pick resort first then wedding day?

[stefkva]

We picked the resort first since we knew we wanted to have it in Mexico!

[leenancy]

We picked the resort first. The place was more important to us than the date, so we picked the perfect resort and worked around what dates were available.

[Speckles121]

We picked the date first and we knew it was so far in advance (13 months) that most places would have it available then we did our research on resorts.

[katman]

Nice to get some feedback on this issue. We are not picky with our date - nothing special/significant in mind, so are just trying to narrow down our resort first and go from there (which is so far seemingly impossible...lol) We are thinking Riviera Maya, Mexico, any suggestions on the best time of year for decent prices and fair weather? Also wondering if everyone recommends getting married on a weekend? Or as DW's break tradition, day of the week isn't as important? For those looking at a seven day travel period for most guests, is there a day you would suggest flying (eg, to get cheaper flights, or to be most agreeable with guests?) As always, thanks ladies!

[mmb1117]

 We are getting married on a saturday, and most of our guests are glad for that because some will only turn it into a long weekend and take only one or two days off of work. Also, we chose the weekend before Thanksgiving for the kids that will be coming so they will be off of school. We found the resort we wanted and general month and went from there.

[AllieH]

Just an idea - we chose to get married on a Monday for the same reason. Folks can fly in Saturday, spend 3 nights, and go home on Tuesday. still a long weekend w/ 2 days off, but less traveled days, and (hopefully) easier scheduling for vendors on a Monday vs. a Saturday. Plus the added benefit of a short work week when they get back.

Originally Posted by mmb1117 

 We are getting married on a saturday, and most of our guests are glad for that because some will only turn it into a long weekend and take only one or two days off of work. 

 

 

[katman]

Allie, always swooping in to answer my questions lol (thanks to mmb117 as well!!!)

I'm really tossing up with this one...most of our guests are (at least talking about) staying 1 week...so if we could do a weekday wedding to save some money and make it easier for vendors, sounds like that might be ideal. Do you feel that this makes it more likely to have your wedding as the only one that day at your resort? (I imagine weekends are more popular...)

 

Originally Posted by AllieH 

Just an idea - we chose to get married on a Monday for the same reason. Folks can fly in Saturday, spend 3 nights, and go home on Tuesday. still a long weekend w/ 2 days off, but less traveled days, and (hopefully) easier scheduling for vendors on a Monday vs. a Saturday. Plus the added benefit of a short work week when they get back.

 

 

[AllieH]

If all of our guests were staying the full week, I probably would have picked wednesday or something! 

 

I still ran into some issues with the resort trying to reserve the location for our reception - another group had booked it. After a couple of months they finally confirmed it as available for us (whew). I don't know if the other group moved to another venue or what happened. But we got what we wanted.

 

My recommendation is to have an idea of the dates in mind, and before you book, confirm it's available with the resort. Then once it's all booked, reserve the spaces you want for the ceremony and/or reception as soon as you can make those decisions. This is especially true if you're looking at some of the more popular resorts for weddings - Dreams, Secrets, etc. 

 

I thought 10+ months out would be more than enough time to get the venues set up with the resort...and it almost wasn't. 

 

I'm just glad I can help answer a few questions during the planning process!! 

Originally Posted by katman 

Allie, always swooping in to answer my questions lol (thanks to mmb117 as well!!!)

I'm really tossing up with this one...most of our guests are (at least talking about) staying 1 week...so if we could do a weekday wedding to save some money and make it easier for vendors, sounds like that might be ideal. Do you feel that this makes it more likely to have your wedding as the only one that day at your resort? (I imagine weekends are more popular...)

 

 

 

[ChocoTaco7568]

We picked the date first and we knew it was so far in advance (13 months) that most places would have it available then we did our research on resorts.

+1, our date is our anniversary and we also booked 15 months in advance. Every place that we looked at had our date available.

[Mlite83]

Originally Posted by katman 

 

Nice to get some feedback on this issue. We are not picky with our date - nothing special/significant in mind, so are just trying to narrow down our resort first and go from there (which is so far seemingly impossible...lol)

We are thinking Riviera Maya, Mexico, any suggestions on the best time of year for decent prices and fair weather?

Also wondering if everyone recommends getting married on a weekend? Or as DW's break tradition, day of the week isn't as important? For those looking at a seven day travel period for most guests, is there a day you would suggest flying (eg, to get cheaper flights, or to be most agreeable with guests?)

As always, thanks ladies!

Definitely cheaper to fly mid-week to mid-week than weekend departure.  And from my experience being at the resort over the weekend (as opposed to arriving and then leaving on a Saturday) is always fun since there is lots going on (ie theme nights etc)...but it is all personal choice and what works for you.

 

We are getting married at Now Jade in Mexico and since we weren't picky with our date so we priced a few different weeks and went with the best price - as it turns out the Saturday of our week (Wednesday to Wednesday) was available so we were able to book that.  My TA mentioned that from her experience prices usually drop in the 3rd week of January (after the holiday rush) and then go up again for Family day (mid-February)/spring break until after March break....when we priced the difference between early January and early February ranged from $20 - $80 more per week depending on exact travel dates.  Hopefully that helps!