In between brainstorming wedding venues, sharing your good news, and already navigating the family politics of an engaged person, you may find yourself fantasizing about a destination wedding. After all, wouldn’t it just make more sense to escape reality and transplant your big day into a location that is truly to die for? It’s a tempting thought. And you know we’d love to go somewhere exotic with our couples! But destination weddings are in a class all their own.
4 REASONS A DESTINATION WEDDING IS DEFINITELY FOR YOU!
1. You believe that spending time with your family & guests before and after your wedding day would be a bonus!
With most destination weddings, your friends and family stay at the same resort or hotel that you do. This means that the days leading up to your wedding, you’ll have people to grab late night drinks with, or spend some time at the pool together. This will also happen on the other side of your wedding day, though they may fly back sooner than you will. But if enjoying some newlywed quality time with more of your nearest and dearest than just your spouse sounds great, a destination wedding is perfect!
2. Travel is a shared value for your & your fiance.
Shared values are absolutely essential to a successful marriage. So, if travel is on your priorities list, start your marriage out by honoring that shared value. Pick a place that you’ve always wanted to go together, and make it the start of your new life together. This will bring you such peace in the planning, because you are planning a wedding that is in line with what you value as a couple. It’ll also make each subsequent trip another chapter in the legacy of your married life.
3. You’d love to be hands off and just show up to say “I do”
Ok, so maybe not totally hands off, but by and large, if you are someone who is all right with the venue handling many of the arrangements for you, this is a good option. Unless you have unlimited funds and vacation days, you probably aren’t going to get many chances to check in on preparations. So if casting a vision and trusting everyone to bring their A-game is in your wheelhouse, go for it!
4. You prefer scenic locations to elaborate decor
If instead of using the decor to bring the beauty, you’d prefer the location of your wedding to bring it’s natural beauty to bear, then a destination wedding is a great idea! There are so many stunning places around the world you could choose from. Stunning mountain ranges, tranquil beaches, romantic villas, all offer breathtaking views. Let these natural wonders provide the perfect backdrop for your wedding. Oh, and hire an excellent photographer to make sure these are captured stunningly! *cough cough*
4 REASONS A DESTINATION WEDDING IS DEFINITELY NOT FOR YOU!
1. Traveling gives you anxiety
Travel is something that everyone experiences differently. And if you are someone who experiences a lot of anxiety about traveling, then a destination wedding is something you can cross off your list. Your wedding day can already be an uphill battle against stress and anxiety for some people, why add to that?
2. The expense of travel causes you or your family hardship
This is a big one. If finances are tight for you or for those you couldn’t see getting married without, then stay local. Your wedding is about you and your fiancé tying the knot and celebrating your love with the people who matter most. So, make sure you can all be together.
3. You have a specific wedding team in mind and are considering an international destination
If you have a dream wedding team assembled in your mind, then an international destination wedding may not be ideal. Not everyone will have a passport or experience traveling outside the country, especially not with lots of gear that will have to clear customs. This opens possibilities for headaches you don’t want or even someone not being able to get there. If that is more risk than you can take, skip the international and stay stateside instead.
4. Planning a unique destination wedding can mean you have to be even more hands-on (and that sounds terrible)
If you opt to bring in your own vendors to make your wedding experience unique, you’ll have more work on your hands than if you were doing that locally. It’ll mean more video chats, lots of emails, tons of time surfing Pinterest, and may cause you to lose some of the magic of being engaged. A great wedding planner with experience in planning destination weddings is a MUST if you don’t want to find yourself completely bogged down with the nitty gritty details. If being this involved sounds awful, then do yourself a favor and ditch the destination wedding.
Whether at home or abroad, we’d love to preserve your memories for all time! Send us an inquiry form to talk through all the details!
