First day on the site

[Raquelita0715]

Omg jennkn87 I feel the same way!!! It so overwhelming! I look into the diy and i am like ooo I'm going to do my STD's this way and then i try to compare it to another one when I get overwhelmed on all the posts that I can no longer find it. Congrats to all and I am always debating on a resort

[ladyzr]

Hi Guys thanks for responding to my first post. ANDDDD for letting me know I'm not alone. I found a great thread on an organizer and created my own binder. I'm going to look back through my subscriptions and see if I can find it. Don't have enough posts to download the actual template but I got the basic layout for how the binder should be laid out. My sections are

 

1. Master planning calendar, timelines, checklist and budget

2. Attire/Hair/Makeup

3. Guests

4. DIY Projects - To capture all of my faves and templates (once I can download)

5. Welcome and Rehearsal dinner

6. Ceremony

7. Cocktails and Reception

8. Photography& Videography

9. Travel and Accomodations

10. Miscellaneous

 

I have a seperate binder for all of my resort information.

 

Hope this helps and if I find the link to the original post that helped me to organize my thoughts I will come back and post it.

[ladyzr]

So we have decided to begin with narrowing down what exactly our budget will be, finalizing the date (we still aren't sure if 2014 or 2015 will be better) and selecting a location.

 

One area of concern is how expensive it is to fly. The resorts seem reasonable but getting there is really expensive so we are thinking of waiting until 2015 to give our guests (and us for that matter) time to save and pay on it). I'm realizing I probably will have slim pickings for 2014 as all of the ladies on this forum have over a 1 year jump start on securing their date anyway Just kidding.

 

Now that I type this out I think I'm convincing myself that 2015 is the best date, besides that will give me over a year to get all of my DIT projects done and plan the perfect destination wedding!

 

How are you guys handling the planning aspect and setting a date and AIRFARE...

[Raquelita0715]

I am also going to be a 2015 bride. I was going to be a 2014 bride but our best friend is doing another tour so he will be gone for 8 months. We will be waiting for him to return and well it turned out great because my initial budget has now been exceeded. Of course that was before I got on here and see how everything adds up. Have you tried to work with a travel agent?

[Jennkn87]

Raquelita - I totally agree with you I always forget to follow  the thread to find it! I'm sure there are other way to tag things persay, but I haven't figured out how yet!! I found that the more and more I read about the resorts the more and more I was unsure where I wanted to go....so I quit looking. I contacted the travel agent I'm hoping can get me the best rates and went by her opinions as well, she seemed to really like the resort I was leaning towards, and also gave me names of a couple of others that I might like as well. (she of course had been to all of them)...it's OVERWHELMING!

 

I haven't had the budget talk with my parents yet. I'm really hoping I can keep it low considering we are going to also have an At home reception when we return! I want to keep it as low as possible for my family as well as his, not to mention US! I'm still waiting for pricing on the resort I have chosen! Eeeek! That definitely makes me nervous!! 

[Jennkn87]

Ladyzr -

 

I have purchased my binder, and have printed off the template from www.russellandhazel.com - it has like 57 pages to it. I haven't made it through all of them yet, but it seems it's going to help alot! I like your binder idea! I haven't done much with mine yet but just put it together. I'm assuming I'm going to have to buy a bigger one eventually!! If you find your link to yours that would be awesome! 

 

As for the plane tickets!! Damn straight it's REDIC how much it costs to fly somewhere. This is mainly why I chose to go out of the country instead of getting married in FL. It costs about the same amount to fly to Jamaica...so why not!?! I actually was just telling the fiancee that I received an email from tripadvisor a little bit ago that had a plane ticket price of $473, I didn't look into the details about it, but that is definitely the cheapest rate I've seen thus far!...so HOPEFULLY they will drop a little! That would be amazing! I'm waiting to hear back from my TA about pricing and a date so I can get the word out to everyone that is planning on going so they have almost a whole year to save and plan for the trip!! Once I have that part done I think I'll be able to breathe a little better!! You don't realize how much there is to do till you really start researching...I wanted a simple, cheaper wedding....Everyday I find something else I like! It's going to be really hard to stick with a budget by the time its all said and done!! Ahh! 

[Raquelita0715]

I am the same way! I want to make sure that my guest find a good rate. Please share when your TA advises you book. I am worries when I should sent the invites. I wont be getting married until July 2015 but I always book last minute to get good deals. Will be the first time that I will have to book way before. Eeek

[Jennkn87]

I know..I have already thought about that. I don't know if I should tell the TA to wait to see if rate get better or not..plus..will the resort still hold a block of rooms then? Theres soo much that ties into it! 

[Raquelita0715]

My travel agent said that she doesnt block rooms but does individual bookings as blocks require deposits and sometimes ppl back out at last min. But now I wonder if blocking rooms will be a better price for my guests. I thought of reaching out to another TA. Did you find yours on here?

[Jennkn87]

I read MANY positive reviews on Wright Travel Agency, the maker of this website actually owns the company from what I've read. So I first contacted them, not really knowing anything about travel agents. It made me super nervous considering she is located in California and I'm in Ohio, seems I should be in contact with someone close that I can meet with in person, but I went for it anyways! The agent that contacted me I could not find reviews on here about. I'm not sure if she is newer with the company?....I researched her a bit before contacting her....(I'm a creeper like that )....She has an extensive background in the industry from what I read on LinkedIN, as well as other sites. I also found other brides wedding sites that she had helped coordinate, some I found really good savings from my research. I'm hoping it pans out well and I don't have to start over with someone new. She is originally from Italy, and I believe her husband may be from the Jamaica area. She seemed to know the resorts there and gave me a few to check out even though I had pretty much decided on one (She, however, REALLY approved of the one I was leaning towards as well) She wasn't trying to push me to pick a different one or anything. Now I'm just waiting to see what kind of deals she can get. I may contact a different one just to review the pricing and compare. But I have read NOTHING but awesome reviews on here about their agency!