where. do. we. start. aye dios mio!
first off -- let's talk "island time." as you have likely surmised... we have elected to add an additional layer of stress to this little planning party by deciding on a sun-drenched caribbean locale for said ceremony. for those that know me (and it appears that at least ten people here do...), i struggle with stress from time to time ... which lovingly manifests itself in fun ways like 36hour migraines, ulcers (both the stomach AND the THROAT! joyous!!), insomnia, lock jaw, heart palpitations... you get it.
sooooo... SAN JUAN here i come - straight jacket or not! hopefully not - weird tan lines. annnyhoo, island time. this is the laissez-faire tempo you find in places like puerto rico, where nothing seems to go more than 30mph - literally or figuratively. now - island time is ADORABLE when you are on vacation... NOT when you are on deadlines, or otherwise trying to make THE BIGGEST DECISIONS OF YOUR ENTIRE LIFE. <breeeeathe... breeeeeeathe... innnn with the good... oooout with the baaaad.... ommmmm.... ommmmmmm>
the first venue i fell in love with was in old san juan . . . a building that was over 400 years old - the architecture is amazing and i had not seen anything like it. there is limited information available on the website, and so i call. it is just about 5 o'clock, and the entire sales team has left for the day (mazel tov!). a charming gentleman takes all of my information and graciously assures me that someone will contact me the next day regarding availability and rates. his name is ORville - "like the popcorn" he proudly adds. so i wait.
and wait.
wait more.
yep.
about three weeks go by (i had gotten pretty swamped with work, and had also started investigating other locations), and i call again. i explain my predicament to a lovely bubbly young girl, who very thoroughly gets all of my information again gives me some basic details and says... someone will get back to me the next day.
you can probably guess what happens next.
another week goes by, and i email (i had found my first gentleman's email on their website - orvill, you know) - basically pleading for help at this point... some other person gets back to me... but every time i need additional information or accurate information it is days and or a week before i have any response. i'm sorry - aren't these people trying to SELL something here?? i purposely used my work email in the hopes, that upon seeing that i was actually "in the business," that i might be afforded some level of 'professional courtesy' but alas...
to be fair, by the time i had to hunt them down a third time - trying to get them to TAKE MY MONEY -- i had made peace with the fact that this was not to be. with my anxiety -- handing over my big day to these people? there's not enough valium in beverly hills... it became almost a game to me... to see how lacklustre and lacking their service could be... and wouldn't you guess it. somewhere in the midst of the unreturned calls and week-long waits for replies... another pair of lovebirds booked our date. well, best of luck to you i say - you've got much bigger huevos than i do.
during these shenanigans... i began courting other venues, if you will, for everything from ceremony, to reception, to guest room blocks... it has been a lesson being on the other side of the hotel / client table for sure. one barely organized, clearly overworked gent (Omar - of a not to be named very recognizable hotel company) attempted to assist me with information for a room block. somewhere during the weeks long lapses in communication... i had written him off, sadly, opting for another, closer, and more responsive hotel. late one evening i received an email from Omar. i couldn't imagine why he was emailing me. i read the email, and thought, "is this guy drunk?" he answered some questions i had clearly asked at some point, and then apologized for "the delay" explaining that they are "really busy" with all these "wedding requests." did they teach you that in sales 101? "how to make the client feel special" by Omar. still confused by this sudden correspondence, i check the date of his email - March 15. i scroll down to check the date of my email to him - February 13.
shockingly, in the MONTH+ that had elapsed.... devin and i had "contracted elsewhere." i suppose i should have waited until may to reply... after all, i am 'really busy.'
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