Real Wedding: Kelsey & Skyler at The Fives Beach

Wedding Date: October 4, 2024 ~ Resort: The Fives Beach ~ Photographer: Maricarmen Arcos ~ Videographer: Arcos Productions ~ Bridal Salon: Tie The Knot Off The Rack

Why did you choose Romance Travel Group?

We chose Romance Travel Group after finding them on social media. We knew nothing about destination weddings, so we loved that this was their expertise! After our intro call, we knew they would be the perfect match to help make our dream destination wedding come true!
 
How did you select the resort? What were the deciding factors?

After previewing the expansive list of resorts provided by our Travel Agent, The Fives resort hit all the marks. The cost was fair and affordable for our guests, the location was ideal and the variety of wedding venue locations and style of the resort really fit what we were looking for and matched our style.
 
What led you to choose a destination wedding?

We always knew we never wanted a big, traditional wedding. The thought of spending SO much money on one day, just wasn't "us." We initially considered elopement, but decided we wanted to celebrate and have our closest friends and family with us. So, we decided to go with a destination wedding because we were able to create a memorable experience for all of our favorite people.
 
Describe what it was like working with the wedding coordinator at the resort? What went well? Any challenges?

Our experience with our wedding coordinator went well. She was very responsive to emails and responded in a timely manner. There were a few times where I had to ask additional questions to clarify things mentioned in our contract to make sure we were on the same page, but overall she was able to execute our wedding vision well.
 
Describe the booking process for your guests. Did they find that to be easy to navigate?

Our guests had no issues booking their rooms. We included a QR code on our invites which took them right to the booking section of our wedding website. Romance Travel Group did an exceptional job working with our guests and answering any questions or requests that they had.
 
What were some of your biggest fears or things you worried about as your wedding date drew near? How did you get through this?

100% the weather/hurricanes. We booked in early October and a week before a tropical storm had hit the resort. After talking with our Travel Agent, Abby, who was actually at the resort visiting that week, she made us feel safe and comfortable- knowing the resort handles these types of situations very well.
 
Describe the meeting you had with the onsite wedding team when you arrived at the resort.

The meeting with our day of coordinator went well. We went through our entire contract line by line to make sure everything was ready to go. We also got to tour and look at all the locations we had picked to have our wedding events at.
 
How easy/difficult was it to travel with your wedding attire? Did you carry-it on, where did you store it? Did you get a lot of comments at the airport?

Traveling with our wedding attire was not bad at all! We bought a travel garment bag that folded up and were able to lay in in the overhead bins of the planes. We got several congratulations at the airport and even a free bottle of champagne from the bar in Nashville!
 
Tell us about your wedding – did you have a traditional wedding with a cocktail hour, dinner reception and dance? What was different about a destination wedding compared to a wedding at home?

Our wedding consisted of the ceremony, dinner reception and dance. We opted to not have a formal cocktail hour and encouraged our guests to grab a drink from the bars around the resort. Since we went with a destination wedding, we were able to afford a plated dinner vs buffet/family style and enjoy complimentary signature drinks.

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What was the best part of having a destination wedding?

The best part of having a destination wedding was seeing all of our friends and family hang out together and having all our favorite people in one place. It was so much fun getting to create a memorable experience for not only us, but everyone else too.
 
In what ways did Romance Travel Group make the planning less stressful for you?

RTG did an excellent job communicating with us throughout the entire planning process and even more so the closer our wedding day got. We loved having a 1:1 call before we flew to make sure we had everything ready to go. We were so surprised with our airport transportation and a quick call with our Travel Agent to make sure our flight went well and to ensure us they were always just a phone call away while we were in Mexico.
 
What would you do differently? What advice would you give to couples just starting the planning process?

I don’t think there was anything we would have done differently. Although the day didn’t go 100% as planned it was still magical, memorable and 100% our style. Our best piece of advice for couples just starting their planning process it to have a “go with the flow” mindset. It’s okay if things don’t go as planned, try to not stress about the little things and soak it all in because it goes by way too fast.

Congrats, Kelsey & Skyler! Best wishes to you always!