How to Plan a Destination Wedding
Destination and multi-day weddings are all the rage. But how do you actually plan one? There are lots of logistics and choices (like, the whole world…) to consider, so let us talk you through the first few phases of planning a destination wedding. Once you’ve made these choices, the hardest part is over!
Consider Your Guest List
When picking your wedding location, it’s important to think about where your VIP guests are located and how willing they are to travel. If all family members live in the northeastern United States, asking everyone to travel to Bali might be a harder sell. If both of your families and friends are spread out across the country and world, however, the wedding will be destination for many of them no matter what, and you’ll have more options.
While you’re figuring out potential locations, you can also poll your VIPs on dates and seasons to come up with weeks that everyone will be available to travel.
Pick the Location
The hardest part: deciding the location!
One easy way to narrow down your destination search is to choose somewhere that is significant to you and your partner: your first vacation together, where you got engaged, where one’s family is from, somewhere you’ve always talked about traveling to together, etc.
You’ll also want to consider the climate. Have you always pictured a beach climate? Summer in the mountains? Snow and skiing? Once you know what sort of vibe you’d like for the weekend, you can limit the search even more.
Lastly, keep in mind that many of your guests will be there for days before and after the actual event, so whatever location you choose should be accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Choosing a venue that is hours from the airport in the Italian countryside is beautiful, but your guests will have higher expectations for arranged transportation, lodging, etc. If you get married in an all-inclusive resort that is close to an airport, however, most important considerations are taken care of.
Pick Your Wedding Planner
Having a wedding planner for a destination wedding is pretty much a non-negotiable. You’ll need someone familiar with the location of your wedding, who knows reliable vendors, pricing and customs. As an added bonus, their team can visit venues for you.
Once you have your location choices narrowed down to your top 2-3, we recommend starting your planner search. This will help you make your final decision on which destination is most realistic, comfortable, and convenient within your budget and expectations.
Choose Your Venue
Now that you’ve chosen your destination and wedding planner, it’s time to pick the venue. It’s not necessary to visit the venues in person if it’s not feasible in your schedule and budget; that is why you hire a planner you trust!
If you do want to visit your venues in person, it’s important to take note of two things specifically:
How accessible are these venues for guests? Will guests be able to pay for the transportation there on their own, or is that something you’ll need to cover? Is the journey to the venue long or short? Are there lots of hotels and accommodation nearby?
Are they able to host more than one event for the wedding weekend? We strongly recommend planning at least a two-day weekend to make the trip worth it for your guests who are traveling far for this. The venue ideally should be able to host more than just the wedding itself: a welcome party, next-day brunch, or a pool party are all popular wedding weekend events.
Pro tip: If you do your venue search in person, we recommend scheduling a hair and makeup trial and your engagement shoot while you’re there. This gives you the chance to practice-run your wedding look in that climate and get to know a photographer.
Let Your Planner Work Their Magic!
Once you’ve made these decisions, the hardest choices are made! Your planner will help you with all other vendors and bringing the wedding weekend to life.
Photos by A Fist Full of Bolts, Chaz Cruz Photographers, Dottie Morris Photography, Kendall Rae Photography, & Trent Bailey Studio.
