Expect the Unexpected!!

Many girls have dreamed about their wedding their entire lives. Others have been planning their big days since the moment they met 'the one'. Still others start planning the day after they get the ring.There are others who find themselves overwhelmed with the entire process. 

I would put myself somewhere between the planners the day after they get the ring and the overwhelmed. I love my fiancé more than I ever thought possible and I can't wait to be his wife. I know that I want to get married on the beach, and that I want to share the day with my family; beyond that I did not have any preconceived notions about what I wanted my wedding to be. 

So, when we entered the actual planning phase of our wedding, I found myself a little in the dark. It was then that I decided that I had to just trust my gut and above all else stay organized. I created files and a rolodex with everything I would need. I organized images on my computer and created countless lists. I was ready for anything! 

Or so I thought.....

Life is nothing if not a challenge, and every so often things pop up in our lives that we just can't avoid. 

Our invitations  had gone out, guests had RSVP'd, people had put their deposits down on their rooms and were planning to fly to Mexico for our September 23rd wedding. There was still a lot of planning to do, but the date had been set and we were moving in the right direction. It was at this point that life decided to throw us a curve ball. 

Due to family situation with my grandma that caused financial stress we were faced with having to move our wedding date. I am sure most brides faced with this situation would panic. 

I felt every emotion from anger, to panic and shame. What were people going to say? How am I going to explain this to everyone?

It took almost 24 hours before I was able to wrap my head around the idea that I would not be getting married in September. It was in that moment that I was glad of my wedding organization. I was able to take a step back and look at the situation for what it was, a problem to be solved. We needed to move the date out, that was clear, but when?

Also, to save costs moving resorts was something else we needed to consider. The good news was, that the wonderful wedding department at El Dorado was able to help us find out some other dates that would work for us. Our September wedding is now scheduled for November 11th. It was weeks after we had originally planned, but at the end of the day I am still going to get to marry my best friend this year and that is all that really matters. 

As I am writing this we have not yet let all of our guests know the situation since we are still ironing out the details, but I already feel better having a new plan. 

The point of this post? To let every bride or groom that reads this know that things happen that may make your special day less than perfect. Life is messy! and that is okay! Panic! Cry! and then take a deep breath. As long as you end up married to the one you love then everything else can be handled. 

Crystal

PS> I will be posting about the process of dealing with the unexpected. Step 1: If you need to change your destination wedding date contact your Travel Agent ASAP. 

Karisma Wedding and Honeymoon Registry

One of the first things I am asked about my wedding other than the date is ‘Where did you register?”. At first this came as somewhat of a shock to me; but after about the fifth time I had been asked I realized that I had better get our act in gear and make some decisions. With our wedding being out of the country there were a number of people who would not be able to make it, but will still want to send gifts.

My fiancé and I have already been living together for over a year and so our need of household items is very minimal. We could user nicer towels, and a few small things here or there, but not enough to fill a registry at one store let alone multiples. Since it is customary to give your guests options of places to purchase you gifts we started looking at all of the typical places; Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy’s, Dillard’s, Crate and Barrel and even Lowe’s. We were able to come up with half a dozen items that we truly needed and the rest were just fluff. As much fun as a fondue pot might be it is a completely impractical gift. The chance of it just sitting in a box and furthering our household clutter is too high. At the end of our search we had ended up with a single registry at Bed Bath & Beyond. At least there we would get the extra towels and sheets that we needed and we could keep the non essentials to a minimum.

 

It was not until one of my clients asked me about Karisma's Honeymoon Registry that I even considered it for myself. Being a Honeymoon and Destination Wedding Specialist I was pretty embarrassed that I had not thought of this sooner. I was also upset with myself that I did not know more about how the registry worked. Since it is always easiest to learn by doing I sat down the register my own wedding.

 

Even though your travel agent will be able to walk you through the process, I highly recommend that you begin your registry by reading the Couples FAQ. It covers everything you need to know to get started. After that it is really just a matter of filling in their form with all of your wedding details.

Once you have filled in all of your basic information including your resort location and wedding or honeymoon date the fun part starts. Creating your registry! This is where you and your future spouse get to decide what you want your honeymoon or destination wedding to be. The website offers you suggestions like candlelight dinners on the beach, boat tours, massages, facials, and even room upgrades. If none of those are something you desire you can also create your own ideas.

For each gift in your registry you can set the amount and the quantity of gifts desired. For example, if you decide you want to register for a room upgrade that would cost $400 you can ask for 1 gift of $400 or 4 gifts of $100 or even 40 gifts of $10. You get to set the pricing that you think would be best for your guests. That way everyone who loves you can afford to contribute no matter their budget.

A few important details to note about your registry. There is a small fee that the website charges, this cost goes to keeping the website updated and keep your registry looking great, it covers money processing fees and so on. There is a complete list of what your fee covers in the couples FAQ. The fee is listed at 9%, but when I registered my Karisma wedding the fee came up as only 7%. You can choose to have your guests pay the 7% fee or you can have the fee deduct before the money is sent to you. Another VERY important item to note is that the money that people give you towards your honeymoon or destination wedding is not sent to the hotel, or your travel agent, it is sent directly to your bank account. The website does not book your spa appointment for you or handle your room upgrade, the money will come to you and your future spouse and it is up to you to decide where the money goes.

As of today I have not published our wedding registry yet. My fiancé and I are still adding items and putting the finishing touches on our wedding website, but I am so excited to share the finished product! A honeymoon gift registry is a great way to let your guests contribute to your wedding and maybe save you a little money without cluttering your house with items you may never use. I will be recommending the registry to all of my brides who book a Karisma wedding!

-Crystal

Like us on Facebook
Visit our Website