Good morning everybody,

Happy Friday to you.  Whenever I come across something interesting I try to share it in a post.  We received some new testimonials for our site, from couples that just returned from their DWs, and something caught my eye.  Several of them had encountered some type of problem along the way that could have led to BIG problems, but didn't. 

Often I get calls from couples that got in over their heads planning a Destination Wedding, and they now want help.  That's OK as long as it's fairly early-on in the process where we can actually help, but if it's last minute and we weren't involved from the beginning - there is rarely anything we can do.  I cannot stress this enough: If you are planning a Destination Wedding - use the services of an experienced planner.  Make sure they have the experience and power to fix things that can happen (hotels overbooked and are going to move 1/2 the wedding party to another hotel 30 minutes away, hotel messed up wedding dates and wants to move your wedding to the next day but some guests are leaving that day, etc).  Do your research and look for things like # of DWs planned total, # of DWs planned per year, and industry awards.  Look to actual quality-monitoring organizations like the Better Business Bureau to see if they are accredited (versus relying solely on chat rooms and blog posts)-these organizations are there to protect you.  Finally, if you have questions...just ask.  Don't be afraid to ask a planner these tough questions, it's an important event! 

Finally, here are the comments that got me going on this track (and a photo from one of them - great shots!):

"We were scheduled to get married at the Aventura Spa Resort in Mexico, but due to everything going on in Mexico (global "Swine Flu" travel advisory) we had to change locations. I was so frustrated because I didn't want to go anywhere else, but our Destination Wedding Specialist recommended the Paradisus Palma Real Resort in the Dominican Republic. I could not have been more pleased! She knew the type of wedding I wanted to have and she matched the resort to my wedding expectations (elegant, romantic and relaxing). She made all the travel and wedding arrangements, all we had to do was show up and have a good time!"

"The month before the wedding we ran into some rare and unexpected difficulties with the on-site resort wedding coordinator. Our Destination Wedding Specialist reassured us and guided us through the crisis, ensuring us it would all work out fine and truly going to extra mile to make sure our special day went off as planned. Thanks to her, travel impressions and destination weddings, the issue was resolved and everything turned out amazing. The level of service provided was absolutely beyond expectation. Having someone with your best interests in mind is the only way to go about planning a destination wedding."

"I work in the marketing and events field, but let me tell you planning your wedding in a different country can be exciting and confusing at the same time. There are a lot of questions, preplanning, decisions, and much, much more. Our Destination Wedding Specialist helped put all of those concerns in order, into action, and most importantly into a reality."

"A few of our guests opted to not use Destination Weddings for their travel and if we had it to do all over again, we would have made that a stipulation of guests coming to our wedding. Everyone who booked through our Destination Wedding Specialist had a wonderful travel experience, a few of those who chose another vendor or to book it on their own had a less than stellar experience."

When I'm talking to brides, one of the most common questions I get is "Where are the most popular spots?"  It only took me 4 years of hearing it almost every day to have the idea to do a blog post for it.  You asked for it...so here you have it....so far for 2009 here are the most popular destinations that our Destination Wedding Specialists are booking for couples planning a Destination Wedding.

1.  Cancun/Riviera Maya Mexico.  Big surprise?  No, this one is always on top!

2.  Jamaica.  No problem mon! 

3.  Dominican Republic.  This great destination is always in close running for #2 with Jamaica.

4.  Cabo, Mexico.  Another great Mexican spot for planning a Destination Wedding, especially for those on the West coast.

5.  Purto Vallarta, Mexico.  Ditto to #4.

6.  Nassau, Bahamas.  I'm partial to this one, considering I had my DW there last year.  Great spot!

7.  St. Lucia.  Before we were engaged, my wife and I took at trip to St. L and loved it.  That's the thing...there are so many great options!

8.  St. Thomas/St. John, the beautiful US Virgin Islands!

9.  Aruba, the land of endless sun.

10.  Antigua.  Again, I'm partial to this one as well, because I took my honeymoon there.  Check out my other post on Sandals Grande Antigua...it was amazing.

-Quentin

Special thanks to our friend Luke Walker, Destination Wedding Photographer Extraordinaire (LukeWalkerPhotography.com), for sharing this great interview with Jennifer Gillis, the wedding coordinator at the Four Seasons on the Big Island of Hawaii.  Jennifer has some great insight on the differences between traditional and destination weddings.

Someone forwarded this article to me from msnbc.com yesterday.  We have been advising our couples for years to tell their guests about the dangers of booking their trips on sites like this.  Unfortunately we have seen countless situations where guests think they are getting a great deal, are "walked" to another hotel, and they are separated from the rest of the wedding party. 

When you are planning a Destination Wedding it is very important to make sure that you are working with a specialist that has lots of experience with DWs, uses reliable travel suppliers, and has the relationship with these suppliers to address any issues that may arise.  This shouldn't happen to any guests, it ruins the trip for the guest and puts extra stress on the bride when she should be enjoying her big day.  Hotels, like airlines, overbook all the time because they are anticipating "no-shows" or cancellations.  When a hotel has to "walk" a guest they usually start with guests that booked with these types of cheap internet sites.  Book with caution!

From www.msnbc.com (April 23, 2009)

Jack Taras and his friends thought they would be checking in to the Occidental Grand hotel on the Dominican Republic's postcard-perfect Eastern shore for Spring Break. But when Taras, a 19-year-old sophomore from Providence College, arrived at the resort, he was greeted with the hotel industry's latest trick: he was walked down.

"They were sent to hotel that wasn't as nice," says his father, John Taras. He phoned his son's online travel agency, Cheaptickets.com, and asked about the downgrade, which lasted the full five nights of Jack's stay. It deferred to the hotel, which offered an apology and a vague explanation of a "computer mishap" that resulted in an overbooking.

"Walking" is a practice that's as old as the hotel industry. When a resort is overbooked, it typically sends a guest to a comparable property, covering the cost of transportation, a phone call and accommodations. But somewhere along the way - probably at the start of the current recession - the word "comparable" was conveniently dropped, and hotels quietly began sending guests to lesser properties.

Probably our final post from Cameron.  Thanks for sharing your Costa Rica wedding adventures Cameron! 

After we were officially man and wife, it was time to see the country and let our adventurous spirit flow! 7am the next morning we were off canyoning. To those who are not familiar with this activity, it means rappelling down the side of a mountain. After our first rappel, my sister and husband both concluded that this was the most fun that they have ever had and that I would have to plan all future vacations. It really was an amazing experience..until we had to hike back up to the top of the mountain!

The following day, we said goodbye to our wedding crasher and my sister, then Scott and I headed to Manuel Antonio, a little town on the Pacific Ocean. We stayed at Issimo Suites, which was as fabulous as our specialist Andrea had told us it would be. The rooms were amazing and the monkeys were plentiful. I swear, the monkeys would eat food off your plate and I actually swam with a monkey (well, he dipped each hand in the water while I swam.) The video below shows our monkey friends. 

While there we did every activity we could, white water rafting, sailing, snorkeling and we hiked through the national park. If I could offer advice to a new bride it would probably be to make sure that you schedule some time for rest and relaxation, this is your honeymoon!!

To all budding brides, I hope that you have fun planning the wedding of your dreams. If are just checking the site out and have not yet decided on destinationweddings.com, I'd encourage you to "go for it!" I know that I could have planned a basic destination wedding on my own, but it would have paled in comparison with the amazing wedding that I had.

Like I was saying before, DW was such a blessing for me, I didn't have to worry about anything. If I had or have any concerns our DW Specialist, Sue, came to the rescue. I appreciate her because she is quick and to the point, she finds out whatever you need and looks out for you the entire time. Couldn't ask for more!

Don't get discouraged while you are looking for a resort because there are so many out there and you really need to just take your time during this part. If you have guests then you know you have to accomodate them as well. For example, my grandmother is coming and she uses a walker and sometimes a wheelchair. Also, I wanted a child friendly resort because I left it up to the guests if they wanted to bring their children or not.  I also wanted something almost island like and that is why we finally picked the Omni Cancun Hotel and Villas in Cancun Island, with the help of Sue, of course. Then we went from there!

She was great help finding my sunset wedding destination! I also want to say that the web site is just the best! You can keep track of all your guests, they can come and visit the web site. And I like the idea that your guests can buy you something for the trip with the Honeymoon Registry. So, this is the best thing that I found out there.

The only crazy thing is getting legally married in Mexico is strange. A blood test, lung x rays, birth certificates and apostilles. I'll tell you about that next time.

The fourth post from Cameron on planning a Destination Wedding in Costa Rica.

The next day I was calm, cool and collected as we made our descent into San Jose. This time it was Scott who was a nervous wreck. He was so worried about making it through immigration and customs. I don't know why one would worry about these things, you just follow the signs. I'll admit that I was a bit shook up when I, a social worker, looked up and saw a sign that read "sex with children is illegal!" I caught my breath, we made it through customs, found our driver and were off on our four hour journey to the resort. During the journey I seriously began to question our decision on planning a destination wedding in a newly-developing country...through the hills, in the rain, nearly hitting several cars and pedestrians who were intent to walk in the middle of the road. Then, we saw it, our volcano, as clear and beautiful as the pictures I'd seen...all was good. Then we arrived at Tabacon, which was amazing!! They evidently knew what a long, arduous ride it was and met us with a warm towel and a refreshing beverage.

Tabacon is a beautiful 5 star resort with one of the leading spas in the world and beautiful hot springs that flow along the side of the volcano. People come from all over Costa Rica just to enjoy these springs and this was going to be where I spent the next four days.  Take a look at the video of the hot springs below:

Planning a Destination Wedding - Hot Springs:

I was in paradise! We had a perfect view of the volcano from our room. I scheduled the four of us for a hanging bridges tour and a volcano hike. Both were incredible! On the hanging bridges tour we had a panoramic view of the lake and the volcano and saw toucans, monkeys, a blue jean frog and much more. On the volcano hike I was absolutely mesmerized! It began to rain and the visibility was minimal, but I enjoyed it anyway. We hiked as far as the park would allow and climbed on the volcanic rock. We stood on the rock, looked at the beautiful scenery, then it happened...it exploded!! Right before our eyes, the volcano was blowing its top!! Our tour guide explained that 80% of the time the volcano is covered by the fog and people sometimes come for days and never even see the volcano, yet it was blowing its top for us!! This was shaping up to be the best wedding ever, and I was going to be married tomorrow...yippee!! Since there were only four of us, there was no need for a rehearsal dinner. Instead my sister and I spent the evening being pampered at the spa. I had a the signature Tabacon massage, complete with volcanic mud and my own private hot spring, while my sister had a four hand massage, which further convinced her that life was all about her!  Check out the video of the spa below:

Planning a Destination Wedding - Spa:

The evening ended by pina coladas while sitting in the hot springs with my fiancé. This was definitely the best wedding ever.

The third post from Cameron on planning a Destination Wedding in Costa Rica.

When going to a foreign country, especially one you've never been to, you've got to expect the unexpected. I looked at every detail of the trip as a journey. I was prepared that something crazy would happen along the way and I'd just "go with the flow." Little did I know that my journey would begin prior to leaving the states. Scott and I traveled to Durham the night before so we would have a head start to catch our plane the next morning at some ungodly hour of the morning. So, we were in a new city and waiting for our table to be ready for dinner. We decided that this would be a good time for us to fill up the gas tank. We drove and drove looking for a gas station and ran out of gas right in front of the restaurant...then the buzzer went off letting us know that our table was ready, figures!!  So, we were in a strange city, hungry and out of gas. After about 50 cars passed us without giving us another thought, I began to miss our little town where people are so willing to stop and help others. I wish that I could say that I reacted with grace, but I must admit that I shrunk down in my seat in embarrassment (thinking what in the world am I doing a man that runs out of gas), while my fiancé walked down the highway to the nearest gas station.

The second post from Cameron on planning a Destination Wedding in Costa Rica. 

I was determined not to become a stressed out bride. Although I had my moments, in retrospect I've convinced myself that they were few and far between. This was a second wedding for us both. I've had the perfect, beautiful church wedding. This time, I just wanted to be married, wherever, whenever, it would be perfect as long as I was married to Scott. I tried to be laid back with all of the details, remembering that as long as we made it to Costa Rica and were married, nothing else mattered. I truly believe that this attitude helped a great deal with the stress of planning a destination wedding. Andrea and I were so in tune with each other that we both found the same company to coordinate the wedding...on the same day! I just conveyed what was important for me to have at the wedding, then took a step back and let them do their jobs. Scott and I eloped and my sister was to be our witness. I would probably say that my biggest stress occurred when my mother decided that she just couldn't miss her daughter's wedding...two weeks before the ceremony!!

Are you planning your Destination Wedding at an all-inclusive resort that will charge a fee for guests that aren't staying at the resort to be at your wedding?  Don't be surprised, this is very common and they are usually called "guest passes". 

Why would a hotel have the need for guest passes?  Easy.  An all-inclusive resort doesn't want just anybody visiting the property to enjoy a day of free food and cocktails (believe me...I've tried).  Hotels located near cruise docks often sell passes to guests on cruise ships who want to have a day at a beach.

So, what does this mean your those of you planning a Destination Wedding?  Some of your guests may not be staying at your hotel, and will therefore be subject to a fee (usually $100-$150, but can vary) to attend your wedding.  What can you do?

1.  Make sure that all your guests know that if they choose to stay at another resort, they will have to pay the fee to get into your hotel for the wedding. 

2.  Some hotels offer a small number of complimentary passes with their wedding packages.  If you know you will need a couple, perhaps choosing a hotel that has a couple "freebies" is a good idea.

3.  If you have guests that have made a substantial effort to come to your wedding, you should consider paying the fee for them.   For my wedding I had a cousin who was on a cruise that happened to stop on Nassau the day of my wedding, and she was going to truck herself all the way over to see the wedding, then quickly get back to the boat before it took off without her.  That is some effort, and we paid for her pass.  I also had another friend that was tight on cash, and couldn't stay at our property, but managed to get himself down there.  We paid for his pass as well.  There is a fine line here, because I wouldn't recommend paying for everyone that just wants to save a couple bucks by not staying with everyone else.  My advice is to weigh the effort that the guest has made to be at your wedding and/or their financial situation