Helpful Tips For Planning A Destination Wedding
The concept of a destination wedding is certainly fun and exciting, especially since it ties together the appeal of your fairytale wedding day with a vacation all in one!
Planning a destination wedding, selecting the best location and determining the right venue for your affair can be challenging though, especially if you don't know where to begin with the process.
So where do you begin if you are thinking about having a destination wedding?
Consider the cost of travel and accommodations. When planning a destination wedding, you must be mindful of the costs involved. Asking people to travel to your wedding location will involve fees that would not necessarily be present if you had a local wedding. The costs associated with getting to your destination (airfare, rental cars etc.) along with hotel accommodations can really add up.
Hotel availability. Be sure to confirm that a hotel in the area (or the hotel where you are having the wedding) has the ability to accommodate your guests and can block out rooms for your wedding date. You must be certain that your guests will have a place to stay!
Be mindful of the travel time. How far away is your destination? How many hours are you asking people to travel? It's possible that some guests may only have the weekend available to devote to your destination wedding so if lengthy travel plans are necessary, they may not be able to attend.
Consider the time of year. Be mindful of the holiday seasons as well as the climate because both can affect getting to your destination wedding. A destination wedding in the winter may see travel delays/cancellations due to snow storms while certain times of the year may see hurricane season interfere at your wedding destination venue. Also, consider the fact that the December holiday season is a very popular travel time and may negatively affect your own travel and the availability of friends and relatives.
Once you have the location of your destination wedding determined, do as much research as you can before traveling to visit the venues and eventually, signing the contract. Narrow down your venue choices, make the phone calls in advance, get as much information as you can regarding price, accommodations and details so that you are best equipped to make informed decisions.
And of course, know your budget and have a rough guest list formed before making any big decisions. Your budget and guest list are critical components in helping you determine all details in the planning process, be it a destination wedding or local affair.
