so far. I hope I won't regret it... I'll let you know

[smith3576]

I feel your pain! I am also feeling pressure to decide quickly but there are so many options and we haven't even narrowed down a city. I want the cheaper price of the resorts but more of a private experience and the ability to customize. Hard to find. But one thing my GUESTS have been telling me and I am trying to remember it is to not worry to much about THEM! The more you try to predict what everyone will want and meet that the more you'll go crazy (as I have been doing)!

 

Good luck!

[Angela139]

Wish I could help, but we actually decided on our location well over a year ago (we only got engaged last month!) when we were visiting it. We took a trip down south, decided that we loved the resort, and that we would get married there. Pretty simple. Of course, I had done hours and hours of research on trip advisor before booking that trip, and knew at that point that it was one of the best resorts in the area. We also had a friend who married at that resort a year earlier, and although we did not attend, we had heard great things. Good luck!

[momslehcar]

It took us a few months, it's hard to plan a wedding without feeling like you're also planing a vacation for several other people.... with their money! It's hard to make everyone happy so just concentrate on you two, it's YOUR day!