Top 3 Ways To Protect Your Wedding INVESTMENT

So, you're engaged and are planning your huge investment on creating a perfect beginning to your happily ever after. Now what?

It's time time to outline the top three ways for you to protect this investment. We get excited when it's time to plan "the day." Through all that excitement, someone in the planning party is thinking about the total investment involved. With the rising cost of weddings and the fluctuation of the market, educated wedding spending should remain at the top of everyone's priority list. After two popular Houston wedding venue's shut their doors without offering any possible recourse for their booked events, this has become a constant subject at the tip of my tongue.

Allow us a few moments to list three simple ways to protect your wedding investment. It's never to late to begin this practice. Whether you have eight months or eight weeks of planning remaining, something on this list can benefit you in protecting your investment.

NUMBER THREE...
Make all of your deposits and wedding purchases by credit card. Making minimum deposits by credit card keeps you with the advantage of being able to dispute charges for services not rendered. If you have made a purchase for a service with a credit card that has not be rendered, simply call your credit card company and dispute the charge(s). When calling your credit card issuer, request a charge back pursuant to the Fair Credit Billing Act. Charges for services that weren't delivered as agreed are covered under this Act. Access the Federal Trade Commission for specifics on this Act.

NUMBER TWO...
This may sound odd, but I'm going to say it anyway. Some vendors may get excited to get payments above and beyond the required deposit amount. I beg to differ and strongly recommend the opposite. Pay only the required deposit to secure your vendor and hold your wedding date. Make all payments as outlined by the agreement. This goes hand in hand with having a good agreement that proper outlines all the terms, conditions, and agreements for both parties (the supplier of services and the recipient of services to be rendered). I don't recommend paying for anything in full that you have yet to receive. If final payment is due two weeks prior to your event, that is when I suggest you schedule your payment. This way you are not out $20K eight months prior to your wedding because your venue decided to shut it's doors and discontinued the telephone lines.

NUMBER ONE...
The number one suggestion for protecting your your wedding expenses (drum roll please): INSURE YOUR EVENT!

That's right... Purchase wedding insurance coverage. Precious Nuptials and Destinations has been in the works of adding a couple optional basic wedding coverage to our full and echo chic planning package for some time now. The couple could always choose to enhance this coverage, but we feel it's absolutely necessary to set the foundation and plant the seed. The state of our economy and all the uncertainty has surly put this wheel into full motion.

In this quest for finding ideal coverage providers to offer our clients, we meet with Jorge Sera of Total Insurance Coverage, LLC back in July. Mr. Sera's services is an ideal fit for what we are looking for. Not only because the coverage options are so diverse, but also because he's local and knows his stuff! I for one, totally connect with the fact of having a local insurance office to write and or source this policy. I don't know about you, but I feel so much better when making important purchases with a physical person verses a web page. Jorge, I hope he doesn't mind me calling him by his first name, is very knowledgeable about his product, protection, and limits. Here's samples of what type of protection this policy can offer:

• Your reception venue went out of business
• Hurricane cause your wedding to be postponed
• Lost or damaged dress
• Lost deposits
• Lost rings
• Transportation shutdown
• Ruined photos
• Call to duty
• Damaged gifts
• Sudden illness
• Venue required insurance
• Liquor liability

Review this sample policy to see if this coverage is right for you. You may also become familiar with the protect plans from Travelers dedicated information site. In short, a few hundred dollars can invest the thousands you'll spend on planning your perfect day. Contact Jorge Sera and allow him to assist you in properly protecting your wedding expenditures.

There it is... It's that simple. Doing these three simple steps can save a lot of headaches and a ton of heartaches.

Also, we understand that our displaced brides my still have a need for wedding planning and coordination services. Precious Nuptials and Destinations will offer proven displaced couples discounted services on a case by case bases. We would love to help everyone, but know that we are not able to. In return, we hope that the three steps listed above will assist couples and their families from being displaced and out thousands to boot. Contact us at: staff[at]preciousnuptials.com for more information.

[Cheers!]

Let's just have a destination wedding... It'll be so much easier!

As an industry professional, we often run across comments like: "Maybe we should have stuck with our original thought of planning a destination wedding," "We would have saved so much money by just going off and getting married” and “A destination would have been less stressful." In some cases, destination weddings are completely ideal, but then there are other situations that the thought of a destination wedding should remain just that: a thought! Just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean it'll be a fit for your nuptials in particular.

With the steady growth and popularity of destination weddings, it's so fitting that we touch on the "decision making" process. Begin by asking yourself, "Are we an ideal fit for a destination wedding?"

WHO COULD YOU LIVE WITHOUT??
Let's start with the obvious. "We" can mean different things to different couples. For some, it's the couple only. For others, it can be the couple and two witnesses, the couple and a few close family members, or the couple and hundreds of family and friends that are willing to take the voyage. It's a simple task when considering smaller groups. If you fall in that category, you're definitely a shoe in the door to your dream destination wedding. However, if you couldn't imagine getting married without your guest list of 200, things may be a little different. You will need to ask yourself what you would do if important guest aren't able to make the trip. For health reasons, financial reasons, and pure logistics, often times very important guests simply may not be able to commit. If that’s okay, and you are willing to take the necessary step to make sure all of your guests are properly coordinated, you shouldn’t have a problem.

WITH A DESTINATION WEDDING, THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!
This is a huge plus for couples that are non-traditional and are willing to step out of the box. For these couples, the idea of the world being at their finger tips would make for a perfect start to the rest of their lives. However, to some, this very idea and the thought of breaking tradition or having the world to choose from may be a bit overwhelming. Couples who have an idea of where they want to wed, couples who want to incorporate cultural backgrounds, and couples who are open to breaking tradition will be one step closer to deciding to destination wed.

WILL THE PARTY EVER END?
Unlike the traditional two days of gathering for a local event, many destination weddings are several days of planned wedding activities. Are you looking forward to spending 3-5 days of your get away with everyone who traveled? In many cases, couples will choose to plan a week or weekend of group activates. If this sounds perfect, Awesome! However, if you want to get married and spend the remaining of your time with your sweetheart, you may want to give it a little more thought. Although it's certainly not necessary to have multiple events, you may still have "guests" with you thought out your stay. There are many ways around this, but again you will have to think about pulling it off logistically.

LET’S HAVE A DESTINATION WEDDING AND SAVE MONEY!
A destination wedding will only save you money if you plan on cutting down your guest list, are not incorporating the cost of guest travel into your budget, considering an easily traveled less expensive destination, and/or considering average rated accommodations for your stay. The truth of the matter is that having a destination wedding with the same amount of guest that you would have at a local destination will not save any expense. In fact, chances are it will cost you much more. If you are planning on an exotic location that's not easily traveled from your origin won't save you money either. Another fact, many airlines are increasing the cost of airfare due to rising fuel cost. You should also consider fuel cost if you are planning on driving to your domestic destination wedding location. Don't forget to include possible planning trips. Considering five star luxury accommodations will also add to the bottom line. Expect to pay top dollar per person. It's a no brainer. Also, many locations will require a group deposit on all rooms being held. Will you be willing to either make sure each guest properly deposits to ensure the space is held or deposit yourself? There are ways to work this out, but it does require much patience and coordination. If money isn't a huge factor in deciding on a destination wedding, you should check this area as compatible with the idea of a destination wedding.

IT WOULD BE SO MUCH EASIER TO PLAN A DESTINATION WEDDING!
It should be an easy and fun process to plan a destination wedding. The ease and fun will depend on the details and your expectations. We have a list of tips that we share with our clients on keeping destination wedding planning fun and simplified. However, if you are someone that doesn't relinquish control, can't make planning trips, a worry wart, or a tried and true bridezilla, you may not find this as enjoyable and fun as it can be. It’s possible to have fun planning a destination wedding that's uniquely you, but it’s necessary to be willing to keep an open mind and accommodate change. After all, things work differently in different areas. Be willing to embrace change, different cultures, and be sure to have a wedding planner who's familiar with the area. If you don’t feel comfortable with hiring a planner from the location of your planned destination wedding, you should make sure that your local choice has reliable contacts with professionals in the geographical area that you plan to wed.

It's important to do your homework and know what to expect. Having a clear understanding can make a huge difference in curtailing your stress levels. Make it a point to sit down with a Destination Wedding Specialist! A good Destination Wedding Specialist will consult you on determining a good fit before they begin to talk about location possibilities, residency requirements, and your guest list. He or she should help you to understand what to expect before you begin making plans. Once the consultation is complete, ask this question again, “Are we an ideal fit for a destination wedding?” You’ll find that you will be able to make a much better decision based on your particular desires. Whether your destination nuptials will be domestic or international, an initial consultation with a Destination Wedding Specialist will make a huge difference in the end result of you being a "Happy Bride or Bride Gone Wrong!"