Planning Tips
Destination Wedding Decorum
Destination weddings are a lot more popular these days, and they can be quite romantic. Being swept
away to a tropical island in the sun to get married seems like the perfect way to intertwine your
love for the rest of your lives. However, with a lovely destination wedding, there comes stress.
Here are some tips to remember to ease your stress and settle your nerves on some things you may
be uncertain of.
- Be sure to send out your invitations a year prior to your destination wedding. Since your destination wedding is far away from home, your guests will need time to plan everything and book their flights and their accommodations (keep in mind that the earlier you book your flights, the cheaper they may be). They may have children and need to arrange for a babysitter, they will need to request for time off of work or they may have a prior engagement so if the invitation is sent on short notice they may not be able to make it.
- Invite all your friends and family members you have in mind whether you think they will be able to make it or not. Even though your guests may be strapped for cash, or may have another issue that stands in the way, it still let's them know that they are special and you want them to be there with you both. You may be surprised who will work for that extra dollar and travel that extra mile to be with you on your special day.
- If you are having an adult's only wedding at an adult's only resort, remember to let it be known. Instead of saying, "No Children Allowed," you can simply address the invitation to "Jacob and Melissa" instead of "Jacob, Melissa, and Family." This will let your guests know it is an adult's only wedding, but be open-minded.
- Everyone you invite to the shower should be on your destination wedding guest list. Since showers require guests to bring gifts, the ones who aren't invited to the main event will feel that you are interested in their company for the small celebration and the gift, rather than their company on your magical wedding day.
- Guests who will be attending your destination wedding should be able to accommodate themselves in the costs to get there and the cost to stay in or near the location of the wedding. Everything else that is an organized event for the wedding, including the reception dinner to follow, and the rehearsal dinner if there is one, they should not have to pay for. However, if there is a list of activities that they can do, then the guests would cover those costs if they choose to do so. Any event that your guests were invited to should be covered for them.
- Some destination wedding couples choose to have an at-home reception to make up for those who could not attend their destination wedding and the reception that followed. The issue is who should you invite? It's quite simple. Only invite people to an event that you want them to attend. To stay organized throughout planning these separate events, create a separate guest list, even if some of your guests who attended your destination wedding are invited to the at-home reception. Doing this will help you stay on track with your budget and will be less stress for you.