Happy Friday!
I've been wanting to do a feature about destination weddings for a while now as I realise that a large chunk of you lovely readers are planning weddings abroad. Which is super exciting and jealousy inducing but not without it's challenges.
My best friend got married in Thailand last year and it was AMAZING. (Yes, it deserves all caps. See.) However, I watched her deal with a whole host of planning issues that I didn't even have to consider for my own, London wedding, from navigating the language/cultural barrier to arranging a week's worth of activities for guests.
via Jet Fete
So I'm thrilled to welcome real bride and blogger, Jill, of A Bride's Wedding Guide, to share her personal perspective on planning a destination wedding. She's currently in the midst of planning her Costa Rica wedding and is taking her readers along for the ride.
It's sure to be all kinds of awesome!
A Destination Bride's Top 5 Tips For Planning The Perfect Destination Wedding
This one goes out to all my fellow destination brides * insert lame attempt at a gangster rap hand gesture* who know just how tricky planning a destination wedding can get. Especially when you don't speak the local language.
So to help all my sistahs out, here are my top 5 destination wedding tips to help make your planning process a little easier.
Sweet Little Photographs via Bridal Musings ~ see the full beachy chic, travel inspired wedding here.
Choosing The Right Destination Location
While I'm sure we would all love to get married on a remote beach in the middle of the South Pacific with a venue solely dedicated to our endless love and happiness, your guests might not be so thrilled with the amount of travel time that requires.
Take your guests into account when choosing your destination and they will be more than happy to celebrate your wedded bliss.
Kate Webber via Style Me Pretty | David Pullum via Bridal Musings ~ see the full Austrian wedding.
Picking The Perfect Venue
The beauty of hosting a destination wedding is, girlfriend, you've got options. And lots of them! Nearly every resort or hotel in destination countries offers different wedding packages to suit your needs and number of guests, making your planning process that much easier.
But if you are one of those brides, like me, who doesn't want the traditional resort wedding you can always source out other venues such as private residences, restaurants or a boutique hotel. These options are usually best if you really want to customize your wedding to your tastes and usually aren't that different in price.
via La Belle Bride
Hire Some Help
I know that a lot of us bridal babes want to plan our weddings ourselves but when you are dealing with a destination where you may not know the lay of the land, the language, the best venues, or even the best areas in the country, it is usually best to hire a wedding planner.
Hiring a local wedding planner is one of the best things I did for my wedding as not only does she speak the language but she has pre-existing relationships with different vendors and venues, making my job a whole lot easier.
Sarah Yates via Style Me Pretty | Sweet Little Photographs via Bridal Musings ~ see the full wedding here.
Insuring Your Day Is Perfect
Yes ladies I said insuring. When I first started planning my wedding I never even considered wedding insurance, but sure enough, it exists!
When you insure your wedding you are ensuring that you are covered against unexpected happenings such as severe weather ruining your day, your chosen venue going out of business, your vendors failing to show up, sudden illness, or even a tipsy guest spilling their red wine down your beautiful dress.
And while it may not be the most romantic purchase you will make, it may just be the smartest.
via Lin and Jirsa
Your I Do To-Do List
Even though the beauty of hosting a destination wedding usually means you don't have to do much for it, there are still some things you have to sort out on your end. I have found it to be incredibly helpful to create an I Do to-do list to make sure I keep track of all the elements I am responsible for in order to make sure the day flows smoothly.
Essentially, I use my I Do to-do list to give me some peace of mind and keep my inner control freak at bay. So far it's been great for me, and my fiance is still planning on meeting me at the alter, so it must be working!
Studio 1208 via Bridal Musings ~ see the full Puerto Rico destination wedding here.
No matter which destination you choose, if you keep these 5 simple tips in mind you should have no problems planning the wedding of your dreams.
About the author: Jill is the chief bridal blogging babe for A Bride's Wedding Guide where she blogs and vlogs about all things wedding, including unique destination wedding invitations.
Thanks so much to Jill for sharing these brilliant tips, now it's over to you ~ we'd love to hear your thoughts on destination weddings.
Are you planning a destination wedding? Do you have any top tips to add?
