It’s time to get married, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a reception at the most popular wedding venue in town. When you’re thinking about your wedding, imagine saying your vows while the two of you look out on a beautiful Caribbean island sunset. Or how about exchanging rings while riding an elephant in Africa or sailing off on a cruise to Greece. A wedding doesn’t have to be 500+ people, most of whom you don’t know, dancing to a dj. Instead, it can be an intimate party of 10 of your best friends jetting off to Hawaii for a wedding and reception of a lifetime.
So what makes a destination wedding better than an at-home one?
- There’s someone to handle everything: Resorts and cruise lines have someone who can handle all the details for you – from the photographer to the cake and everything in between.
- It’s drama free: That is, unless you invite your Uncle Louie along for the trip because you feel obligated, even though you know he’ll drink everyone under the table and cause a scene. You invite who you want to attend and you can leave the family-fighting members at home.
- Everything is under one roof: Unless you plan it differently, you can have your wedding and your honeymoon in one place, saving you travel time and costs.
- You can actually save money: Speaking of money, The Knot magazine says that most couples spend upwards of $30,000 on a traditional, at-home wedding. A destination wedding doesn’t have to damage your bank account and you get to enjoy a beautiful wedding and honeymoon. You can have a part of 10 on a destination wedding for around $10,000. Think of what you can do with the other $20,000!
- Your wedding can happen sooner: In some areas of the country, popular venues have a one-or two-year waiting list. Destination venues can accommodate weddings much sooner, so you won’t have to wait as long to profess your love.
- You can save on decor. With a destination wedding in a stunning setting, your location of choice supplies the theme, from castle fairytale, to sea-inspired soiree. And when you choose an amazing backdrop, it doesn’t take much to dress it up. Opt for a pristine beach, a tidy vineyard, a blooming garden or a historic plantation house furnished with graceful antiques, and you’ll be more than covered with a few simple florals and other modest accents.
- Enjoy quality time with loved ones. The standard wedding lasts for five hours, and the bride and groom spend most of that time running from table to table, trying to say hello to everyone. A destination do spans a minimum of three days — which means, now that you’ve finally gotten your nearest and dearest together, you can actually spend quality time with them! Hooray!
- It’s a great excuse to limit the guest list. The very nature of destination weddings — they require travel, a longer time commitment and hotel stays — gives you the perfect excuse to cut down on an often unmanageable number of invitees. Think the second cousins and office mates will be miffed? You can always throw a postwedding party — complete with plenty of photos — when you get back home.
- Guests can save on a vacation. Ask your host hotel about discounted room rates for your guests; most resorts are more than willing to bargain in exchange for group business. Some airlines, such as United and American, offer discounted airfares for groups of 10 of more — on the latter, this is true even if your guests are departing from different gateways. And ultimately, your friends will have a blast! Destination weddings give friends and family that most valuable commodity: downtime — to kick back, connect and celebrate. And what’s more fun than that?
- You’ll share a locale you love. Part of the joy of a destination wedding is showing off a place that has special meaning to you, be it bringing friends and family back to a beloved college campus, sharing where you took your first vacation as a couple or finally going to a locale you’ve always dreamed of visiting.
- Flexible timing helps with budgeting. You’ll be at your destination for a few days, so work with your vendors to see how timing can trim costs. After all, if everyone is already there, you can wed on a Friday, a Sunday or even a Tuesday — what does the day of the week matter in paradise? Look at seasonality too. Many Caribbean hotels drop their prices dramatically in mid-April; by planning your wedding for May, you can get the same great digs for a fraction of the price paid by visitors a few weeks earlier. Likewise, mountain resort towns offer big savings in spring and fall.
- You can start the honeymoon early. Just arriving at your destination is sure to put you in a relaxed mood as the pre-wedding festivities begin. Many hotels offer automatic upgrades to the bride and groom on their wedding night, and you may be able to negotiate an extended minimoon at a reduced rate after the guests have gone home.
Infinite Journeys Travel
