How To Plan A Destination Wedding? 13 Helpful Tips

Planning a wedding is not for the faint-hearted, which holds even more weight when you opt for an intimate (or exuberant) destination wedding. Flying off abroad for your nuptials requires months of planning and coordination, but when done right, it can indeed translate into a memorable event not just for the couple but also for the guests. However, your to-do list can be unending (and stressful). But, with our tips, you can be sure to find the time and peace to enjoy your big day abroad to the fullest.

Here are the top 13 tips for planning the destination wedding of your dreams.

1. Choosing A Location

Choosing a location is probably the most exciting part of planning a destination wedding. You can go about this in a few ways: choose a nostalgic place where you holidayed once or a country you've wanted to cross off your bucket list.

Moreover, if it's vital to you that all your loved ones make it to your wedding, choose a location where they all will be able to attend. Keep in mind the flight hours for all your guests to ensure it will be easy for them to travel and make it to the wedding.

2. Pick A Budget

You also need to consider your budget when picking a location and if it has all the resources necessary for the wedding: think guest accommodation, child-friendliness, and general accessibility.

Choosing your budget early on helps you narrow down your location options. Moreover, you can figure out what kind of nuptials you can have with your money.

3. Research, Research, Research!

Researching different venue options is a MUST! But what is the best way to go about it?

Sure, you can look at different venue websites, but you can get more authentic takes from real people by searching on apps like TikTok and looking through Google reviews.

Through Google reviews, you will not only get an idea of how the resort looks, but you will also find out if they have good food and how well the staff works with deadlines and under pressure. This gives you a more accurate picture of people’s experiences so you can make an informed decision.

Good research ensures your thousands of dollars are not wasted, and you get the wedding of your dreams.

4. Compare Wedding Packages

After thoroughly researching your dream destination, narrow the list down to the top three to five choices.

With the list in mind, go to their websites to enquire about their wedding package and what each entails.

Getting quotes and comparing different wedding packages will allow you to choose one that offers the most benefits. For example, some may provide better guest accommodation or food options, while others offer free decorations for specific events.

5. Join A Facebook Destination Wedding Group

Planning a wedding abroad can be overwhelming. Choosing between a plethora of venue options, travel details, and food choices is not easy to do on your own.

If making crucial wedding decisions is difficult for you, join a Facebook destination wedding group. Such groups can be absolute lifesavers when finding answers to all wedding-related questions.

You will find stories and recommendations from real brides in these groups, including things they wish they would not have done, which you can use to better plan your wedding.

6. Hire A Professional

If you are struggling to plan your dream wedding even with all the online help, you need a trusted and experienced professional to take care of stuff on location for you.

Go for someone local who has experience planning destination weddings. That way, you won’t have to deal with the extra stress of making last-minute decisions thousands of miles away. Once again, go through social media and customer reviews to research before you hire someone trusting.

While you might worry about your budget, having a good wedding planner may save you money in the long run. Since they have experience handling such events, wedding planners can give you the best local recommendations with high-quality service and the most benefits.

7. Send Save The Dates on Time

Remember that your guest will need to make necessary travel arrangements like applying for leaves, sorting out their passport, or saving money for the wedding if required. Thus, it would be best if you informed them of your foreign soiree as soon as possible.

An ideal timeframe to send Save the Date cards is as soon as you say yes to the venue (one year in advance works great) and wedding invitations at least four months before the big day.

8. Offer Accommodation Recommendations

When inviting guests to join you abroad for your weddings, you are not necessarily required to pay for their lodgings.

However, offering your friends and family a few rental options of varying budgets is always a nice gesture. Remember to present options within a small radius; you don't want travel expenses or people getting late to the venue.

Another trick is to book hotel room blocks to accommodate everyone in the same area. Finally, ensure you politely let your guest know if they need to pay for individual reservations.

9. Schedule Payments To Make It Easy For Guests (And Yourself)

Destination weddings can be expensive, and not everyone can afford to pay a lump sum upfront. To make things easy for your guests, break the payable amount into scheduled payments so that everyone can pay on time, and it’s easy for your attendees to save up smaller amounts of money.

10. Hire A Travel Agent

Of course, you are not expected to pay for anyone’s flights, but you can try and make the process easy. Hiring a  travel agent is a must to exchange travel details, allowing your guest the possibility to fly together or score upgrades.

The travel agent will also be able to answer all travel-related queries to make the journey as smooth and safe as possible.

11. Embrace The Local Culture To Save Big Bucks

Use your wanderlust wedding to your advantage by selecting local vendors, seasonal ingredients, native flowers, and decor. This will allow you to truly appreciate your chosen location; what are destination weddings for? Moreover, it can also cut down costs.

For example, if you do not have a planner, you can ask your venue to refer to the best local vendors. You may be more comfortable flying with a team of people you know back home, but you will have to pay for their lodging and travel.

However, research is critical when going local. Look at travel articles and talk to local vendors in detail to clearly map out your expectations.

12. Choose an Appropriate Dress

Your wedding date and location play a pivotal role in choosing the right dress. Go for lacy lightweight gowns in humid tropics and ball gowns with sleeves for snowy mountains. Also, consider the venue location and where you will be moving about in the dress. Marry style with comfort, and you should be good to go.

Tip: you should always carry your dress during the flight and ensure it can be pressed on the venue later.

13. Keep All The Required Documents in Order

Inform yourself of all the legalities and local marriage document requirements. Also, keep your passports and other travel documents to avoid last-minute panic.

You should also invest in marriage insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses. While you may not use the insurance, it provides peace of mind to have it covered anyway.