16 Jan 5 Ways Couples Make Destination Wedding Planning Harder for Themselves
Destination wedding planning can be daunting for the bride and groom. We’re here to ease some of that stress and make the destination wedding planning process simple and enjoyable. We’ve noticed that there are a few very common ways that couples make the planning process harder on themselves.
Read on for 5 Ways Couples Make Destination Wedding Planning Harder for Themselves
#1 Stress about the resort coordinator early on in the process
If you book your destination wedding at an all-inclusive resort, you can expect to wait quite a while for responses from the resort coordinator if your wedding is more than 3 or 5 months out. Many times, you won’t even receive any wedding planning information directly from the resort coordinator until 3-4 months from your wedding date. This is partly to avoid asking them more questions before it is “your turn” to plan.
Closer to your wedding date, you can expect faster response times. This is just how they work and although it can be frustrating, there is no need to worry. We book so many destination weddings each year with many different resorts that we can usually answer most of your questions ourselves. We also have relationships with the wedding departments at many properties and can help you with all communication with the resort coordinator.
#2 Let guests book themselves instead of using a travel agent
Planning a destination wedding on your own or expecting guests to book their rooms on their own is a logistical nightmare. And when there is no travel agent, guests will call you with questions. Don’t make the mistake of thinking your guests won’t have questions – they will! Is it possible to request a king bed? What section of the resort is everyone booking? We want to stay somewhere else – can we still come to your wedding? The resort sold out – what now?!
In addition, it will not end up being cheaper. It may be cheaper for the first few guests who book if they do it early on. However, after a few guests book, the resort knows there is a demand for certain dates and raises prices. Plus, we offer payment plans instead of paying the full price upfront like you do when booking online.
We often have couples that come to us about 15 months from their wedding date. They may have seen the pricing for the month they want for 2020 but not 2021. The 2021 price we quote may be higher than the 2020 price – but why? Firstly, there is no guarantee that the resort will have 20, 30 or 40 rooms at the “cheap” price you found online. The bottom line is that by booking online you could get a good deal but it is very risky and not everyone is going to be able to get this “deal”.
#3 You believe everything you read online and in Facebook groups over your travel agent or wedding planner
We don’t want to brag, but we know a lot about destination wedding planning. I am in a few travel-related Facebook groups and when I’m scrolling through these, I really start to realize how much I know about destination weddings. I can’t even begin to tell you the misconceptions you’ll find in Facebook groups. You must stop taking advice from the girl you’ve never met who had a destination wedding in 2005.
If you see something in a Facebook group that piques your interest, just ask your travel agent. And please, trust us! They know more than a random person on Facebook. If you can’t trust them, you are using the wrong travel agency.
#4 You’ve convinced yourselves that everything is overpriced
Have you ever heard that if you add the word “wedding” to anything, it will cost 10 times more? This isn’t a myth and it’s not just vendors trying to rip you off. Weddings are more expensive because they are more work and require more attention, staff, decor, etc – plus they involve a lot more pressure. We understand that weddings are expensive – whether it’s a destination wedding or a local affair. You’ve probably heard that “destination weddings are cheaper” and it can definitely be true in many cases.
Also keep in mind that just like local weddings – the more guests you have, the more expensive it will be. You will often pay per guest for your destination wedding package after a certain number, usually between 20-30 guests. However, many packages offer a kickback for the bride and groom for meeting a certain number of rooms. It all depends on the resort you choose and what they offer.
#5 You aren’t willing to compromise
Hear us out on this one! The average destination wedding costs about $10,000, but I’m sure you have heard of brides planning one for less than that. But you are going to have to compromise if you want to pay less than the average. You don’t necessarily have to compromise your wish list if you don’t want, but you must have a budget that supports your wish list. On the other hand, we can stick to your budget but you’ll have to be willing to compromise if you have a long wish list.
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Call us today to speak to one of our Destination Wedding Experts. You can reach us at (402) 390-9291 or get started here.
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