Benefits of a group block include guaranteed rooms for all of your guests, locked in rates that all of your guests will receive, and free rooms, upgrades, and other extras for you (these depend on resort but can add up to thousands of dollars of savings for you).

Group blocks are flexible and guests can stay any dates that work best for them, as long as it is a minimum of 3 nights.  Room types can be changed as long as they are available.  Guests are able to pay a small deposit and can make additional payments any time up until the final balance is due.  There will be a deadline that guests need to reserve by to guarantee the rate and room type and extra rooms are released with no penalty by that deadline.  Extra rooms can be added after that final date but the rate would no longer be guaranteed.

Group Block Deposit – Typically $100 per room that you want to hold in the group is required.  This deposit is applied to your room or refunded back to you once the free nights are applied.   Some resorts have lower deposit options for $500 to $1000.

Keep in mind that there are dates for room releases, attrition, cancellation, and benefits to apply so it is very important to work with someone that understands how group blocks work.

I am happy to help you even if you have already reserved your wedding date.  I work with many different resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean.  Please reach out to me for information or assistance.  There is no fee or extra cost for my services!

I am often asked for advice on tipping for a destination wedding. The amount to tip vendors is subjective and ranges from low to high, but here is a basic guide on what I see for vendor gratuities.  Keep in mind this is subjective and you can adjust as you feel appropriate.

Some couples tip 10-20% of the total bill for each vendor and that gets divided by the total staff that worked an event.  Some couples tip per person and either way is fine, it just depends on what you prefer.

If you prefer to tip vendors a set amount, here is a range.  They do accept US dollars.

Officiant – $50-100 depending on how far they come and how much time they spent working with you prior to the wedding.

Resort Wedding Coordinator – $100-250

Contracted Wedding Event Planner – Up to 10% of the total contract, usually $200+

DJs – $50-250

Bands/Musicians/Entertainment – $25-50 for each musician for ceremony and cocktail hour/reception $50-100 each

Bartenders – $50-100 each unless there is a tip jar which would be at your discretion

Wait staff / servers – $20-50 each

Specialty Cake – $20+

Floral & Décor – $25-50 per person for staff to set up/tear down

Photography & Videographer – $100-300 for main photographer and videographer and $50-150 for assistants

Hair & Make Up – Typically about 20% as you would in a salon

Photo Booth Attendant – $25-40 each person

Note – There is no right or wrong tip, so you can adjust as you feel.  You can assign someone to provide the tips, such as your wedding coordinator, or you can put in envelopes with each vendor’s name and the wedding coordinator or someone you prefer can hand them out to the vendors.

Q. What are the benefits for booking a Hard Rock wedding?
A. Hard Rock offers excellent benefits such as free nights, free events, free upgrades, and free wedding. These benefits depend on how many room nights you have in the group. You also will have a wedding planner included in your package so you don’t have to hire an outside planner.

Q. How soon should I reserve my date?
A. As soon as you have a date in mind you should contact a Hard Rock Wedding specialist to reserve your date and group block. Reserving early gives you the most options for ceremony dates/times and best room block rates. Ready to get started, fill out this brief form and I will contact you!

Q. Is there a free wedding package?
A. Yes! Hard Rock offers a complimentary wedding package that you can customize as little or as much as you would like.

Q. When will I start planning the details of my wedding?
A. You will be assigned a wedding specialist approximately 6-7 months in advance and will start planning then. Hard Rock also offers a Diamond Planning package for $1000 which allows you to be assigned a specialist once the contract is signed and planning can begin immediately. You will be provided vendor information once your deposit is paid so you can start reaching out anytime you would like.

Q. When can I choose my event locations?
A. Once you are assigned your wedding specialist you can make the request. Locations are not confirmed until 30-45 days prior. If you don’t want to wait to reserve your venues, you are able to pay a deposit of $50 per person to confirm your location in advance and this deposit will be applied to your wedding costs. So if you have a very specific location you would like, I recommend paying the deposit to reserve it.

Q. Do I need a room block or can guests book on their own?
A. Yes, I highly recommend a room block to lock in rates and room availability. Hard Rock is very popular and sells out often, so if you don’t have a room block and the resort sells out before all of your guests have booked, they won’t be able to get a room. Rates also tend to rise, so locking in rates early for all guests is another benefit of a group block.

Q. Can guests book through their own travel agent or an online booking site?
A. No, guests need to book through the same source so it is important to make them aware that they need to book their room in the room block to be included in your events and for you to receive credit for their room toward your complimentary nights and events.

Q. I don’t know how many guests will actually come, how do I know how many rooms to hold in my group block?
A. Make a list of the for sure guests like parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, bridal party, etc. that will be going for sure and then make another list for the maybes. We will take the number of rooms needed from list 1 and half of list 2, and this usually gives a good number for the rooms needed. Group blocks are flexible so we can add more as long as they are available and cancel extras with no penalty by a date they give us in the group contract.

Q. How will my guests book their rooms?
A. Island Vows provides a booking link or a one page website for guests to reserve their room. Guests pay a deposit to book and can make additional payments anytime up to the date final balance is due.

Q. What about airport transportation?
A. Roundtrip airport transportation is offered when guests complete the booking form to reserve their room. They can choose from shared or private.

Q. Is travel insurance offered?
A. Yes, travel insurance is offered to guests when reserving their room. Travel insurance is highly recommended to cover unforeseen cancellations or issues while traveling. Click travel insurance for more information.

Q. How many nights do guests usually stay?
A. In my experience, guests usually stay 3-4 nights but some stay longer to make it a vacation. Dates are flexible for guests so they can stay whatever dates work for them as long as the minimum is 3 nights.

Q. I have two friends reserving a room together, can they pay separately?
A. Yes, when they complete the booking form they can note in the special request box who they are sharing with and we will put them in a room together and send invoices separately.

Q. Which Hard Rock is best?
A. Good question! Each resort is different but similar as far as theme, vibe, service, and quality. They differ by location, beach, room sizes, extras like night clubs or water parks, some are spread out and some more compact. I am happy to explain the differences.

Q. How much will a Hard Rock wedding cost?
A. There are many variables that go into the total cost of a wedding such as how many guests, the type of decor, if you add a DJ, dancefloor, lighting, or other extras. You can estimate costs at this link.

Q. Why should I use Island Vows?
A. We specialize in Hard Rock weddings and have had more weddings per year at the various Hard Rock resorts than any other agent in the country. Cherie has had over 200 Hard Rock weddings and is very experienced with their wedding contracts, group blocks, wedding planners, resort staff, and upper management and has the contacts needed to resolve any issue.

Q. What does a destination wedding specialist (travel planner) do for me?
A. As your Destination Wedding Travel Agent (often referred to as a Destination Wedding Travel Advisor or a Group Travel Agent), we help you choose a destination, resort, and wedding package that matches your needs and budget. Once we narrow down the options for you and you make your resort choice, we request the wedding contract and confirm your wedding date and time. Once confirmed, we set up a wedding group block with group rates so guests can begin reserving their rooms. We also answer guest questions, make changes and requests, and provide travel information.

You will be assigned a wedding coordinator to assist with your planning, but we are always available to assist with questions or provide information as needed.

Q. Is there a fee to have you book our wedding and group block?
A. No, Island Vows does not charge fees and there is no extra cost to you or your guests for booking with us.

Q. Can I bring my own photographer?
A. Yes, as long as they stay at least 3 nights in the group the outside vendor fee will be waived.

Have a question that wasn’t asked or answered, please contact us with the form below.

Here are a few things you can expect at Hard Rock:

√  Beautiful Beaches
√  Luxurious rooms with Jacuzzi tubs
√  Plenty of restaurants, bars, snacks and 24 hour room service
√  Entertainment and nightlife including live bands, concerts, shows, and nightclubs
√  Customized weddings or pre-designed collections
√  Complimentary stay for the bride/groom in an upgraded room*
√  Events included such as welcome party, cocktail/reception, and farewell brunch*
√  Guests love Hard Rock and will want to return for another vacation
√  Fun times for all with amazing memories!

There is something for everyone at Hard Rock, even for the ones who like peace and quiet, we have that too!

Contact me with the form below for more information on a Hard Rock wedding. You will be in good hands – I am a top Hard Rock wedding agent in North America!

*Complimentary nights and events depend on how many room nights your group achieves.  Minimum of 10 rooms for group benefits to be applied.

Take a hotel room for 2 people in a city where you may vacation in the U.S. , say Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Denver.  Any of these would cost you minimum of $250 per night plus tax and probably much more.

So take the $250 plus tax and you have roughly $275 per night.  Now add on all of the food, room service, alcohol, beer, wine, bottled water or anything else that you would have in a day while on vacation.  That could easily be $60 to $150 per person per day.  So we will take the low end of $60 per person.

Now add on a beach, lounge chairs, tropical weather, sunshine, music, activities, friends, family – can you picture it?  Okay, that is worth something, correct?

And don’t forget to add on a premium for the time of year.  Getting out of winter is going to come at a higher price.

So now we have the room at $275 per night, food at $120 minimum per day for two people, and ambiance which is pretty much priceless.  The total for 2 people at the low end would be $395 per night.  If you are spending roughly $200 to $250 per person on an average resort for all-inclusive that seems really fair.  If you are at a luxury resort such as Unico, Hyatt Ziva/Zilara, Secrets, Ava, Live Aqua, you really need to add to the budget.

Instead of looking at an all-inclusive as expensive, look at the value you are receiving and compare to what you would spend in the U.S. on a similar vacation.  Many of my destination wedding groups have never traveled to an all-inclusive but when they return they are ready to plan their next vacation!  It’s easy, it’s relaxing, it’s a great value.

Please use this form to contact me to start planning your wedding in paradise!

All TAs are not destination wedding specialists and many have never handled a group, so it’s very important to find someone that has your best interests in mind and has experience in destination weddings.  A good DW specialist can assist you in finding the perfect resort and destination for your wedding, assist you and your guests with travel plans, questions, requests, changes, etc.

Planning a destination wedding is not like shopping for a car or a new pair of shoes where price is the only thing that matters when you are getting an object for your money. When you look for a photographer, accountant, hair stylist, child care, attorney, decorator, or any other professional for advice and to take care of something important to you, do you want the cheapest even though they may have no experience or knowledge?  Many TAs work with the same suppliers and have the same or very similar rates, so if someone is giving you a much lower rate there may be a reason.

Ask questions about their experience, how often they go to the resort and if they have management connections, and wedding benefits offered (although most benefits come from the resort and not the TA).

There are no fees or additional costs for my services and I would be happy to help you plan your wedding in Mexico or the Caribbean.  I have worked with hundreds of couples over the last 14+ years and have been to the resorts I recommend multiple times.  Some of my favorite resorts are Unico, Hard Rock, Hyatt, and Secrets/Dreams.  They all offer excellent wedding benefits to couples and have amazing, customizable wedding packages.

Please use this form to contact me to start planning your wedding in paradise!

Travel insurance typically covers cancellation for unforeseen circumstances.  It also covers medical expenses while in the destination, flight delays, lost luggage, and more.

So what happens if a day or two before vacation you have an appendicitis attack and need to have surgery?  What happens if you fall and break your leg and can’t go on your hiking trip to Costa Rica?  The money you have paid most likely is lost since airlines won’t refund your ticket and many hotels require cancellation at least 10-30 days prior to arrival.

What happens once you are in paradise and you step on a shell on the beach and cut your foot and need stitches?  That quick trip to the resort doctor could cost upwards of $400.  A trip to the hospital could cost thousands of dollars.  Any costs incurred must be paid before they allow you to leave.  With travel insurance your medical costs would be reimbursed.  Most employer’s insurance plans do not cover you outside of the country.

When you book your next vacation, make sure to take a look at the travel insurance and seriously consider it.

1.  Personalized Service:  An online travel site is a computer that does not have your best interests in mind. Travel Agents understand what you want and what you value in your travel experience. A good agent will get to know you and your travel wishes and customize a trip to your needs. Aside from the personal service you receive while in the planning stages of your trip, you will have customer service while you’re on your trip too. Your agent is there for you before, during, and after your trip to ensure that you have a good experience and will address any issues along the way.

2.  Advice:  An experienced agent has very likely traveled to the destination and has firsthand knowledge and photos of the resorts that they recommend.  Experienced agents, unlike a web page, are experts in understanding complicated itineraries and travel to other countries.   They also can provide a variety of options based on price, availability, and preferences.

3.  Convenient One Point of Contact:  Agents can handle every aspect of your trip from flights, resort stay, ground transportation, activities, tours, insurance and more.  When guests have questions about the resort, destination, excursion options, travel questions – have them contact me so you don’t have to deal with it.  Couples have enough to handle with wedding planning, leave the guests to the TA.

4.  Time Savings:  Instead of spending hours checking multiple websites, why not go straight to the source?  A travel agent has all the information at their fingertips, saving you hours of searching.  The internet is a great tool, but many times information provided on online booking sites is inaccurate and photos are edited.

5. Best Value for Your Money:  Agents know where the values are. They have access to discounts and package rates that offer more for your money. They also know which resorts offer perks and comps for honeymoons or wedding groups.  And there are no extra fees to you or your guests.

6. Less Stress:  Planning a vacation, honeymoon, or destination wedding can be stressful. There are so many options and details to worry about.  Agents do the work resulting in less stress for you.  I provide booking updates of who has booked or inquired so you don’t have to keep track.

7.  Connections:  Partner connections are priceless and we have them!   It’s important to have contacts in case of any issues or emergencies.  We partner with the best and are able to assist and get questions answered quickly.

You may want to book your own travel when you only need a flight or a hotel in the U.S.  You should definitely use a travel agent for trips outside of the U.S., for group travel, a honeymoon, family vacation, or a destination wedding.

Please use this form to contact me to start planning your wedding in paradise!