When planning your wedding, there is no shortage of arrangements to consider–guest list, floral decorations, open or closed bar and so on. So how do you begin to plan a destination wedding when it can be hundreds, even thousands, of miles from home? Although destination weddings have steadily grown in popularity for recent generations of newlyweds, it’s unlikely your parents had one, so getting close advice may be hard to come by.
However, below are some helpful tips to plan an amazing wedding out of town.
1. Provide Ample Notice
Unless you and your significant other prefer tying the knot alone, give your guests plenty of time to make appropriate arrangements–flights, hotels, time off–to attend. Save-the-date cards for a destination wedding should be mailed close to ten months in advance to avoid scheduling complications, and to give you and your guests plenty of time to plan.
2. Get Your Perks
A plethora of perks are available when groups, such as a wedding party, stay at a hotel or resort. In fact, many of them even offer wedding packages that cover everything from the cake to the entertainment, along with room discounts for guests. After the wedding, consider staying there for your honeymoon as well to score cheap rates on a nice suite. In addition to discounted accommodations, research airlines that provide discounted airfare for groups.
3. Keep Guests in Mind for Travel
Consider a destination that your guests can feasibly get to, both financially and physically. Not everyone can pay for a trip around the world, and your eighty-year-old grandmother may have trouble reaching a ceremony on the summit of Mt. Everest. However, if you would like to keep the number of guests to a minimum… the more exotic the location, the less people RSVP.
4. Indoor or Outdoor
Before deciding on a venue location for your destination wedding, first determine whether you want it indoors or outdoors. If you’ve chosen the latter, start researching beachfront locations or scenic areas that are full of natural splendor. For an indoor wedding, contemplate the downtown of a major city where you’ll be surrounded by attractions.
Cities are a great alternative if you’re not interested in saying your vows in a church. For example, an indoor wedding in Austin could be held at its centrally-located convention center or even one of its famous concert halls. I may, or may not, have had mine there. 
5. Buy/Rent Local
Hire vendors in the location of your destination wedding to save on the potential costs of shipping or traveling that you would incur hiring from your home town. This is also a precautionary procedure in the event something does go wrong, as a local vendor will readily have a Plan B unlike a vendor that traveled with limited supplies.
6. Consult with… Yourself
Many people hire a wedding consultant or wedding planner, but the truth is, if you’re doing a destination wedding there’s most likely venues and decorations you already have in mind. Most people plan destination weddings because it reminds them of a special time in their life, or means something to the bride or groom. There’s plenty of wedding consulting certifications you can get to not only help yourself, but help others (and prevent them from becoming bridezillas).
With the right planning you can have the perfect destination wedding, as well as the perfect vacation for your whole family. What plans made your destination wedding a success?
Julee R loves all things ‘wedding’. She recently had an indoor wedding in Austin and loves helping other people find their perfect destination- whether that be through airline research or consulting.
Authors bio is coming up shortly.
