Planning a destination, as we are sure you have already discovered, is a lot of work. Not only do you have to do every bit of the planning that you would have to do had you decided to have your wedding in the town or city in which you live, but you also have to do all of this planning completely blind. Being unable to see the venue, the food, the flowers and more that you will be using on your big day is stressful. We’re sure you are also terrified that you are forgetting at least one small thing. To help alleviate some of your anxiety, we have made a list of some of the less asked questions we get from engaged couples regarding planning their destination wedding. Perhaps if you’ve forgotten to think about any of the following things, you can add them to your list now.
Having a sunset wedding
Many people plan to have their ceremonies at sunset without thinking about how this will effect the photos they are able to take after the wedding. If you have your ceremony right when the sun is going down, it will be dark by the time you and your new spouse are ready to take photos. This means that the rest of the photos taken in the night will be in the dark, which isn’t something that appeals to many people. With this said, we would suggest having the ceremony early enough so that you can have at least one hour of sunlight left in which you can take photos after you are officially wed.
Save-the-date and invitation sending
While you may have already picked out the perfect save-the-dates and invitations, you may not have thought about the different timing that is required with sending them since your wedding will be out of the country. While local wedding save-the-dates can go out as late as six months before the wedding, with a destination wedding, it is imperative that you give you guests at least nine months to plan their trip to your wedding, although we really encourage that you give them a year for best results.
Destination Wedding Guests
Many people worry that no guests will show up for their destination wedding. If you have friends who like to travel, there may be a good chance they will show up regardless of where your wedding is happening. On the other hand, if you are worried about the turnout, you may want to have your ceremony in an area that will be easier for people to afford and get to.
Getting married at an all-inclusive resort
We also are asked a lot if an all-inclusive resort is a good place to have the wedding and reception. The answer is, there are pros and cons, just like with any venue. An all-inclusive resort is nice because it gives the guests things to do during the days leading up to the wedding. On the other hand, if guests don’t stay at the resort, this can be a hassle. Guests will have to acquire day passes to even come to your ceremony and may feel left out of the fun.
