If you could have your wedding anywhere in the world, would you have it in your home country? Destination weddings came into the limelight about 10 years ago. A good fact to keep in mind is, 10 years ago was about the time a typical millennial might consider settling down to start a family. An interesting fact about millennials is that they enjoy travelling. Therefore, it means it is the millennial age cohort that made destination wedding a conventional practice. Destination weddings are here to stay as more people are enticed by the perks it offers.
What exactly is the driving factor for destination weddings? we have now established the group of people that most likely to have a destination wedding, but why exactly are they leaving their home countries to get married in foreign places? The post today will provide answers to questions asked and cover necessary areas that should be considered if you decide to have a destination wedding.
Tunde’s life will be examined in the post today to paint a picture and explain the topic properly. Tunde is a fictional character in case anybody is wondering. Tunde is in his mid-thirties and he has finally decided to settle down. His home country is United Kingdom, but he resides in London. He comes from a decent home and makes good money at work; he is the life of the party. whenever, he throws a party, you can expect it to be packed as he knows too many people. As you can imagine, Tunde has a slogan; which is “see the world”, therefore, he never misses any opportunity to travel. Tunde’s fiancée isn’t doing bad herself, she also resides in London, she is in her late twenties. She has a good job that sustains her, a very cheerful lady, travels every summer, she also has a lot of friends. They are about to start planning their wedding, but they are scared that the guests list will be too long because they know too many people. Tunde proposed in January and they plan on getting married in November. Since they both enjoy travelling, their planner suggested they have a destination wedding.
From the scenario painted above, you can tell that destination weddings are considered by most people to cut down the guest list. It is no doubt that except people really love you and want to share your special day with you, there’s no way they are going out of their way to book plane tickets to watch you say your vows. Therefore, your guest list is automatically reduced.
People have destination weddings because they want a conducive weather for their special day and want their guests to feel as relaxed as possible. if your home country is United Kingdom like Tunde, then you will understand the struggle of having a warm weather. The weather is bad; therefore, you can’t bank on it for your special day. There are so many destinations that have nice, warm weather all year round. You don’t want your guests fiddling with their coats at your wedding or getting wet as a result of rain. So, picking a destination with a lot of sunshine is perfect.
Considering how strong pounds sterling is to some other currencies, you are still able to pull off a classy wedding and entertain the guests properly without having to break the bank. This involves a lot of research to find out the destination that works best for you and your guests.
If you want to save cost, you can have your honeymoon in the same location. Think about it, you don’t need to book another location for honeymoon anymore. You can have it in the wedding destination, which is why you need to do an extensive research to have a good knowledge of the place beforehand.
Another reason people opt for destination weddings is to make the day even more memorable. your wedding is one of the most memorable days of your life. Hence, getting married in a different surrounding from your usual one makes it even more memorable. You and the attendees will have a lot to talk about over the years. In the case of Tunde, he will be the person that had a warm wedding in November. Another way to keep the memory alive is by choosing to renew your vows in the same place as the wedding.
We should be grateful that we are in an era where we have travel bloggers, they travel and take nice pictures of different places. A lot of places have nice sceneries and travel bloggers usually capture them well. if you are looking to have a destination wedding, as part of your research, look out for travel blogs. They are equipped with enough information and visuals to help you see different destinations well.
Now that there’s an understanding of why people opt for destination weddings, how do you plan and prepare for a destination wedding?
The first thing you need to know is, you must have enough time to plan. This is because nothing can be left to chance. The guests need to be given enough time to prepare too, hence they should be informed as soon as possible.
Additionally, it is compulsory you visit the destination/wedding venue with your planner before the wedding. This is crucial because, it is essential to get familiar with the surrounding. Also, you seize the opportunity to search for activities and places to go. This way when your guests arrive for the wedding there’s an itinerary of activities to do, this will keep them entertained.
Another thing to have in mind is, for a destination wedding, your planner should be involved every step of the way. Having a planner is non-negotiable, it is their area of expertise, the planner will ensure everything goes seamlessly and cater to you and your guests adequately.
In the case of Tunde, his wedding wasn’t scheduled during the peak travelling time, which means there are opportunities for cheap travel tickets and other amazing travels deals at that period. It is worth the try calling resorts and hotels around the venue of the wedding to get discounts. If it is successful, inform your guests so they enjoy the benefits.
If you intend on flying out your vendors, you are responsible for their travel expenses. You also have the option of sourcing for vendors locally.
Will you ever consider having a destination wedding? Which destination will be ideal for you? Pls leave your comments below. If you are interested in knowing more about destination weddings, don’t hesitate to contact GrandeMemoiréEvents. Thank you all for reading.