The Points Guy
Destination weddings are the ideal way to have an intimate ceremony with those you love the most. However, planning one can be difficult. Between the distance and the scheduling, there are a lot of details that can easily be forgotten or overlooked. Follow this guide to help you plan the perfect destination wedding.
Choosing the Spot and Time
The first decision you need to make is where you will get married. This decision will affect the rest of your planning and how you move forward. Whether you are considering a cruise to St Thomas for your dream beach wedding, or Europe for castle nuptials; think carefully about what scenery you want as the setting for the big day. Before you settle on your site, be sure to consider the season and date. You don’t want to schedule a beach wedding in the rainy season. Once you have factored in the location and the season, you are ready to continue planning your wedding.
Selecting a Planner
Now that you know where and when you need to decide who is going to be your right hand in planning. To help choose your wedding planner, you should have a series of questions prepared. These should include asking them important questions about the wedding date and their current workload. You don’t want someone who is overcommitted and unable to give you the attention you’ll need. Then make sure you and your partner are comfortable with this person. Both of you need to trust this person to help you make decisions. Finally, make sure to review the scope of work required, so everyone is on the same page from day one.
Scheduling Your Party
When you choose to do a destination wedding, you need to plan further in advance. This includes getting the save the dates in the mail as soon as possible. Talk with your wedding party about the location and estimated costs from day one. This will help them plan their budget, and you can avoid future headaches from members claiming not to have known. Finally, be sure to work with your venue to choose hotels that can create booking packages to help keep costs lower for everyone attending. From your wedding party to your guests, they will need to plan for the affair and early notification will give them all the time they need.
Factoring the Expenses
Destination weddings have a reputation for being more expensive than their counterparts. This is not always the case, but you need to plan it carefully. To help you set your budget, go through all your expected expenses, including the hotel for your stay, any vendors that need to be flown in, legal fees, and your flights. Your guests should have already RSVP’d by a set date. Remember that destination weddings are typically smaller, helping to save on overall costs. It is easy to get caught up in ideas of what to add or change details, especially with destination weddings. However, if you have your budget set from the beginning, you can avoid any surprise expense.
Double Check Everything
It may be your worst nightmare, showing up to your wedding only to find you did not get the right paperwork done, and you can’t get married. Before you settle on your dream wedding location, review the legal requirements of the location. Check for processing times for the forms as well. This may require you to hire a lawyer, especially in countries where you don’t speak the language. Additionally, before you board your flight, go through your wedding checklist and make sure you have dotted your I’s and crossed your t’s. Then once you arrive at your wedding site, the only thing on your mind will be celebrating your love with your new life partner.
Your wedding is about you and your partner starting your new life together. No matter where you choose to get married, congratulations on your pending nuptials.
