DW Planners + Travel Agents

[nishabella]

Hey ladies,

 

I've come across a few companies that bill themselves as DW planners and travel agents all-in-one. So they co-ordinate all your travel for you for free, and if you pay a fee they will also come with you to the resort. Have any of you used any of these companies? Thoughts? They are all based in Toronto.

 

Luxe Destination Weddings (there is a separate thread on this company and it doesn't seem to be getting very positive reviews)

http://luxedestinationweddings.com/

 

L'Escape Destination Weddings

http://www.lescape.com

 

Weddings in the Tropics

http://weddingsinthetropics.com/

 

The Wedding Holiday

http://theweddingholiday.com

 

[ckntb]

I've been working with Weddings in the Tropics.  I've been very happy so far and all our initial bookings are done.  It did take some time to get quotes for guests that were travelling on different dates but that apparently had to do with the resort itself and they kept us up-to-date on what was happening.  I had a lot of guests trying to make changes to their travel dates so they were great!  I have my first meeting with them next week to start planning the actual wedding.  I'll let you know how that goes!

[Cassie South]

Hello ladies,

 

I have done pretty extensive research on which travel agencies specialize in DW planning and how much (or how little) they like to be involved (in other words, I know my competition! ha ha). I also know how much (or how little) they charge to do so.

 

The rule of thumb with travel agencies is "you get what you pay for". If you aren't paying any fees, don't expect the TA to deal with the onsite wedding coordinator, figure our little details like flowers, ceremony details and things like that. They get paid on the travel only, so that's what they will focus on. If they are doing more than the travel and not charging you any fees, they have either marked it up (a common industry practice) or they will go out of business eventually. Clearly nobody can work for free and sustain it.  

 

There are exceptions to this rule. Most airlines don't pay any commissions so if you are marrying in a private property or a venue that doesn't pay your TA commission, there is essentially no revenue at all so a fee is necessary to book the travel alone.

 

If they are charging you fees on top of their travel industy kick backs, they should be willing to assist you with other details. These fees can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

 

At Blue Petal we decided to do "as much or as little" as our brides would like. We don't have a "set fee" or "packages' because every wedding is totally unique. We sit down with the bride and groom, talk about their dream wedding, how much they want to be involved in the planning process, talk about their budget and negotiate a fee based on how much revenue we estimate will come in from the travel side. This initial consultation is free and we found this works best for both parties.

 

My advice is make sure there is a clear understanding from the very beginning of what you expect your TA to assist you with. You will likely be speaking to your TA once every few weeks (sometimes way more) leading up to your wedding so find someone who gives you a good feeling and you feel has your best interests at heart.

 

Ginger ~ Blue Petal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RMBride2B]

Ginger said it right. I'm using a TA with "All About Honeymoons" and he will be concentrating more on just getting us good rates with the resort for our group and the travel.  Other than that, I'm going to be the one working directly with the WC from the resort on the actual wedding details. So, his services are free (other than the $250 we had to put down up front - which goes towards our stay). 

 

Blue Petal sounds like a good company to work with , but I would stay away from that LUXE one you mentioned (especially if they don't have good reviews).  I would say stick with one's with only good reviews and have good BBB ratings

[Cassie South]

Thanks for backing me up there RMBride2B!

 

[TammyWright]

well, this is not true for ALL agencies.  We do not mark up here at Wright Travel Agency and we do very extensive work with our brides: referring vendors, communicating with the resort/WC when needed, even hosting webinars so you can find a TA that specializes in destination weddings that does not charge an extra fee....and i have done a ton of weddings and am not going out of business any time soon.
 

Originally Posted by GingerBluePetal 

Hello ladies,

 

I have done pretty extensive research on which travel agencies specialize in DW planning and how much (or how little) they like to be involved (in other words, I know my competition! ha ha). I also know how much (or how little) they charge to do so.

 

The rule of thumb with travel agencies is "you get what you pay for". If you aren't paying any fees, don't expect the TA to deal with the onsite wedding coordinator, figure our little details like flowers, ceremony details and things like that. They get paid on the travel only, so that's what they will focus on. If they are doing more than the travel and not charging you any fees, they have either marked it up (a common industry practice) or they will go out of business eventually. Clearly nobody can work for free and sustain it.  

 

There are exceptions to this rule. Most airlines don't pay any commissions so if you are marrying in a private property or a venue that doesn't pay your TA commission, there is essentially no revenue at all so a fee is necessary to book the travel alone.

 

If they are charging you fees on top of their travel industy kick backs, they should be willing to assist you with other details. These fees can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

 

At Blue Petal we decided to do "as much or as little" as our brides would like. We don't have a "set fee" or "packages' because every wedding is totally unique. We sit down with the bride and groom, talk about their dream wedding, how much they want to be involved in the planning process, talk about their budget and negotiate a fee based on how much revenue we estimate will come in from the travel side. This initial consultation is free and we found this works best for both parties.

 

My advice is make sure there is a clear understanding from the very beginning of what you expect your TA to assist you with. You will likely be speaking to your TA once every few weeks (sometimes way more) leading up to your wedding so find someone who gives you a good feeling and you feel has your best interests at heart.

 

Ginger ~ Blue Petal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cassie South]

Thanks for replying Tammy. I imagine things are different in the United States but in Canada most travel agencies have to mark up or charge a fee since our commissions are very small. Our product is our service, and the service we offer is worth paying for. If our brides disagree, we refund our fee.

 

Thank you for clarifying, most of your readers are in the United States after all

 

Ginger @ Blue Petal

[tsc2012]

hi, i'm also looking for someone based in toronto/gta, I was wondering if you were successful in finding someone and if you have any opinions on who to avoid etc.

 

Thanks!

[Aphrodite]

I booked my hotel/flight with my cousin who is a travel agent at Flight Centre.

She has said since Day One that I would be the one in contact with the WC at the hotel and I am perfectly happy with that because I like to be in control of that aspect anyways lol.

 

I haven't had any issues doing it this way.

[Aphrodite]

My cousin is in Pickering at the Pickering Town Centre if you wanted someone to talk to - PM me if you want to go that route.

 

Originally Posted by tsc2012 

hi, i'm also looking for someone based in toronto/gta, I was wondering if you were successful in finding someone and if you have any opinions on who to avoid etc.

 

Thanks!