Destination dilemmas....

aykayp · October 2011

I figure you ladies are the best people to ask this, as most of you have probably been in this situation or one similar. I am from NJ, he is from WI, we met in Philly & we’re currently stationed in Fort Worth, TX.

How the heck do we plan a wedding that will include ALL of our family/friends, doesn’t break the bank & is still a dream come true wedding?

Is that even possible to do?

firsttimersluck · October 2011

uh... so you're asking a LOT of questions here.
1. A "dream" wedding is whatever you want. Breaking the bank will only happen if you let it happen and are unrealistic about what you want. H and I found great deals, worked around things, and had a beautiful wedding for 10k . It wasn't my "dream" wedding because honestly I never DREAMT of my wedding before we started planning it. It was wonderful.

2. H and I did go through this. He is from Chattanooga, we live in Seattle, and my family is all over the place. We decided to plan it for Chattanooga to make it easier on his family, then the military decided to say no to that one (long story) so we were like... Seattle it is!
This made like soo much easier. People will promise to help you with planning and say they will be there for this and that, but that means they will do things on THEIR time, not yours. It was the best choice to have the wedding right here near us, so that we could take care of the decor, the vendors, know exactly what we're getting into,etc. Had we had the wedding in Chattanooga, it would have cost way more and would have been way more stressful.
keep in mind that when you plan a wedding for a different state, you're probably going to have to fly there a couple different times to meet with people, check up on stuff, etc.
We thought his family wouldn't really come, since it's a long trip from GA/TN to WA, and almost everyone came! They loved the excuse for a mini vacation, and wanted to see where we live and where our love has grown.

The wedding is for you guys. The more you make it about other people (like location choice) the less it becomes about you two, and the more stressful it can become. We have brides on here that are planning long distance and are doing it very successfully!! They will be helpful if you choose to do the same, but I am so thankful we chose to have the wedding near us.

Welcome to the board and happy planning! Feel free to ask us anything, and tell us how the planning is going! Any decisions made yet, such as wedding colors?

calindi · October 2011

Step 1: Create a budget. Figure out exactly how much you both can afford to spend without going into debt, and politely inform your parents how much you are both going to spend on your wedding - it gives them the opportunity to offer to contribute, though it's rude to ask outright. From that budget, divide it up into sections - TheKnot has a good budget calculator, as do some other websites. Stick to your budget like glue. You can have a beautiful wedding at literally any budget, but it all depends on you.

Step 2: Come up with a guest list. What worked for me was figuring out the total number we could afford for the style of wedding we wanted and then divided into 3 - his family, my family, and our friends. Then build the list up rather than trying to collect a ton of names and trim the list down.

Step 3: Find venues in the various areas you'd want to get married. If you get married near either family, the guests in attendance will likely favor the hometown side. If you get married where you are, everyone has to travel and you'll probably have a smaller attendance, but it will be easier for you to plan. If you choose a destination wedding (like where you met), everyone has to travel and it becomes more difficult to plan since you don't hvae someone on-the-ground, so it makes sense in that case to hire a planner. Pick a location, and plan from there.

firsttimersluck · October 2011

Calindi gives a great start-off steps.
I agree to check out venues in various areas. We realized that venues in Washington were a good HALF the price of the venues in Chattanooga! So your location may pick itself if you are on a tight buget

KendallR10 · October 2011

I am having a tiny 20 person wedding. Is it my "dream" wedding. Nope, but it has become that. In doing my planning I realized I don't need anything but Fi, me, a JOP and 2 witnesses. A wedding is a day. A marriage is a lifetime

firsttimersluck · October 2011

Wait.. What. Kendall you're not planning a VR now?

aykayp · October 2011

Omygosh! Thank you so much for the in depth responses, I am slightly lost, I appreciate any tips =]

We are in the VERY beginning stages of planning, there isn’t even a ring yet, and there won’t be one until next summer after my sister gets married. I asked him to hold off on the engagement until after she’s married because I would feel guilty for stealing her spotlight!
Anyway, right now we’re really just trying to figure out a budget that we’re comfortable with. We both agreed that we want to pay cash for everything and literally, “own” our wedding. But the more we try to tweak it, the more expensive it seems to become!

Everywhere I go people keep telling me to stop wanting a wedding that caters to everyone else’s needs, and start thinking about my own. It’s difficult though, because if we have a wedding in his home state, my grandparents won’t be able to come, and vice versa. And if we have it here in Texas, I would feel unfulfilled because, aside from living here temporarily, we don’t really have any connections that would make a TX wedding feel intimate. I actually suggested just heading to the court house & then having a separate reception somewhere convenient for EVERYONE, but he immediately said no, that he wanted to do it once and do it “right” (in his eyes only.)

This whole process seems so overwhelming.

firsttimersluck · October 2011

What would make Texas special would be the fact that it's where you guys are NOW. I understand worrying about grandparents. We called H's grandmother after the ceremony because she couldn't travel, but that's just how it goes.
If you try to please everyone, you will have multiple break downs throughout the planning process. It sounds like you have quite a bit of time, so just start searching/googling venues/caterers because those are two big-ticket vendors and maybe that will help you choose your location.
It can be a little overwhelming at first... but The Knot and google searches will make you the master. I contacted about 20 different caterers asking for quotes for our estimated guest count, I did the same with venues and photographers. Keep in mind that the vendors TK and Weddingbee (two popular wedding planning sites) have on here will be higher end, more pricey vendors that are PAYING for the advertising on the site. I used NO vendor that TK suggested.
Check the local parks and recreation as well. That's how we found our venue and could not have chosen a better, more beautiful place for the cheap price!

An example break down of our budget, to help give you an idea of a "budget wedding":
Venue- 1,000
Caterer (for 70 people) - 1,800
Rentals- 1,700 (we liked the chivalri chairs, and fancy plates

)
Dj- 1,100 (this you can find cheaper, or use an ipod, although I would suggest using a real dj, an ipod does save a ton of money)
Photographer- 1,500 (this you can find way cheaper)
Dress- 600 (found it at an outlet so it was marked down from 1,700)
STDs- 45
Invites- 120 (david's bridal)
menus/programs- 50 bucks at kinos
makeup/hair- 150 (including trial runs)
Ceremony decor- 200 bucks
Bridal bouquets- about 150 for 3 bridesmaids and the bride. (we used a local grocery store and skipped on the guys' boutineers since they don't care at all)
Centerpieces- about 20 bucks a piece
beer/vino - 200 (We didn't serve hard liquor, and used costco for the big boxes of beer!)

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but there is a rough plan from my wedding.

Hope that helps you see a budget a little easier.. I know it's hard to picture your budget, without any prior experience!

KendallR10 · October 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_destination-dilemmas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:d428ad33-f977-4be8-a203-35fd113595e5Post:f85a9dea-b89b-484c-a713-38292693736d">Re: Destination dilemmas....</a>:
[QUOTE]Wait.. What. Kendall you're not planning a VR now?
Posted by firsttimersluck[/QUOTE]
idk yet. Fi and I aren't sure if we want one. <div>
</div><div>If we have one it will be known to people that it is a VR and not a "wedding." If we do a VR its to please my mother</div>

firsttimersluck · October 2011

"I am having a tiny 20 person wedding. Is it my "dream" wedding. Nope, but it has become that. In doing my planning I realized I don't need anything but Fi, me, a JOP and 2 witnesses. A wedding is a day. A marriage is a lifetime"

Ok, kendall, this is one of those times when you're showing your age. You can't say that a 20 person JOP that you have having here soon is your "dream wedding" and be so snarky sounding (yes... you soudn snarky here) when you are still considering a VR. If your jop is your dream wedding a VR wouldn't even be in question.
Am I saying you shouldn't have one? No. That's all on you. But you don't need to sound mightier-than-thou towards OP about how that's all you need, when you are planning a PPD. If you TRULY felt the way you stated first about a wedding is a day, marriage is a lifetime, your JOP is your 'dream" wedding, a VR would not be in question.
Stop with the wishy-washy and figure it out before you give others false advice.

KendallR10 · October 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_destination-dilemmas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:d428ad33-f977-4be8-a203-35fd113595e5Post:c920aeed-a135-41a9-9974-27a5680cb39d">Re: Destination dilemmas....</a>:
[QUOTE]"I am having a tiny 20 person wedding. Is it my "dream" wedding. Nope, but it has become that. In doing my planning I realized I don't need anything but Fi, me, a JOP and 2 witnesses. A wedding is a day. A marriage is a lifetime" Ok, kendall, this is one of those times when you're showing your age. You can't say that a 20 person JOP that you have having here soon is your "dream wedding" and be so snarky sounding (yes... you soudn snarky here) when you are still considering a VR. If your jop is your dream wedding a VR wouldn't even be in question. Am I saying you shouldn't have one? No. That's all on you. But you don't need to sound mightier-than-thou towards OP about how that's all you need, when you are planning a PPD. If you TRULY felt the way you stated first about a wedding is a day, marriage is a lifetime, your JOP is your 'dream" wedding, a VR would not be in question. Stop with the wishy-washy and figure it out before you give others false advice.
Posted by firsttimersluck[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>If I have one it will be because my mom paid for it. She wants us to have one. Having another is a ton of work that I don't really want to do. I'm completely happy with my tiny wedding. We are having the family we want there and most of our friends don't even know about it. At the end of the day it won't matter because I'll be married and happy.

</div>

firsttimersluck · October 2011

If you don't want it you don't want it.
Just tell your mom that.
It's not her day, it's your marriage.
If she wants a party, she can throw one for herself :P

KendallR10 · October 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_destination-dilemmas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:d428ad33-f977-4be8-a203-35fd113595e5Post:6f064230-952e-44c1-980b-fb67f373cafa">Re: Destination dilemmas....</a>:
[QUOTE]If you don't want it you don't want it. Just tell your mom that. It's not her day, it's your marriage. If she wants a party, she can throw one for herself :P
Posted by firsttimersluck[/QUOTE]
I see why though. I'm her only child and we have a ton of family that can't make the wedding because of short notice. (Which I'm fine with seeing as I haven't seen most of them since I was like 10) So she wants us to have a party and invite all the family. I might just do it to make her happy and so she will shut up about it. But it won't happen for at least 3 years

calindi · October 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_destination-dilemmas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:d428ad33-f977-4be8-a203-35fd113595e5Post:8d5507ed-9739-4342-9462-2014724fddb0">Re: Destination dilemmas....</a>:
[QUOTE]Omygosh! Thank you so much for the in depth responses, I am slightly lost, I appreciate any tips =] We are in the VERY beginning stages of planning, there isn’t even a ring yet, and there won’t be one until next summer after my sister gets married. I asked him to hold off on the engagement until after she’s married because I would feel guilty for stealing her spotlight! Anyway, right now we’re really just trying to figure out a budget that we’re comfortable with. We both agreed that we want to pay cash for everything and literally, “own” our wedding. But the more we try to tweak it, the more expensive it seems to become! Everywhere I go people keep telling me to stop wanting a wedding that caters to everyone else’s needs, and start thinking about my own. It’s difficult though, because if we have a wedding in his home state, my grandparents won’t be able to come, and vice versa. And if we have it here in Texas, I would feel unfulfilled because, aside from living here temporarily, we don’t really have any connections that would make a TX wedding feel intimate. I actually suggested just heading to the court house & then having a separate reception somewhere convenient for EVERYONE, but he immediately said no, that he wanted to do it once and do it “right” (in his eyes only.) This whole process seems so overwhelming.
Posted by aykayp[/QUOTE]

I can totally understand it all being overwhelming, but especially as you aren't engaged yet. My FI and I did a lot of prep-work in the 6 months before we got engaged, which was useful to get an idea of budget and general feel of the wedding, but until you're ready to start putting down deposits, it's pointless to look at venues and vendors since their prices will change in the next year. So don't plan until you both are ready to start actively putting down money and planning the wedding for real. It's very stressful to plan an imaginary wedding with imaginary money - when you have a real budget and can start for real, the pieces fall into place one right after the other, I promise.

As far as stealing your sister's spotlight, you won't. If you guys did choose to get engaged before she gets married, it's really not that big of a deal (unless she's a crazy bridezilla, in which case, her issues aren't your problem). I wouldn't get engaged, say, at her wedding or the night before her bridal shower or something, but anytime during the year?! She can't claim the whole year, for serious. I would love to have a sibling to share in the joy and frustrations of planning. It could be a seriously good thing for you both!

And regarding making everyone happy, you never will. You can't, because people want conflicting things. If it's an either-or situation with the grandparents, then maybe talk about it with your FI and see what he says. Maybe he doesn't care if his grandparents attend, or maybe you don't care as much. Either way, you could always include them in things like showers and engagement parties in the area where they live so they could participate in some things. And if you choose to have the wedding in one of your hometowns, you could always have a post-wedding party in the other hometown with the same guest list to celebrate with those who couldn't make it. Just like a big BBQ party at home!

You can't do it convenient for everyone - they all live in different places. Write down your OWN priorities in terms of what you want for a wedding, not what others want. If you guys really want a small wedding with two big post-wedding celebrations in your hometown, then do that! Invite everyone you'd want to a destination wedding, and then have parties a few weeks later in each of the hometowns for those who couldn't make it.

Since you're paying for it yourself, it's important you learn one very key phrase, "I'm sorry this isn't what you would have planned. However, it is our wedding and this is what we have decided to do, and I hope you can accept that." That will be true for nearly every aspect of your wedding - there will always be someone who isn't happy about something. That will cause unbelievable amounts of stress until you learn to accept it and stop trying to please everyone.

KendallR10 · October 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_destination-dilemmas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:d428ad33-f977-4be8-a203-35fd113595e5Post:20a706f3-6e4c-49f3-92d4-9dadb2471114">Re: Destination dilemmas....</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Destination dilemmas.... : I can totally understand it all being overwhelming, but especially as you aren't engaged yet. My FI and I did a lot of prep-work in the 6 months before we got engaged, which was useful to get an idea of budget and general feel of the wedding, but until you're ready to start putting down deposits, it's pointless to look at venues and vendors since their prices will change in the next year. So don't plan until you both are ready to start actively putting down money and planning the wedding for real. It's very stressful to plan an imaginary wedding with imaginary money - when you have a real budget and can start for real, the pieces fall into place one right after the other, I promise. As far as stealing your sister's spotlight, you won't. If you guys did choose to get engaged before she gets married, it's really not that big of a deal (unless she's a crazy bridezilla, in which case, her issues aren't your problem). I wouldn't get engaged, say, at her wedding or the night before her bridal shower or something, but anytime during the year?! She can't claim the whole year, for serious. I would love to have a sibling to share in the joy and frustrations of planning. It could be a seriously good thing for you both! And regarding making everyone happy, you never will. You can't, because people want conflicting things. If it's an either-or situation with the grandparents, then maybe talk about it with your FI and see what he says. Maybe he doesn't care if his grandparents attend, or maybe you don't care as much. Either way, you could always include them in things like showers and engagement parties in the area where they live so they could participate in some things. And if you choose to have the wedding in one of your hometowns, you could always have a post-wedding party in the other hometown with the same guest list to celebrate with those who couldn't make it. Just like a big BBQ party at home! You can't do it convenient for everyone - they all live in different places. Write down your OWN priorities in terms of what you want for a wedding, not what others want. If you guys really want a small wedding with two big post-wedding celebrations in your hometown, then do that! Invite everyone you'd want to a destination wedding, and then have parties a few weeks later in each of the hometowns for those who couldn't make it.<strong> Since you're paying for it yourself, it's important you learn one very key phrase, "I'm sorry this isn't what you would have planned. However, it is our wedding and this is what we have decided to do, and I hope you can accept that.</strong>" That will be true for nearly every aspect of your wedding - there will always be someone who isn't happy about something. That will cause unbelievable amounts of stress until you learn to accept it and stop trying to please everyone.
Posted by calindi[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>This. This This

</div>

matcha · October 2011

I am from Indiana. He is from NM. We met in Santa Fe, NM. I am currently in upstate NY. He is currently deployed.

We decided to get married in Santa Fe. Its the place where we were last together and fell in love. So now I'm planning a wedding from far far away. While getting my masters. And supporting a deployed FI. Yep.

Anyway, its going to be a smallish wedding ( />80 people). I am having an at-home-reception bbq for the people in Indiana who can't make it afterwards, so they can meet FI and eat food and be happy and stuff. That is pretty common for people from different states, so maybe check into that for you!

As for distance planning, I flew to NM to choose a venue and interview photogs and caterers. I'm doing most of the correspondence via email now, but will go back once or twice more to take care of a few more details (tastings, etc).

I first got the idea of the type of wedding we wanted (small, intimate), the budget we can afford, and moved from there. The first steps can be stressful, but breaking it down can help. Don't be afraid to ask questions and have fun with the planning!

aykayp · October 2011

AWESOME ideas guys, seriously. I just printed this page to show to the love tonight when we get home from work. At least we'll have some numbers to compare to what we originally wrote down.
The more I browse sites though, the more I realize average cost of a wedding doesn't exist!

What did you ladies do for a honeymoon, if you went at all? And did you look at any wedding packages?

KendallR10 · October 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_destination-dilemmas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:d428ad33-f977-4be8-a203-35fd113595e5Post:10a72f02-87e1-4fe6-ba07-6faa993e7f25">Re: Destination dilemmas....</a>:
[QUOTE]AWESOME ideas guys, seriously. I just printed this page to show to the love tonight when we get home from work. At least we'll have some numbers to compare to what we originally wrote down. The more I browse sites though, the more I realize average cost of a wedding doesn't exist! What did you ladies do for a honeymoon, if you went at all? And did you look at any wedding packages?
Posted by aykayp[/QUOTE]
We're just going to the beach for a few nights. Its cheaper and I'm a terrible flier

firsttimersluck · October 2011

It's true... There is no such thing as an "average" wedding price.. and you would want the median and mode anyway, not the average. The average is useless. haha (*math nerrrrd* )

We have the money for our HM in our money market fund, just sitting there and waiting for us to use

H BARELY got his leave chit approved for the wedding, so no HM for us. We're hoping that his pre-deployment leave, whether palm or iron, will be at a good time that we can take a HM then.

That will be next year. If we can't make it happen then, then we will fit it in when he returns from deployment during our PCS.

Also, keep in mind that a lot, if not most, of us has spent COUNTLESS hours researching for simple things and complex stuff. Don't be afraid to come back here and ask us to help you. (I seriously spent about 2 months searching for the best vases at the cheapest price for my ceremony.)
It's definitely overwhelming but you have time and once you get the big stuff knocked out, all the little details like escort cards (I did the week before the wedding oops! haha!) and unity ceremony whathaveyou will fall into place as you go

We hope you stick around!

calindi · October 2011

We aren't sure what FI will get for leave as he'll just be going AD, and in a weird way - he does temporary duty after he takes the bar exam starting mid-August, we get married September 1st, so he really only wants to take the Thursday and Friday before the wedding off, which is fine. So we get married on Saturday, have a big barbecue on Sunday, and drive back to wherever he'll be stationed (assuming it's East Coast) on Monday so he can go to work on Tuesday and I can start apartment hunting. No honeymoon right after, but we get to start married life. Yay!

Then he'll get his bar results the end of September, at which point the military immediately puts him on inactive reserve for one week (no pay, no insurance, nothing) so they can process the paperwork from temporary AD to normal AD. So we plan to take our honeymoon during that week, though the date is sketchy at best.

Ugh, all that to say - we can't count on him getting leave, though we'd like to go for 2 full weeks, we won't know until a few weeks before at best. But we definitely have that one week, so we plan to stay in the US so that if we have to change flights we won't lose money (thank you, Southwest!). We're going to go out to Washington and Oregon and go wine/beer tasting, hiking, camping, etc.

aykayp · October 2011

Oh I definitely sympathize with you there.

We have 2 1/2 years of shore duty left until he has to head back to a boat. Once that happens, our laid back little lifestyle is over! If we wait any longer than we already are, the chance of a nice, planned wedding + honeymoon becomes nonexistant.

firsttimersluck · October 2011

I take it you guys are Navy, then.
H is too! But he's aviation, so no boats in our future unless he gets to the point where he wants to make admiral (which is obviously YEARS away!) because they are required to do a boat tour for that.

How long is your Fi planning to stay in? We're not sure yet for H. For us, it'll depend on how nicely the Navy plays... Which hasn't been good so far hah

shan87 · October 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_destination-dilemmas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:d428ad33-f977-4be8-a203-35fd113595e5Post:10a72f02-87e1-4fe6-ba07-6faa993e7f25">Re: Destination dilemmas....</a>:
[QUOTE]AWESOME ideas guys, seriously. I just printed this page to show to the love tonight when we get home from work. At least we'll have some numbers to compare to what we originally wrote down. The more I browse sites though, the more I realize average cost of a wedding doesn't exist! What did you ladies do for a honeymoon, if you went at all? And did you look at any wedding packages?
Posted by aykayp[/QUOTE]

H and I decided for our Honeymoon we want to go on a Mediterranean Cruise. (A honeymoon to me is above and beyond a normal vacation) However, cruises and the Military do not mix very well. It's nearly impossible in our situation to commit to a Cruise itinerary/sail dates at this point in time. His parent's gave us the money for it, but honestly, I don't expect to take it until he retires.

That being said, we did take a minimoon a few months after the wedding. We spent a couple days in Niagara Falls and had a blast.

Depending on your schedule and location a honeymoon is very doable. :)

matcha · October 2011

I've read somewhere (or a many somewheres) that taking even a short, local honeymoon is a good idea- it gives you time to connect and bask in the glow alone for a while. Obviously sometimes the military schedule won't allow for that, but if you can swing it, do it!

FI is NG, and he's just going to be just getting back from a deployment, so we aren't too worried about another deployment interrupting our plans. The only thing that could happen is a state of emergency or something. That being said, we aren't going to have a ton of funds left over from the wedding, so we are looking at a local honeymoon and then saving up for a 1 year anniversary trip instead.

firsttimersluck · October 2011

Matcha- Yeah we stayed at a great honeymoon suite for the night of the wedding and got a couple's massage in a super fancy spa the next year so it was a great connecting day after.. We got to kinda just chill out and breathe after all the wedding stuff.. It was wonderful and totally H's call so I'm glad he made it!
I will say that we chose our wedding say so that it was right between last deployment and the upcoming one, that way there would be NO way he would have to leave for our wedding..
Then they decided to play war games will all the subs down in San Diego, and had to leave the day after the wedding anyway. *sigh* Thank you Uncle Sam :P haha

calindi · October 2011

Shan, I had that idea, too, that a honeymoon should be some big glamorous trip, but in order to have it after our wedding, I had to shift my expectations. We've done some pretty fantastic trips in the 3 years we've been together (Wednesday is our 3rd year anniversary

) so the bar has been set rather high! However, it's just not possible with our schedule to plan something international where we might have to cancel/change plans and lose the money on flights. So I had to adjust my thinking, and I'm really glad I did. This trip will be perfect for us - it's absolutely no stress to plan, which is great as I am already planning the wedding and don't need two big stressors at the same time. And it's totally us and we'll have a blast. No trying desperately to save while planning the wedding (while he's still a student), which is also a huge plus.

We plan on doing a huge one year anniversary trip instead - Thailand and Vietnam for 2.5 weeks (if he can get the leave, which he should as it'll be just after TBS - we can probably tuck it right between TBS and when he needs to report for duty). That'll give us time to save and plan!

Why not book it with travel insurance? That way if his plans change, you can get your money back. But it will allow you to take that trip sometime in the next few years rather than a long time from now!

aykayp · October 2011

Quick question, Fi means fiancé?! Lol, sorry… newby. If so, he’s aviation as well, he’s an A&P mechanic on cargo planes, which aren’t obviously boat type planes! But he’s hoping to extend again (he just reenlisted for an addition 4 years this past February) and he really wants a little boat experience. We’re just playing it by ear as well though. I think everyone is!

firsttimersluck · October 2011

Right on.
Yay aviation :P
There are quite a few fiancees/wives of men that are affiliated to aviation in some way.
H flies a bigger plane too, so no boats here. Why does your FI (yes, Fiance'

H= Husband) want to be on a boat? Just for the heck of it?
My H was in Japan a few months ago to help out with some questions on a carrier and he learned he wants nothing to do with them.. haha. He likes his space( neeeeedy :P tehehe)

aykayp · October 2011

Aw, awesome.

He isn’t particularly keen on the boat itself, more or less the different aircraft experience he’d gain. He intends on making a career out of aviation maintenance whether military or civilian, so he d like to get be exposed to as many different aircrafts as possible. His goal is to become a licensed A&P & he’s not quite comfortable enough yet to shell out the $,$$$ towards it!

I’d prefer he stay on dry land with 0 chances of heading out to see or overseas! Shore duty Navy has got to be one of the best gigs for AD military (in my opinion).

Destination dilemmas....

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