How to Plan a Destination Wedding: Destination Wedding Tips

A destination wedding is a ceremony and reception in a desirable location outside of a person’s hometown or even home country. Due to the high costs they incur, it’s common for these events to be smaller than more traditional weddings. On both a financial and logistical level, it’s often easier for a small wedding party of close friends, family members, and loved ones to travel for such an event.

Taking an unorthodox and exciting approach to your nuptials can bring you memories to last a lifetime. Think about these pros of having a destination wedding celebration:

1. 1. Built-in honeymoon: If you have your wedding ceremony and reception in a different state or foreign country, you can spend more time in the new locale for a built-in honeymoon. Turning a destination wedding into a longer romantic getaway is one of the best ways to cut costs overall.
2. 2. Greater intimacy: For those looking for a more intimate ceremony, destination weddings fit the bill. If you’d rather make memories with a small group of people abroad than a huge number of guests at home, this might be your path. Bring along your bridesmaids, groomsmen, and family members to celebrate your love in a beautiful locale.
3. 3. Unique memories: Saying “I do” in a place you’ve always wanted to visit will leave you with memories for a lifetime. Additionally, when you page through your wedding photo album, you’ll see yourselves amid a backdrop of beautiful, awe-inspiring scenery.

The idea of a destination wedding might sound exciting, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best wedding for you. Here are just a few cons to consider:

1. 1. Higher expenses: The average cost of a destination wedding can prove much higher than a more traditional ceremony and reception closer to home. You might also have to cut costs in other areas to afford the expenses of travel. For instance, you might have to spend less on wedding rings than you would otherwise in order to afford the airfare, hotel room blocks, and other related costs.
2. 2. Less personalization: A hometown wedding offers you a greater chance to customize your event, whereas destination wedding packages often come in a one-size-fits-all format. For example, wedding venues in tourist-preferred areas might insist you use on-site vendors. Unless you plan for it far in advance, you might also miss out on tastings or rehearsal dinners, too.
3. 3. Smaller guest count: Expect to edit down your guest list for a destination event. In an effort to cut costs, you might make a destination ceremony and reception a lot smaller than you would on a more traditional wedding day. People often bring along just the bridal party and a few select family members.

The destination wedding planning process can stress you out, but you can move forward with confidence and calmness if you have the right know-how. Keep these tips in mind as you make your own dream destination wedding checklist:

• Choose a location. Before you can get down to writing your destination wedding planning checklist, you’ll need to pick where you want to go. Look for reputable wedding venues and experienced destination wedding planners capable of facilitating your event. Once you settle on a wedding date, don’t wait until the last minute. People book desirable destination wedding locations many months in advance.
• Create a long-term strategy. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for your big day. Get your wedding dress fitting done, decide on décor and catering, and ensure everyone has the passports, visas, or vaccines necessary for travel way ahead of time. Keep potential language barriers in mind, too—maybe it’s your goal to achieve a conversational level of fluency before your arrival. Send out wedding invitations early, and encourage your guests to RSVP as far ahead of time as they can.
• Hire qualified people. Make sure all the wedding vendors you use have experience doing destination weddings. Assemble a team of caterers, florists, hair stylists, makeup artists, officiants, photographers, and videographers who know what they’re doing. Some venues will even have their own welcome party to greet your guests as they arrive.
• Make a wedding budget. For a destination wedding event to take place, you need to be able to afford it. Tally up the expense of travel, hotel rooms, vendors, and other related costs well ahead of time. Scout out locations you can go to without maxing out your credit cards. Keep an eye out for ways to save money and cut costs to make your dreams a reality.
• Offer amenities to your guests. Consider making a wedding website on which you can provide information about what your guests should put on their packing lists. It’s also destination wedding etiquette to treat them to perks for making the long trek to celebrate your union. Give them welcome bags, take them to brunch, and double-check on their needs throughout their stay. Make sure your wedding guests’ rooms are in top shape before they arrive, too.
• Pick a destination wedding planner. Find a wedding coordinator accustomed to planning destination events in the state or country to which you’re heading. Research local wedding planners to find people with intimate knowledge of the area. They can help you find wedding photographers and other vendors in the area to meet your needs.
• Remain rational. Stay realistic about wedding costs and logistics. Realize you’ll likely have to make tradeoffs as you plan your special day. For instance, if you always wanted to wear a ball gown, a beach wedding in Jamaica might not be the best venue. In this scenario, you could still find an indoor venue or a different destination to accommodate your preferences instead.
• Work out legal logistics. Every country has different marriage requirements. To get married in a foreign land, you’ll need to keep its laws in mind as well as those of your home country. Make sure you bring all the legal documents necessary to complete your nuptials. You can circumvent this by getting a legal marriage license in your homeland before heading to a more symbolic wedding ceremony abroad.

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