Anyone Else Having A Hard Time Picking A Resort?

[MissJen3]

@@Sabes44 I am hoping that once pick a place we will be less stressed as well. It is more stressful because I really hope to get a specific date and if we wait too much longer I fear we wont get it.

[Sabes44]

Ya we had the same issue and we have such a small window we were able to do it in.  Didn't end up getting our first choice of dates, but now we are legally getting married here the weekend before so the wedding will just be symbolic.  So the date ended up working perfectly for us!  Good luck @@MissJen3, I promise once you set the date and resort you will feel a lot better!

[MissJen3]

@@Sabes44 I certainly hope so. Thank you !

[Sabes44]

You are welcome!!  I made a deadline to make a decision which helped me decide cause I was starting to drive myself crazy with all the second guessing.

[081114OVCUBA]

Hi there,

 

I know EXACTLY how you feel, It took me a while to finally decide on a resort too!

 

I looked into all of the resorts in Varadero that my Travel agent`s company worked with, and went from there. We had a specific date in mind and that was going to trump almost anything else. From there I went in Tripadvisor.com to check out recent reviews of the resorts and check out visitor`s pictures (the stock pictures in the catalogues and on the resort websites are usually old and not accurate of the actual day-to-day look of the resort. Then I went on google maps and got a look at the resort layout (how big the resort was, layout, how far the beach was, etc)

 

I narrowed my choice down to 3, based on all of my research, Paradisus, Iberostar, and Ocean Varadero. I took these three options back to my travel agent and got price quotes for each. I must have expensive tastes because I think I picked the most expensive ones there were.

 

We decided on Ocean Varadero based on the price, it was a couple hundred less per person than the other two. My travel agent said that because this place is still new they are offering lower prices to try and get people to chose them to develop a bit of brand recognition and that the resort was as good as the other two from everything she has heard. We paid a deposit as soon as the hotel confirmed they had out date available.

 

Our onsite wedding coordinator has been amazing and has made everything since choosing the resort an absolute breeze! Leaving in a week and a half and I don't think I could be any calmer or more collected than I am, I`m just so happy everything seems to be coming together so perfectly!

 

I hope this helps,

 

Cheers & Congratz!

[tygrrlily]

Choosing a resort was awful haha. I was SO stressed and I literally lost sleep about it. I felt like I had to weigh in other people's wants and price points, and my family was driving me crazy about it. If we went with what they wanted, it would have sacrificed what we wanted. We were also limited because we wanted to do the wedding within 8-9 months of being engaged. I finally decided to just ignore what people were saying, and focus on what WE wanted in a resort and wedding instead. We chose something a bit more expensive (but not crazily so), but we think the quality of the resort and the amenities made it worth it. 

 

Try to focus on what you and your FI want, and what your priorities are. It honestly does get a lot less stressful after choosing the resort, and you get to start planning the fun stuff

[Laks86]

@projectwayne2015 I am getting married in Dreams Las Mareas April 16th 2015. We are 2 days apart maybe we can exchange info. I am flying in my own video guy he is amazing if you want to see his work/ use him maybe it would be cheaper for us both to use the same person. 

[diadiamond]

@@diadiamond I feel like you are talking about me in your post. Haha. 

 

Not only have I had a hard time picking a place, I have had one heck of a time even finding a TA!  I am beyond stressed out about picking a place. I think we have narrowed the destination down to Cuba. We originally wanted Punta Cana, but we are paying for our wedding, and want to make sure we are price conscious for our guests, and everything we have looked at in Punta Cana is above our price range. 

 

I also thought I had it narrowed down to the Memories resorts, but the more I read the forums, the more resorts I start to consider.   Who knew that even finding a place to get married would be this much of a pain?

 

I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one that felt that way!  I thought planning a destination wedding would be stress-free and easy, but I've learned that it comes with its own set of challenges and can be very stressful.  

[diadiamond]

I had the same problem!  I had it narrowed down to 3 resorts and then starting working with a Travel agent.  I definitely recommend using a travel agent as they could help you decide based on what is most important to you.  I did a ton of research, got quotes, did budgets for all of them and did webinars before I decided.  I decided by price and what was most important to me.  I really liked my final 3 but the biggest factor came down to the resort (super intimate  and limited options vs. bigger and more options) and the wedding packages.  One reason I decided to do a DW was because I didn't care about a lot of the "extras" and some of the places were going to charge me $200-$300 just for a table set up.  I don't care that much about all the stuff on the table nor will my guests.

 

Good luck!

I did the same thing you did after my initial option failed.  I looked at quite a few options and got quotes and made a budget for each of them.  I think the biggest thing to us was making sure we chose a resort that everyone would most likely like.  We were torn between a larger resort with so-so reviews in the low season, but breathtaking views and a smaller resort that had amazing reviews, but wasn't breathtaking.  At the end of the day we cared more about an amazing overall trip rather than just a stunning wedding day.  We wanted to pick a place that would please us and our guests for an entire week.  We're not picky with all the extras as well.  I think just being in paradise is all the decor I need.

I spent several days straight looking at resorts, I finally found what I thought was the perfect resort, it had good reviews, and when I saw the pictures of the wedding location, it matched what I had in my head. It was on the beach, but not in an area where there are people on the beach or swimming in the background, with an arch wrapped in gauzy white fabric. I basically planned everything around that mental image I had. And then the resort decided to change to an exclusive luxury resort, so now I don't think I can get married there. I can't even bring myself to go back and start all over again looking at new resorts. 

I'm so happy you found your venue!  I definitely think that finding the venue is the toughest part.  I'm with you on not wanting to do the venue search all over again.  What made it a bit easier for us is that we knew what country we wanted.  It must be even more overwhelming for brides that need to choose a country and a resort! 

[Guest]

 

I'm so happy you found your venue!  I definitely think that finding the venue is the toughest part.  I'm with you on not wanting to do the venue search all over again.  What made it a bit easier for us is that we knew what country we wanted.  It must be even more overwhelming for brides that need to choose a country and a resort! 

 

I think I have lucked out, I emailed the resort and they told me that I could still have my wedding at that venue as long as the reception was at the resort I was staying at. Fingers crossed that it works out!