Five Important Considerations When Planning a Destination Wedding

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Are you dreaming of a destination wedding? Iconic city skylines, ancient castles, beautiful islands, sunny beaches – these are few of the many romantic panoramas that have lured couples to get hitched far away from home. For some couples, the decision to have a destination wedding is something they knew they wanted. For others, it could have taken a while to get to. While planning a wedding in a far-flung destination seems thrilling and romantic, it can turn out to be your worst nightmare if you aren’t prepared. For example, having a destination wedding in Costa Rica comes with its own set of challenges like regulations in a foreign country, language barriers, etc. – things that can get tricky pretty quickly.

Well, don’t worry! We have got you covered. If you are planning a destination wedding, you must read this guide. We have compiled a list of best considerations for you for a memorable destination wedding. Let’s get started.

1. Hire a Local Wedding Planner

You may have the best wedding planner in your town who may assure you the best getaway wedding. But the thing is nobody knows the place better than a local. Until and unless your wedding planner has experience in destination weddings or specialise in destination weddings, you should not hire them. Having a local wedding planner to make the arrangements will be cost-effective, and most importantly, they have the ‘insider’ information like the one provided by Gatlinburg cabin weddings, to make things go smoothly. A local wedding planner will help you find the right venues, best area activities, the best catering service in the region, etc. In simple words, you will get to make your wedding even more custom and personalised.

2. Invitations

One of the most tricky aspects of having a destination wedding is deciding who to invite. We know that there are a plot of people who you love, but if you are on a budget, it can be financially daunting to bear the expenses. In most cases, couples having a destination wedding usually invite close family members and friend groups. When they return, they have a post-wedding reception where they invite the same guests of the wedding as well as those who weren’t invited. It is just one aspect that you can look into. There is no need to have a post-wedding reception, it is totally up to you. This is your wedding, and you can share the occasion with whomever you want.

3. Give Guests Advance Notice

One of the biggest mistakes couples make when having a destination wedding is not letting the potential guests know whereabouts of the wedding. For starters, many of the guests will be using their vacation time to come to your wedding, and it is a big financial investment for them as well. So, it would be nice to give them sufficient notice so that they can budget and plan accordingly. You need to inform the guests about the destination of choice and hotel bookings as early as possible. It is ideal to hand the ‘save the date’ notice 6-7 months prior to the wedding. This will also help you and allow to plan ahead. If you are giving your guests an all-expense-paid trip, you would want to make sure that the guests are coming because cancellations can be expensive as well.

4. Book a Travel Agent

While you can simply book flight tickets to the place where you are having your wedding, it can become difficult to manage travel and transportation once you reach there. Thus, you can consider booking a travel agent who can help you with everything from travel to hotel accommodation, and more that fits your vision and budget. You don’t have to worry about trip anymore when you book a travel agency. They will make pre-travel bookings for you from flight tickets (including return) to travel accommodations once you reach the airport. There are travel agencies that specifically deal in destination weddings and other such events. If you can get such service, you and the guests’ stay at the beautiful wedding destination will be smooth and hassle-free.

5. See the Venue in Person

While we have added this consideration in the end, it is the most important of all the factors we have mentioned. You should plan a trip to the destination and meet with your vendors in person. This may include the wedding planner, the hotel, catering, etc. It is important that you discuss the details in person rather than via phone calls, messages, or emails. Since it is your dream wedding, you would not want to go things sideways. Everything has to go as planned and visiting the wedding destination will give you peace of mind. It is possible that you must have got to know about the destination while browsing through the internet. But we never advise you to book the venue and reach there a day or two before the wedding with your guests. Pictures can be misleading, so you must visit the venue at least once before you head there for your wedding.