5 Tips to Effortlessly Plan Your Dream Destination Wedding
I cannot believe my wedding is just a few months away! We were planning slowly at first, but things have suddenly picked up since we are getting closer to crunch time. Two of the questions I get asked most frequently about wedding planning are how to manage it and if I’m stressed. Wedding planning can be intense, but there are just a few things you need to keep in mind to manage it with ease. Having a destination wedding has its own set of things to consider and some unique pros and cons. Keep reading for my tips on how to plan your dream wedding without going insane!
Reasons to Have a Destination Wedding
First of all, let’s go over some of the pros and cons of a destination wedding. We all know weddings are expensive and figuring out how to pay for a wedding can be a nightmare! How much does a wedding cost? It really depends largely on location, number of guests, time of year, and the couple’s individual tastes. Having a destination wedding can be much more cost-efficient than a wedding in your or the groom’s hometown, especially if you live in a major city. The average cost of a wedding in NYC is almost $80,000!
Who pays for the wedding is another big debate, but in any case, that is a huge sum of money to spend on a single day. The decision to have a destination wedding came naturally for my fiancé and I. Even though we are both from New York, there was no way we could justify spending that kind of money. The costs were higher at every level, and we would have had a much bigger guest list. Neither one of us wanted to compromise on style or taste, so we chose a location that reflected what we wanted as a couple and that we could afford.
Having a destination wedding also sets you up to have a honeymoon right after the nuptials! Pick a place that is in close proximity to the location you choose to make travel a breeze. It also almost guarantees that you will give your guests an experience to remember and an excuse to plan a much-needed vacation around your wedding day.
The main drawback of a destination wedding is the travel and expense required for your guests to attend. That can be prohibitive for a lot of people depending on the location you choose. However, that is part of the reason the couple tends to save money on wedding planning – your guest list will naturally be smaller.
Planning a destination wedding will also be harder for you if you tend to be a control freak. You may be able to take one planning trip, but can’t be as hands on as you would be if you were planning a wedding in your city. You will need a full-service planner (most venues provide one) and you need to trust and rely on that person.
If you are deciding whether or not to have a destination wedding, consider the cost, ease of travel to that location, and what your dream wedding really looks like before you commit! And if you decide you are ready to move forward with your dream destination wedding, take note of these tips!
Choose a Location and Timing Carefully
The first step to kicking off your wedding planning is firming up a time and location. Remember to do thorough research on the potential city – everything from weather conditions to any popular fairs or festivals that may be going on around your wedding. Major events will affect travel costs and hotel availability so keep that in mind. Beyond the logistics, think about places that may be significant to you or your fiancé, or that are just amazing places to travel. Beach destinations in the Caribbean or Mexico are always popular, but if you aren’t a beach bride there are plenty of ways to find a location that fits your style.
I’m not revealing much about our destination yet but the decision was pretty easy to make and reflects both of our style and sensibilities. If you are a foodie or wine lover, think about destinations that are known for their food culture or are on a vineyard. Did you have an amazing couple’s trip to Europe? Why not pick one of your favorite cities and host an intimate weekend celebration there?
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
As I mentioned earlier, having a destination wedding will require you to give up a certain amount of control. You won’t be able to have regular meetings with your planner or pop into your venue for a visit on a whim. You won’t get to see and feel every linen, plate or piece of silverware in person until you arrive on site for the wedding. I was lucky enough to get to visit my venue twice, but I still didn’t get time to meet with all my vendors in person! The first visit was a 2 day stop in the city while on a larger vacation. At that point we weren’t even engaged so I wasn’t seriously wedding planning. But we knew that we would eventually get married there so I decided to be proactive and spend an afternoon touring venues. I was glad I did because we got engaged about a month after that! Then we decided to plan a winter vacation and squeeze in a day of wedding planning. We knew it was our only chance to make progress choosing vendors, so had a 24 hour marathon of makeup trials, tastings, and setup planning.
While you won’t be able to micromanage everything about your destination wedding, make the time and save up to take at least one planning trip. That will make sure the big, important things are in place the way you need them to be. But after that be prepared to be flexible and not go crazy over the details. Planning a wedding from a thousand miles away is a challenge ad you need to be able to trust your planners on the ground and go with the flow!
Consider Your Guests
Yes, it is your day, but you need to be considerate of the people that love you and want to celebrate with you! I know of a couple that hosted a destination wedding in a mountain area that was a 3-hour drive from the nearest airport and only had luxury hotels or campsites for nearby accommodations. They may have secretly been trying to discourage guests from making the trip! While you may have your heart set on a dreamy, far-flung destination, if it’s important for you to have your loved ones attend keep them in mind! Of course, this doesn’t apply to you if your dream wedding is just a handful of people in a private ceremony. But if you want to be surrounded by friends and family, especially people in your life that may be elderly, keep them in mind throughout your planning process.
Considering the comfort of your wedding guests doesn’t stop at the location! Create a thoughtful welcome bag that fits the theme of your location. Stock up on useful favors like sunglasses and fans for a summer wedding or pashminas if it might be chilly. If your venue doesn’t have on-site accommodations for everyone, arrange a shuttle bus to pick up and drop off the night of the wedding. You want your guests to be able to have fun and enjoy the party and not worry about having to drive back late. They traveled a long way at great expense to celebrate with you, so make it worth their while!
Don’t forget the legal marriage requirements
If you are getting married in a different country, make sure you are really married! Research the legal marriage requirements and complete all the necessary steps and paperwork in advance to make sure your marriage is legally binding. If you don’t want to bother or would rather be bound to a more familiar legal system, have a small courthouse wedding in your home town. It’s a fairly simple process and can be done a few days or even months before your destination wedding. You can also make that an opportunity to have a mini celebration with friends or family that won’t be able to attend your destination wedding.
Don’t Forget to Have Fun!
Yes, wedding planning can be stressful, especially when it’s a destination wedding! Don’t spend all your time stressing over how to plan a wedding, how to be a wedding planner and keep your day job, and all of the things that can go wrong. Focus on how lucky you are to have found love and be able to celebrate it! Be decisive, don’t second guess yourself, and get off Pinterest! Your wedding should be one of the happiest days of your life and the months leading up to it should be nothing but fun. Yes, there is a lot to do and people will be incredibly annoying. But at the end of the day it’s a celebration of you and your partner and the love and happiness is all that matters!
Hope these tips help on your wedding planning adventure! And stay tuned to the blog and my Instagram for more of the details on my big day! I’ll be revealing more about the location, the theme, and of course THE DRESS!
