A wedding abroad or outside of the city for a number of guests can be considered a destination wedding. The challenges present themselves in the distance you have from the venue. You could have a wedding planner you have never met physically handling vendors in your wedding city. Language barriers could exist that lead to a mistake being made due to a lack of clarity.
A wedding planner is going to be of paramount importance as they can keep you in the loop. You don’t want guests traveling thousands of miles just to find out the wedding venue was overbooked. In a tropical location, a hurricane could derail wedding plans indefinitely. The wedding should wow guests, especially if they spent quite a bit of money to attend.
Creating a checklist will be of the utmost importance when it comes to managing the details of your wedding. Keeping all vendors along with the list of guests in mind is imperative. You want to book a venue for the guests you have attending, not for those that you thought would attend. The following are areas to manage for a destination wedding that you have coming up in the near future.
Figure Out Local Entertainment Options
Entertainment for guests can be directed by you and your fiancé. Tours could be included along with discounts at various other establishments. Creating relationships might fall on a wedding planner that has also taken the responsibility of guest entertainment in their planning. Entertainment for the wedding should also be considered closely. You might have local entertainers or a DJ that specializes in weddings. A wedding DJ is likely the best option as they can play an array of music. A band might be a bit limited in the music they can provide.
You Can’t Pay For Everyone To Travel
The parents of the bride and groom might need help financially to travel. There should be set individuals that can have their costs covered partially or fully. You have to make this decision with your fiancé as you could have a myriad of people asking to help them with a bit of money. Weddings are already huge financial undertakings, so you don’t want to start your lives together in a mountain of debt.
A reception in your home city can help make it up for the people that could not attend. You should be happy, and that means that not everyone will be. The wedding is your special day, and it should not be tarnished by those that could not make it for various reasons.
Take Advantage of the Location
A destination wedding is a chance to do things with your wedding that you wouldn’t be able to do back home. Consider ways in which you can put local twists on your wedding such as serving local food or embracing local wedding customs. There may be local activities that you can incorporate to make it a fun experience – such as these Fly-Rides party buses. Meanwhile, a hotter climate could provide the opportunity to consider an outdoor wedding out of season.
A Wedding Website Can Be So Important
The wedding should have a website with all of the information included. Buying a domain name can be quite easy, with all guests being able to reference the site. Sending out invites and then not following up with guests can be a huge mistake. There will be those that don’t want to tell you they can’t attend as their excuse might be subpar. Understanding that the budget for some guests might not have international flights included is important. You can’t hold it against someone for not attending a wedding somewhere across the globe. You don’t want guests going into financial hardship due to your wedding.
The wedding website can have a gift registry along with meal options. RSVPing online is becoming more popular as it can easily organize the names and responses of all invitees. A place for a quick reference is important as common names can easily be lost on platforms like TheKnot.com.
Be Realistic About The Number Of Guests That Will Attend’
An international destination could have restrictions on what guests can enter for a myriad of reasons. Not all guests will be comfortable heading to an international wedding alone. The odds are that you would have far more guests attend if you were having a domestic wedding, regardless of the location. Traveling overseas for a wedding is a huge commitment, especially for those with young children. An intimate destination wedding can be an experience everyone will remember for the best reasons possible.
Getting married in an international location could be a dream that you’ve had for years. The challenges that are present can be overcome, but being a bit flexible is so important. Planning a wedding from a completely different country might seem impossible. The right planner will act as a representative for you with vendors and venues. With technology, you can take tours without physically viewing a venue. Updates are as easy as sending a text or using another messaging app that your planner prefers.