With the world finally opening back up, it’s an option to plan destination weddings again — yay! Planning even a small, intimate wedding can feel overwhelming, but throw in an international locale and all the details that go with it, and you can get some serious stress on your plate. Thankfully, there are things you can do to effectively prepare for your wedding a lot easier than you may think. Here are some ways to do just that!
Hire a Planner
If a destination wedding is in your budget, hiring an event coordinator or — even more specifically — a wedding planner is probably in your budget, as well. Hiring someone with years of experience and expertise in the wedding business will lift almost every detail off your plate and onto theirs. That’s what they’re there for!
Of course, you’ll be consulted on everything and give the final green light on decisions, but it’s a great feeling to communicate your vision and let your planner take it from there. So, if you were teetering on the decision on whether or not to go with a planner, just go ahead do it! You don’t regret it one bit.
Go Somewhere Familiar
Maybe you’ve always dreamed of getting married in Italy with beautiful seaside vistas, or perhaps it’s a beach in the Caribbean you’re envisioning. While it can be tempting to go somewhere that you’ve always dreamt of visiting but never gone, save that for the honeymoon. It’s better to go with a place you (and hopefully your fiance) have already traveled to together.
That way, you can have special memories to build on top of the old, but also, so you’re not trying to envision and book the event sight unseen. You may think you’d love it somewhere, but if you’ve never been there, how can you know? If money and budget are of no issue and you have your heart set on somewhere you’ve never been, it’s worth traveling there to scout out what you love and where you’d like to tie the knot.
Accommodations Are Critical
Since you’re going with a destination wedding, your guests will be traveling from far and wide somewhere they’ve likely never been, as well. You want to make sure you go with the best of the best when it comes to their accommodations. Do your research and hold several zoom or Skype sessions with the proprietors of potential locations. Since your guests need activities to fill their day, you want to make sure their hotel or Airbnb is close to all the action wherever you are getting married.
Additionally, they may be spending a lot of time in their rooms should there be bad weather. You want your wedding to be something that of course you’ll never forget, but your guests as well. So make sure you and your wedding planner nail down the perfect accommodations for not only you but your friends and loved ones coming to your wedding.
Pick the “Right” Right Hand
It’s easy to want to give your right-hand position for your wedding to your maid of honor or your best man, but sometimes they may not be the perfect person for the job. It’s totally fine to pick someone else as your “right hand” for your destination wedding. This person will make sure there’s no detail overlooked, like the ladies wedding bands will not get lost, or anything else you can see yourself worrying about. They’ll take care of it.
While your event planner and other members of your wedding party can take care of some of these things, it’s wise to have one person you can always touch base with. Have a conversation with the person you think would be best suited for the job and ask them. Chances are, they will be thrilled to help you out!
Getting married will easily be one of the most important and memorable days of your life, one you’ll never forget. Choosing the route of a destination wedding is an exciting upgrade to a traditional wedding plan. Don’t let yourself feel overwhelmed, and implement the tips mentioned earlier to help you feel more confident about the process. This is an exciting time, and you deserve to enjoy it! Congratulations and Bon Voyage!
