With destination weddings becoming more and more popular, we’ve decided to take a closer look at some of the factors you might want to consider when making this decision. There are some things to consider when choosing to do a destination wedding… like anything else, there are pros and cons and the right answer for you is a personal one.
Here are some major differences we ask our clients to consider before choosing either or option!
1. Guest Count
The biggest difference will be your guest count. Although a destination wedding might sound more appealing, you can certainly expect less of your invites to RSVP “yes” out of simply being unable to accommodate the travel plans.
2. The Itinerary
Local weddings are expected to be one day. Though some bride and grooms will include a dinner the evening before, they are not expected to host their guests for an entire weekend. However, when you ask your guests to travel for your wedding, the appropriate schedule changes and their entire trip becomes your responsibility. Destination weddings typically include welcome cocktails with passed appetizers on the first evening, a dinner on the second night, the wedding on the third night and a goodbye brunch on the last day.
3. The Planning
Due to the distance, destination couples are confronted with having to book all of their appointments in the span of just a few short days. Unlike local wedding couples, who get to leisurely check out their florist, have a cake tasting, stop by furniture rental warehouses, etc… destination couples will have to stack all of these decisions during the one or two visits they take down to their destination before the actual wedding. A lot of the planning will be handled digitally and over the phone rather than being able to pop in and actually check out your vendors.
4. The Decor
Some are very lucky to live in an aesthetically beautiful area where they can marry locally and barely have to add a design element to wow their guests. But for some, they chose a destination wedding specifically to have a more beautiful surrounding. Resting on your surroundings allows the bride and groom to cut costs from their decor budget and either save money or reallocate the funds to further enhancing their guests experience.