You have finally found your lover whose laughter is a question you want to spend your entire life answering, right? You even chose your bridal gown. Well, whether you plan to tie the knot on an elegant mountain resort or a closer-to-home escape, a destination wedding offers you and your spouse an extended vacation.
You have to plan your destination lest you get overwhelmed.
Are you uncertain where to start in planning for your soon coming destination wedding? Don’t worry. Here are 9 sure tips to planning a successful destination wedding.
1. Envision Your Big Day
When destination wedding comes calling your name, wedding planner experts advice that you should think big. You should ensure that the demands of a destination wedding get along with your vision.
Factor in your budget, guest list to get the whole picture. Once you understand the entire picture of the event, then you can quickly work on small details such as your style, theme, colors, and design.
2. Select a Destination That Works For You and Your Guests
Well, it’s essential to pick the right location for your big day. You probably would wish to tie the knot in a stunning private island somewhere, but how about your guests? Are they able to get there hustle free?
What about the travel concerns and complexity of the journey to get there? Basically, if the trip to your destination is too long, chances are your event will be boring. You won’t want your family and friends to be left with dull memories of your big day either. A perfect destination for both parties should be your priority.
3. Check Out Your Wedding Destination Early
Although it might cost you some additional bucks, taking a scouting trip will give you a destination wedding the way you dream it.
You should plan to visit venues and meet local vendors to ensure everything slides well into your vision. A scouting trip will also give you first-hand experience and identify any concerns which need to be streamlined in advance.
4. Engage a Travel Agent
One of the undeniable truths about planning your dream wedding is that you can’t do it all by yourself. You got to seek assistance while arranging travel to your destination. Travel agent services prove to be extremely helpful in offering ideal travel deal for you and your guests.
A good travel agent can design your travel to minimize the number of stopovers when flying to your destination. Some travel agents also partner with various destinations to negotiate for discounts for their clients when they engage them for travel arrangements. Be quick to grab such money saving tips–the savings will certainly come in handy later.
5. Consider the Budget
Everything revolves around the budget–location, time of year and how long the festivities can last.
The costs you incur sometimes depend on if you’re traveling during peak-season versus low-season or during a holiday weekend.
Let’s keep prices lower. Once the location is set, you need to find an all-inclusive resort with wedding packages that fit the couples’ budget. If you consider the stunning ceremony venue, a bouquet, boutonniere at Beaches, there is a way you can get wedding free of charge. When you choose their honeymoon getaway package for 3 days, you get a free wedding.
What a money saver!
The more you stay, the more you save.
6. Hire a Wedding Planner
Hiring another pair of hands for your destination wedding can save you time, money and unnecessary headaches. There is a whole lot of logistical things behind the scenes with a destination wedding. You need a good planner to make it happen and will help you with the right connections for everything you want your day to be.
She or he will advise you on any legal requirements for getting married at your chosen location, offer guidelines for hiring vendors, help you with accommodation rates negotiations and much more. If your chosen destination is in a country where the natives are non-English speakers, then a bilingual is more recommended to facilitate the entire process.
7. Create a Wedding Website
Presumably, you have guests from all over the world. A wedding website that shares useful information makes saves you much stress. This is a place for you to provide details regarding any pre- or post-wedding events. Include the wedding planner’s information here along with any other travel tips as well.
8. Get Married (Legally)
The legality of the marriage is also a detail the couple should plan.
Get all the legal requirements that go with the wedding to ensure that you are not on the other side of the law. As far as local marriages requirements are concerned, you can always consult with the local venue for guidance.
9. Celebrate Your Big Day
Aside from post-wedding honeymoon getaway gorgeous experiences, a destination wedding is always a great way for both families and friends to come together in jubilation. Ensure that you factor in luxurious packages for you and your guests to spur memories of your great day. How about an all-Inclusive resort in Negril, Jamaica?
A destination wedding is a host of unique experiences which comes with tiresome planning, but it’s well worth it! So enjoy your destination wedding by following these tips. Oh, and don’t forget to share some decent pics!
I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t visit the venue beforehand… maybe these people are too trusting lol. I agree having a wedding planner is great, just make sure they’re easily accessible and respond in a timely manner. We hired one and she just disappeared for two weeks, so we fired her. Luckily, we had only given her a small deposit and didn’t pay in full upfront. She was a friend of a friend, so be mindful that even if someone you know personally recommends someone, check up on them and do your homework- we did not do this.
I love the idea of a destination wedding. I also love the photo you posted at the top with the pink flowers against the blue sky – SO pretty! Bookmarking this for my inspiration page 🙂
@Kelsey S. That’s awful that happened to you! I guess it’s good to read reviews beforehand, even if it is a friend of a friend.
Kelsey – Something similar happened to us too. For me, I’m going to do it all myself, but my sister in law is helping out too. I think unless you have a giant wedding, it’s possible to do it yourself with a little help from a friend or family member, perhaps even multiple friends or family members, just assign a task, but make sure to do something nice for them in return 🙂 I’m going to buy my sis in law a day pass at a nice spa.
Wedding, that’s so awesome! So much fun! I thought. I decided that I would organize my own wedding. The idea was very inspiring. But it didn’t last as long as I wanted it to. I wasn’t having fun anymore. Was chaos in my head and actions. So I started to search for useful information. Found “9 Tips To Plan a Successful Destination Wedding”. That’s super!
I always loved the idea of having a destination wedding, and after reading your blog I got some idea on how to plan and organize weddings. Thank you for sharing wonderful tips, they are very helpful.