How do you choose a place for a Destination Wedding?
The best place for a destination wedding is a location that has a beauty that inspires you. You’ll want to choose a location that speaks to you as a couple and the life you are planning together.
Choose What Your Heart Wants
When you choose a wedding in a different locale, you can choose to stand on the beach in Jamaica, or against red mountain backdrop in St. George, Utah, or at a luxury villa in Spain. If you’re into rustic romance, a mountain backdrop would be perfect for you so it would make sense to hold it in St. George, Utah. If you’re a wine lover, a trip to Italy or Spain would make perfect sense. A beach lover can find sandy beaches in many locales from California to Hawaii to Seychelles.
Make A Planning Trip
It’s vital that you scout the destination in advance. You’ll want to plan at least one trip before the wedding to scout the area, pick a hotel for you and guests, lock down the wedding and reception venue and talk to locals. The suppliers should be contacted in person if possible. You’ll want to meet them, shake their hand and ensure that you trust them with your wedding details. While that can be done by phone or video calls by computer, there’s nothing like talking to a potential vendor in person to gauge whether they’d be a good fit. If you spend time at the destination and can’t find a suitable photographer or event planner, you could bring one from home. You’ll have to factor in travel expenses and hotel accommodations for your vendors too.
The Right Time to Wed
The destination you choose, may depend on the time of year you want to get married. If you have your heart set on marrying in a tropical climate, make sure you’re considering when the high season is for tourists and travellers. You’ll have more crowds to contend with, fewer reservations available for hotels and planes, and higher prices to pay for services. While you might not want to visit during off-season, since the weather might not be the best, you can find the time right after or before high tourist season will still have great weather. The prices will be plummeting during that time too. After considering your options, if you still decide you want to head to a popular locale during the tourist season, make sure you book at least a year in advance.
Talking to Your Closest Friends and Family
You’ll want to make sure that the people who are most important to you can travel to the destination you choose. Before you ask your best friend or cousin to be in your wedding party, make sure they know about the place you’re holding the wedding. It requires advance planning, money for plane tickets, hotel rooms and a passport. You’ll want to give them enough time to plan for vacation from work, if needed. After talking to close friends and family, make sure you send save-the-date cards to the guests with all the information they’ll need to prepare. It should have hotel information, the airport with flights and the wedding and reception information. The cards should be sent months in advance of the wedding.
The Law of the Land
If you are planning to travel outside of the U.S. to get married, you need to make extra preparation. There are many complicated laws in other countries about marriage. In some countries, you have to be a resident for a certain length of time before you can legally wed. In a few countries, it’s a short 24 hours, while in other countries it can be close to a month. They also have requirements regarding witnesses, license applications, blood tests and proof of immunizations. Before you leave for your wedding, ensure that you have all the documents that you’ll need, and that you arrive in advance of your guests to obtain the resident status required. Many wedding destinations are familiar with the requirements and will walk you through the process. Alternatively, you can make plans in advance to legalize your marriage when you return to the U.S.
Be Flexible
There are hiccups and snags in any wedding day. But when you do a destination wedding, you are guaranteed wonderful memories: you are with the love of your life in an amazingly beautiful place! This is why you want to choose a place that has meaning to you and your future spouse. When it comes to the details, you may want to enlist the help of someone can help you with event planning. You’ll have less to worry about and more time to enjoy.
Wedding Event Planner
It helps to have someone on hand for event planning who can oversee the ceremony and reception to ensure that everything flows smoothly. You don’t have to worry about what is going on with the music or food, or oversee the staff, the ushers or the guests. You can focus on getting dressed, having fun with your wedding party, and enjoying your day. Someone else can competently handle the flower arrangements, and make sure Uncle Joe made it to his seat. At some venues, there might be a consultant there to help with the planning during the day of the wedding. It can be a huge help since you should be enjoying the most important day of your life. Find out in advance if event planner services are included at the destination you select. If not, you might want to hire one for the day of the wedding.
Consider the Climate
When you’re choosing the destination, think about what everyone will wear. If you’re having your wedding in the winter in the mountains, a sheer, sleeveless dress for bridesmaids will give you a bridal party full of frozen women. Alternatively, have the men in tuxedos on the beach might create some grumpiness or even cause more than a few of them to pass out from heat exhaustion. Make sure you’re thinking about the climate when choosing the wedding dress as well as the attire of the wedding party. If you’re planning to walk down the aisle at the beach, high heels wouldn’t be appropriate. Considering these details about climate will help you plan successfully.
Our best tip is for you to start your event planning early. Don’t wait until the last minute. For a destination wedding, you might want to plan 16 to 18 months in advance in case you need to book hotels and venues ahead of a busy season. In general, weddings are full of tiny details that need to be planned and executed. Weddings at a far off location are magnified in that regard. If there’s a time to be super organized, it’s during the planning stages of a wedding in a far-off vacation spot.
If you are considering a destination wedding, naturally, we recommend the stunning backdrop of St. George, Utah! Southern Utah is a place where you can plan an outdoor wedding year-around. We are also an easy hour and a half drive, or shuttle ride, from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, NV.
St. George Events & Occasions has everything you need to customize your perfect celebration. We would love to help you plan your special day!