Destination Weddings
As the event world evolves, guest experience continues to be at the forefront of weddings and events. As globalization grows, and mass luxury becomes increasingly more accessible, everyone is craving a more unique experience for themselves, and their guests. Enter, destination weddings. A destination wedding can be an extremely distinctive experience that will have your guests reminiscing about it for years. With thorough curation, you can bring your closest friends and families to parts of the world that they may otherwise never get to experience.
Thus, I spoke with top-tier luxury event planners regarding proper preparation for a successful destination wedding:
Andrea Eppolito (Andrea Eppolito Events)
Always check with your destination’s traveler’s convention, and visitors bureau, and avoid hosting your wedding during any large conferences, concerts, or events. Not only do these events drive up traffic and room rates, but they often take many of the city’s resources, meaning that some of the best vendors may already be booked.
Do not invite anyone that you truly do not want to attend. Many couples believe that they will have a lower RSVP rate, when the reality is that many of my destination weddings see RSVPs of over 90%. Family and friends will often allot time for the travel and turn your wedding into their own little vacation. Prepare accordingly!
Whatever your budget is, add at least 20% for unseen and unknown costs. If you are planning to host an upscale wedding, know that quality is quality, and it comes at a higher price point regardless of the destination. In fact, it may cost more! Decor in Hawaii, for example, and all rental items, will cost more because they likely need to be shipped in for the wedding. Some cities, like Las Vegas, have reputations for being easy and affordable, and they can be if you are looking for a packaged experience. But once you move out of the chapel, the pricing can go up substantially, and you want to make sure that you have left yourself enough room to take advantage of great local experiences and items.
Jacin Fitzgerald (Jacin Fitzgerald Events)
Keep in mind the time of year and location in terms of tourism, temperatures, etc. Pricing may vary depending on the time of year and your location - if you're planning a destination wedding in Positano during prime vacation season, you're going to pay the price tag to match, and finding accommodations for your guests may be a bit more challenging if you're competing with tourists. On that same note, keep temperatures and local weather patterns in mind as well. Hurricane season, dry spells, etc. are all factors to consider when choosing your location (and time of year)! Look at the seasons, weather patterns, calendar of events in the area, local accommodations, etc. before booking your date.
Hire a seasoned planner who is familiar with destination events - it will save you frustration (and likely money) in the long run.
Think about places that hold special meaning to you and go from there in terms of looking at events in the area, weather, etc.
Julian Leaver (Julian Leaver Events/Dapper Diplomat)
Determine your guest count prior to starting your search. This helps you narrow down venues that will fit your needs very quickly.
Determine your budget range. Without this piece sorted, you might as well be shooting in the dark.
Determine your initial region of interest. There is no need to look at Aspen and also The Bahamas, you will not be able to compare apples to apples. So determine what you are searching for (i.e. beach versus mountains) and then embark on that search first. It will be so much less overwhelming.
Megan Gillikin (A Southern Soiree)
Hire a planner...having someone knowledgeable working on your behalf is going to save you time, stress and money. “DIYing” it will end up being your biggest regret....there I said it!
You need to like your Plan B. Planning a destination wedding is super stressful but if weather doesn’t cooperate it can suck the joy out of the day if you don't love (or at least like) your Plan B!
When making your guest list or selecting your bridal party, ask yourself- what's the likelihood I'll know/want to hang out and call this person a friend 10 years from now? If the answer is "no, I won't", then cut them from the list.