Newbie Here!

[vanessajfelice]

Hello there!

My name is Vanessa and I'm super new here.  Just starting to plan a destination wedding for September and we have our location picked out, but other than that, nothing!  Any tips that anyone wants to share about planning a destination?  Did you go down before for a site visit?  Any websites to get welcome bag things, or anything you DIY'd that was amazing??
Thanks!

[dreamweddings]

Welcome to the forum @@vanessajfelice

 

10% of our brides each year, choose to do a site visit.  this depends from person to person.   

 

Here is a short list of what you can do first, for what ever reason I couldn't attached the longer version. 

1. draw up a list of things you want your hotel to have. (amenities)

2. get in-touch with a TA who specializes in Destination wedding

3. book resort/bock date

4. book photographer , hair and make up and DJ

5. decide on the Decor, its sounds like you are looking to DIY.  plan out the things you want to DIY and the ones you will book with the resort. most of our past bride have brought lots details for the tables, candles , guests book etc. 

6. Etsy has some great options on welcome bags  https://www.etsy.com/market/wedding_welcome_bags

7.  Have lots of fun doing all the above. because before you know it it would be September.

 

 

Happy Planning!

[Moments That Matter]

Welcome to our forum community Vanessa, and CONGRATS on your Sept dw!!! Which location did you choose for your wedding venue?

 

We have so many options to choose from in our magnificent Mayan Riviera which make amazing backdrops for your Wedding Day Love Story in photos!!!

 

Here are a few examples from our Cover Photos Album, to show what we're talking about......enjoy!

 

 

 

Enjoy your memorable journey ahead, and all the best with your research + plans - cheers!!! team MTM

[acw271011]

@@vanessajfelice Welcome and congrats on being a DW bride! You've come to the right place for details. There are a ton of them here!

 

Definitely the first thing is to lock in your location - date and time - because the resorts can book up really quickly. September isn't as busy as the beginning of the year but there aren't really any "quiet" months anymore. I see you have an August date listed so I hope that means you have somewhere booked. Of course then the resort will have different locations to choose from for your ceremony and reception. You'll also want to make a decision on a photographer because again they book up quickly. Investigate your resort's outside vendor fee before making your decision. All of the resorts have onsite photographers that they use and some of them also do video but be sure to thoroughly investigate the reviews. Sometimes they aren't very good. But if the outside vendor fee is really high, it may affect your budget. Some resorts will charge as much as $1000 to bring in someone from outside. I've heard that there are photographers that will help with the vendor fee but I don't know who they are or how much they will actually help. Same thing with a videographer.

 

Many of the brides here talk about costs adding up very quickly so if you're a DIY bride that will definitely help out. There have been some truly AMAZING things that the ladies have come up with. I would suggest just searching DIY up top and you'll get a ton of things to look through. Centerpieces, flowers, decor. There is no end to what you can come up with. Keep in mind though that again your resort might have a set up fee for anything you bring yourself. Plus some resort chains work with an outside company for decor, flowers, cake and will insist that you work with them.

 

Definitely do some reading on the site. You can key in almost anything in the search bar at the top and you'll get threads galore that you can read through. You may even find yourself on information overload!! But it's so much fun to read through all of the things that both current brides-to-be and past brides have done. You'll find things that you didn't even think of! And it will really get the creative juices going!

 

Good luck and enjoy the site! You can come back any time with questions. The ladies are always happy to answer!

[vanessajfelice]

Wow, thanks for the replies! We actually have a location and date booked. We are doing the excellence Riviera cancun on sept 22. Actually our guests should be able to start booking today or tomorrow! Now that it is the same year as the wedding, I'm starting to get stressed! It will be here before we know it!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lorishultz2016]

I would start with a getting a travel agent to help you book everything. and the ladys that does this wedsite are great to work with. Because if you are planning for Sept. this year you want to book your rooms and airfare as soon as you can. Some places book very quickly..

Lori 

[AdamnJenn17]

This website has an amazing DIY section in which you cand fins some wonderful ideas

Look at the packages that your resort offers and find which one fits your plan (# of guest, reception type, location, etc) best

Look at the extras your resort offers and look to add anything addition you may want