You're engaged and planning to say 'I do" on a tropical island some thousands of miles away from home, how do you choose the best destination wedding location for your big day?
Not all islands and resorts are created equal, so finding the perfect destination for your beach wedding is the first step in destination wedding planning.
Destination Wedding Experts has complied our Top 5 Tips to help you choose the best tropical destination for your big day!
1. Budget
Like a traditional wedding, the budget is generally one of the very first discussions. When you’re planning a destination wedding you’ll not only need to consider the wedding budget but, travel budget too and just how many of your other broke college friends can afford to spend a few days in paradise.
2. Distance
It’s a fact the farther you travel, the fewer will follow. Choose your destination accordingly. Also, be aware of the availability of flight schedules, some smaller Caribbean islands may only have a few flights in/out each day or even week.
3. Legal requirements
Each country has specific requirements prior to tying the knot and will depend on which type of ceremony you prefer (symbolic or civil). What’s the difference? Basically, a civil ceremony is legal and officially recognized in the United States and the country where you’re married, a symbolic ceremony is not. You’ll want to be aware of the documents, blood tests, and residency requirements in advance.
4. Kids vs No Kids
If you’re planning on inviting everyone in the family to celebrate your big day (even the littles) then you’ll need to consider the kids when choosing your destination. Obviously, the adults-only resorts are out of the question but, you’ll also want to consider how easy it is to get there… will it require more than 1 layover? And then once you’re on the island, are there resorts that cater to families or offer kid-friendly activities/amenities.
5. All-Inclusive vs All-Exclusive
Love the idea of a pay-one-price vacation? Then you’ll want to consider a destination that has all-inclusive resorts… you don’t find these on every island! Not sure which if you're an all-inclusive or all-exlcusive resort person, check out our blog.
Our Travel Experts will use these as criteria to help narrow down the endless array of options to create a short-list of destinations that match our destination wedding couple’s specific needs.
If you’d like FREE destination wedding planning help, submit a no-obligation quote request. One of our Travel Experts will be in touch to help you decipher the options and find the best destination wedding location for your big day!
