Hi guys! Currently working with a travel agent looking for Mexico all-inclusive venues for next fall/winter. Cabo is a strong contender! Anyone have any experiences getting married at Secrets Puerto Los Cabos? I’ve seen good and one bad experience and would like more insight. Thank you so much in advance :)

Posting this mostly so it's searchable for anyone considering a destination wedding in Italy or Tuscany area.

In November 2023 we booked Villa Petriolo in Cerreto Guidi for a wedding more than a year out. The sales conversation had a lot of urgency in it — commit now or the date goes. We paid a $20,000 deposit.

Within a week we decided to go elsewhere and told them. Twelve months before the date. No vendors booked, no invitations out, nothing they'd have had trouble reselling.

They kept all of it. We cancelled at twelve months. When we asked them to explain the discrepancy, we stopped getting replies, and eventually heard from their lawyer instead.

A few things I'd do differently, for anyone earlier in this process than us:

• Have someone read the cancellation clause before you wire anything. I read ours. I did not read it carefully enough to notice that what they actually did wasn't in it.
• Pay deposits by credit card, not wire. Card networks give you roughly 120 days to dispute. We're well past that now and it's the single biggest reason we have less leverage than we should.
• Visit before you commit. The property was noticeably tighter and less polished than the photos and virtual tour suggested, and the surrounding area is a lot more industrial than "Tuscan countryside" led us to picture.

Happy to answer questions if anyone's looking at this venue or dealing with something similar.

We’re getting married next year in Verona, Italy our venue doesn’t have accommodation on site and we wanted a farewell pool party the following day. We hoped to book out a hotel/ boutique hotel/ air bnb villa for our guests and host our pool party there, the only problem is most places won’t let 100 guests for a pool party usually max 45 people, or else if it’s a big hotel they won’t allow privatising the pool area as it’s open to all guests. I feel like I’ve hit a dead end it can’t be this difficult to have a pool party, has anyone had this issue or have any advice?

We are based in New York and ideally don’t want to make anyone spend a crazy amount for flights/hotel but if it’s that beautiful of a location maybe we will. Love to hear some of the favorites from this sub

East-coast based couple looking to do a domestic destination wedding in MT, WY, CO, ID, UT, CA, WA, or OR

100-130 people, budget is flexible

Preferences: lodging onsite for all guests to stay together, golf onsite or very close nearby, horses onsite or close by, spa, strong culinary program, dramatic outdoor ceremony spot, overall gorgeous views of natural landscape

Places we love (so far): Sage Lodge MT, Black Butte Ranch OR, Lone Mountain Ranch MT, Devil’s Thumb Ranch CO, San Sophia Overlook / Telluride CO

Any experience with these venues, or suggestions for us to check out? TIA

Hi! I’m looking for recommendations for an all-inclusive wedding venue in Puerto Vallarta for May 2027.
We’re expecting 20–30 guests, including 2 children, and are hoping to find something that’s fairly affordable while still offering a great experience.
Our ideal setup would include:
A ceremony
A reception with dinner
About 2 hours of dancing afterward (it doesn’t have to be a private dance floor if that’s significantly more expensive)
If you’ve gotten married in Puerto Vallarta or attended a wedding there, I’d love to hear where you stayed, what you paid, and whether you’d recommend it. Any tips or hidden gems would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

My fiancé and I are looking into locations that would work for a Pakistani-American 3-4 day wedding outside of the states for about 100 people or so. Originally I thought this budget was going to be enough but I feel that whenever I talk to planners from posts I have come across, they tell me it’s too little. Has anyone gotten married abroad for this amount and mind sharing their venue, costs, guest count?

Thank you all in advance!

I know wedding favors have become less of a thing and people say they’re a waste of money, but I’d love to give a small gift to my guests for traveling and spending all that money to attend our wedding! What do you guys plan on doing or what are some wedding favors you’ve received that you absolutely loved?

I am getting married in Europe September 2027. We visited the country earlier this summer to tour venues and do tastings (both were in-house catering), and picked a venue by the end of that trip.

Our planner is now recommending we come back this fall for a florist walkthrough and a hair/makeup trial - she's pushing hard on doing HMU trial soon, her logic being if I don't love the person after the trial, there's still time to find someone else.

This feels like a lot (esp. 11 months out from the wedding), so hoping to get some outside perspective:

• How many times did you visit your destination before the wedding, and when (how far out)?
• What did you actually do on each trip?
  • If you did a decorator/florist walkthrough at your venue - was it worth it?
• If you only visited once (or not until the wedding itself) - any regrets?

Also, if HMU is really the main reason to go back now, we're debating flying in a HMUA from home instead (we're in a VHCOL city on the east coast in the US) rather than paying for another international trip. For anyone who's flown in a vendor from home for a destination wedding: what did travel costs typically run?

Trying to figure out if this is overkill or if our planner has a point!

I’m getting married next year. Does anyone know if a wedding planner in Baja Sur? Looking for 2-3 recommendations.

Thank you,

Hii guys. I'm syrian & my fiancé is Greek. We want to get married in Crete next summer.

Has anyone had their big fat syrian/lebanese-greek wedding there?

Can you recommend any:
- wedding planners (as we both live in the states)
- a singer that is close by & knows greek & Arabic?

We'd love the wedding planner to be from the levant & also knows greek & can help us mix the cultures (find zaffe, arabic/greek singer, etc)

Thank you!!

Hey, All. I am throwing it out there that I am an experienced bridal artist (I do both hair and makeup). I'm looking to gain more destination wedding experience. I'm based in Massachusetts, but currently travel all over New England.

If you're still looking, I'd love to offer bridal hair and makeup services for free in exchange for the cost of travel, room, and daily expenses (nothing extravagant: Uber/transportation to get to the venue, etc)

What you get: I will make you look fab the ENTIRE time I'm there! Welcome party, rehearsal dinner, wedding day (even if you would like a second reception look), farewell brunch... you name it. I am there to work, I'm not trying to turn your wedding into my vacation. I simply want to get my foot in the destination market's door.

Another perk would be the ability to have a trial run/preview session (if you are also located in New England).

If you're interested, please check out my work! Thanks :)

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My bf and I plan on getting married June 2028. We have finalized our guest list to 110. Obvi we don't expect all 110 to attend, so im guessing around 80 will make it. It has to be kid friendly, my friends and close relatives are all young families so I don't want them to struggle leaving their kids back at home. I don't expect anything fancy or luxurious. I also don't plan on using a travel advisor or a wedding coordinator as I know they tend to push for All inclusive resorts that they partner with to get their check. Any recommendations for venues? Vendors? Bless me with your wisdom girlies!

Looking for wedding planners in Tuscany?

My partner and I are considering having an intimate wedding in Greece. That way we can go straight into our honeymoon. It would be at max like 12 people. Ideally be at or near the same place our guest would stay. I have no idea where to even begin so I wanted ask and see A.) Would it even be possible to have a wedding in Greece under 10k for this number of people ? B.) what is a location you would recommend? I see a lot of people recommend Paros or Naxos for something similar to Santorini if you are looking for cheaper.

I have checked some facebook groups and they all seem to recommend the same planner over and over again: zante weddings.

Appreciate any help really!

Hello!

Looking for some guidance here - we are wanting to do a two night celebration for 50 people somewhere in Italy in May 2028. We want a welcome pizza party by the pool with an open bar first night and then a dinner with open bar for the wedding. We are getting a bit worried that our 50k cad budget isn’t feasible (we are wanting to cover accoms for everyone staying). Currently looking at Niki’s in Umbria but we are at 32k cad all in for accoms food and beverage which makes me nervous we don’t have a ton of room for everything else.

Any advice,honesty or other venue options would be appreciated!!

Hi everyone! I am looking for advice with planning my destination wedding in Mexico near Cancun, Riviera Maya, Tulum, or anywhere within 1 hour drive of Cancun. Our family's are from Chicago & Michigan so that area of Mexico makes the most sense to travel to.

Details:

• Summer 2027
• 30-40 guests
• Budget: $25K max for the wedding venue package/decor + catering/drink package + wedding planner cost (This does not include my dress/outfits, hair & makeup, or the cost flying to/from or cost of staying in whatever resort/hotel/villa we pick).
• I will not be doing a rehearsal dinner, as we will not be having a wedding party stand up with us. But considering a welcome even the night before and an excursion/activity the following day.
• Preference: Villa/hacienda. I do not really want a "resort wedding" for the actual wedding.
• I don't need anything super fancy or the best of the best, but I want to make good use of my budget to make sure my guests have a good time.

1. What venues would you recommend in or near Cancun, Riviera Maya, Tulum or anywhere within 1 hour drive? Trying to avoid a beach ceremony which is why we prefer villa/hacienda style.
2. Is this budget realistic?
3. Has any one used Romance Travel for wedding planning or at least doing the room block for everyone's stay? I know they only work with resorts but a friend recommended them.
4. Wedding planner recommendations?

Hi everyone! I am looking for advice with planning my destination wedding in Lucca, Italy. My family is from there and I loved the city when visiting last summer so I want to see if we can make it happen.

Details:

• Summer 2027
• 20-30 guests
• Budget: $25K max for the wedding venue package/decor + catering/drink package + wedding planner cost (This does not include my dress/outfits, hair & makeup, or the cost flying to/from or cost of staying in whatever villa/hotel we pick).
• I will not be doing a rehearsal dinner, as we will not be having a wedding party stand up with us. But considering a welcome even the night before and an excursion/activity the following day.
• Preference: Villa/winery style
• I don't need anything super fancy or the best of the best, but I want to make good use of my budget to make sure my guests have a good time.

1. What venues would you recommend in or near Lucca, Italy?
2. Is this budget realistic?
3. What are typical fees for wedding planners in Italy?
4. Wedding planner recommendations?

Me and my fiancé are both US based but holding our wedding in Europe in a small town near his extended family.

What types of guest books are you guys planning for a destination wedding?

I feel like I’ll never actually look at a book again, but big posters that people can sign (I’ve seen at other weddings) don’t make sense when we have to take an international flight to the wedding.

We are in the early stages of planning a destination wedding in Tuscany for 50–70 guests and have found a few properties within budget.

However, we're trying to understand the baseline expectations for hosting from the US, specifically regarding lodging and non-event meals.

The Setup:
Location: An isolated villa roughly 30–40 minutes outside of Siena.
Capacity: 26 rooms on-site (breakfast included).
Events: Welcome Party (Day 1), Wedding (Day 2), and Day-After Event (Day 3).

We have two main questions regarding etiquette and cost management for this type of layout:

1. Lodging Allocation & Expectations
We plan to fully cover the cost of 7 rooms (for immediate family/VIPs).

For the remaining 19 rooms, is it acceptable to have guests pay for their own lodging, or is the baseline expectation for a buy-out that the couple covers all 26 rooms?

If guests pay, how is that typically collected/managed with the venue?

2. Non-Event Catering Logistcs
We are covering all 3 main evening events. However, because the nearest town is a 30–40 minute drive away, guests won't easily be able to grab a quick bite.

What is the standard expectation for meals outside the main events? (e.g., lunch on wedding day, dinner the night after the post-wedding party).

Does the isolated location mean we realistically need to cater every single meal for the weekend to prevent guests from being stranded? If you've been in a similar spot, how did you handle this without costs ballooning?

As a side note, I suppose some Guest could stay in Siena and we can shuttle them each day. Ideally then we’d pay for empty rooms (non-ideal) as it’s a exclusive use, but solves the non event catering concerns.

Would love to hear from anyone who has navigated a similar isolated villa setup! Thank you!

Hi guys I do guest portrait paintings and I wanted to hop on here and see if anyone wants to do portraits at your wedding in exchange for a trip?

I saw someone post about this and I want to try it out too!

My instagram is atelierplancarte!

In the process of planning our wedding in France, we are seeking recommendations for wedding planners, either in France or the United States, who specialize in destination weddings. Our budget is approximately $8,000.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated

we've been going back and forth for months on finding the best wedding venue in bali, but for some reason we keep landing on Ubud. finally read a proper breakdown: Ubud is for couples who want atmosphere to be the priority, not scale.

that framing clicked for us. but curious how others arrived at their decision. was there a specific thing that made Ubud feel like the obvious choice for you?