Newbie question to use TA or not? how many of you ladies have or will use?

[tyrebride2b2013]

Hello I am newly engaged and in the process of now planning a DW.  We are looking into 2013 and don' t really no where to start.
Wondering how many of you ladies did everything or are doing everything yourself? or are you using a TA?

[sswed13]

 

Congratulations, and welcome!

My FI and I were engaged November 2011 and are having our wedding June 2013. We decided on working with a TA because we have guests from Canada and the US, and we wanted help to organize the dates and all of our guests (we are anticipating 60-80) . We are open to guests booking on their own if they so choose. We first went to a couple of different TA and we didn't feel a connection with two of them, but the third and final one is the TA we booked with. She is fantastic. She was able to phone and get a group rate early (usually prices are established 12-14 months in advance), but she took the extra step to phone the vendors to see what price range we would be looking at. When we first started looking at all the different resorts in travel magazines and brocheurs, it became overwhelming. They all seemed to blend together. We narrowed it down to one location (Riviera Maya, Mexico) and from that we made a wish list of 'must haves' and 'nice to have' at the resort. From that, we could narrow it down and selected a handful of resorts for our TA to phone and inquire about a quote. It took about two weeks to hear back the proposal. From there, we knew what we wanted to book. Since we booked the resort with the TA it has made things much easier. Hope this helps. Happy planning

Originally Posted by tyrebride2b2013 

Hello I am newly engaged and in the process of now planning a DW.  We are looking into 2013 and don' t really no where to start.
Wondering how many of you ladies did everything or are doing everything yourself? or are you using a TA?

 

[principessa]

Welcome!!    We went with a TA - anything to make things smoother and less stressful I am all for doing

[wedding92012]

First, congratulations! I am getting married in Cabo in September 2012 and love having a travel agent. Our guests can privately discuss price options that match their budget, hear how the rest of the guests are booking, and book with confidence.  Our travel agent has been able to beat Expedia prices as well. We posted her contact information, policies, and booking procedures for our guests on our wedding web site. It's been so nice letting our guests reserve travel at their leisure and budget. I highly recommend using a travel agent for your destination wedding.

[ChocoTaco7568]

+1, I love my TA and can't believe that I almost chose not to use one. What a big mistake that would have been. I will say It's really important to find a great TA, I have heard unfortunate horror stories.

Welcome!!    We went with a TA - anything to make things smoother and less stressful I am all for doing

[JayKay]

I used a TA and was so happy I chose to do so.  I was extremely busy (trying to finish my degree in University, moving, working full time) while trying to plan a wedding and therefore, it was so helpful to have a TA.  She was able to communicate with all our guests about the travel so that I didnt have to worry about contacting them to make sure they booked, and paid deposits, and paid the remaining amounts ect.  I just found it was easier to only have to deal with the resort wedding planner, rather then that and the travel side of things.

[lkterry]

I wondered the same, but decided to use a TA just to make sure everything goes well!  Less hassle and worry for me.