Destination Wedding?
Perhaps the title should be “Patience Tester” 🤣
Planning a destination wedding is not for the weak the amount of research, the amount of hours, the amount of your life, lol you will spend trying to find the right vendors, pause, we jumped too far in the process, lol even before you get to the vendors the amount of time you will spend trying to find someone that will help you find the right vendors is something you will not be prepared for, I know I wasn't, lol.
So let me tell you a quick story. I knew 3 and a half years ago that if I ever had a wedding it would be in Tuscany. I have the picture from my travels back then with a caption stating this. So the destination was easy for me, it was a no brainer. 😁
Picture proof! 😂
3 1/2 years ago in Tuscany.
I also understood that even with all of my knowledge of planning events, functions etc. I would still need someone that lived in said country to navigate certain parts, the parts that I wouldn't necessarily know about. So, I did some research. I knew of Brenda Babcock because well I do my research, lol and she's well known in the wedding industry. Formally the vice president of Vera Wang Brenda moved to Italy where she started her own wedding planning company. So, that's just a little bit of background on Brenda. Now, from the little bit of background I just gave you guys, you know she was going to be a pretty penny, lol. I mean, the womans works are featured in highly publicized wedding magazines. Being who I am, I wasn’t too intimidated by this, hell who am I kidding haaaa, yes I was! 😄
I want what I want and at the time I could hear my grandma saying “The only thing someone can tell you is no”. A saying I repeat verbatim to my kids today. I knew Brenda would probably be way out my planner budget but if I could be pointed in the direction of a vendor or two that alone would be a win in my book.
So, I wrote her a heart felt email and no lie within 20 minutes she responded back to me, I was shook, lol. She expressed how happy she was for my union and offered congratulations. In her words, she sadly advised she was already booked out for the year and in detail she went on to say how she planned and attended every single wedding of each client. I really appreciated the explanation she gave as to why she wouldn't be able to take on my wedding because she didn't have to do that. Mind you this was a year and a half before my wedding, so she books up in advance people OK, lol! What she did do, (bless her heart) which was better than the vendor or two I would have been happy with lol, was give me the contact info of her number two, her right hand woman, Chiara Borkus. I mean! Com'on! Remember a few sentences ago when I said I would have been happy with the referral of a vendor or two? Well I hit the jackpot! Chiara was a God send and absolute pleasure to work with. She's already slated to do our renewal in five years so, sorry she's taken for that date. 😂
There's alot I could say about my planner but it still wouldn't hold a candle to the genuine, caring and thoughtful being she is. So, I'll say this. If you are planning a wedding in Italy Hit-Her-Up! She went over and beyond for us! It was truly love from our first email and that light hasn't /didn’t dim throughout the planning process. I also wrote a blog about our first encounter months ago. Check it out.
Most important tip I can give when planning a destination wedding.
Tip 1:
Find someone in the event planning business. If you don't want a full service planner an event coordinator would do. They would know the right vendors, legalities and they will be more knowledgeable than you could ever be about certain rules and policies in their country.
Another tip I can offer is something we did and it was just the best move. We put everything we could pay for with credit on our Platinum Amex credit card. Since we were going to spend the cash anyway why not earn the points. Guys this was clutch!!!! We used the card to pay all the vendors that accepted American Express. We earned over 350,000 points and with Amex Platinum you can convert the points to cash or do like we do, use them on hotels and flight upgrades, they never expire! ☺️
Every vendor or business does not take American Express, so there are some you would have to send cash payments to or other forms of payments, for example, wire transfers. Most vendors accept PayPal but I found that PayPal is just a rip off. The amount of money they charge to send money overseas is ridiculous. So, I did some research and found this app it's called Wise ( I am not being paid for this). I just want to help anyone that's on this planning journey save coins wherever they can, because trust me I know, lol. Anyway, this app was a life saver! It was cheaper than sending a bank wire through my bank and PayPal. PayPal would charge say $40 with Wise it was like $5.99 (just an example). Plus with PayPal you have to be careful, I quickly found out they also take money from the receiver so you end up owing money on the backend. For example, say you paid a vendor $500 they might receive $440 so now you owe the vendor $60. In my case I was paying in euro and PayPal conversion rates were also very questionable.
Also something I learned along the way. This is very important and will save you hella coins. If you didn't know Italy's Vat rate (tax) is 22%. Yes 22 %. 😳
Listen, let me say it again, listen!
The #1 tip I can offer when paying vendors and I had to learn this along the way. Ask if they will accept cash payments. Do this because of the VAT being so high at 22%. Make sure to ask your planner to inquire about this from each vendor first. It will save you tons of money! Also, if you have to carry a lump sum of cash to pay a vendor once you reach your destination (Most don't want a paper trail, the govt. is really strict on taxes there, so paying on the app is not an option) I repeat DO NOT exchange your dollars here in the states at your bank or at the currency exchange in whatever country you're headed. It's way better using the ATM's when you get to said country. Just take out the cash in their currency from the ATM. Mines charged me $4 to take out €800 and at the time of my wedding the dollar to euro was 1:1 with the dollar being a few cents higher. I hit up every atm at FLR airport before we headed to the hotel lol. The currency exchange had a 19% exchange rate. Go figure. 🤯
I really hope this helps anyone whose planning a destination wedding. Boy oh boy, the things I know now, lol. No worries, I'll be able to plan the renewal in my sleep, plus I'll have Chiara. 😉
Till next next time later readers. 😊