Is a Destination Wedding For You?

I am seeing more and more destination weddings!  One of my best friends from college had a destination wedding, and it was so intimate and special.  Are you considering a destination wedding?  Here is some advice to help you choose if this is right for you or not.

Guests

For adestination wedding, you will definitely not have as many people if the wedding was local.  If you want a lot of people at your wedding but want to get married at a destination, consider having a reception once you return.  Depending on your location, you may be able to invite more people for a beach wedding in Florida or California than in Mexico or Hawaii.  But if you want to have a very intimate wedding with a handful of close family and friends, then you may want to consider doing a destination wedding.

Budget

Budget items will be different for a destination wedding than for a local wedding.  You’ll need to factor in transportation, accommodations, extra food, amongst other normal travel expenses.  You can easily spend a ton of cash for a destination wedding, so be smart and plan ahead for everything.  Never assume costs, especially when working with vendors that you can’t visit in person.  Ask about any hidden fees, gratuities, and other costs that are not included in their base service charge.

Location

Take into account how remote your destination is.  This will be a factor for hotel costs for you and your guests, vehicle rentals and transportation costs, and access to food.  You’ll also need to find a great event planner to help coordinate the details, since you won’t be there to check in regularly.

Joint with Honeymoon

You can always stay in the destination location for an extended time period to enjoy your honeymoon as well!

I think that destination weddings can be so special!  You can be as simple or glamorous as you want, but it’s all up to you!

 

Here are some other tips if you decide to have a destination wedding:

Destination I Do:  http://destinationido.com/top_20_dos_and_donts         

Brides Magazine:  http://www.brides.com/blogs/aisle-say/2015/02/dos-donts-of-destination-wedding-planning.html

Destination Wedding Details:  http://destinationweddingdetails.com/planning-a-destination-wedding.html