Advice from a Wedding Planner on Booking your Destination Wedding
Event Planning on How to Book Your Destination Wedding
By Sarah Glick, Brilliant Event Planning
Many dream of getting married in a far-off paradise. Whether it’s the beaches of Mexico or an enchanting villa in Tuscany, destination weddings are a wonderful way to start your life together. However, planning a destination wedding involves much more detail and logistics. These details might not be the first thing you think about when you picture yourself walking along a white sandy beach, but they are crucial to executing a beautiful and stress-free destination wedding. We’ve teamed up with Brilliant Event Planning, a boutique wedding planning company with a flair for destination weddings, to explore the three common obstacles couples face when planning a destination wedding. Their expert planners share how best to combat these obstacles so that all you have to focus on is saying “I do.”
1. Managing Venue Expectations
The first problem people run into is arriving at the venue and finding that the details fall short of expectations. This can affect any aspect of your wedding, from poor food and beachfront ambiance to the napkin folds and DJ selection. We have a two-fold approach to solving this issue. First, provide the venue with specific visuals of what you expect everything to look like. The more detail you can provide, the better, as much can be lost in translation. Second, visit the resort and see everything firsthand. Walk around the grounds, check out the event space, and try the food. Never book a resort without seeing it first; photos can be incredibly deceiving, and you don’t want to go wrong with something as crucial as the venue.
2. Overcoming Language Barriers
Another common problem is the language barrier. When you don’t speak the same language as your vendors, details and conversations can get lost in translation. We recommend communicating via email as much as possible. Email allows them to use an online translator to understand all that you’re saying and refer back to it, giving you written documentation of all details and correspondence.
3. Transporting Decor
The last item on our list of destination wedding dilemmas is transporting decor. If the decor and accents for your wedding are starting to pile up, you might feel inclined to mail it all to your venue. Think again! They WILL get stuck in customs. The best way to transport your wedding decor is in checked baggage. This may mean loading up your brother, sister, mom, and ten closest friends with extra checked baggage, but it’s worth the peace of mind knowing that everything will arrive with you in one piece. Make sure to check your specific country’s laws regarding the maximum amount of food, liquid, or other items that can be brought in. Unless you’re using a reliable logistics person to usher your cargo through customs, be sure to bring everything in checked baggage.
Destination weddings are a beautiful and exciting way to celebrate your new life together. With proper planning and attention to detail, you are sure to have a magical day that you will cherish for the rest of your life.
