Jump to content

How to Select a Resort


Recommended Posts

Here are a few points to consider when selecting a resort. I have also included a template for the pro/con sheet I used to help me make my decision. There are so many great options, it can easily be overwhelming! Making a list always helps me!

 

If anyone has additional suggestions, send them on and I'll update the first page.

 

Happy Planning!

~~~~~~~~~~

 

How to Select a Resort for your Destination Wedding

 

Cost

There are literally thousands of beautiful locations around the world available for your wedding. If cost is an issue there are a few things to keep in mind: 1) consider the amount of time it will take to reach your destination 2) A particular resort might offer great rates, but airfare might blow your budget. Of course Tahiti is beautiful, but to get there from the US or Europe, it will be quite costly. If you want to go to Mexico, someplace like Cabo or Puerto Vallarta will be cheaper and a shorter flight from the west coast. Those on the east coast might want to opt for Cancun or the Mayan Riviera.

 

Look at current published airfare and hotel rates to get a sense of the approximate cost of your resort. Keep in mind that most airlines will not publish schedules or rates before 330 days out (approximately 10 months). These rates and flights are still subject to change.

 

Overall Look

Do you want a large resort with hundreds of rooms? Something modern or something that reflects the local culture and architecture? Do you prefer a new hotel or one that has completed recent renovations? Have you considered a private villa or a smaller property for a more intimate setting? Is there a minimum length stay or rental required? What about the setting? Is your resort on a beach, Cliffside, both?

 

All Inclusive or Not?

All Inclusives are nice because they offer “one stop shoppingâ€. Once your guests arrive they should not have to spend any extra monies for food and beverages and certain activities. This can be a major selling point and certainly helps you and your guests stay within budget.

 

Adult Only or Kid Friendly?

Will you have any children in your wedding party or will you or your guests bring your children? What are the age ranges of your resort, some are 14, 16, or 18 and up? Will your resort allow children on the property for the wedding ceremony or wedding activities if it is adult only?

 

If you (and your guests) have children but are not bringing children, it can be a nice break, maybe even a second honeymoon. If your child isnâ€t there do you want to have to listen to someone elseâ€s child by the pool?

 

What amenities are important to you?

Do you want lots of pools, restaurants – what kind of cuisine, a spa, beauty salon, golf course, room service? You resort should be a reflection of you and your fiancé and your lifestyle together but should also be comfortable and appropriate to your guests.

 

Will your hotel provide transportation to and from the airport or do you need to make alternate arrangements? Will they have trouble accommodating a large group if you are all traveling together?

 

What kind activities would you like to do?

Are certain activities included at your resort? What is nearby – historical sites, shopping, excursions, etc? Are you dying to go horseback riding on the beach or swim with dolphins? If so, is there a place to do that and how far away is it?

Does your resort allow outside vendors?

Do you have a photographer or a particular photographic style in mind? Have you found an amazing bakery? What if your brother is a professional photographer and offers to shoot your wedding for you? How will the resort handle this, e.g. do they charge extra?

 

Does your resort allow same sex couples?

Not all properties will allow same sex couples and/or the corporate chain frowns upon such things. Do you have any friends or family that are in a homosexual relationship or do you simply have 2 female relatives that want to share a room? Do you have a personal, moral objection to such policies? *Note that when booking as a group you can sometimes get special permission to have same sex couples

 

Occupancy Requirements

You may choose to offer your guests several different lodging options to accommodate different budgets, children, etc. What does your resort charge for a Day Pass? Will you pay this or will your guests? (Keep this in mind for budgeting purposes)

How many of your guests must stay at your resort? For example at the ROR you must have at least 80% of your guests stay on property to host your wedding there.

 

Promotional Offers

Some resorts have great rewards for group bookings. Check to see if yours offers free nights or rooms and what the requirements are to qualify. Example: Book 10 rooms, get the 11th free or Stay 7 nights get the 8th free, etc.

The Wedding (the most important factor)

 

What are the legal requirements for your country of choice? Will it be a legally recognized marriage in your home country? What kind of documents and translations will you need to provide? What are the costs and fees associated with your marriage?

 

If you choose to get married at home first, will your resort allow a symbolic ceremony only? Does your resort offer religious ceremonies? Will they refer you to a Catholic church or Synagogue in the area? Can you have your wedding ceremony at an outside location and your reception only at your hotel?

 

Does your resort have an on-site wedding planner? How long does it take for her to answer correspondence?

*Disclaimer* Many of the larger resorts are busy with weddings year round. You resortâ€s planner might be very busy and it can take up to week to get a response. A 3 day window is probably considered a good response time. It will be frustrating now, but when itâ€s your turn you will want to be her first priority!

 

How many weddings are held each day?

What days/times are weddings available?

Is there any additional charge for a wedding at sunset?

 

Wedding Packages

 

Does your resort offer a wedding package? What is included in that? How easily can you make changes or upgrade? *Note that many places offer “free†weddings but there will still be fees associated with your marriage license and filing fees.

**Tip** Before upgrading, look at what the individual cost is for each item. If there are services you donâ€t need, it may be cheaper in the long run to go with a la carte pricing.

 

Research:

  • See if your resort website has a wedding section and/or a message board.

***Always keep in mind that reviews are subjective. Try to look for common themes or lots of complaints about the same exact situation before you worry or decide against a particular property.***

 

 

Resort Comparison Sheet.xls

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 44
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Wow Erin!!!!! Great list!

 

I just read through it and the only thing I could think of that you missed (but not really) is, if you're staying at an AI, whether or not you're satisfied with their included wine/alcohol. The champagne at our resort was really bleh... we actually thought about brining in a couple of cases. But they added some melon liquor to it and it ended up being really tasty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great list Erin. There are a ton of newbies trying to pic locations and this will can really help them.

 

I also looked at what kind of alcohol was served (beer brands, if it was topshelf, etc) but i had a couple of drinkers that cared about that. And i wanted a resort that wasnt too far from the airport, i didnt want my guests to have to sit on a plane for 4 hrs and than sit on a bus for another 1+ hrs to get to the resort.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share



  • Best Destination Wedding Sponsors



    Facebook Pinterest Google+ Twitter
  • Posts

    • Yes! Weddings By Paully is your go-to source for wedding officiant services in the picturesque Monterey County. Whether you envision a beachfront ceremony along the stunning California coast or a romantic vineyard wedding, we are here to make your dream wedding a reality. Our officiant services are tailored to your needs, ensuring a seamless and heartfelt ceremony that reflects your love story.
    • joel avalos is the photographer from capturaimagen  check work and references at https://www.joelavalos.com/
    • I was suggested this website by my cousin. I am not sure whether this post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my problem. You're incredible! Thanks! look also at my pages and give a rating XEvil is an easy, rapid and convenient plan for completely automatic recognition and bypass of your overwhelming majority of captchas (CAPTCHAs), without the require to connect any third-celebration expert services. This system Just about entirely replaces products and services such as AntiGate (Anti-Captcha), RuCaptcha, DeCaptcher and Other individuals. Simultaneously, it drastically exceeds them in recognition speed (ten times or maybe more) and is completely no cost. https://isotrope.cloud/index.php/Get_Rid_Of_Speedyindex_Google_Problems_Once_And_For_All nothing to link indexing https://www.scentwear.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=1005902 speed up search indexing @d@=
    • Приветствую Вас друзья[url=https://sfilm.by/].[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/][img]https://i114.fastpic.ru/big/2021/0421/1f/a0af85c9229604875eeb8b215cb38a1f.jpg[/img][/url] Предлагаем Вашему вниманию высококачественные профессиональные плёнки. Наша организация"ООО Защитные плёнки" работает 15 лет на рынке этой продукции в Беларуси. Бизнес-центры, магазины, офисы, частные и жилые дома — за время своего существования на строительном рынке Беларуси компания «Защитные пленки» зарекомендовала себя как серьезная и профессиональная команда специалистов, готовых помочь своим заказчикам в реализации проектов любой сложности. Когда у вас на службе уникальные технологии комфорта, надежности и энергосбережения, все идеи легко воплотить в жизнь! При неправильном выборе партнера вы рискуете не только потерять деньги, затраченные на выполнение заказа, но и потратить время и средства на повторное изготовление стеклопакетов!Профессиональное нанесение оконных пленок на стекло и изготовление качественного противоударного стекла — это очень скрупулезная работа, требующая хорошего знания свойств пленок, многолетнего опыта работы специалистов, а также учета происходящих физических процессов при оклейке стекла. Мы можем предложить Вам [url=https://sfilm.by]Защитные плёнки[/url] ,[url=https://sfilm.by]архитектурные плёнки[/url],[url=https://sfilm.by]декоративные плёнки[/url],[url=https://sfilm.by]автомобильные плёнки[/url] и [url=https://sfilm.by]противопожарные плёнки[/url]. Более подробная информация размещена на нашем [url=https://sfilm.by]сайте[/url] С уважением,коллектив "ООО Защитные плёнки". [url=https://sfilm.by/]солнцезащитная зеркальная пленка Новогрудок[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]матовые наклейки на стекло[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]тонировка стекол Мосты[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная клейкая пленка[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка олеофобная[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]размеры защитной пленки[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]наклейка декоративной пленки[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]оклейка фасадов пленкой[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]пленка зеркальная для окон цена[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]широкоформатная пленка[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]архитектурные пленки тонировочные[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитные пленки Дятлово[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]бронирование авто пленкой[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]матовая пленка на стекло Пинск[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]закатать пленкой авто[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]тонировка зеркальной пленкой[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]антигравийная защитная пленка купить[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]пленка защитная прозрачная[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]фасады мдф под пленкой[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]декоративные пленки шкаф купе[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]широкоформатная печать фотообоев[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]солнцезащитная зеркальная пленка Чечерск[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка для металла[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитные пленки Могилёв[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитные пленки под ручки[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]оклейка авто пленкой зеркала[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка на band 3[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]замена пленки на фасаде кухни[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]есть ли защитная пленка[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]пленка а1[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитные пленки Несвиж[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]тонировка перегородок[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка p10 lite[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка для оконных стекол[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка для плиты[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]пленка самоклеющаяся светозащитная цена[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]пленка под дерево самоклеющаяся для авто[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]матовая пленка на стекло Гродно[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]пленка защитная 3м 6885[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]декоративная пленка зеркало шкаф[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]тонировка стеклянных перегородок[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]матовая пленка на стекло Дятлово[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]обклеить авто виниловой пленкой[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]растонировка минск[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]плёнки для офисных перегородок минск[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка на номера[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]наклеивание защитной пленки[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка 6s[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]декоративная самоклеящаяся пленка купить[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]тонировка лобового атермальной пленкой[/url]
    • Has anyone escort this side hustle renting dump trailers? It's pretty sweet. I am buying my sooner a specific next week! You've got to distinguish it: https://ibit.ly/let-us-feature-your-business-100 This is HUGE! ?Leviathan congratulations to all involved; you're making waves! Don't miss gone away from on checking this distant
  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...