How much should people pay?

[jawedding]

Hi,

 

I don't know if this is the right forum for this, but we're trying to plan a destination wedding, and the majority of resorts we're looking at are going to cost guests $1700 per person. We are worried that this is too much to ask people to spend, espeically with the economy the way it is etc.. I can't help but feel guilty, but I also don't think people would be happy if they paid 1200 and ended up at a crappy place.. so my question is - how much are your guests paying to attend your wedding and what are your experiences with this? do people seem to mind?

 

(also, if anybody knows of any great resorts that are a bit less expensive, I would LOVE to hear about it!)

 

thanks so much!

[Dmitri_Markine]

Prices have gone up a bit in the last 8 months for some areas. Good resorts will definitely cost you at least $1,400 for Mexico and Jamaica. Other alternative is Cuba. You can easily get a nice 4-star resort for under $1,000

[jk1101]

I really think it depends on your guests and how long they are planning to stay. if they do a long weekend, it's more affordable than a week. I have friends and family that will definitely be coming, and I have some that can't for financial reasons, and I totally understand their situation. When I decided to do the DW, FI and I knew there would be people that couldn't come, but we wanted to do it, and we knew the most important people would be there. Time of year plays a part as well...if you're willing to risk rainy season, prices are less, but there is a risk factor. Do your research and compare islands, prices and times of year. My guests will end up paying 1200 - 1500 pp for 4 nights at an all inclusive.

[Soon2bMrsRosa]

I think one way to look at it would be are you willing to have some people not be able to attend because of the price - if so then do it! If you know that your most important people will be able to attend (close family, best friends etc) and its a place that you really like then why not. Just my opinion

[lgarner83]

When we were deciding, we went to a TA at Sears travel (and a few other places but she always had the best deals) and we had her scout out some nice places that weren't going to be too too much $$$. We were flexible on location and she managed to get us the Riu Santa Fe in Cabo San Lucas for 7 nights for $1400 pp taxes in and including flight. It is in Sept which his considered the rainy season but we also reseasrched that and decided to take our chances since Cabo showers are apparantly brief and refreshing. If you are concerned about how much your guests would need to pay (like we were) then give your travel agent a price maximum and let her research some locations for you. Then you can have your pick! Good luck!

[Destination Scout]

I also had a hard time with justifying the expense. However, I found that by looking at alternatives to resorts such as private villas and boutique hotels I was able to cut costs down to $150/room/night. With airline tickets at $350/person that totaled about $725/person plus food/beverage/ground transportation/events which usually tacked on an extra $300/person for a 5 night stay. The expense still narrowed the guest list down to about 20 people but I felt good about giving my guests a high value experience. They also enjoyed the non-resort vacation because most of them are experienced travelers and really wanted to experience our destination rather than an expensive hotel.

[Amarillis]

A while ago I wondered the same thing - so i did a little study! See link below!!!!

 

http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t26706

 

Post #26 has the results!

 

I'll bump it up in an attempt to get more recent information!

[rbarzu]

Jawedding,

 

I am getting married at Aventura Spa Palace at the end of November, which is not considered rainy season in Mexico. I am not using a TA and I probably should since our guests are coming from the U.S., the Netherlands, Sweden and a big chunk from Romania. But they are all well-traveled adults so I see them having no problem with this.

 

I found ASP to be cheaper than most but also heard great things about the quality. There is a forum in here for aventura where you can check in with tons of brides getting married there and ask questions, see pics and videos. Talking to them helped me make up my mind. As far as prices, my guests are paying $ 2,300 per couple which includes flights (from Ky) and four nights of all-inclusive stay. This is because we are booking through a group contract where we commit to fill a certain number of rooms. The group contract also provides spa and golf credits ($300.00 per room) and free tours through the resort.

 

Of course, the tricky part is if someone who RSVPs changes their mind...there might be a fee involved past a certian date.(you have to ask the sales coordinator) But for us, most of our guests (30) are very close family and friends so we shared this policy with them in a very polite manner along with our invites. They know that if they say yes in the RSVP card, it means committing to that reservation and price.

 

Another thing we did to be respectful to our geusts was to send invites super early. They went out last week and we are 6 months away. I felt this was important because even if someone really wants to come and spend $2,300 as a couple to do it, they need time in advance to plan and save for this, especially in these times. We have also set up a web site with information and a place for them to get in touch with us for any requests or questions.

 

 

 

Does this help? All in all, I highly recommend ASP...and the price seems very reasonable, especially after I saw the survey Amarillis posted! :-)

GOOD LUCK

Raluca

[~*petals*~]

I was also going to post the great study done by Amarillis!!

(http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t26706)

[shellk]

hi,

we enjoy nice resorts so we made it clear that we would be going somewhere nice but we did not expect people to come.then we changed to we are going alone except our best friends.then no-one will get upset.they paid £3600 per couple.but they did have the option of hotels cause we are staying at a riu resort and these always have 4-5 hotels next door to each other which are a mixture of 3-5 star.this may be an option but 80% of your guests do have to stay at the hotel you are getting married at.

 

happy planning