Destination Weddings: planning your budget.

A very important part of your destination wedding is planning your BUDGET.

It´s important to have the correct idea of what you want for your wedding

starting from the Destination you have chosen.

Remember always to get more value for your money,

your Destination Wedding Planner must be an expert

to help you with this specific detail.

PLANNING YOUR BUDGET is a very crucial part, because it´s the begining. You need to sit down and write in paper two lists, your wants and your needs.

example of the list

Both Bride & Groom must discuss the items in the list and make a NEW list which we will call the REAL DEAL list and upon the items chosen you must first of all CHOOSE a Resort, venue or location to have your destination venue.

Ask for special deals or packages, and ask if there is an ON Site Wedding Planner. On site wedding planners are less expensive and sometimes are even complementary services.

PICK A DATE. MAKE SURE YOUR VENUE/RESORT IS AVAILABLE

BEFORE SENDING OUT ANY SAVE THE DATES OR INVITATIONS.

AND

START SAVING BASED UPON YOUR BUDGET.

Ask your wedding planner for payment options, also for

payment due dates. Most vendors will ask for 30% to 50% in advance

and take the rest of your payment a few days prior to wedding.

You can also find very helpful online tools like the one below from

www.vertex42.com were you can download for free excel spreadsheets

that can help you with your Budget organization.

SO have this advice in mind, before sending the save the Date

or any invitations; take a few days to plan your budget, make sure the

date is available and then start planning with your

DESTINATION WEDDING PLANNER.

HAVE ALL YOUR NEEDS AND WANTS COVERED AND

ALWAYS LEAVE A FEW BUCKS FOR ANY LAST MINUTE

THINGS YOU HAD NOT IN MIND BUT WILL SURE LOVE

TO HAVE ON YOUR WEDDING DAY

(like doves, butterflies, fireworks,etc)

The ultimate fairy tale Wedding

To finish my vacation posts about everything Disney Wedding related,

I really needed to visit Walt Disney World´s Wedding Pavillion.

Perfect photo spot with the castle on the background

in the garden of the pavilion

The Pavillion stands in between 2 magestic hotels the Polinessian and the Grand Floridian.

It is trully a mgical place and I was there to witness all f its magic.

They received me with a brochure and the minute you open it,

it just says:

WE WROTE THE BOOK ON FAIRY TALES.

LET US HELP YOU TELL your STORY.

main entrance to Pavilion

I couldn't believe I was walking down the same isle

many brides have walked before me and I couldn't help

to imagine their excitement and emotion of having

a dream come true at their DISNEY Wedding.

Imagine your fairy tale wedding, of course it is not for everyone you must really trully LOVE Disney and have a dream set on getting married with Cinderella`s Castle on your backround picture.

The entrance is amazing, there is a special room called the

BRIDES VESTIBULE for the bride to get ready.

Peonies center piece and a rice message under the table.

When the bell rings you now its time for the magic to start and get inside the amazing "pavillion" where dreams come true.

Out side on the garden we find a lovely spot for photos with the castle once again on the back and also there is a deck for famillies arriving on their yatch, or boats to the pavillion.

So if you are a true Disney fan and you have the money to live a Disney ONCE UPON A TIME, the wedding pavillion is one of MANY options Walt Disney World ofers; from islands, to cruises, venues and enchanted castles; SAY I DO TO YOUR DREAM COME TRUE.

Photo taken at Frank`s Bridal Studio at the

Wedding Pavilion in Walt Disney World Florida

ps. my baby sister insists she WILL get married in Disney (she is 14 at the moment) and after this vacation she decided to start saving for her wedding, so by the time she turns 26 she has enough money to make the Fairy tale come true!

Photos taken by my sister for her private

Mickey & Minnie wedding collection

Hope you loved all my Disney posts, vacation is almost over now

so next week I will be back to Destination weddings in Paradise.

xoxo ilse

gazebos and hats

I KEEP FINDING EVERYTHING WEDDING RELATED

FROM HATS TO GAZEBOS

THE MAGIC IS JUST EVERYWHERE

Im still on my vacations, but i can't help to find wedding inspiration in every corner, so at every hotel I get to go I exit to the graden and try to find their Gazebo.

So I leave you with some very pretty Gazebos that I ran into.

With a little imagination I can picture a beautifull ceremony.

This garden is a dream with colorfull flowers and butterflies

Butterfly Garden at the Hard Rock Hotel Orlando, Fl.

Amazing "hidden" gazebo on the middle of the garden

The gazebo at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort

Very pretty in the middle of the Hotel`s garden

Not the amazing turquoise backround like in Cancun but

still very pretty surrounded by plants and flowers.

The Happiest Place on earth!

Maybe you are wondering why I haven't posted in a few days, well I'm at

WALT DISNEY WORLD FLORIDA!!!

And Im so excited I am going to have the opponrtunity to take the WEDDING PAVILLION TOUR at the Grand Floridian Hotel next week.

But meanwhile I want to show you why the magic is everywhere and why Disney is just the MAGICAL perfect place for your Destination wedding:

View of the main entrance at the Disney's Grand Floridian

Even flowers smell like magic.

You can actually see the castle at Magic Kingdom while you get married.

view of wedding pavillion from the Monorail.

Im just so excited, the Disney Weddings team is so amazing can't wait to

meet them and take the tour I will be posting more info about Disney Weddings

soon!!!!

Best Destination Wedding Specialist Experience

During the AFWPI FAM & Education weekend in Cancun

Here I am with the destination wedding experts who participated in the FAM & Education weekend

The happy bride enjoying her cocktail party.

I not only got to network and meet great wedding industry professionals but also witness and participate in a Destination Wedding by the fabulous Candy Cain,

This is the lovely cake they had on their pre-wedding cocktail

Real destination Wedding by Candy Cain

and Interviewed her for my BLOG.

- WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A DESTINATION WEDDING EXPERT?

Real destination Wedding by Candy Cain

I didn't exactly decided it just sort of happened. I became a Destination Wedding Planner when I saw how much money you could make. I mean yes it's wonderful to make dreams come true, but in the end I'm raising my family and this is a wonderful way to make money. Because it's a HOT TREND in the United States and even though there is a recession people still want to get married.

- WHAT IS THE THING YOU LOVE THE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB?

Real destination Wedding by Candy Cain

The thing I love the most about this job is that every wedding is a new project and there is so much variety. I get very bored if I had to do the same thing over and over again. And the fact that theres something new every time really keeps me interested.

- WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND DESTINATION WEDDINGS

IN CANCUN & RIVIERA MAYA?

Real destination Wedding by Candy Cain

The good thing about having a Destination wedding here is that you get more for your money, there are so many people who really want to work and network wit USA Planners that they treat you perfect and the quality of their services is really high.

- WHAT WOULD YOU SAY DEFINES YOU AS A COORDINATOR?

I never settle for anything!

-WHAT IS THE ADJECTIVE THAT BEST DESCRIBES YOU AS A WEDDING PLANNER?

"Successful" and I don't mean it only to have a successful career but also I make Successful Weddings, my couples are so happy that they recommend me all the time, because they know I will do what ever it takes to get the Job done.

- PLEASE TELL US ONE OF YOUR BEST WEDDING STORIES SO FAR.

Oh, I have many. But since we are here in Cancun for

their Wedding I would say

"Debbie & John"

Debbie came to me and said, Candy I want a Beach wedding my dream is to feel the sand in my toes and to have the ocean in the back of the ceremony. And I told her I know just the place we are going to Cancun. They have never being in Cancun because they were worried for the insecurity issues. But i told them trust me this would be an amazing place for your destination Wedding. And here we are she is the most happy Bride ever, she just can't thank me enough, the Hotel "Gran caribe Real Resort" cancun has treated them exceptionally and now theres two more Weddings that the family would like to come back and have here.

-WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE FOR ANYONE WHO IS THINKING ON BECOMING A DESTINATION WEDDING PLANNER?

Destination Wedding Experts

My advice would be ask for help, sometimes you can't do things on your own. Destination weddings are about partnering and networking with people who are experts at the Destination where you are working. Remember you are not in a competition. And get certified. There is not another person who gives the Destination Wedding Expert Certification. I created the seminar and I highly recommend people to take it.

NEVER FORGET: The bride always comes first!!!

Thank you very much for your time, and for granting me with this

interview it is a pleasure to know such a talented Wedding Planner.

You can follow Candy's BLOG at http://theartofdestinationweddings.blogspot.com/