Wedding Plans (Chapter 1): Planning Begins

After a lovely vacation in May 2008, Lisa and I have since returned from Hawaii to resume our regularly normal lives back in Phoenix. We have planned to keep announcements about the wedding unofficial, just until we square down a contract and specific date.

Our top choices for locations were to have it in her hometown of Tempe, San Diego, Cabo San Lucas, or Hawaii. For Cabo San Lucas, we decided to eliminate it since passports for our guests would be an issue, and as well as we did not really have any wedding type connections in Mexico. San Diego was also another good idea but we did not know anyone there either. In Tempe, we visited a few places that took care of the whole ceremony and reception package. Lastly, we investigated a few places in Hawaii and found one in particular to our liking called "Turtle Bay Resort" on Oahu's North Shore.

If we were to have it in Tempe, our wedding (out-of-pocket) costs would be significantly higher due to a higher head count (80+ people). This is in comparison to having a smaller destination wedding in Hawaii (40 people and a few thousand dollars cheaper). Hawaii is currently our number one pick and we are probably going to have it here (still unofficial).

We have a deadline to make July 30th, in which we are to sign off to a contract at Turtle Bay Resort. Although, we are fortunate to have assistance from our families, I still believe I have every right to negotiate and obtain the best value for this wedding. Having come from a business oriented background professionally, I have a tremendous issue of paying for this service without the ability to negotiate for the best price and value.

Needless to say, it's certainly one of the cheapest deals around, it's a premiere location on Hawaii, a majority of the planning is being taken care of, and this is to be a very memorable day for both of us. I comprehend that and my willingness to negotiate doesn't make feel any less of the product we are paying for.

If I were to pay for the price sum they are asking for, I feel it would be a better value to simply have a complimentary room for the Bride/Groom for the weekend. That's what I want out of this deal, and if I can squeeze in a round of golf for our groom/bride party, that would be even better.

In our current 2008 economy, leisure travel has been down and thus effecting the hotel industry significantly. I have a colleague in the Hotel industry run the numbers for Hawaii (Oahu) and found that to be true statistically. To make up for lost revenue, Hawaii hotels trend to increase the pricing per night. In Oahu, $175/night is the average price to stay.

I can only imagine the margin made off the catering department for the price we are going to pay. Especially in this hurting economy, I'm sure these resorts and hotels can sure use the revenue. Asking for a complimentary room for the bride/groom to use for the wedding night isn't a whole lot to ask. The worst they can say is "no", right?

For more information about our potential wedding hotspot visit:
http://www.turtlebayresort.com/