Weddingbee Blog

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I was really nervous about planning a trip for 26 people. Booking a trip for myself was never a problem because it was my money I was spending. But when it comes to spending other people’s money, I get uneasy, which is why I could never be an interior decorator or stock broker.

Mr. N and I had talked to a travel agent that claimed they specialized in destination weddings, but we could immediately tell that they were full of it. Very discouraging.

We tried to take matters into our own hands, but after looking online and getting overwhelmed, I decided to call the Wyndham directly to see what they could offer me. The daily rate was really good compared to what I had seen online, so they sent me a contract that we needed to sign and send back, with deposit, within 48 hours. At work, I read through a lot of contracts every day, but negotiating is not part of my job, nor is it a strong point of mine. There were some terms in the hotel contract that I was not comfortable with…

1. Minimum of 10 rooms must be booked (and if we don’t use 10 rooms, we still have to pay for 10 rooms)
2. Minimum of 30 nights must be booked between us and the guests (and again, if 30 nights were not used, we’d still have to pay for them)
3. The cancellation policy was just plain scary
4. $500 deposit

I couldn’t bring myself to sign. One of my friends blames my indecisiveness on me being a Libra (hence the swapping of the wedding dress), and I think she’s on to something there.

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(They spelled ‘you’re’ wrong and forgot perfectionist)

I decided to go on brides.com and look for advice from other brides-to-be planning destination weddings. It seemed that everyone was doing things differently – paying for their guests’ trips (not an option for us until we win the lottery), inviting hundreds of people and whoever could go, would, etc., so I wasn’t sure what to do. And just when I felt like giving up hope, I found her. My ray of sunshine, Nancy.

Nancy is a travel agent that really truly specializes in destination wedding planning. I emailed her for advice and went on her website, to see what she was all about. I did my research to make sure she was legit and she was more than willing to ease any fears I had about using a travel agent that I found on the internet. Nancy then contacted the hotel for us, looked over the contract they had sent me and told me her reservations about it, and told me what she could do for us.

She offered us travel insurance, price matching, our own website, and no contract, just a small deposit for every guest as they book their trip through her. We immediately booked our trip and a weight was lifted off my shoulders. For a while there, we were emailing each other a few times a day and now that the groundwork has been laid and we’re not talking as frequently, I swear I’m going through Nancy withdrawal. I even invited her to our cocktail party back here next June, because without her, I’d be a stressed out mess. But you know what they say…

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Great, now I want a piece of cake.

Did you work with a travel agent for your honeymoon or DW bookings? Do you recommend it?