Just started planning

[RonDyna]

Hello Everyone,

I read a few threads and plan on reading them all.

I am recently engaged and would LOVE to get married in Aruba next year!!! My fiance and I are visiting the island again in August to check out a few places, etc. etc.

I'm nervous about my tight budget and lengthy list of invites. People are very excited and are already saying that they want to come. (said face, since I may have to break a few hearts).

I'm sure that I will have plenty of questions for you all as time goes by, but for starters:
Where should I start (with planning that is)?? I've contact a few planners, have a range of my budget for the wedding and what I'd like my guest to pay.

All tips and recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Dyna

[Andrea J.]

congratulations.

welcome to the aruba.com community forum

i suppose your first order of business is to find a place that will meet your budget.

i have not a clue what your budget is, but from my understanding trying to stay within a budget is a challenge.

so by using cyberspace/email, write to a number of places asking for ballpark figures. write to some wedding planners and ask their pricing.

once in aruba in august, do the site visits and make sure that you also speak with photographers and hair stylists.

good luck

i hope some of our wedding professionals may make comments and suggestions.

also too, the brides and grooms WILL most definitely post their experiences!

Originally Posted by RonDyna

Hello Everyone,

I read a few threads and plan on reading them all.

I am recently engaged and would LOVE to get married in Aruba next year!!! My fiance and I are visiting the island again in August to check out a few places, etc. etc.

I'm nervous about my tight budget and lengthy list of invites. People are very excited and are already saying that they want to come. (said face, since I may have to break a few hearts).

I'm sure that I will have plenty of questions for you all as time goes by, but for starters:
Where should I start (with planning that is)?? I've contact a few planners, have a range of my budget for the wedding and what I'd like my guest to pay.

All tips and recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Dyna

[Karen Lutzker]

Andria's suggestion was a good one. From my experience, when you have a large guest list, in most cases, the guest list will decrease. What you have to remember is that the guests are responsible for paying for their own travel and hotel. That is a big savings for the couples budget. If you can fit a welcome gathering into your budget, an informal bbq might be the way to go. Especially if some guests arrive the same day as the welcome dinner. A rehearsal dinner is not mandatory, but it is nice to have one for the immediate family. If you stay at an an all inclusive resort, that can be a big savings as well because your guests meals will be included.

[mcallister1971]

Originally Posted by RonDyna

Hello Everyone,

I read a few threads and plan on reading them all.

I am recently engaged and would LOVE to get married in Aruba next year!!! My fiance and I are visiting the island again in August to check out a few places, etc. etc.

I'm nervous about my tight budget and lengthy list of invites. People are very excited and are already saying that they want to come. (said face, since I may have to break a few hearts).

I'm sure that I will have plenty of questions for you all as time goes by, but for starters:
Where should I start (with planning that is)?? I've contact a few planners, have a range of my budget for the wedding and what I'd like my guest to pay.

All tips and recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Dyna

Personally my husband and I contacted the people we wanted to work with directly. The quotes we were getting from the planners seemed a bit high, and direct contact ended up saving us a lot of money. Keep in mind that Aruba is a very organized Island, anything you need you can find on Google, and for some reason the people there are super friendly. Our photographer put us in contact with the limo company, and the people that do decorations, and they put is in touch with the officiate and none of them charged us to help plan our renewal.

If I were you, start by picking where you'll be staying, and then make sure it's an all inclusive so all the food and drinks are included, that will save you a lot. And Aruba is very safe so you can leave the resort property at any time, we had dinner at old man and the sea, and it was fantastic place, maybe you should try to arrange for a welcome dinner there, and they have really good prices.

If your budget permits it, come down for a week and meet with everybody, and make sure to ask for site inspections, and tastings (we had an amazing pastry chef for the small cake we bought, and she setup a tasting for us...it was super fun) and more importantly we got to do a location scouting with the decorators and photographer to see where we wanted to setup on which beach (Jason took us to 7 different locations), this was really really good!!! Whatever you do, DO NOT get married on palm beach with all the strange people walking by during your ceremony, and showing up in your video and pictures.

And keep in mind we were planning a 2 hour wedding vow renewal, not a complete wedding and those Arubans went above and beyond for us...so don't worry if you are contact with the right people you will be fine!

[Angela Munzenhofer]

Hello Ron and Congrats on your upcoming wedding in Aruba.
First off EVERYONE IS ON A BUDGET WHEN IT COMES TO PLANNING A DESTINATION WEDDING, many of the guests say they are coming but the turn out is usually half the guest list.
Also trust a good coordinator, read on this board and you will find it amazing on how many newlyweds were happy with their wedding.
A renewal of vows is easy as 1, 2, 3. A wedding has to much detail and why want the stress. As an American myself, married to a local and in the wedding business for the past 8 years I find it helps getting a coordinator from resort or an outside coordinator such as Lissy with Ceremony & Celebrations(candcaruba@yahoo.com) or Edwina with E2 Events in Aruba (edwina.werleman@gmail.com) who have been in the bussiness forever . There is to many wannabes who get in the bussiness think there God and in the end screw up. So please with all the wonderful hotels such as Radisson- Lisa Dammerman (lisa.dammerman@radisson.com), Westin - Inge (inge.vanroon@westin.com), Divi all Inclusives- Lorraine-(lorrainem@megaresorts.com), Occidental, Marriott, Renaissance and outside coordinators have also their hands at Manchebo Resort, Amsterdam Manor and Tierre del Sol to name a few at great rates.
Going direct with some vendors such as videographers, photographers is o.k but going to florist, officiator, D.J and the setup on your own is in sane especially a lot of stress, ASK YOURSELF DO YOU REALLY NEED IT.. Read on this forum and enjoy what people have to say... They don't call me guardian Angel for nothing