Say ‘I Do’ in Style: How to Plan a Destination Wedding that will leave your guests speechless

We all love a bit of sun in our life don’t we and can you say you haven’t watched Mamma Mia without wanting to hop on a plane and get married in Greece?

Let’s see with a raise of ‘likes’ who has dreamt about having a destination wedding?

You’ve thought about it, and now you’re contemplating actually booking your amazing destination wedding. Let’s do this! First things first – the planning. Planning a destination wedding is an exciting and romantic experience, but it can leave you feeling a little overwhelmed. But don’t worry that’s where I come in. This guide will help you to plan your destination wedding. There are lots of details to consider, so let’s get your wedding planning sorted today. Soon enough you’ll be saying ‘I do’ in a beautiful warm destination.

Have you got an idea on a destination for your wedding yet? Maybe it could be a beach wedding in Hawaii or an epic adventure to the mountain tops of Norway. There are a few tips and tricks that can help you make the most of your wedding planning and your special day. Read on for some of the most important things to keep in mind when planning a destination wedding, including budgeting, guest accommodation and any local laws and regulations you may have to consider. 

So if you’re considering having a destination wedding and want to make it as epic as possible (as stress-free as possible too) carry on reading and planning your epic wedding adventure.

Let’s dive in and help plan your destination wedding …

What is a destination wedding?

Maybe this is all new to you and you’re not really all to sure what a destination wedding actually is. A destination wedding is a type of wedding in which the ceremony, reception or indeed, both take place at a location that is distant from the couple’s home or where they usually live. Destination weddings tend to involve travel for the couple and their friends and family to a specific location, often a beautiful, exotic or scenic spot. Pretty much one big epic adventure!

Does this sound like your thing?

When it comes to guest count for a destination wedding they are usually smaller and more intimate. Don’t think you can’t invite lots of friends and family you really can but it will involve a little more logistical work. This wedding is all about celebrating you two, no one else, so be true to who you are and then your closest friends and family will not want to miss the wedding of the year. Popular destination wedding locations include beach resorts, different countries, cliff/mountain top weddings and even historic sites. 

The main idea of a destination wedding is to celebrate the love you for each other in a unique way at a location you have only dreamt of saying I do in. Also it makes for the perfect excuse to have a holiday.

Tell Your Story

One of the best things about destination weddings is that they offer a unique opportunity to tell your love story in a new and exciting way. Use your destination as inspiration for your wedding theme and decor. For example, if you’re getting married in a tropical location, incorporate bright, bold colors and tropical flowers into your decor. Choose local cuisine for your menu and include cultural traditions in your ceremony.

Plan further in advance

You might find that you actually need to start planning a little bit further in advance if you want to jet off to a beautiful destination location for your wedding. This will give your guests a little more time to make the arrangements they need to do as well as making sure they have enough money to help you celebrate in style.  It’s not uncommon for guests to turn a destination wedding into a holiday for themselves and their family too so they will need time to plan this in and do any saving too.

You could be planning on paying for travel or accommodation costs for a small proportion of your guests or maybe all the guests and depending on the number of guests you have coming this can quickly add up to a very nice sum so you might need to take a little bit of extra time to save.

There’s going to be all of your usual wedding costs, the dress, suits, flowers, decoration etc. on top of any travel arrangements and accommodation so one of the first things to do is get on top of your wedding budget and decide what it is you can and cannot afford.

Legalities

Make sure that you do your research to understand any legal requirements so that your ceremony is still legally binding and results in a recognised marriage in your home country. Or if your aim is to have a more informal ‘celebration’ ceremony where friends and family are still involved but it isn’t a legally binding ceremony then don’t forget to cover off the legal requirements and relevant paperwork at home.

This doesn’t usually involve too much extra cost but it’s something you are definitely going to want to make sure is high up on your priority list to explore so that you know you’re legally recognised as married.

You can find lots of help from suppliers as well as many Facebook groups.

Smaller guest list

Typically, a destination wedding held abroad will lead to a smaller wedding guest list. This could be a blessing and could be one of the reasons why you are thinking about this style of wedding, but it can also be a little trickier as you try to figure out exactly whom it is you are going to invite. 

With is being a destination wedding not all of your guests will say yes. So don’t worry if they do say no; but maybe ask why, and see if there’s something that you can do to help them out.

Will you need a wedding planner?

If you are planning a destination wedding and plan on jetting off to an exotic location you might consider the use of a wedding planner – especially one who is based where you intend to get married. Many hotel resorts and popular wedding destinations will provide you with your own wedding planner, but if you are getting married somewhere more remote you may wish to hire your own wedding planner.

You may wish to hire somebody more local to where you want to get married but some couples hire in their own country and take the planner with them.  There are pros and cons to both so do some research.

Having eyes and ears on the ground, so to speak, can make planning your wedding a little easier. The wedding planner will know the standard do’s and don’ts of the country and you can find one with connections to other businesses and suppliers that you might need. 

Some resorts that host weddings will already have entire packages in place that you can choose from, and they may have a planner or dedicated liaison that you can work with to help ensure everything goes as planned.

A wedding planner will also be able to make recommendations of local suppliers they have already worked with and ones that can bring your vision to life. Your planner will aim to match suppliers with your vision on everything from music, flowers, photography and more.

Destination weddings are the best fit for couples who are ready to host and celebrate their wedding with their guests in a unique location. They can also be great for couples with friends and family spread out across the country or even world – if everyone must travel, why not make it somewhere you’re all excited to visit!

Whether you are travelling to Bali, the Bahamas or even Cornwall (Check out the best locations to get married in Cornwall here) – we hope we’ve filled you with some helpful knowledge and need to know details when planning a destination wedding.

How have you found this blog post – How To Plan A Destination Wedding? Has this got you thinking about having a destination wedding? Drop a message to me and tell me all about your destination wedding plans – Click here to drop me a message!