Destination Wedding Planning: Essential Tips for a Seamless Celebration
Whether you’ve always dreamed of a destination wedding or have only started considering it, destination wedding planning is an adventure. Weather conditions, gown transport, details, big day logistics… it’s a lot! But all can be handled in stride when considering these destination wedding planning tips.
Check the weather
Nothing is worse than dreaming about and starting to plan a destination wedding only to discover that it will be monsoon or hurricane season during the date you’ve settled on! Or that the extreme heat in the destination can be oppressive at that time of year. Never rely on luck! Just about every type of climate is available somewhere in the world year-round. So make sure to check which destinations are best to encompass your personal preferences!
Access to the Destination for Your Wedding
Many of us are lucky to require just a few maneuvers to get from one place to the next. Drive and park. Drive, park, and take a train. Call an Uber, get dropped off, take a plane, etc. It’s great if that’s all you require to arrive. But if you have to do any/all of the above (and maybe more) only to arrive and have another few hours of travel to get to the final destination, it’s pretty exhausting. Especially when you’re taking all your family and friends with you! So do your homework. If you decide the Maldives are a must-have, cross every “t” and dot every “i” so you and your beloved guests will enjoy a smooth experience.
Size matters
This is one of the destination wedding planning tips I’ve learned from lots of personal experience. Although I believe a bride should wear the dress she wants, sometimes location, location, and location applies even to these circumstances. Depending on the destination, several logistics must be considered when falling in love with your wedding gown. Visualize wearing a wedding dress with a ballroom skirt and long train in Venice, Italy. Imagine getting in and out of a gondola with that gown. Cumbersome, right? Or a sexy sheath or mermaid gown at a villa on the lake with 50 stone steps to the terrace. Tricky.
So consider these factors when choosing your perfect gown: transport (I never recommend shipping your dress or checking it in), size (how big is your gorgeous wedding gown?), practicality (will you want to drag your gown along a sandy beach, or shimmy up stone steps?).
Cuisine
Some sort of variety of cuisine can be found in most worldwide destinations. However, it adds to the authenticity if you host your destination wedding in a location where your tastes in food are part of the local culture and region. Italian cuisine is a favorite of ours, so we chose the Isle of Capri off the Amalfi Coast to host our destination wedding in Italy. If you like the variety of Arabic, Indian, Sri Lankan, and Oriental influences, the Maldives is a perfect destination. Authentic Mexican cuisine is quite different from what you’ll find in the USA, so consider that when celebrating a magical wedding in Mexico. Maybe think about a beautiful wedding in Thailand, Greece, Morocco, or Turkey, all destinations with some of the best cuisines on the planet. For more ideas, see Wedaways wedding destinations.
Discuss with the catering manager whether or not the venue(s) you’re considering will adhere to any potential strict dietary needs of your guests.
For more tips, read my article 7 Tips On Choosing Your Dream Destination Wedding Location ~ it should help you decide on the perfect destination and the best venue choice for you!
