People have asked me what helped me in negotiating our contract with the hotel. These are the things I think helped.

Not getting too attached to one location. We narrowed our choices down to two resorts and really could have gone either way. We tried to stay objective because both had pros and cons
Taking a break [...]

One of the decisions we had to make was whether or not to enter into a contract with the hotel. For us there is two parts to the contract with the Marriott. First is the catering contract where we are committing to a food and beverage minimum. That one secures our date. Second is the [...]