5 Tips for Planning a Destination Wedding
It's Travel Tuesday again! Today we're sharing our top 5 tips for planning a destination wedding.
Picking your Destination
The most important part of planning a destination wedding is finding the destination! It's a combo of the most fun part of planning but also the most stressful! You want a location that really fits with your vision and personality. Are you two more ski weekends, more beach, exotic cities? Figure out what type of location screams "you"! If you're big on food and city flare - why not plan you wedding in Paris! Are you on the beach every chance you get? There's amazing locations all over the world like Key West, Islands in the Caribbean, the beach and palm trees in Costa Rica.
Planning a Destination Wedding can cost the same if not a little less than planning a wedding in your home town. Where we are in Maine is a big destination location from couples from large cities like Boston and NYC and you can plan a full wedding weekend in Maine with three days of activities for you and your guests for less than you can plan a wedding of the same size in those cities.
The City of Lights is a great old world meets modern location with TONS of photo ops for your entire wedding weekend! Besides - who doesn't want to go to Paris??
Weather
While the weather in paradise is typically fantastic, remember there are times of the year when the weather might not be ideal for a wedding. Take into account monsoon season, hurricane season, then also really high temperatures that might make an all day outside event a little uncomfortable for your guests. Hurricane season effects the Caribbean from July to November each year. In April it gets close to and sometimes above 100 degrees in areas of Costa Rica. And in Europe July and August can get pretty warm as well!
Then again, you have to take into consideration where you're coming from and that time of year. Planning a February wedding might need a little extra buffer room in your flights if you're in the Northeast as it's typically when they have a few more snow storms every year that could delay your flight. But up side, if you buffer more airfare time and there isn't any weather issues, you get more days in your wedding location - and that's never a bad thing!
Your Destination Wedding is going to be so much fun you don't want the weather to put a damper on things! Make sure you're checking local weather and weather trends when selecting your destination.
Vendors and Planning
After you've picked your location now it's time to get down to the planning part. Unless you have plenty of time to go back and forth to your destination during the planning process, the best thing is to hire a local wedding planner. A local wedding planner is going to have the best list of do's and don'ts that are specific to your area and they're going to have a top notch list of vendors. One of the thing we like about working as destination wedding photographers is when local planners call us for their clients. We know that we are going to be working with an A-Team of vendors as well as coordination. That means our couples are going to be laid back and relaxed the day of their wedding instead of worrying about who's showing up where and when. Relaxed couples photograph the best!
The Dress. The Tux.
Dress for your location! Paris is perfect for big ballgowns while the beach is better for summery gowns. Absolutely get the gown of your dreams just keep your location in mind! Will you be warm enough in the mountains in that strapless, will sand get stuck in miles of tulle skirting? The same goes for the guys attire! Think about how warm/cold your guy is going to be in his day of attire. We've seen a range of styles in all locations so at the end of the day make sure it's 100% you!
Everyone knows airline travel can be risky with your luggage. My best advice is to carry on your wedding attire!
After/Pre Wedding Guest Activities
One of the big perks of having a Destination Wedding Planner is they can help with working out logistics for your guests. To and from airports, recommended hotels can all be confusing, especially if your guests aren't familiar with the area or speak the language.
Another fun thing your planner can help you with is collecting a list of fun activities for your guests to do during their stay and possibly even setting up those reservations. It's an amazing bonus for your guests to have some reputable recommendations for things to do before and after the wedding! Your planner or other vendors may also have some top secret restaurant recommendations or places to visit!
Of course, there's always relaxing in the rainforest with some coffee and yoga!
Bonus Tip: Day After Shoot
A big bonus for the happy couple? More photo time! When Dean and I are covering a destination wedding we always include a day after shoot for our couples. On your wedding day we get tons of images of the two of you in your wedding attire, guests, details, etc but the Day After shoot we can trek with you on an adventure in your destination and get those fun candids of the two of you enjoying being married and being in paradise! Touring the Parisian streets, eating at street carts piled high with crepes or a jungle adventure with maybe some surfing lessons (we have water proof housings AND surf!) or even just a steamy couples boudoir shoot on the beach, old world city apartment, or somewhere else! So when you're planning a destination wedding, think about not only the day of, but the fun things you can do before and after with and without your guests!
Brittany and Dean are creative Destination Wedding Photographers who loving having fun with our wedding couples. We work together and separately to capture every emotion and angle on your wedding day. Brittany Rae Photography’s storytelling style will capture your wedding both in candid and naturally posed images. Whether you’re planning a Destination Wedding, Costa Rica Wedding or anywhere in New England we will be there for you! For more info please contact us about your wedding photography!