Destination weddings have increased in popularity the last few years. If you are considering getting married in a different state or country, we have our Top 10 Tips:

1. VET YOUR WEDDING DESTINATION

We can’t stress this enough. Outside of the sentimental value your desired location may have, be sure to do some research. Will your destination have the capacity for your desired guest count? How about accommodations for your needs, as well as those of your guests? Will your location have accessibility to local vendors, or will they need to be flown in? Remember, the more remote the location, the more challenges and/or limitations you may have with your vendor selection.

2. HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER

We CANNOT stress this enough. Seriously, hire a wedding planner! Many resorts offer “wedding coordinators”, but beware, as the venue coordinator is NOT the same as a Destination Wedding Planner.

Two type of Destination Wedding Planners exist, the Local Wedding Planner and a general Destination Wedding Planner. You may be asking, “what’s the difference?” The local wedding planner resides in the local region of your desired location, while a general destination wedding planner, may live in your local region. Either way, you can’t go wrong, you just need to determine what is most important to you, someone who is locally accessible to you, or locally accessible to your destination. We strongly encourage you to do your research to ensure your planner can handle your event, understands your destination location and has relationships and resources when planning your wedding.

3. NOTIFY YOUR GUESTS ASAP

Ensure you are giving your guests plenty of time to make travel arrangements, especially if you have a short engagement period. If you plan on a long engagement period, sending out Save the Dates [we recommend 8-1 2 months in advance] will allow your guests plenty of time to make arrangements with work and book their flights. For shorter engagements, Save the Dates are not ideal, so be sure to send out your wedding invitations 3-4 months in advance!

4. HIRE A TRAVEL SPECIALIST

Not to be confused with a wedding planner, your travel specialist/agent will assist you and more importantly, your guests with all the travel arrangements! Trust me, this is not a job you want to handle yourself, as every guest will be calling about all the travel details. Let your travel specialist handle all the travel details, including transport/shuttle logistics, excursions and additional travel concierge needs!

5. NOTIFY YOUR GUESTS ASAP

Ensure you are giving your guests plenty of time to make travel arrangements, especially if you have a short engagement period. If you plan on a long engagement period, sending out Save the Dates [we recommend 8-1 2 months in advance] will allow your guests plenty of time to make arrangements with work and book their flights. For shorter engagements, Save the Dates are not ideal, so be sure to send out your wedding invitations 3-4 months in advance!

Stay tuned for Part II of our series for Destination Weddings!