Ideas for Your Dream Destination Wedding – Guide Inside
Planning a destination wedding can be overwhelming – from choosing the perfect location of your dreams to organizing an extravagant affair in a different city the excitement and anticipation rise to another level.
Destination weddings have become popular recently among couples who are looking to combine their wedding with a laid-back, almost holiday-like experience. They allow couples to celebrate their happy moments in picturesque locations, often in the presence of only close family and friends, making their weddings truly cherish able.
Nevertheless, such a wedding is unique in its own way, and it also has its twists. Just like any other special event, whether you are the bride, groom or the wedding planners, having a well laid out plan is core for a great even. So if you are a couple looking to have a destination wedding, here are some amazing and unique ideas for your wedding planning!
Choosing the Perfect Destination
Are you more of a beach person or a mountain person? Do you want your wedding to have European chic vibes or the classic and traditional Jodhpur experience? Choosing the perfect location for your wedding sets the tone as well as the aesthetic for your wedding later on.
For couples seeking a classical, traditional, yet unique destination, historical and cultural places will be the perfect fit! Think opulent locations such as Rome, Venice, and Udaipur! If you are someone who craves a bohemian aesthetic, island locations such as Goa, Maldives, or even the quaint little town of Corsica in France!
While choosing your destination, remember to keep the guest experience in mind. Pick a place that is both beautiful and convenient for you as well as your guests to travel to. Consider factors like finances, activities to do, as well as international versus domestic travel while choosing your destination for your wedding.
Plan a Budget
Destination weddings, while dreamy, can be expensive due to a host of factors. While crafting your budget, make sure you keep in mind various factors such as travel, hotel accommodations, city and heritage tours (if you are organizing one), and even costs incurred on legal and administrative fronts such as Visas, event permits, and so on.
If there are certain vendors who are traveling with you to the locations such as photographers or decorators, then make sure you are including their daily expenses as well.
A good way to manage your budget effectively is by making a small and intimate guest list with only close family and friends.
This will also allow you to enjoy and celebrate your wedding with the people who truly love and appreciate the happy couple! Another way would be to plan your wedding dates around non-peak seasons as hotels and wedding venues offer discounts during those times.
Work with Local Vendors
One of the most important aspects while planning a destination wedding is getting acquainted with the vendors of the location. Whether you are a wedding planner or the bride and groom, efficiently working with local vendors will be of prime importance to have a seamless execution of events during your wedding.
From florists to caterers, these local vendors will help you out with everything such as logistics, and even offer insights into local cultures and ensure that your wedding events meet the legal requirements in the locality.
Create a Wedding Website
Destination weddings can become overwhelming for guests, especially if they are traveling to the place for the first time. To make the experience for your loved ones more hassle-free, consider making a website for your wedding which can act as a one-stop center for all the information related to your weddings (dates, flights, hotels, etc). Make sure you update the information on your website regularly to keep your guests updated.
You can use your website to manage RSVPs, send out digital invites, and provide interactive maps of the location as well! You can also use it to provide itineraries for each day. However, another truly unique element to add to this website would be a digital album, where all your guests and your photographers can upload pictures from each day of your celebrations! This will be a truly fun way of cherishing your photographs as they will be uploaded quickly and you can see beyond your photographer’s pictures as well!
Location-Specific Decorations and Catering
Lean into the natural beauty that is being offered by your selected destination and plan your wedding decorations around that! This will not only enhance the aesthetics of your wedding, but will also be a more simple and straightforward approach to planning your wedding decorations. You can even plan your wedding decorations around the local culture of the locations!
For example, if you are having a beachside wedding, think seashells, a rustic coastal theme, and an outdoors reception or Sangeet party! By opting for decorations that reflect the local culture and environment. You will have the chance to seamlessly blend your personal taste with the local culture and palette of your chosen location, creating the immersive experiences that destination weddings are known for.
You can go a step further and truly engage your wedding party by reflecting the local cuisine of the area in your catering. Whether it’s a bougie French feast in Corsica or finger-licking Goan seafood, opting for local cuisine will not only cut down on your catering costs, but will also offer an amazing cultural experience for your guests! Offer various food stations where your guests can try different varieties of food. You can even organize a fun cooking class as part of your wedding itinerary to lean into the local cuisine and culture!
Prioritize Photography and Videography
A destination wedding’s full fairytale effects also make for an exquisite digital memory collection through photographs and wedding videos. You will need to ensure that you hire a good photographer/videographer whose vision aligns with you and can capture the memories of your big day perfectly!
Research for good wedding photographers, and you can choose to fly them to the destination to carry out your wedding shoot. However, another good option would be to hire a good local photographer. They will be more familiar with the destination, and can even carry out the wedding shoot in off-beat locations of the area!
You can use your destination wedding as a good opportunity to employ new technology for photography such as drone photography for a cinematic wedding shoot. Or even curating a state of the art digital album of your wedding, which you can later on share with your guests!
Itineraries and Post-Wedding Travel
One of the best things about a destination wedding is exploring the city/location you are traveling to. Make sure you research fun and romantic things to do in your location and create a detailed itinerary for the same!
You can even incorporate these activities into your wedding celebrations in the form of immersive welcome parties, and even wedding brunches to blend the two together!
For your guests, you can plan your wedding itinerary in such a way that they have one or two relaxed days where they can explore and travel in your chosen locations.
Since destination weddings can also offer you a chance to combine your wedding with your honeymoon, you can re-negotiate your accommodation prices by extending your stay!
Conclusion
Planning your dream destination wedding can be a unique and exciting experience, geared towards making your big day a truly unforgettable experience.
While it has its own set of challenges, it can offer you and your partner a different experience which can bring you closer not only to each other, but also to your loved ones, as you travel to a beautiful place together!
Whether you want a grand castle wedding, or experience your “I do” under the Tuscan Sun, partnering with the correct vendors and effective planning can make your dream day the perfect one!
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At It’s Forever, we create luxurious and seamless experiences tailor made for you to cherish the happiest events and memories of your lifetime!
Our mission is to transform memory keeping through state of the art digital albums and in the future, even exquisite physical collections. Whatever your vision is, we promise to deliver and walk with you on your beautiful journey!
