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Friday, June 6, 2008 8:00 AM
Destination Weddings & Honeymoons
A free wedding...is it for real?
Courtesy of Elite Travel
Travel guru Tammy Levent of Elite Travel delivers the inside scoop on planning a wedding away from home. Here, she answers a question every bride wants to know:
Is it possible to get a free destination wedding?
While there's no way to get an absolutely free wedding—the officiant and the location will always cost you something—it is possible to save big on your big day! The key is keeping an eye out for so-called deals that have hidden costs.
Let's start with the good news: You can actually throw an entire destination wedding for as little as $5,000. What you can typically expect is a wedding ceremony at a beach or garden location with chairs for up to 50 guests, a sound system for music and a microphone for the minister. The reception site is usually semi-private in one of the resort's restaurants and includes all food, bar service, servers and a small two tier cake. This price also includes your stay for six nights, airfare, all meals, drinks, water sports, land sports, taxes, transfers and tips (this is why they're called all-inclusive resorts!).
But if this sounds too good to be true, at some places it is. Beware of hotels that boast "all-inclusive" packages, but still charge extra for the reception; keep in mind that a cocktail reception doesn't include dinner; and hotels that charge you a "site fee" are essentially having you pay for a space on the beach. Free photos? Ask them how many, and what size, because most of the time it's one free photo, or they give you sample sizes. Free flowers could be daisies and carnations. And if they're offering a free wedding, make sure they're not charging a "set up fee."
Here are three resorts I found that offer the best deals around:
The Le Blanc Spa Resort in Cancún offers the Free Wedding Package "Gratuit" as part of their all-inclusive program with a dinner reception for up to 25 guests at one of their three restaurants. Unlike similar deals, your guests are not required to stay at the hotel—only you are. However, incentives for having them do so include a room upgrade for you, a larger cake and the option of having your reception in a banquet room rather than at a restaurant.
In the Riviera Maya, the El Dorado Royale's free wedding package offers a reception for 40 people at their main restaurant: the formally elegant "El Cocotal." The wedding party will be seated at tables in a secluded spot of the restaurant where they can enjoy a three-course dinner, drinks and dessert. Special decorations, a wedding cake and wines from their wine list are not included. The Free Sweet Wedding Package is valid when booking a Casita Suite for a minimum of seven nights or more plus five rooms (any category for three nights or more).
And finally, the Riu Ocho Rios Hotel on the north coast of Jamaica includes a reception for up to 50 guests at one of their two restaurants, St. Anne's and Mammees Steak House, with a wedding cake for up to 10 people and two bottles of sparkling wine. What I like about the Riu Ocho Rios is that you won't see 20 other brides getting married at the same time. —Tammy Levent
Editor's note: Always check with the hotel for up-to-date deals as details can change.
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Comments
Thanks for all the information. I'm in the beginning stages of planning my destination wedding and this information has been very helpful!
Hey Tammy!
Still providing that information that really should come with a price!! Don't get any ideas though!!! LOL
Thank you so much for all of your help throughout my planning! You put me in a place of ease and peace and I appreciate your everything!
Looking forward to getting to the RIU Ocho Rios in August 2008!!!
Jeanette
Tammy,
Devin and I would like to thank you and Elite travel for all you have done thus for our wedding taking place on Jan 17 in Ocho Rios, Jamaica (Riu Resort). You have completely set my mind at ease in the planning of our wedding.
Tammy is a no non-sense type of agent/wedding planner and will not take NO for an answer. She has listen to all of our wants and needs and has confirmed everything for us. I could not thank you enough, as you know Tammy what we were going throug before we found you..THANK YOU!!! We feel all we need to do is show up and get married, I would suggest to ALL Bride to have a Destination Wedding....
I look forward to sending update and photo once we are married. Also, we have had nothing but compliments for guest, they feel all their needs and wants have been taken care of...
THANK YOU...
LONNA & DEVIN
Tammy,
Thank you so much for more great advice! Your knowledge is so appreciated, and I cannot thank you enough for all of the work you have done to help me make my wedding my "dream"!
I am looking forward to more great advice!
Hi Tammy!
I just want to say a huge THANK YOU for everything you have done for Brian and I so far.
For anyone who is thinking about having a destination wedding, you MUST talk to Tammy. We are in the very beginning stages of planning our wedding and I would have completely lost my mind if it wasn't for all of the great direction, advice, and tips that Tammy has offered.
Looking forward to our wedding in Mexico, June 2009!
Talk to you soon Tammy!
Thanks again,
Jen and Brian
Brilliant! I found this article to be full of great information. I am getting married next year and we were having a terrible time trying to keep costs under control.
Since reading this, it's a destination wedding for me!
Thank you so much!
I have had the honor of working with Tammy over the last few months in the early stages of my wedding planning. I was given her name by a friend and don't know what I would do without her. The first day I called Tammy we talked and in less than 20 minutes she had my wedding planned with everything I wanted and more. I feel very blessed that I am working with Tammy. She gives brides a sense of relief when it comes to a destination wedding and the budget. I am getting married at the Riu in Ocho Rios October of 2009 and thank Tammy for making all of my wedding day dreams come true!!!
Thank you to all my couples out there. As you can see I am very passionate about what I do. I do not have any room for error planning your destination wedding. Lucky for all of you I am a manic perfectionist. This is your day and it has to be the absolute best wedding, whether it is a free wedding or one you have spent thousands on. Feel free to ask me anything about your Destination Weddings 24 /7 . Tam
I can't tell you how happy I am to have Tammy planning my wedding! She is absolutely amazing and she totally saved my wedding. I am getting married at the Riu in Ocho Rios in June 09 and was working with DestinationWeddings.com (I wouldn't recommend them to anyone!) I was really unhappy with the time they took to respond to my request and the lack of knowledge about the resort in which my coordinator had. I was looking at a Brides.com discussion board last week and heard about Tammy and how great she was from many brides on there so i shot her an email. She contacted me and during our first conversation she sent me 23 emails with pics of the resort, pics of weddings, prices lists, menus, tons of info all while we were still on the phone! Let me tell you that it took 2 weeks before my agent at dw.com even answered my email and still didn't send me the info I wanted! Tammy really works hard for her brides and when she says she works 24/7 she is serious. I have emailed her at midnight several times thinking she will respond when she sees it in the morning. Nope I always have a response like 10 minutes later, no matter what time it is! I can really rely on Tammy to take care of any crazy request I may have, she doens't take no for an answer and she had really came through for me thus far I am confident that will continue. It has only been a week and we have completely redone my wedding! Another great thing about working with her is that she has the connections to make things happen. Anyone who is having a wedding at the Riu knows that to get a response from Chandlyn take about a week, not for Tammy, she gets me responses from Chandlyn the same day! Now that I am working with her for my wedding, I truly feel that I can relax and really enjoy the planning process!!! Thanks again for all your help Tammy. LOVE YOU!!!!!
Jackie
I can't tell you how happy I am to have Tammy planning my wedding! She is absolutely amazing and she totally saved my wedding. I am getting married at the Riu in Ocho Rios in June 09 and was working with DestinationWeddings.com (I wouldn't recommend them to anyone!) I was really unhappy with the time they took to respond to my request and the lack of knowledge about the resort in which my coordinator had. I was looking at a Brides.com discussion board last week and heard about Tammy and how great she was from many brides on there so i shot her an email. She contacted me and during our first conversation she sent me 23 emails with pics of the resort, pics of weddings, prices lists, menus, tons of info all while we were still on the phone! Let me tell you that it took 2 weeks before my agent at dw.com even answered my email and still didn't send me the info I wanted! Tammy really works hard for her brides and when she says she works 24/7 she is serious. I have emailed her at midnight several times thinking she will respond when she sees it in the morning. Nope I always have a response like 10 minutes later, no matter what time it is! I can really rely on Tammy to take care of any crazy request I may have, she doens't take no for an answer and she had really came through for me thus far I am confident that will continue. It has only been a week and we have completely redone my wedding! Another great thing about working with her is that she has the connections to make things happen. Anyone who is having a wedding at the Riu knows that to get a response from Chandlyn take about a week, not for Tammy, she gets me responses from Chandlyn the same day! Now that I am working with her for my wedding, I truly feel that I can relax and really enjoy the planning process!!! Thanks again for all your help Tammy. LOVE YOU!!!!!
I can't tell you how happy I am to have Tammy planning my wedding! She is absolutely amazing and she totally saved my wedding. I am getting married at the Riu in Ocho Rios in June 09 and was working with DestinationWeddings.com (I wouldn't recommend them to anyone!) I was really unhappy with the time they took to respond to my request and the lack of knowledge about the resort in which my coordinator had. I was looking at a Brides.com discussion board last week and heard about Tammy and how great she was from many brides on there so i shot her an email. She contacted me and during our first conversation she sent me 23 emails with pics of the resort, pics of weddings, prices lists, menus, tons of info all while we were still on the phone! Let me tell you that it took 2 weeks before my agent at dw.com even answered my email and still didn't send me the info I wanted! Tammy really works hard for her brides and when she says she works 24/7 she is serious. I have emailed her at midnight several times thinking she will respond when she sees it in the morning. Nope I always have a response like 10 minutes later, no matter what time it is! I can really rely on Tammy to take care of any crazy request I may have, she doens't take no for an answer and she had really came through for me thus far I am confident that will continue. It has only been a week and we have completely redone my wedding! Another great thing about working with her is that she has the connections to make things happen. Anyone who is having a wedding at the Riu knows that to get a response from Chandlyn take about a week, not for Tammy, she gets me responses from Chandlyn the same day! Now that I am working with her for my wedding, I truly feel that I can relax and really enjoy the planning process!!! Thanks again for all your help Tammy. LOVE YOU!!!!!
If you are planning a destination wedding Tammy and her team are only option. We started to plan our destination wedding with deestinationweddings.com and after a month of back and forth we were left with more questions than answers. I read a few postings on Brides.com and saw all the great reviews and advice from Tammy so I sent her an email and asked for advice. She responded in just a few minutes and told me she would send pictures and details on the RIU weddings. That was an understatement my email was flooded with pictures of weddings held at the hotel and I had ever detail on what the hotel offers and the pricing in my inbox. I was so impressed that I paid my cancellation fee and became a client of Elite travel. We went from waiting for information from our prior travel agent to Tammy waiting for us to catch up with her lighting wedding planning speed. Tammy and her assistant Heather are a pleasure to work with and have taking the stress out of planning for our big day. We are confident that our destination wedding at RIU Ocho Rios in October will be just as we pictured it with the help of Tammy.