Recently Engaged - Choosing a Destination!

[mairelys]

Hello everyone!

We are recently engaged and know that we want to do a destination wedding. The question now is, where?

The only stipulation we have is that we want to have it in a country we have no yet visited, so our choices exclude:
- Mexico
- Turks & Caicos
- Cuba
- Spain (although we're thinking we'll save Europe for the honeymoon anyway)

My question to you lovely ladies is, how did you decide where you wanted to go? Do you have any pointers at how to narrow down the choices?

Thanks for your help! I look forward to sharing ideas and gushing with all of you! 

Here's a visual:

[katie2012]

Congratulations on your engagement! We started by narrowing down the time frame we were looking to get married. Then I started looking into how much work it would take to get married in different locations, weather, and ease of travel. Are you looking for a beach? Or city? Or nature? Thinking about how you want to experience your day should help to narrow down what you're looking for! Good luck!

 

(We picked Aruba because we wanted beach, there are plenty of direct flights for most of our family to pick from, and our time frame was during hurricane season for the Caribbean)

[mairelys]

Thanks so much! This actually helped me a lot. I'm letting myself get overwhelmed and didn't even think to check out if there was a website that actually shows the best time for all destination locations at once rather than looking each one up individually, & the Weather Channel does that nicely!

 

[JayKay]

We made a list of what was important to us and what we were looking for from a destination/resort.  From there we looked at ease of getting married (some places are harder them others to legally get married) and we were able to narrow it down to Jamaica.  We had a certain time period that we could travel and Jamaica fit perfectly with that.

[TheWolferts]

Planning a destination wedding would have been A LOT more nerve racking if we had selected a country that we had never been to or a resort that at least one of us hadnt stayed at. We got married at the El Dorado Royale in Riviera Maya Mexico having attended my cousin's wedding there almost 2 years prior. I fell in love with the property and the entire trip, I kept wishing some of my close friends or other side of the family could experience how great that place was!

 

I thought it was really helpful having been through a DW there because the onsite wedding coordinator for the resort could easily tell me about locations, quality of venue and food and I knew what she was talking about. Also, I had a fear that if we flew blind and picked a country/resort we hadnt been to, I would feel terrible talking up our wedding and vouching for the resort, if when we got there, it left a lot to be desired. We decided on picking a new location neither of us had been to for our honeymoon and loved it! It was nice to experience something and some place new without the added pressure of hosting 50 friends and family members. I knew the resort we got married at quite well, so it was nice that guests could ask me specific questions about things at the resort before arriving and while there. I might have felt like a bad hostess if I was clueless about the resort.

Originally Posted by mairelys 

Hello everyone!

We are recently engaged and know that we want to do a destination wedding. The question now is, where?

The only stipulation we have is that we want to have it in a country we have no yet visited, so our choices exclude:
- Mexico
- Turks & Caicos
- Cuba
- Spain (although we're thinking we'll save Europe for the honeymoon anyway)

My question to you lovely ladies is, how did you decide where you wanted to go? Do you have any pointers at how to narrow down the choices?

Thanks for your help! I look forward to sharing ideas and gushing with all of you! 

Here's a visual:

[mairelys]

Thanks guys!
Still haven't picked a country yet, never mind a location, haha. 

It's important for us to go somewhere we've never been, as this is an opportunity to travel for not only us but for our friends and family as well. 
I completely understand wanting to know the venue beforehand, but I don't think I will ever visit the same resort twice - there are too many places to see!

 

[mairelys]

Oh my, we still have not even narrowed down a place. I think I may need some expert help on this one. 
We have a free Wedding planning store here (kind of like a travel agent, but for weddings), I may have to hit it up.

[mrsnova]

I know it is very overwhelming! Mexico was an easy choice for us because we originally met there and a lot of our friends/family live in the NW so it is closer than other destinations. If keeping it affordable is important to you and your guests than Mexico may be a good decision. You can usually get really good priced vacation packages at all inclusive resorts! 

 

I think a travel agent or the wedding planning store you mentioned is a great idea to help narrow your options. Not to make more decisions for you haha...but we went to Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) last year and loved it too

 

Good luck!

[mairelys]

No that's great! Yes I think I'm going to have to go get some help because looking randomly on the internet doesn't seem to be working!

I wish we were getting married in Mexico some times, but we want to try somewhere we haven't been. 

[mrsnova]

Originally Posted by mairelys 

 

No that's great! Yes I think I'm going to have to go get some help because looking randomly on the internet doesn't seem to be working!

 

I wish we were getting married in Mexico some times, but we want to try somewhere we haven't been. 

Just realized in your original post you put EXCLUDE not INCLUDE!

 

So I guess Punta Cana is an option..

 

Also a friend got married in Costa Rica recently, and another in Maui and both loved it! (I wasn't able to go)