planning destination wedding???? All-inclusive resort

amn2152

has anyone been to or looked at beaches or dreams resorts?Is it better to go through an agent or directly through resort coordinatetor? Since it will be a family event I am in need of a resort that has activities for children, which is why I liked beaches. But is it really a good deal? How early did you book your package and inform gueests?thanks for the ideas,April

ejt2011

Hi, I'm no help with Beaches or Dreams. A travel agent can help make the entire process a lot less stressful,but not a must for planning a DW. Many of the ladies have used Beach Bum Vaction or Destinationweddings.com. I'm currently working with Steve from Beach Bum Vacation, he has been very helpful. I booked my wedding 10 months in advance.As far as invites go,  I will be sending out  STD's 8 months prior to the wedding and formal invites will be going out 3 months prior.Good luck with the planning, the ladies here are wonderful and always ready to help out wedding related or not.Joeanna

Orchid2011

I'm with pp on everything.

AprilJT

Hi!  I just got married at Beaches Sandy Bay in Negril, Jamaica.  I LOVED it!!  We went over to Beaches Negril too and it was amazing!  I couldn't say enough good things about it.  I just booked through the website and got a group booking code that everyone used when they booked.  I had no problems doing it this way. (We had a party of 19) Beaches has tons of activities going on and the kids really enjoyed all the sesame street characters and the parade.  I thought it was an excellent deal!  I booked about 6 months before and let my guests know as soon as I booked.  Most of them didn't book until the last couple of months and no one had a problem booking.  If you have any specific questions, let me know.  I would highly recommend it.

justbeachy20

Hi! I'm also an April (waves to name twin)I recommend going through an agent.  They can really give you a good overview of different options, at different price points.  They can also handle a lot of the travel details.  I looked at Dreams in Tulum, but ultimately decided to go with another resort (Moon Palace). I used Beach Bum Vacations, and have been very pleased.I just sent my STDs out for our wedding on May 8th-- I included our wedding website on our STDs so guests can get all of the travel details.  Formal invites will probably go out right after the new year.HTH.  Good luck!

amn2152

Thanks Ladies, This really helps ALOT!!! I did think about Cancun but had reservations because of the Swine FLU pandemic.......should there be any concerns about health of the resorts in mexico? just wondering.......

justbeachy20

Hi AMN-While I'm not a health expert, I don't think there's reason to be concerned about H1N1 in Cancun. At this point, its a global pandemic (and has been for several months, according to the World Health Organization).  I think a person's chance of contracting H1N1 are just as high here (in the US) as in Mexico.With that said, you will want to consider the flack you might get from your guests. Some might not want to come to your wedding because of the perceived risk (which, again, I don't think there is any greater risk in Mexico versus other locations).  So you might need to be prepared to explain this to folks--that H1N1 is everywhere now.

JessLovesTravel

I have suggested to other knotties that all the Dreams Resorts are great places to have a destination wedding. Your guests will enjoy awesome all-inclusive amenities such as a mini bar that is restocked daily, unlimited premium drinks, fantastic gourmet meals and 24-hour room service. Guests can also participate in the many activities offered throughout the week. If you have any kids attending, they can spend their days in the supervised kids club. As far as having a wedding there, Dreams truly goes out of their way to make sure everything is perfect for the big day. There are three wedding packages to choose from and each comes with a wedding coordinator, the use of a wedding gazebo, 15% discount on spa services, wedding cake and sparkling wine, service of judge or minister and much more. Check out this great post from the Dreams Blog about having a destination wedding there, hopefully this will help! http://daydreamsresorts.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/10-tips-for-planning-your-destination-wedding/