You have long dreamed of a destination wedding and now when it is around the corner, you are naturally excited. But hold on for a moment. Have you considered all the factors regarding a destination wedding? Though it seems extremely romantic and dreamy, if you are not prepared correctly, your celebration may turn into a disgusting experience. You will have to do a lot of homework regarding many important things, like accessibility of the destination, wedding dress preservation, reliability of vendors, and so on. Let’s see one by one.
Choosing the Destination
You should be very careful about choosing a correct destination. You are not going for a picnic, but to have the most important event of your life, and there will be many other people with you. Attractive images of azure oceans, green hills, colorful people and mouthwatering cuisine are not enough to prove that it is your dream destination for tying the knot. Four important points you should consider while choosing the place are accessibility, affordability, facilities and weather. After you choose the place with these things perfect, you can pay attention to the superb settings of beaches or mountains.
When Should the Guests be Informed?
Your guests will have to make all the travel arrangements if you are planning to tie the knot in a foreign country. So, ideally you should send save-the-dates at least 9 months before your event.
Checking Vendors’ Reliability
Most couples’ major concern is they can’t meet the vendors at the destination in person and so, can’t check their reliability. Here, you can rely upon references, which you can get from your hotel and the newlyweds who got married at the same location. You can also discuss about this in online forums and make an appeal to the newly married brides to help you out with this. If possible, call the vendors and ask them for contact details of their past clients. Ask these clients about the vendor’s service, professionalism, promptness, politeness, prices, etc. Once you book a vendor, tell them your expectations as clearly as you can; if possible, mail them photos to exemplify what you want, and save all the communication, so as to avoid any major dispute on or before your special day.
Expenses for the Wedding Party and Guests
By and large, guests should pay for their own air travel and hotel stay, whereas the wedding party should pay for the reception, activities they are hosting and transportation to and from the wedding venue.
Surprise Costs
An expert planner knows and will tell you that wherever you are getting married, surprise costs arise. If your wedding planner is a real pro, s/he will try the best to avoid them, but still some things pop up like costs for setup and cleanup, special permits, furniture rentals, as well as shipping and custom charges. Before finalizing any deal, ensure that your quotes count regular service charges and taxes.
Legality of the Marriage
Another major concern for couples getting married abroad is whether their marriage will be considered legal. Here you should know that every country has some or the other rules regarding marriages. E.g. in Mexico you need to do a blood test, whereas in the UK there is a 7-day residency restriction before you can tie the knot legally. So, you will have to do your research. And keep in mind that you can get a marriage license near your home and get it processed at the time of return.
Honeymoon
Many couples wish to start their honeymoon at their dreamy wedding destination right after the reception. But remember that your guests have come there just for you to become a part of your celebration. So, sending them off is a better thing to do. You may feel bewildered with a thought of escorting every guest to the airport, but you have a nice alternative to hold an informal goodbye event, like a post-wedding feast to thank guests for sharing your joy.
Taking Your Wedding Dress to the Destination
Most brides are stressed with a thought of whether their wedding dress will look fresh and unwrinkled till it reaches the destination. But you can take some care while carrying it there and you can be stress-free. Never check your wedding dress with the rest of your luggage. To avoid its spoilage or loss, pack it in a garment bag with a lot of packing of tissue and ask a flight attendant to hang it in the first-class cabinet.
Pristine Bridal Care
And if you are worried about the looks of your wedding dress after your destination wedding, you need not worry at all, as there is a very good service available named Pristine Bridal Care who make your dress look like the day you first wore it. So, enjoy your big day at the romantic place of your dreams without worrying about your wedding dress!
