Are you planning a destination wedding? Travel in general is hectic, but when traveling for a wedding it can be daunting. If you miss something like your wedding favors at home then it probably will have to be left out of the wedding if it is taking place in a faraway destination. With that said we have some tips to very carefully plan a destination wedding so that nothing will be left behind or forgotten.
- First, do your weather research because you don’t want your beautiful wedding on the beach turning into a hurricane. When you are selecting your destination make sure the weather is exactly what you want it to be for the time of year you will be traveling.
- Once you have selected your destination make sure you have the marriage laws of the country all figured out and start working on how to meet all the requirements. This should be done before the invitations go out because you want to be certain that your wedding officiate will actually be able to perform the ceremony on your wedding day. Otherwise you will have a big mess on your hands if you have to change destinations because of the laws the country. Work with your destination wedding venue to figure this out. Many resorts have a planner that will do the grunt work for you and have your licenses ready upon your arrival.
- Once the first two particulars are in order, get your travel matters down in advance. You don’t want to discover two days before departure that your passport has expired. Make sure your passports, tickets, hotel reservations are all in order in advance. Early resort bookings are important because you don’t want to end up in a second choice resort or get bumped down when you are going for a special occasion such as tying the knot.
- Be considerate to your guests. Send out Save the Dates in advance to give them plenty of time to prepare for a trip. Also make sure to send out details with your invitations. Your guests should be given several airline options, hotel options, directions and travel itineraries. You don’t want to find out the night before your wedding that grandma is lost. So, make sure to offer all the necessary assistance to your guests. A nice gesture would be to offer activities and things to do during their stay and welcome baskets would also be great. You can include in the baskets things that are useful to the location, such as sunscreen, slippers, or for winter locations – packs of tea, coffee, hot chocolate and scarves and lip balm. Online shops such as Chic Wedding Favors.com offer plenty of ideas for gifts and favors when it comes to destination weddings and you can have the items shipped directly to your destination.
- Plan in advance and pace yourself. Start planning early so your choices are not limited because destination weddings are usually booked 18 months in advance. Early planning will help you check off everything on your wedding planning list and make sure you have arranged for everything to be at your destination for your wedding day.
