Angelique Cabral had never been to Portugal or the Azores where her father had immigrated from to the United States more than 25 years ago. She had always been curious to go visit the country and her extended family members who still lived there, but something else always seemed to come up – study, work, and now, a new love. For her wedding, she wanted to do something a little different, and wished to finally get to Portugal for her honeymoon – when it finally hit her: a destination wedding!
The ease and simplicity of destination weddings are gaining more and more popularity as a special way to celebrate, but also to cut down on wedding and honeymoon costs. The idea appeals to couples around the world for a number of reasons: in this global age, to bring family and friends together from around the world, to enjoy the simplicity of a small wedding party, or, like Angelique, to visit and explore a place they have always wanted to go.
The secret to planning a simple but smashing destination wedding and honeymoon is in choosing an expert hotelier or a destination travel specialist who will take care of all your needs after consulting with you and your loved one on what those needs are. Prices can vary, depending on your wedding party and number of guests, but all in all, costs will inevitably be more affordable as you will not have to commission each of the wedding vendors yourself – the hotel or agent takes care of all that for you! In addition, travel costs are cut in half for your and your loved one, as your honeymoon destination is already outside your hotel door!
The following are 5 important considerations for the perfect destination wedding and honeymoon.
1. What is your budget?
Sit down with your husband or bride-to-be and your family and set your budget first. Be sure to include your wedding costs as well as your honeymoon budget. Generally, the bride and groom are not responsible for paying for guests’ travel and accommodation expenses – but will you want to pay for family members? And also keep in mind, that at traditional weddings, couples can often recoup their costs through gifts – but wedding gifts are not common and cannot always be expected for destination nuptials. Your guests’ gift to you will be traveling from far and near to share in your special day with you.
2. Location, Location, Location.
Where do you want to go? Consider where you see yourself saying your vows, as well as where you see you and your new spouse relaxing after the wedding. Your honeymoon will be a natural extension of your wedding – do you want some good beach time in the Caribbean? Or would you rather go somewhere exotic like the island of Malta? Are you limited by your budget? Then the more popular destination wedding locations like Hawaii or Jamaica might be for you. All these options are available to you in today’s destination wedding industry. Spend a good amount of time with your finance to figure out what your priorities are in choosing a location and find a good destination wedding travel agent/specialist.
A great way to cut down on costs but keep the elegance you want in mind, is to take advantage of wedding and honeymoon packages at all-inclusive resorts. Everything from the flowers, the catering, the marriage license, the wedding officiator, and even the photographers are often taken care of for you. All you need to do is select your dress or suit and show up ready to have a good time!
3. Who will you invite?
Destination weddings, by the nature of economics, are small weddings. As the saying goes, from the number of people you invite, only 60% of those invited are expected to attend the traditional wedding. With flight, distance and accommodations a factor, the destination wedding expects 20 % of those invited to come. This leaves room for a more intimate and creative reception.
The bride or groom’s families are expected as the hosts of the party to pay for the reception and a formal meal or two. Include this number, as well as creative extras such as gifts for your guests (towels, sunglasses, Frisbees, soaps, or local food specialties) in your budget.
Another creative consideration is in the design of your wedding invitation. Your invitation may want to reflect the characteristics of the destination, or like Angelique, reflect the reason for the destination – her wedding invitations arrived to each of her guests on a card printed with a copy of her father’s old family photo! Include the design of the invitation, the extra information for guests (maps, entertainment information, flight information), and the postage in your budgeting.
4. Enjoy your Family and Friends.
You’ll have saved a lot of time and money in choosing the destination wedding. You can take the free time you have to arrange fun activities with your friends and family – a night on the town (how about a destination stag or stagette?), a cruise ride, or a family and friend museum tour. You’ll be able to take advantage of your location and make your wedding memorable for everyone.
5. Enjoy each other.
The wedding is done and you won’t have to travel very far to reach your honeymoon – in fact, it’ll be right outside your hotel door. Let the honeymoon of exploration, adventure or relaxation – whatever you’re here for – begin!
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