Destination Wedding - The 5 Yes and 5 No's
Destination wedding, as its name suggests, is a wedding organized in a vacation venue away from the couple’s hometown. Over the years, we have covered numbers of destination weddings with breathtaking scenery like Bali and Phuket. While it is a dreamy plan to have your wedding set in an exotic island or adventurous countryside, there are a few pros and cons that need to be weighed carefully. We hope this list would help you to consider better if destination wedding is the right choice for you!
Why Yes !
Small
Typically, a destination wedding would have a smaller guest list to avoid the hassle of a big traveling group. This means that the guests invited are mostly close family, relatives and friends – as opposed to a big banquet where some couple feel obligated to invite relatives whom they aren’t really close to. With a smaller invitation list, the celebration would be more intimate, quality, romantic and cozy. So, say goodbye to stressful family dramas!
Complete Package
Many resorts and tourism organization offer complete wedding packages that include professional wedding planners or coordinators. Their presence would reduce the burden of planning process as you have a contact person to micromanage the details. Usually, the package also includes most of the important vendors like photographer, cinematographer, florist and band. Therefore, the role of bride and groom becomes a decision maker to set forth the plan, which will be executed by the planner.
Cost-friendly
Even though it may seem like a huge expense to organize a destination wedding, but it is actually cheaper as compared to local weddings. This is simply because – lesser guests, lesser reception banquet cost. Besides, with a complete package offered by the venue, the need to spend on other suppliers are also lesser. Decoration can also be minimal especially if the wedding venue comes with a beautiful view that acts as a natural backdrop. All in all, it reduces the cost in a great scale.
Relaxing
A destination wedding would usually set place in an island or somewhere far away from the busy city. This allows the couple, as well as the guests to sit back, relax and enjoy the wedding – which more or less, feels like a vacation too. Some guests would also choose to stay for a few days after the wedding to experience the place. This creates another opportunity for the couple to spend more quality time with them. After all, making beautiful memories are also a part of wedding.
Honeymoon!
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons to have a destination wedding, is to spend honeymoon right at the venue where you get married. It is more meaningful in such a way that you can appreciate the place with a less stressful mind after the hassle of wedding. Also, venues usually offer honeymoon options at decent rate as part of the wedding package. So, might as well?
Check out some of the destination weddings that we have covered here :
Why Not ?
Long distance
It can be rather worrisome to plan a destination wedding since it is out of an immediate reach. Unable to be physically present at the area means it would be difficult to meet all the vendors personally to ensure mutual understandings. Or if you did manage to fly to the venue to meet them, you would have to schedule perhaps all the meeting in a day, which feels more like a business trip. Therefore, you need to place complete trust and faith in your wedding planner or coordinator, since you have lesser control of the wedding.
Burden on the Guests
It is unavoidable for the guests to travel from afar, regardless of their location. Some of them might have to fly across continents to attend your weddings, apply leaves from work, or maybe reschedule their initial plan. They would also need to fork out the money for flight ticket, accommodations and wedding gifts. In short, the burden is very much laid on the guests, so you got to make thoughtful consideration about who to and who not to invite.
Not Having Everyone
That being said, it would be difficult to have all your beloved to make it for your wedding. Some guests may not be able to attend due to their personal schedule or the expenses. If you want to have a small destination wedding, many friends and family members will be excluded. This might cause hurt feelings and tension for those who are not invited too.
Legal Issues
If your destination wedding is in a foreign country, chances are the legal procedure to obtain a marriage certificate will also be different. It would be much complicated to liaise with authorized personnel if you are not a citizen of the country. In order to meet the requirements or submit certain documents, you may need to schedule extra trips, hence spending more money, time and effort.
Risk
There are a few risks that you might want to take into consideration. For example, weather of the wedding day might not be as good as expected, or there might be flight delays resulting in a schedule change. Also, you may miss out one or two important personal items when packing for the trip. Some attires might not be travel-friendly, especially wedding gowns – which means you have to settle with a light weighted gown instead of a 10ft long train ball gown.
We hope these tips would give you an insight of what to be expected when planning for a destination weddings. Remember, choose what makes you feel comfortable. If you love the idea of a fun, exciting and intimate destination wedding, and don’t mind the hassles – go for it. If you think it is too troublesome to deal with the risks, a local wedding shouldn’t be a problem too. Regardless, a wedding is a celebration of love and should be done happily so that you would appreciate for a lifetime. Good luck, fellow brides and grooms!
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