Location, Location, Location!

When I first got engaged (on the beach, after a wonderful day of lounging in the sun) we immediately started thinking of places to get married...Mexico, Jamaica, Virgin Islands, Figi (that was my husband' first choice)

I found location to be the biggest most time consuming decision I made.  No really, picking a dress was a cake walk compared to picking our location.  Here are my tips for helping to pick a location:

Envision your event: 

    - Chic City Event or Island Wedding?

    - Intimate and low key or invite everyone? Kids or no kids?

    - Budget Budget Budget.  It's important to set your budget BEFORE you start looking at locations 

Deciding on a destination:

     - Ease of getting there...passport or no passport? Plane, train and a boat or just a plane?

     - Expense...be mindful of your guests budgets and set a target price range for the resort/hotel/villa. 

     - Total Travel Time...some locations have limited flight/airlines which could make travel difficult for guests.

        If your heart is set on a location like this, consider looking into Charter flights for guests.

     - Ease of marrying there...do the research! Some locations have residency requirements

       (Mexico has a requirement of 4 days, England is 7 days for legal marriages).  You may also look into 

       marrying legally at home and having a "symbolic ceremony" at your destination.

Hire a Travel Agent.  This is my number one tip.  Once we had narrowed it down to Riviera Maya Mexico, I was faced with hundreds of options: large resorts, small resorts, modern resorts, authentic resorts, all inclusive, european style, not inclusive and haciendas...oh my.  It can be incredibly overwhelming.  Which is exactly why I enlisted the help of a travel agent who specialized in destination weddings.  My travel agent was able to share pictures of the resorts and personal experiences with working with their staff to plan weddings.  Bottom line: a travel agent can get you the inside scoop AND help you work with the on site coordinator.  If you're worried about budgets...the travel agent doesn't cost you any money and guests can often benefit from unpublished specials that travel agents have special access to. 

Match your style. Are you a modern stylish couple?  Are you laid back?  Do you like the authentic old world style?  I like to look at the pictures of a resort's lobby - I think it gives a great indication of the style of the resort.  

Here's a few from my favorite resort chain: Preferred Resorts: Dreams, Secrets, Zoetry & Now Resorts:

Here's chic and modern: Now Jade Riviera Maya Resort:

Here's authentic, oozing with Mexican style and bright colors: Dreams Tulum Resort

If this is your style - don't forget about villas or haciendas!

And here's the one we chose: a balance between modern and authentic, laid back but still nice: 

Dreams Riviera Cancun:

(I admit it, I'm pretty in love with this resort...and Dreams resorts in general)

Now of course I don't recommend you choose a resort based solely on the lobby picture, I just think deciding on a style will help you narrow down the many many resorts out there :)  You'll want to do your research, reach out to the on site coordinator and request wedding pictures....I'll share tips on working with the location you decide on later :)