Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Once some of the big wedding details are figured out, many couples start looking into planning the honeymoon. There are so many options out there, and depending on what kind of trip you are looking for, it can be very overwhelming. We talked to Mary Alice Sublett of A Delightful Day Event Planning to get some advice on honeymoon planning. Not only does Mary Alice plan amazing events in the Nashville area, she is also a Sandals Certified Travel Specialist, which means she can help couples with every last detail, down to the honeymoon!
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ABG: How far in advance should a bride and groom begin planning the honeymoon?
Mary Alice: Depending on your engagement and the amount of time prior to your wedding, I would suggest booking a honeymoon anywhere from 6-9 months in advance, sometimes further in advance depending on the location, resort, and size of the resort that you’re most interested in. Also, when considering different locations, consider the season for that location and if hurricanes would be an issue at all. Resorts and airlines will not reimburse you for this should you not be able to travel, and there is honeymoon insurance, however Sandals does now offer hurricane insurance should this be an issue for your travel dates. This gives you the ability to travel on alternative dates, if needed.
ABG: What types of things should a couple think about when choosing a destination?
Mary Alice: When choosing the right location for you and your soon to be husband/wife, consider what locations you both or individually have been to at one time or another. Do you want to revisit one of those locations? If not, what areas of the world are you both interested in? Also, consider how much time you both have off of work, as you might not want to go to a location that requires extensive travel therefore taking time out of your relaxation time. When your time of the year has been chosen, also consider if the location you want to go to is prone to hurricanes. The typical hurricane season time is June 1st through November 30th, however there is never a guarantee that a hurricane will hit during those specific dates. One other thing to decide is whether you want a location that is all about relaxation with beach, cocktails, and spas, or do you want something adventurous.
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ABG: What are the most popular destinations?
Mary Alice: With the couples that we have choosing Sandals resorts, a lot of them are most traveling to St. Lucia, Antigua, and Jamaica. Other couples are choosing locations such as the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Belize.
ABG: Are there certain times of year that are more popular for honeymoon travel? Are there times that are cheaper to travel?
Mary Alice: Certainly the most popular times are those that coincide with the most popular wedding dates, May-July and you will have your popular Fall dates as well. For cheaper times of travel, that will depend on the location and it’s always good to invest in a travel agent that can make suggestions on cheaper times to travel depending on air fares and an on or off season time for the location.
ABG: Is it OK to plan a honeymoon without a travel agent? What are the benefits to using an agent?
Mary Alice: It is certainly okay to plan without a travel agent, however they can certainly be a guide as to what locations to choose and when, if someone has had a bad experience at a location, and can provide guidance for discounted or reduced rates at different resorts and times of year.
ABG: You are a Sandals Certified Travel Specialist – what makes Sandals resorts more desirable to honeymooners?
Mary Alice: Being that the Sandals resorts are all-inclusive, that is their biggest selling point! A groom can contact us and say these are the dates of travel and this is the location we want to go to. From there, the honeymoon is planned with ease. He can choose excursions that the couple would like to partake of, romantic dinners on the beach, couples massages on the beach or in their suites, spa trips for his new bride, etc. With the resorts being all-inclusive, there isn’t a need to go off site for things other than excursions. When you have had the stress of planning a wedding for months at a time, you want the simple ease of your honeymoon and not having a stressful travel experience. Sandals takes care of the stress that planning a honeymoon could involve.
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ABG: If a resort is all-inclusive, what does that generally include? And what types of things might cost extra?
Mary Alice: For the Sandals resorts, the all-inclusive pertains to your lodging, food/beverage, and tips. Most all-inclusive resorts operate under this inclusivity. Under the Sandals resorts, if your reservation/room is in the Butler category, this also includes your butler tips. Also, if you’re at a Sandals location that includes exchange privileges with another Sandals resort, you have the ability to enjoy other genres of food and nightlife under your all-inclusive incentives. Other extras to consider would be: transfer from airport to resorts, water sports, spa trips, and any off resort or off island excursions.
ABG: Are there different levels of Sandals resorts? If so, what are the differences between them?
Mary Alice: There are a variety of Sandals resorts and they each have their own individual incentives and themes. The resorts are located in Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua, and the Bahamas. For the resorts, they each have their own particular levels of stay, however the levels are mostly the same at all resorts. There are some resorts that are butler category only, meaning that you have a butler available to you 24/7 for the remainder of your stay. They offer one-bedroom suites, villas, and plunge pool suites, beach-front suites, and the Millionaire suites for those have no limit to their honeymoon budgets.
ABG: What papers or documents should a couple take with them on their honeymoon?
Mary Alice: Every location is going to be different, so certainly make sure to check with your destination location to see if they require something different. However, for the Sandals resorts and their honeymooners privileges you need to have a copy of your marriage certificate and/or fax a copy of your wedding invitation, as this will get you a night of turndown service and a breakfast in bed. For all overseas/out of the country traveling you need to take with you a copy of your marriage certificate, passports, visas (if needed), some locations will require vaccinations, travelers cheques to prevent cash or cards being stolen, any foreign currency if needed, all of your flight and honeymoon confirmations printed, and any travel guides/books that you might need. Also, be sure to share all of your itinerary and travel information with several people at home so that they know where you are and what you’re planning to do for “just in case”.
ABG: You are a Sandals Certified Travel Specialist – what makes Sandals resorts more desirable to honeymooners?
Mary Alice: Being that the Sandals resorts are all-inclusive, that is their biggest selling point! A groom can contact us and say these are the dates of travel and this is the location we want to go to. From there, the honeymoon is planned with ease. He can choose excursions that the couple would like to partake of, romantic dinners on the beach, couples massages on the beach or in their suites, spa trips for his new bride, etc. With the resorts being all-inclusive, there isn’t a need to go off site for things other than excursions. When you have had the stress of planning a wedding for months at a time, you want the simple ease of your honeymoon and not having a stressful travel experience. Sandals takes care of the stress that planning a honeymoon could involve.
ABG: What things should a couple keep in mind when traveling internationally?
Mary Alice: It’s always good to research ahead of time about the location that you’re traveling to and any tips/suggestions to keep in mind. I think some good tips would be; respect the land, people, and customs of the country that you’re traveling in; be cautious about who you travel with and who you trust to get you from place to place; make sure to fill in your emergency information in your passport and travel information should it be needed; talk to your insurance companies about overseas insurance, as you never know when an accident or sickness might occur; familiarize yourself with their local laws; don’t make yourself a target, don’t carry large amounts of cash or wear lots of jewelry, as that can only entice.
All image courtesy of Sandals.com
ABG: What do you think about travel registries instead of gift registries?
Mary Alice: Sandals offers a honeymoon registry option for their guests and I certainly think it’s a great idea, especially if you’re a couple that is older and has a lot of the “household” items you might receive from family and friends, or have already lived together for a while and have made your home, and you want to have a wonderful honeymoon instead! It gives you the ability to know that you have cash to spend while you’re away or use it for activities or paying for portions of your honeymoon.
We hope this information will help you plan the honeymoon of your dreams!
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Posted by Newlywed Sara |
Filed under: Advice & Planning, Destination Weds & Honeymoon , Grooms, Groomsmen & Tuxedos , Wedding Planners & Coordinators
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Thursday, February 3, 2011
We're back with more groom advice from Jeff Trinci, who runs the website The Grooms List. (If you missed yesterday's advice for grooms, start there.)
What are the best gifts that grooms can give their groomsmen, ushers?
Top 3 will probably be a digital picture frame preloaded with some meaningful pictures with the best man from the past or the bachelor party, making it specific to each person he’s giving it to. For the ushers it could be a picture frame that’s meaningful for them.
With guys, it’s about bonding so he could get tickets to an event they all enjoy and take them all out to that event and pay everybody’s way and keep the memories going. For my wedding, we wore suits so I paid for the suits, ties, suspenders and belts for the best man and each of the groomsmen. Places like Men’s Warehouse could give you a discount.
Jeff and his groomsmen in the suits he gifted them.
What's hot for grooms these days? What's exciting them?
I have two trends and one prediction. Trend #1 – Creating a Groom’s Best Beverage bar menu. Lots of guys are doing a whiskey bar or signature drink but this is a little more than that, creating a personal menu of the different kinds of drinks they like it could be alcoholic, non alcoholic or a combination of both and have fun with it. You could even have colored ice to match the wedding colors.
Trend #2 – Gift registry: guys traditionally don’t care about it but lately they’re really getting into registering for things they like, even honeymoon registries.
The Grooms List has great ideas for activities for the groom and his guys.
Prediction: Women have bridal showers and bachelorette parties but guys don’t have the equivalent of a bridal shower. I call this a Groom Roast – obviously the groom is the person being roasted/ honored put on by the groomsmen since the best man does the bachelor party. It’s a time where you can have grandparents, dads, people who wouldn’t necessarily be at the bachelor party and have guy time and enjoy that time together. It could be sports themed, video games, backyard barbeque and have the guy register from places they like e.g. Best Buy. And of course, you’ll do a roast and have people plan their roasts.
Learn more about the Groom Roast here.
What are the three most important things a groom should never forget when it comes to wedding planning?
#1 – Share your opinion and participate. It’s just as much his day as it is hers so it’s important to have you represented on that day. When you partici[ate you get to learn more about each other too. Even if you have limited interest in it, the experience you go through when you plan the wedding together
#2 – Pick the right best man and groomsmen. Really make sure your best man is up for doig it and is the right person for the job. You want someone you can rely on from beginning to end because there’s a lot for him to do. Same for your groomsmen. I had a tough time and there were guys I liked and I was in their wedding, but I wasn’t very cose to them so don’t be afraid to hurt friend’s feelings, you want people who, when you look at pictures years from now, you want to make sure they’re the people you want to see. If you go into it knowing you’re not that close or it just isn’t the same anymore, think twice.
#3 – Make your bride feel special. Take pride in how you look, what you say in your vows, the personal toast, the first night, even the honeymoon – schedule some pampering activities when you get there. Put the focus there, don’t wait till the last minute and think about what your new wife will enjoy.
If you could go back in time to talk to your former engaged self, what advice would you give him?
This is the hardest question for me. I think back to that day and I think the Lord blessed us so much. Everything was so great. What I could come up with was to enjoy everything to the fullest. Don’t think of everything as things you have to do but things you get to do. You don’t have to have a wife, you get to. Work as a team.
Jeff and his wife
We couldn't agree more! Thank you so much for chatting with me Jeff, it was such an enjoyable, eye-opening conversation. I truly think brides and grooms can and will benefit from The Groom's List as a resource for wedding planning. Everything a man may have questions about from before the proposal till after the wedding, it's all there. Give it a visit, let us know what you think!
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Advice & Planning, Grooms, Groomsmen & Tuxedos
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Wednesday, February 2, 2011
At The Smart Bride workshop, there were sooo many grooms. In fact, a wedding vendor mentioned that she'd never see nso many grooms at a bridal event. In fact, many of the questions were from grooms! Yay! We're proud of you Nashville me!
That got us thinking, we need to do more blog posts for the guys, since now we know you are helping plan too:). We started a few weeks ago with our tuxedo shopping blog post. But, we decided to take our commitment to serving grooms one step further. We headed to the authority on all things groom related: Jeff Trinci, who runs the website The Grooms List. The site is a great source of checklists, ideas, advice all from Jeff who speaks from his own experience and his observations of how ou can be the best groom and, more importantly, a kick-butt husband. {Brides - please please please click share to send this blog post to your groom.}
Founder of The Groom's List
As asked by Josh at The Smart Bride camp "What can a groom to do help during the wedding planning? I know my fiancee is going through a lot and wants everything done a certain way but how can I help with the planning?"
For brides that are leading the charge with planning and who want things a certain way like you’re describing, there are lots of areas you can work together and lend your thoughts but there are certain areas you can jump in and manage...
1) Honeymoon - The honeymoon has been a traditional type of thing the groom can handle but two new traditions are in the making.
2) Guest list - managing your guest list, and merging with hers.
3) Be the CFO – manage finances
4) Gifts and groomsmen items - choose the groomsmen’s gifts, the tuxes but be sure to match the wedding colors. Even picking out your own ring helps, coming up with places to register for things and writing your own vows.
5) You could write a wedding speech – it doesn’t need to be too long but it’s important to do that and to especially offer a special toast to your bride, I think that’s an amazing thing to do.
6) Reception touches - making a slide show it’s a great way to express yourselves, pick a song for mother-son dance, a song for the garter toss
7) Easy but important details - Create a wedding website, take the lead on getting the marriage license
8) Make the first night romantic - one thing that doesn’t get much thought is making arrangements for the first night’s accommodations and making sure it has a special, romantic touch. Taking the time to find a right place, maybe some candles, a bottle of wine, music. Lots more on the site.
The Grooms List gives you a handy checklist so you can stay on top of your planning
What are wedding planning tasks that grooms can easily take off their fiancee's plate? Most common tasks for grooms?
A lot of my answer to the first question overlaps into this one but Another way is to manage the vendor research - the CRO if you will – the different vendors who need to be hired, the groom can divide the ones up between her tastes and his tastes. Maybe he's more interested in the DJ, the Band or whatever kind of music they want to have or the rentals and chairs depending on the venue, maybe even the officiant they're going to choose or the caterer. He could search out places for dance lessons for their first dance, the kind of transportation they want to have, whether to hire a videographer and maybe even picking the venue.
Guys can go out there, research and find the information and bring to the bride. They can go through it together and can spend that time gathering, not necessarily to make a deicision but just taking the time to help the bride research and gather information.
Stay tuned. We'll share more great tips for grooms on Thursday!
UPDATE: Here's a great contest for grooms. Click here to enter your bride and get a fabulous Valentine's Day makeover for your bride-to-be.
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Advice & Planning, Grooms, Groomsmen & Tuxedos
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Thursday, December 16, 2010
As women, we know exactly where to go to find inspiration when shopping for our wedding gown. There are magazines galore, websites and blogs, movies, TV shows, the internet... but for the guys, unless they're willing to browse through your girly magazines and sites, they're left with maybe movies or friends' weddings for references. Sometimes the grooms are left to their own devices and in the case of today's groom, he did a great job, but it wasn't without a bit of elbow grease!
Ken married his girlfriend Catherine on a beautiful Saturday this October. Knowing that her fiance dressed well, Catherine left the tuxedo shopping duties all to Ken.
Photos courtesy of Allan Williams Photography
As told to us by Ken, a Nashville groom...
(The views expressed in guest blog and interview posts are solely of the guest blogger or interviewee and not necessarily those shared by Ashley's Bride Guide.)
When I started looking I went to Men’s Warehouse to look at their stuff and they didn’t have a whole lot to show in person. I went through it with one of my groomsmen and there were one or two things that were ok but overall kind of lame as far as service and selection. Then I went to Bittners and they were a little bit better and had more to choose from but still not fantastic and I ended up at Street Tuxedo. I didn’t know what to expect and when I got there I saw several of their mannequins that had all the stuff on them and they had a lot of tuxes on hangers that you could see and try on. It was a smaller store and everytime I went there was someone available to help me.
I looked at the tuxedos they had but noticed that the only differences were the lapel shape or maybe there was a little satin trim here and there but it wasn't anything that grabbed my attention. I also saw a couple that looked like regular suits and thought, "What's the point?" Then I saw they had the silver ones sitting out and thought “That might actually work, it’s growing on me” so Rachael had me try them on to see what the different combinations would look like. As far as picking the silver tuxedos, I knew I wanted to be different but not loud different. I like dressing well and I like getting dressed up. Not in a super metro way but just slightly. I also like wearing bow ties. Not all the time but I do wear them some so that's why I chose a bow tie and vest combination. I knew the bridesmaids dress colors (lapis), and Catherine trusted what I was going to choose but I’m pretty sure she wasn’t expecting the silver.
Admittedly, after I’d chosen the silver, I wondered if Men’s Warehouse carried those tuxedos so I looked online and it turns out they did but the website didn’t show the prices. Then I thought that maybe the price difference would be worth going back there so I went back to Men's Warehouse and it turns out they were more expensive even though they’re a bigger chain! I also wanted a lapis pocket square and they didn’t have that so my decision was easy to make.
Street Tuxedo had a lapis vest and pocket squares and I went back two or three more times to look. I couldn’t quite decide on how to do the accessories like the vest and I didn’t know what the guys were going to wear but I knew I wanted them to have a three-piece tux. I didn't know what I was going to wear exactly but I knew Catherine had an ivory dress so I decided to do an ivory bow tie but wasn’t sure about an ivory vest.
It started to come down to the wire with the suits and my decision but they never pressured me to decide. Rachael and the people there were patient and so helpful. They even took pictures of me in the two different color combinations and emailed them to me so I sent that to my sister-in-law for her approval.
Considering how difficult I was being, I was impressed with how that was all handled. They never gave me any attitude or grief. A lot of our correspondence was via email which works for me. I should also mention that one of our ring bearers is from Wales and his mother had sent me the measurements in European sizes. I forwarded them to Rachael to see what she thought. She worked with what I gave her and helped us figure out the right size for the little boy.
At the end of the day, they gave me both my options and it was up to me to make up my mind on the wedding day.
I was very satisfied with their service, I never felt pressured, they were accommodating considering the circumstances and I would have been satisfied with just the selection and service but after checking up on prices elsewhere it made the decision very easy. The only set back is the limited hours compared to major chains but they make it easy to see it all in person and try things on to see what it looks like and to have a person there to coach you through it all is great. When I went in there, I didn't know what I wanted but I knew what I didn’t want and I wasn’t completely indecisive. They knew what they were working with and were really happy to help me.They gave me the impression that this is their business this is what they do and I felt like they were sincere and enjoyed helping me.
Thanks for taking the time to share this with us Ken, we're glad you had such a positive experience at Street Tuxedo. Whether you're dapper like Ken or whether your groom will need a lot of help picking, give Rachael a call or visit the Street Tuxedo website and see how easy and painless it really is to shop for a tux for your wedding day! And in case you're having trouble deciding if you even want a tux, check our our post on Tux or Suit - How to Decide?
All images courtesy of Allan Williams Photography (AWilliamsPhotograph.com)
(The views expressed in guest blog and interview posts are solely of the guest blogger or interviewee and not necessarily those shared by Ashley's Bride Guide.)
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Attire - Bridal Gowns, Wedding Dresses & Accessories, Grooms, Groomsmen & Tuxedos , Real Nashville Weddings
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Thursday, November 4, 2010
If you are getting married between November 2010 and February 2011, Street Tuxedo is here to help you save $350! Here's the scoop on their special for ABG couples: NEW clients with wedding dates between November 2010 and February 2011 will save $350 with 6 paid rentals. Bridal parties requiring less than six tuxes will get free shoe rentals!
Picture courtesy of GambillPhotography.com
Recently, I attended a friend's wedding where the groomsmen all wore grey tuxedos complemented by purple ties and peacock feathers for boutonnieres. The combination was stunning, especially when they stood next to the bridesmaids, also donned in purple. As I chatted with a few of the guys, they all said, "These tuxes are great, we've never seen grey before it's different, really cool!" and I even overheard some guests giving positive comments to the color choice. Naturally, I asked where they rented them and just as I thought, the tuxes were from Street Tuxedo.
Your men should be as sophisticated as your girls. You don't have to go with the budget tuxedo company or buy a suit, your men can be stunning AND SAVE. Contact Street Tuxedo for more details. {You must mention ABG when you call initially.}
Picture courtesy of jHenderson Studios
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Attire - Bridal Gowns, Wedding Dresses & Accessories, Contests, Giveaways, Specials, Grooms, Groomsmen & Tuxedos
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