Destination Wedding Planning Hacks

Planning a wedding is an exciting but daunting task. So many details to remember, so many decisions to make, and so many phone calls to make. It becomes way more complicated when that wedding is a destination wedding of some kind. Maybe you want to get married on some tropical beach with the chance to have manta rays swim around your feet or maybe you are planning the wedding in a location closer to your family.

Many people decide to hire a wedding planner or a coordinator that is familiar with the area that the wedding will be held in. That is all well and good, but that can cost a lot of money and it is also a gamble. It would be a nightmare to show up the week of the wedding and find out that your wedding planner has disappeared.

Here are some quick tips to help during the planning process:

Research:

Do a little bit more than a quick google search for wedding venues, caterers, hair stylists, and lodging. Once you find places you are interested, dig a little deeper. Make phone calls. Make sure you can find concrete information on the businesses, their locations, and reputations. Be willing to explain to these individuals that you are not familiar with the area and if they have any tips and tricks.

Weather is a big, slightly unpredictable fact of life. Be sure that you find out what the local weather patterns are for that area for that time of year. This is something to consider even if you aren’t planning events outdoors. If you want to get married in Estes Park, Colorado in December, remember that you could be snowed out of your venue or it could be a balmy 50 degrees and sunny.

Travel time considerations:

Moving people to and from your venue is a detail that can be missed. How easy is it to access where you are getting married? Is there parking there already or will they need different modes of transportation besides a car. Most of these issues can be solved quickly, unless there is major road construction. Then there will need to be a backup plan.

The same considerations you give for your guests should also be given and thought through for your vendors. Your caterer, hair stylist, makeup artist, decorator, photographer all need to be able to access the venue easily.

Distances, times, closures, and possible alternate routes are a quick google map click away. The state’s DMV is also a great resource when it comes to possible traffic issues.

Know your resources: friends of friends:

Most of us have heard of the theory of 6 degrees of separation and how mathematically we are connected to almost everyone on earth by 5-6 people. Social media has helped us learn this - but this is also a tool for planning your wedding. You want someone who is a local who can help you out? Give a shout out to your friends and ask them to pass it along. Ask for someone who is a local to the area you are wanting to have your event. This way they might be able to give you some of those hints and tips only the locals know.

As you are getting excited (and possibly a bit stressed) about your big day, remember some of these ways to help the day go smoother; do thorough research and don’t forget to make phone calls to talk to people and ask questions, take travel times and routes into consideration, and use the resources of your friends and friends of friends.

My final piece of advice: If at all possible, do hire a day of coordinator so that you and your family can focus on the important things; each other.