Ever since you were a little girl, you have dreamt of your big day. You already know what flower you want to carry down the aisle, what style your dress will be, and some girls even know the exact location of where you will say your vows. For some little girls, their dream is to have their closest friends and family members on an exotic island where you can celebrate love with the sounds of the waves of the sea in the background. There is nothing more beautiful and serene than standing on the beach celebrating your love as your veil is blowing in the breeze. And other little girls have dreamt of getting married in a forest thousands of miles away, or in front of one of those amazing Seven Wonders of the World. Well, with every destination wedding there are many benefits and some disadvantages in deciding if this is the route for you.
Simplicity – Destination weddings can be simple to plan, if you choose it right. There are hotels and resorts that offer an all-inclusive package for your wedding day festivities. There are professionals at these locations that do this for a living and they are able to accommodate brides from all types of distances! A disadvantage of planning from afar is that if you don’t choose a venue that has an all-inclusive package, the planning can be more difficult for you from such a long distance. This can also be an advantage as well, it will give you more than one option on who you would like to have for the different roles during the wedding day. This will give you more flexibility to choose who you really want. Another piece of advice that I can give is to visit the venue at least once prior to the event to ensure that it is the perfect place for your special day. Also meet with all of your potential vendors beforehand to make sure they are the right fit for you. We want your day to be perfect!
Affordability – Typically, destination weddings are less expensive than local weddings because the bride and groom (or their parents) typically only need to pay for the wedding day package, their stay at the resort or hotel and any personal accommodations to travel to the wedding location, whether by air or car. The negative to this is that your guests will carry their own financial burden as they will need to pay to travel via airfare, plus lodging and any extra-curricular activities that will happen during their stay. However on the flipside, some hotels and resorts offer discounts for multiple room blocks so this could save your family and friends more in the long run!
The Right Location – When picking the location for your destination wedding, think of a spot that has a nice landmark and will create beautiful ceremony and reception photographs to remember for a lifetime. Also consider the weather of your location and the seasons to make sure that you are not getting married on the beach during their rainy time or when it’s too cold for your guests to endure outside. There are some places that have hurricane seasons that you might want to look into as well.
Your Vendors – Many times at destination weddings, the venue (or wedding planner) will provide you with a list of vendors that many brides have used in that area. This is great but if you have a favorite photographer that you know and trust will bring these moments to life, or if you want your childhood minister to officiate the wedding, it can be as simple as asking for their availability. It will be well worth it in the end to choose the vendors that are right for you.
Destination weddings are so beautiful and the one thing that your guests and you will carry away from that weekend is that your wedding was the most memorable experience ever!
