A DIY Bride

In January 2012 I got engaged, and I never could have anticipated what would happen next… that I would turn into a full blown wedding planning Bridezilla. I made a choice early on in the process to maintain 100% creative control of my wedding by NOT having a wedding planner, and though it has been challenging it has also been rewarding to see all the pieces coming together EXACTLY as I want them.

For those of you who think you NEED a wedding coordinator, I’m here to tell you that YOU CAN DO IT! My wedding is in 6 weeks, in Mexico, a country where I don’t know anybody so I have had to rely entirely on Internet searches, skype and online reviews.

Before you start planning, keep those three factors in mind, as they will be your biggest allies when planning a destination wedding.

1. Internet searches: The internet has EVERYTHING and if you look hard enough you WILL find it. When looking for something specific try different word searches and search engines. When I was looking for my wedding shoes I tried Google, Yahoo, Ebay and Amazon as my search engines and used a combination of the words lace, platform, peep toe, stiletto, sparkle and bling to find them. After weeks of searching I finally found exactly what I was looking for, and the wait was totally worth it!

2. Skype: If you don’t have it, download it, and if you do have it but only use it for Skype to Skype calls, then buy credit NOW. When planning a destination wedding you will need to make A LOT of international calls, and you will be glad when the phone bill comes and they’re not all on there! Skype credit is wonderful, it allows you to make calls from your skype to any phone in the world for pennies, you’ll have to check their website for the exact rates but I can guarantee it’s totally worth it.

3. Online reviews: I have to say I could not have done it without these. Once my wedding is been and done I will be visiting a few wedding forums and posting my own experiences because the past brides that have done this have been a great help to me! When planning a wedding abroad, you can’t go and look at the venue, you can’t meet the photographer beforehand, you can’t do a cake tasting… you have to book ALL your services based on good faith. Luckily for me I discovered www.bestdestinationwedding.com, where I have been able to find reviews on EVERYTHING, allowing me to make informed decisions based on the good experiences of other destination brides.

Use these three tools well and I can guarantee that slowly but steady, it will all come together.

Best wishes, Gaby xXx