Planning Destination Weddings

You’ve gotten engaged (congrats!) and you’re starting on planning the wedding. You’ve decided to go with a destination wedding and gather your favorite people in a place where you’re going to marry the love of your life. It’s no surprise you want everything to go as smoothly as possible, so how can you go about making that happen with as little hassle as possible? Keep reading for some tips on how to start planning the destination wedding of your dreams.

Find Out the Marriage Rules
Finding out the marriage rules should be your number one priority after you decide where you want to have your destination wedding. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the locale where you want to get married has the same marriage rules as where you live. That might not be the case. Depending on the location, it may be harder for you to get married in a place where you don’t live and never have lived. Rules also change over time, so make sure the information you’re getting is up-to-date.

Check the Weather
Mother Nature does her own thing, so you’re going to have to take that into consideration when you’re planning your destination wedding. Also, keep in mind that – while the weather may be especially gorgeous during a particular time of year – others are thinking the same thing and they want to make reservations as well. On the flip side, if you’re thinking of booking during the off-season, some businesses close during that time, so you may be even more limited with your options. Right before peak season, during, or right after may be your best bet depending on the location, the weather, and what vendors you want to go with, but you’re going to have to do your bookings as far in advance as possible to beat out those who also want to make reservations.

Check Everything Out in Person
It’s not enough to just plan from afar, it’s best if you actually show up to the location and go from there. It’s even better if you can go a few times not only so you can see what your options are, but also so you can get some planning done in person, meet your vendors and see their work, and actually see what work and planning is being done so you can feel better about the entire process and know you’re getting your money’s worth.

Hire a Wedding Coordinator
The venue may have their own wedding coordinator which you should certainly consider using, but if they don’t, it can be a great idea to book your own. A good wedding coordinator could alleviate so many headaches for you and take away quite a bit of stress.

Research the Area
You should do as much research as you possibly can before booking or paying any money. For example, you’ll want to do your research on the area, when the best time is to have a destination wedding there, on the vendors and their work as well as what past customers have said, on the venue where you’re planning on having the wedding, etc. Even if a business comes highly recommended from a wedding coordinator or loved one, you should still look into it for yourself so you can feel confident you made the right choice.

Check on Flights
If your family and friends live in a major city or near one and have easy access to the location where you want to have your destination wedding, then there may not be a big problem with booking flights. However, flights to certain locales don’t always leave often or from every airport, so you’re going to want to look into that when you start your planning.

Whenever and wherever you want to have your destination wedding, it all comes down to who you’re going to see waiting for you at the end of the aisle. Of course, you want to get married in a perfect locale with all your family and friends there, but your soon-to-be spouse and your life together is what’s really going to make your wedding perfect.