How to Survive Planning a Destination Wedding: Your Essential Guide!
Congratulations on your engagement! This will be one of the happiest times of your life, as you start planning your destination wedding! But thinking of everything you need to pull together to host a destination wedding can be overwhelming. There are so many different things that you will have to manage for everything to run smoothly. How do you make the choice of location, venue, transportation, and all the other things that you need to concern yourself with?
Ok, so let’s jump into these six destination wedding essentials!
1. Get Started Sooner Rather than Later
Many couples are considering a destination wedding as they are realizing it is a great way to save money when compared to a local wedding that is only 4 – 8 hours. More engaged couples are looking for experience vs cost of wedding. In today’s environment, this is causing for dates & availability to be booking up faster than ever before! Many couples are eager to finally say “I DO!” in an amazing location. Now dates, times, and room availability for their guest are booking up fast, so don’t procrastinate, start researching resort wedding venues & availability (wedding date and room space) now!
2. You Don’t Have to Know It All
You may think you have to know everything about planning a destination wedding before you begin, but that’s simply not true! You don’t need to have it all figured out to get started. The three most important things you need to start working on is creating your guest list, making a list of potential destinations you would like to get married, and then, a list of potential resort wedding venues to hold your wedding & wedding group at. You may enjoy reading my article on The Top Destinations for a Dream Destination Wedding.
3. Consider Doing a Pre-Wedding Planning Trip
Who doesn’t like the samples at Costco, before you buy a 12-pack of hot chocolate bombs? Right?
Once you have a destination wedding location chosen, then it’s time to figure out which wedding venue & resort to have your ceremony and host your group.One of the most effective ways to choose a wedding resort & venue is to visit it first before you decide. In fact, many resorts offer special “wedding visit” packages to encourage you to visit their resort, hoping you will choose them for your destination wedding.Read my article on the Top Destination Wedding Resort Wedding Venues.
4. Get a New Email for Only Wedding Related Conversions
In order to have a successful destination wedding, you have to be organized. I always suggest that you create a special email address exclusively for your wedding & honeymoon planning. This way all of your wedding correspondence & conversations will be in one spot! Believe me, this will save you so much time and probably money in the end. The last thing you want is a confirmation email requesting you to verify your wedding date & time at the resort, and you miss it in a crowded inbox sandwiched between emails from Peleton & Target!
5. Consider Getting a New Credit Card That Earns Miles
As long as you are going to be charging your wedding expenses, you might as well earn some reward miles to help you pay for your travel. This is a great time to open a new credit card that will earn you miles or points for future or even current travel. You could actually get your airfare paid for if you play your credit cards right!
6. Consider Working with a Destination Designer or Specialist
If you want to ensure that your destination wedding will be planned correctly, and reduce the stress and frustration you may feel when trying to plan this all on your own, it may be worth it to invest in a destination wedding designer or planner. A destination wedding planner or designer knows the ins and outs of a destination wedding and has plenty of experience setting up wedding groups, negotiating contracts, and managing all of the logistics for you and your guests. They will also make sure that you receive ALL the amenities & perks you will qualify for as well. Things that many resorts won’t tell you unless you ask.
No matter how much you plan for your destination wedding, there's bound to be something that will come up that you weren't prepared for. This doesn't have to ruin your wedding; you just need a solid resource to help you through these challenges when they show up…
…If you feel like you could use the help of a destination wedding designer, to help take all of this planning off of your shoulders?
I encourage you to use this link, to schedule a free 45-minute strategy session with me! I would be honored to help your figure out everything you need for your dream wedding to come true!