Destination Weddings - HELP! How do I plan a destination wedding??

Hi There, I am new ;) My finace and I are planning to have a destination wedding at the end of April /07. I have no idea where to start with the planning process...... Should I be looking for a wedding planner? Or should I be looking for a travel agent?? ANy advice would be wonderful. We have narrowed down our destinations to either the Dominican, Mayan Riviera, or the Bahamas. I want to book at a resort that is for adults only, which is under $1500 per person (for one week). Does anyone have any suggestions?? Thanks so much!

Start speaking to whoever you can think of. Look online, speak with a travel agent, look on wedding boards there are many women planning destination weddings. I would say the internet and travel agents will be your best friend in planning this, they have a lot of experince on where to go and the internet can help you envision it.

try this site. they offer a lot of info. [url]http://forums.weddingsolutions.com/showthread.php?t=12210[/url]

There are bridal magazines (they probably have websites too like most bride mags do) that are SPECIFICALLY for destination weddings.

I am a travel agent with Intrigued Travel We specialize in destination weddings. Delegate some of your work load to us. We can handle eveything from your passport to your license and foriegn entry requirements. Contact our office. There's no cost.

Hi , I am planning to have a Destination Wedding in Europe and after having called several wedding planning companies and asked ffriends for recommendations I have selected a good wedding planner in France (alchimie originelle ) who specializes in elegant French Weddings. I think you should not contact a travel agency but a wedding planner directly which is a real wedding specialist not a tourism adviser! Good luck in the future. Ellen from South Africa

If you know your location, you could just try finding a place that specializes in weddings--they usually have people that are very helpful. The people that I booked through (Cala Luna Resort in Tamarindo, Costa Rica) have done 1000's of weddings and even told me which salon to use (not their own). A wedding planner is a great idea if you have the money, but if not, the resorts usually do well. Just get there a day or two early to meet with the catering manager. I heard that Sandals does weddings now--they may be a good start for you!

Hey, Sandals does weddings, but check out their prices, b/c when FH and I were thinking about St. Lucia, or Jamaica even, the prices were out of our budget. For the Bahamas thing, try looking into other resorts in different parts of the island or try a different island, b/c prices there vary tremendously. Good luck!

Assuming all your activities located at your choice of destination, it would be preferable to engage a wedding planner at the location. A professional person would be able to organize and execute all matters personally and make your arrival to the location like kings and queens.. That should be the way. Budgeting is very important and cost over-run issues may preoccupied your mind. I believe decide how much you are willing to spend..and spend it! because marriage should be once in a life time. About Sandals, from what I gathered they are specialized in honeymoon packages in the beginning, their resort and hotel locations are usually at remote location where you are really away from everything. However, they are in the premium package area. The locations are really romantic.

Go to ebay and find the "Points Of Light Foundation"they have some wonderful deals,first class for a quarter of the price.They also offer realy cheap air fare.We got a 7day at the Rits and 1st class air for two to St Thomas for 3k,but you can find less exspencive vacations w/them if you look.I highly recomend them and worked personaly w/Marea.she's great.Good Luck to you.

[QUOTE=angela_kirkpatrickacae]Hi There, I am new ;) My finace and I are planning to have a destination wedding at the end of April /07. I have no idea where to start with the planning process...... Should I be looking for a wedding planner? Or should I be looking for a travel agent?? ANy advice would be wonderful. We have narrowed down our destinations to either the Dominican, Mayan Riviera, or the Bahamas. I want to book at a resort that is for adults only, which is under $1500 per person (for one week). Does anyone have any suggestions?? Thanks so much![/QUOTE] Hi, I'm new here, but I am also planning a DW and have chosen the Riviera Maya. I'm not sure about the other resorts but I'm close to positive that you can find a nice AI resort in the Riviera for 1500 per person. I am not sure if you can do it at an adults only (but probably) resort. [url]http://bestdestinationwedding.com/f/wedding_forum/showthread.php?t=730[/url] This is where I get a lot of my info for the Riviera. This site has an easy to read list of a lot of the resorts in that area with great photos. I usually just write down what ones look the most appealing to me and then google them and get on their website directly. I know that El Dorado is an adults only but I am not sure what the rates would be. There is also two "Secrets" resorts (also adult only I believe) both of which you can find over at that link. Hope this helps. Jackie

Sorry I should have added that It might depend on what time of year you wanted to book your wedding. Off season prices are MUCH different than high season prices. I am booking in May so the prices are cheaper, then if you want a January wedding.

You should try a service that will plan your wedding for you. That's what I did and now I have all this free time to write on the threads:) Anyway here is the link: [url]http://www.stthomasweddingpackages.com/[/url] Good Luck!