Where to Find Your Destination Wedding
Looking for a great location and agent for a destination wedding? We can help with locations, resorts, and packages whether your heart is set on Hawaii, Las Vegas, or any city around the world. You can submit a free quote request today! We'll reach out to area planners and resorts on your behalf to check availability and put you in touch if there's a match - at no cost to you.
What Is a Destination Wedding?
A destination wedding is a wedding that is hosted outside of a couple’s hometown or state. A staple of destination weddings is for the wedding couple and their guests to travel. Many people automatically think of tropical islands for destination weddings, but there are so many more options outside of tropical climates that can still be considered a destination wedding. A destination wedding can be anywhere the wedding couple has dreamed of visiting and would like to create a special memory. Oftentimes a destination wedding is held at the same location as the subsequent honeymoon. It’s a great way to kill two birds with one stone.
How Destination Weddings Work
Destination weddings are becoming more and more popular as younger generations start to get married. Depending on the resort and location of the destination wedding, they can be much easier and quicker to plan than normal at-home weddings. There are unique challenges that can arise with traveling for your wedding. For example, it’s important to make sure the legality of the marriage is ensured in both the foreign place and your home country or state. Booking a wedding planner at the location of the wedding will help make the transition and planning go much smoother. They can handle dealing with local vendors instead of you having to do it long-distance.
Pros and Cons of a Destination Wedding
There are some pros and cons to destination weddings. They are affordable, relaxed, intimate, and can double as a honeymoon. Most resorts offer wedding packages that make planning much easier for brides and grooms. Thanks to these packages, the price of destination weddings is much more manageable. Instead of a one-day event, a destination wedding usually spans 3-5 days and can oftentimes double as the honeymoon location for the new couple. Since travel is involved, the number of guests allowed is usually limited. This means the wedding couple can be more selective about who is invited. The size limit can sometimes be to the couple’s detriment as family members and friends might feel hurt if they weren't invited. The legal issues involved in having a destination wedding can be a big challenge. There are different requirements in every country that need to be met for a marriage to be legal. If you aren't getting married at an all-inclusive resort, you will have to hire a local planner to handle everything for you. There is also the chance of running into your family and guests after the wedding day. This can quickly turn your honeymoon into a family vacation.
What Is a Destination Location?
A destination resort is an upscale hotel because of its superior amenities and service, physical setting, or on-property activities. Most hotels are attractive due to their convenience to other sites or attractions. Destination resorts are the place to stay that bring in tourists to a country or region thanks to everything they have to offer to their guests.
Who Pays For a Destination Wedding?
Guests are usually responsible for booking and paying for their airfare, hotel rooms, and any other additional expenses like food or shopping. Couples typically pay for the wedding itself, but some traditions hold that the couple’s parents pay for the wedding. Other wedding aspects like the rehearsal dinner, venue, wedding package, etc. are paid for either by the couple or parents.