Five Tips for Planning Your Destination Wedding

Where will you go? When will you go? Who is invited? What is your budget?
And what will you wear?!

With no end of romantic locations boasting picturesque mountaintops, scenic vineyards and white, sandy beaches, and the bonus of limited guests and nofrantic rush to the airport after your reception, it’s no wonder destination weddings are fast becoming a popular alternative to traditional weddings.

However, as romantic as it sounds, it’s not for the faint hearted. There are many more variables to consider if you are going to have your ceremony, reception and honeymoon away from home, yet in the company of people you know!

To make sure your wedding is one you will remember for all the right reasons, here are five tips to help you plan the perfect destination wedding…

1. Plan, prepare and price
These three ‘Ps’ are crucial for the success of your destination wedding and keeping your stress levels low. While there are many factors to consider under each ‘P’, none are more important than where will you go? When will you go? Who is invited? What is your budget? And what will you wear?!

2. Be sensitive to your invited guests
A destination wedding will mean you’ll need to consider the budgets and time constraints of loved ones, particularly parents. Their age, health, mobility and financial means need to be factored into the planning of your dream wedding.

Give your guests as much notice as possible so they can make plans to take time off and save (if needed) for airfares and accommodation. If you do have a number of family members and friends who can’t make it, you may want to consider having something more informal when you return so they can still feel part of your celebrations.

A sneak peak at our stunning Lara gown from the new 2014/15 Collection

3. Organise help on location
When planning a wedding it can be easy to think about the big things like the destination, venue, photographer and the dress. But with a destination wedding you also need to make sure the little things are addressed.

For this reason it pays to work out who will be available to help you prepare for your wedding at the destination. Will you have a Wedding Coordinator on location? Will you be able to call on the venue Event Coordinator? Will you have a friend or relative who will help you?

Also think about other factors that might impact your big day, like what cultural traditions and requirements you will you need to consider? Do you need special permission to marry in the place you want? Are there any big celebrations or festivals that may be happening at the same time and place that may impact your big day?

You may also want to arrive before guests in order to iron out any potential problems, get a good feel for what will happen when, and get to know the staff and surroundings before your wedding day.

4. Don’t forget the weather!
The timing and climate of your wedding needs to be considered carefully before booking your location and date. A little research on the climate and weather patterns during each season – particularly the wet season – will go a long way in the planning. What is your plan B if the weather is bad? Make sure the venue can cater for this, and that they can make a smooth change if necessary.

Nothing will spoil your wedding and honeymoon more than if you are threatened with severe weather and not prepared for it.

5. Make sure you have the right dress for your taste and location
Besides starting your future with the man you love, the wedding dress would have to be the most exciting part of planning your wedding. But when it comes to having a destination wedding you need to consider more than the designs you like and what looks good on you, you have to think about the weather and location of your wedding.

To make your wedding dress hunting a little easier, check out our tips to help you find the perfect destination wedding dress and transport your destination wedding dress.

Have you ever had or been to a destination wedding? What would your top planning tips be?

Copyright © 2014 Stokes Thompson. All Rights Reserved. Contact Stokes Thompson or phone +61 7 3369 5119. This article may not be used without the prior written consent from the author. See below for more details…