How to Plan a Destination Wedding

Plan it, pack it and go. That’s what more and more couples are doing nowadays in lieu of spending time and money on a wedding celebration and a honeymoon. With a destination wedding you can do both in one convenient location and, in many cases, end up with less time spent planning and more money left for the exotic honeymoon you always imagined.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Determine a destination you would like to have as your wedding site. This is a great choice for brides and grooms walking down the aisle for the second or third time, are now even couples getting married for the first time too. Do you want to ride a camel across the desert, exchanging vows underwater in Mauritius or devise a ceremony that involves rafts, snowmobiles, llamas, dogsleds or even helicopters, make a decision on what works for you and your groom and find the appropriate company online to contact for more details.
2. Find out if the place you choose to have your wedding will allow you one visit before your actual ceremony and ask about any hidden costs. Will the wedding coordinator take care of all the flowers, the cake, the photographer and other details?
3. Inquire about the cost of your rooms at the hotel you choose to have your destination wedding and also ask how many room discounts you will get for your out-of-town guests.
4. You will need a marriage license so find out what you need to send and make sure the wedding coordinator will handle that for you so it is ready when you arrive.
5. Ask about how many days or hours you need to be in the country before you can have the ceremony and buy your tickets with that timeframe in mind.
6. Buy your plane tickets well in advance of the trip so you can get a good price on the tickets.
7. Send out invitations several months in advance if possible letting those you would like to be in attendance know about the cost involved in getting to the destination and what the the room rates will be once they are there.
8. Make any final decisions with the wedding coordinator and be sure you know everything to expect once you arrive including if they can get you to and from the airport as part of the wedding package.

Tips & Warnings

• Another difference you will encounter when choosing a destination wedding is that everyone is in vacation mode. In a traditional wedding at least one family is in their home territory. With a destination wedding, families come together to celebrate the wedding while also having a chance to spend time doing fun things.
• Destination weddings are also a good way to get all your friends together in one place since nowadays so many people live around the country. For the guest, it is a perfect excuse to fly to for example, the Bahamas for the weekend, or even take a vacation.
• Remember, destination weddings are meant to be profound, but not necessarily solemn occasions. The weddings are about the guests having a good time and the couple remembering their special day for many years to come.
• Make sure you have the information you need about your wedding license and the amount of time you are required to be in a foreign country. If you don't see the destination before you arrive for the actual ceremony be sure and keep in close contact with the wedding coordinator in the days and weeks leading up to the event.