Tips to Plan a Destination Wedding

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Destination Wedding-Chispa MagazineThere is nothing more romantic and exciting than planning your wedding. Now add to it the excitement of doing it in an exotic locale! Once you have decided that you want to have a destination wedding, it is time to start planning the next steps to make the most important day of your life perfect.

However, no matter how thrilling it is to plan a destination wedding, it is never easy to do it miles away from home. Even the best of us may get overwhelmed with all the planning it requires. At the same time, a destination wedding also means that it will be a much intimate affair with a stunning backdrop of a cliff or a beach. By choosing the right destination, you can not only get a memorable wedding but also enjoy your honeymoon at the same place, saving you plenty of time on planning the latter.

But before any of this happens, you need to plan out some important details about the wedding. You can either do this from the scratch on your own or take one of the many destination wedding packages that will do everything for you.

You may choose a tropical wedding in the Caribbean or an island wedding in Bali. No matter where you tie the knot and who does the planning, consider the following tips to ensure that everything is organized flawlessly.

Choose the Right Location
When you are contemplating the locale for your destination wedding, it is important to ensure that it has all the resources to make your wedding a success. You should pick a practical location that has the right setting, is easily accessible, and has proper arrangements for guest accommodation.

Inform your Guests in Advance
Many planners will not tell you this because it is considered to be obvious, but many of us fail to inform the guests in time about the destination wedding. By giving them an advance notice, you can give plenty of time to your guests to plan their work schedule and budget for the upcoming wedding. Therefore, keeping them informed is a good practice.

Go Local
Discuss this with your wedding planner and tell them to incorporate the local flavor and natural setting into the wedding. This simple trick will help you save tons of money on the wedding décor. For example, if you are getting married in Tuscany, you can think of using grape vines or olive branches in your decoration or use exotic flowers if you are getting married in the tropics. Going local is an expert tip to save money and giving your guests an opportunity to embrace the destination’s culture. Serve local delicacies in the menu, check out local brews for liquor etc. By using this trick, you would be able to cut costs and make your destination wedding more flavorful!

Hire Professionals
When you hire a planner for your destination wedding planning, you can take the execution part out of your hands. The time you save by going back and forth on the phone can be used effectively for other purposes. Just remember to hire a professional who knows a thing or two about destination weddings. If hiring a wedding planner is too heavy on the budget, you can also consider booking a resort that offers an onsite coordination.

Check Out the Place in Advance
Your destination wedding venue may look stunning in the photos. However, you should visit the place and see it in person to avoid any rude shocks later. Book at least 3-4 months in advance so that you can find time to visit the location and finalize the details. If you think you will be unable to make the second trip, be sure to arrive at least a week ahead of your wedding to iron out the last-minute details.

Choose Local Vendors
When you go for your first site visit, use that as an opportunity to meet the vendors at your location such as florists, caterers etc. You can also ask for referrals onsite to find the perfect vendors for your special day. While you are at it, be sure to have a budget in mind. It is always better to work with local vendors to save costs. However, you can also bring in experts from home if you can wiggle them into your budget.

A destination wedding is all about embracing the local flavor. So be open-minded about it and incorporate as much of its exotic splendor as you can.

Photo by Álvaro CvG

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Debra Black Haynes

Debra Black Haynes

Associate Editor at Chispa Magazine
Debra Black Haynes loves to research companies and their founders, and how they are solving problems in our connected and conflicted world. Her interests include retail therapy and social entrepreneurship, but most of all, her keen eye is celebrated as our go-to travel girl who helps us visualize an experience without even being there.

Debra Black Haynes

Debra Black Haynes loves to research companies and their founders, and how they are solving problems in our connected and conflicted world. Her interests include retail therapy and social entrepreneurship, but most of all, her keen eye is celebrated as our go-to travel girl who helps us visualize an experience without even being there.