Cuffing season is upon us, and if you are in a relationship, you might be getting engaged soon — how exciting! The first thing you two might decide is when you want your wedding and where to have it. A fall European wedding? Or how about a summer fun-filled Cabo wedding? An at-home and a destination wedding are equally beautiful, fun, and worth it. However, make sure you and your partner are on the same page where you want your wedding. As The Knot reminds us, so much work goes into planning a destination wedding, from picking the right timing to factoring in all the extra expenses.
However, when you put the hard work that you need into planning, you can enjoy your dream wedding — or at least as close as you can get it to perfect. This won’t be an easy process, but going through these tips might make it a bit easier on you.
Pick the destination carefully
Picking the place where you want your wedding is the most crucial step in all of this, whether it’s out of state or out of the country. When choosing where to get hitched, choose somewhere with meaning to you above everything else, Bride recommends. Did you want a Hawaii wedding because that’s where the two of you visit every year? Did you want to get married in London because you have family overseas? Wherever you choose, the location should be specific to your relationship.
Even if you and your partner are on the same page about your destination, you need to make sure it has everything you want, including plenty of hotels, an accessible beauty team to help with hair and make-up, and plenty of local vendors. The vibe needs to be perfect, and the activities need to be abundant, especially since your guests might be there for days.
Timing is very important
Timing is probably an essential tip in every aspect when it comes to a destination wedding. The earlier you let your guests know the wedding will be out of state or out of the country, the earlier they can make plans and save up for travel costs. Be aware that destination weddings might mean not all your guests can make it. Bride Rachel Davidson, who lives in Arizona and married her husband in California, told Business Insider that she invited over 100 people to their destination wedding, but only 75 people showed up. She said, “they just couldn’t afford to travel to another state or country because of budget and time constraints… I kept wishing I’d win the lottery so I could afford to fly them all to my wedding.”
You also need to decide when it is the perfect time to travel. A summer wedding in the Bahamas might be a little hard to pull off effortlessly, for example, because summer is usually when other travelers head to vacation, and there might not be enough hotel rooms for your guests. Besides that, the weather timing is very important. It’s one thing if it randomly rains in the middle of summer, but it’s a winter wedding, and you’ve decided on an area that usually snows, then you need to make plans for both light snow and a full-on blizzard. Try to anticipate the worst of when you decide on your wedding.
To make life easy, hire a wedding planner
If all that sounds overwhelming, hiring a wedding planner is probably your best bet. Martha Stewart notes that, while there are plenty of wedding planners who specialize in destination affairs, you should always pick one you share a language with to help you bring your vision to life. You’ll also want to video chat with them to make sure you connect before you commit. That might mean you have to make yourself available during business hours, but a good wedding planner will save you time in the long run.
If you find yourself stressing about the details, remember: wedding planners are doing this for a living, and they know exactly how to help you. Trust them and the process. If they’re familiar with the destination you chose, they can usually problem solve quickly, come up with ideas you never thought of, and be your person through the entire process. A destination wedding can take a lot of work, but the memories can be totally worth it.
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