First Post- Some General Questions

riab85

Hi Everyone.... this is my first post so please bear with me. My fiance and I are getting married August 12th, 2011 and Glen Island in New Rochelle. Our church is St. Pats in Yorktown Heights.

I've found my dream dress at Fontanas (yes, I did stress out after reading their knot reviews; but I'm staying on top of them to make sure I can avoid freaking out in the coming months). We have our dj (big apple) and am in the process of searching for Bridesmaids dresses.

Back when we first got engaged in June we rushed to find the perfect photographer, it was our first experience with booking a vendor and we seemed to have rushed into signing our contract. We were talked into buying 3 wedding videos, and several other things that we will never need. Does anyone know if I can ammend my contract to get rid of these things (seriously who the hell needs 3 videos lol). I think we were still on the high of getting engaged and didn't read the fine print until months later when we were going over out budget. And now I'm regretting not doing my homework and jumping and the first person who put a little pressure on us.  

2 more things then I promise I'll end this long post lol.... has anyone ever stayed in Aruba before or are staying for their honeymoon? We want to do all inclusive and can't decide between the Divi Divi or the Occidental.

And last but not least, we are having trouble deciding between a limo company. We live in and the church is in yorktown and the reception is in new rochelle, Also do most people travel with their wedding party (big suv limo, party bus,etc?) or go alone with your new husband?

Thanks so reading all the way through!!
Maria

Bat937

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-york-hudson-valley_first-post-general-questions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:113Discussion:a61865c8-6ee0-4a1a-93b9-69ddee292707Post:0067e85a-0170-405f-a9dd-e2bf0c91004a">First Post- Some General Questions</a>:
[QUOTE]has anyone ever stayed in Aruba before or are staying for their honeymoon? We want to do all inclusive and can't decide between the Divi Divi or the Occidental. 
Posted by riab85[/QUOTE]

We stayed at the Divi Aruba Resort on our honeymoon.  It was fantastic.  The resort has the best beach on the island.  The people were friendly and the food was great.  It is a quiet resort so if you are looking for all the fancy bells and whistles you'll want to stay in the high-rise section but if you just want to lounge by the pool/beach and relax, definitely stay here. 

I did most of my research on the tripadvisor.com forums. The people were unbelivablly helpful.

annandted86

Re: limos, I've seen it done both ways.  Sometimes the couple are in a separate stretch followed by something to haul the party, sometimes they're all together.  We're not doing limos at all, but I think being all in one sounds like it would be fun.

And I've never been to Aruba, but it's on the list.

Yeah, I understand about the photographer.  It's easy to be on that "we just got engaged and on the gee-we're-really-getting-married" high and make mistakes or over-buy.  Who did you book with?  If it's a small company and you're working with the photographer that owns it, maybe they'll be understanding and allow you some leniency.  If you're with one of the big wedding photography factories like Bella or ThePros, you probably won't enjoy any lattitude at all.

How big was the deposit?  Read the contract and see what it says about making changes.  If you feel you over bought by maybe $1,000 but you'll lose a $500 deposit to break the contract, it may be worth it.

And now that you know better, use this board as a resource, see multiple vendors, know your budget and be in control of your buying decisions.

Midgette

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-york-hudson-valley_first-post-general-questions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:113Discussion:a61865c8-6ee0-4a1a-93b9-69ddee292707Post:0067e85a-0170-405f-a9dd-e2bf0c91004a">First Post- Some General Questions</a>:
[QUOTE]. I've found my dream dress at Fontanas (yes, I did stress out after reading their knot reviews; but I'm staying on top of them to make sure I can avoid freaking out in the coming months). 
Posted by riab85[/QUOTE]

<div>I had non problem at all with Fontana! </div><div>Loved them!</div><div>Got my dress and my girls dresses there</div>

probablykate

The only part I have input on is the photographer.

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-york-hudson-valley_first-post-general-questions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:113Discussion:a61865c8-6ee0-4a1a-93b9-69ddee292707Post:94c1f8da-8853-45fe-bab5-281895bb7fd7">Re: First Post- Some General Questions</a>:
[QUOTE]Who did you book with?  If it's a small company and you're working with the photographer that owns it, maybe they'll be understanding and allow you some leniency.  If you're with one of the big wedding photography factories like Bella or ThePros, you probably won't enjoy any lattitude at all. How big was the deposit?  Read the contract and see what it says about making changes.  If you feel you over bought by maybe $1,000 but you'll lose a $500 deposit to break the contract, it may be worth it. And now that you know better, use this board as a resource, see multiple vendors, know your budget and be in control of your buying decisions.
Posted by annandted86[/QUOTE]

I agree with this.  Also, if you want to stick with the photographer but don't want some of the services you agreed to, perhaps they will agree to provide other services of approximately equal value?  Like more photo books or a photobooth or something like that?  But honestly it sounds like the photographer isn't all that trustworthy if they convinced you to sign up for services you don't want. 

TerriandJoe

Congrats and welcome!

First - Congrats on finding your church, reception venue, dress and DJ!

Re: the photographer - Congrats on finding your photo, and it seems, video guy! The important question you have to ask yourself is: do you like this person (company) or not? Do you like their skill? Do you want this person to be your photo/ video vendor for your wedding day? Once you (and FI) answer that question, you can move forward. If you don't like the person, you might be able to get out of contract by losing only your deposit. (But, perhaps not). If you do like the person - see if you can change the package that you selected. Like if you picked "C", see if your photog will allow you to select "B" or package "A". Explain that you are over your budget with "C" and that you don't need three videos. See if they will allow you to change packages, or if you are stuck with having to spend the dollar amount of "C" see if they will customize the package to include items you do want or need. (And btw - the three videos are often geared towards #1 bride and groom, #2 bride's family and #3 groom's family)

Re: the honeymoon - I've never been to Aruba, but have a fabulous time!!!

Re: the limo - We had a rolls royce for just us. If our church and reception were farther than 5 minutes away we would have hired a limo for the bridal party. You can do that (separate cars), everyone in a limo, or everyone in a party bus. It's your day - whatever you want!

GL! HTH!

riab85

Thank you all so much for your help...I really appreciate it!!!!
Can't wait to continue our planning... I'm sure I'll have millions more questions lol 

   Maria