Top 6 Destination Wedding Planning Tips

Planning a destination wedding includes anything from planning a wedding in your hometown while living across the country to planning out a full Caribbean wedding week celebration. The wedding planning process on its own can be pretty stressful, but doing it from a distance is a completely different experience.

The phrase ‘destination wedding’ can invoke some pretty strong feelings from brides, grooms, and their loved ones alike. At MH Event Productions, we love this phrase and it definitely doesn’t intimidate us. Here are our top six tips for planning a destination wedding!

Dream Big → Having your wedding out of town leaves room for some dreaming. Your destination can be anywhere! Whether that’s across the country in your hometown, on a beach in Hawaii or even out of the country, it’s a destination. Don’t be afraid to make it unique and memorable, the world is your playground!

Be Flexible → To stay within your budget while planning a destination wedding, you may want to be flexible with your wedding date. Keep in mind the time of year, whether it’ll be more expensive to fly there due to school breaks or holidays, as well as weather patterns, if travel will be pricey for your guests that time of year, and other events that may or may not be happening.

Do Your Research → Research the area, weather patterns, tourist seasons, local vendors, and customs. A wedding in Mexico during spring break may not be your vibe, but maybe you would like Caribbean nuptials during Carnival. If you’re getting married abroad, look into the legalities of obtaining a marriage license! You may need to take a trip to city hall before your big day.

Consider Your Guests → Destination weddings tend to be a bigger commitment of your guests’ finances and time than a typical wedding. It may not be possible for a large number of guests to attend a destination wedding, so give lots of notice! Destination weddings (or even microweddings) are a great choice for couples who are looking for something more intimate.

Be Willing to Host More Than One Event → If most of your guests are traveling a distance be prepared to host multiple events! It isn’t just an experience for you and your soon-to-be spouse, but for your guests as well. Plan on throwing multiple events in addition to the wedding. Maybe consider additional events such as a welcome dinner and a farewell brunch. Not every minute needs to be scheduled, but everyone should have fun!

Find Full Service Vendors → Full-service vendors will be your best friends when planning a destination event! Vendors who offer multiple services can help streamline your process when you’re planning from afar. MH Event Productions is a one-stop shop type of vendor offering event design, travel accommodations, the planning of additional events prior to the wedding, personal shopping and more.

Hope this helps and gets you in the right direction. Happy planning!

Your Lifestyle Planner,

-Jessica

Photo credits: Photographer-Tinge Photography, Florist- Wisteria Design Studio