Destination Wedding Tips for Adventurous Brides

Why have an ordinary wedding when you can have a destination wedding? In this post, I’m sharing the top 5 tips for destination weddings and what to consider before planning your own! Discover the answers to your biggest questions…

Your wedding day will be one of the most meaningful moments in your life.

You’ve found the person you want to spend your life with and you’re on cloud nine.  There’s no better feeling! 

And while the romantic in me loves all things wedding-related…

from the excitement of getting engaged,

to trying on dreamy wedding dresses,

picking out the flowers…

Wedding Planning Can Be Stressful

And before you know it, you’re caught up in a whirlwind. You know what I’m talking about… and I bet you can think of at least a few friends who you’ve seen this happen to. They start off engaged and blissful and as the wedding day approaches are more and more stressed out.

Lots of moments are fun and exciting: picking bridesmaids, setting a date, choosing a venue…

But stress can quickly creep in, whether it’s family drama, budget concerns, or simply the enormous task of planning your dream wedding.

Is There Another Way?

Yes! Planning a wedding doesn’t have to be a chore! Destination weddings are a fantastic solution to cut back on the stress and overwhelm (even the $$$$) involved in planning a traditional wedding.

Not to mention it’s fun and exciting to travel somewhere for your wedding. It’s like taking your favorite kind of ice cream and then making it even better by adding your favorite toppings (butterscotch, anyone?) It sweetens the experience.

And we can’t forget the epic photography you can get from a destination wedding. Just think of how amazing those pictures will be!

A Few Things To Consider

Sounds pretty fantastic, right?

I’m going to share with you my top destination wedding tips (and things to consider):

• Why I didn’t have a traditional wedding
• Deciding who to invite
• Honest questions to ask yourself
• Tips on budgeting
• How to prioritize what’s important to you
• What I did to minimize stress

Why I Chose A Destination Wedding

When my husband and I got engaged, I went into full wedding planning mode ASAP and knew I wanted a fabulous, glam wedding.  I’d always pictured myself having a big wedding with lots of friends and family, beautiful flowers, the whole deal.

Annnnnd we ended up doing the opposite of a big wedding and instead had an intimate ceremony for two in Italy. 

It made sense for us for a few reasons:

• we didn’t want to spend a fortune or have any debt
• we wanted a personal, meaningful wedding
• we wanted to honeymoon in Italy

Honestly, it took me a while to come around to the idea of a destination wedding.  I did NOT like the idea at first.

After all, we were choosing to not invite guests.  That’s a big decision, and it isn’t for everyone.  But ultimately, it was a way to have my dream wedding while also keep it focused on the two of us.  The last thing I wanted was to get caught up in all the details of wedding planning and lose sight of the real reason behind it all.

In the end, we were so happy with our decision, and would highly recommend traveling somewhere amazing to get married.  Our wedding was incredibly beautiful and we had an amazing time exploring Italy.

Now don’t worry, if it’s really important to you to have family there, you can make it work! 

That’s the beauty of destination weddings – you can really pick and choose what you want to prioritize.

What About Friends And Family?

You definitely want to start by considering the most important people in your life (other than your fiance of course!) – is it important to you that they be there for your big day? 

This was a really tough one for us, because we both have amazing families who we’re close to.

We chose to opt for a simple, private ceremony because we 1) wanted it to be just between the two of us and 2) we didn’t want to ask friends and family to make the costly trip to Italy, and it wasn’t feasible for us to fund it.

If having guests is something you want, it can be done. Talk to them and gauge their willingness to make the trip (before you plan anything). 

Ask yourself honest questions: Will I regret not having my Dad walk me down the aisle?  Who will help me get into my wedding dress?  Really think it through.

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing – a good compromise could be inviting parents only, or immediate family only.  Or inviting lots of people, but only paying for travel expenses of family members.  Think through all your options.

How Much Does A Destination Wedding Cost?

Another important aspect of wedding planning is setting a budget.  In the U.S., the average cost of a wedding in 2019 is approximately $38,000. 

For an elopement or destination wedding, you can have an amazing experience for much less.  Of course, it’s all dependent on how many guests you invite, where you’re traveling to, etc.

In our case we were able to do wedding and honeymoon, all things included for under $15,000. 

How we did it was by not inviting guests and skipping the reception.  A nice elopement is easily doable for under $10,000.  You could slash that in half and keep it under $5,000!   It really just depends on what elements you want to include, the scale and size of the wedding, and the destination.

Ultimately, determine and prioritize what’s important for you and you’ll find ways to trim out the extras.  Which leads us to our next point…

Know What You Want

This is quite possibly the most important destination wedding tip I can give you : know what you want!  The clearer your vision is of what is important, the smoother the planning will go. 

Here are a few important things to consider:

• Date of the wedding/season (Spring? Winter? How much planning time do you have?)
• Number of guests (Just the two of you? Friends and family?)
• Overall style (Casual? Formal?)
• Location (New Zealand? Mexico? What travel is needed and how much does it cost?)
• Reception (Food? Cake? Music? Flowers?)
• Photograhy? Videography?

We could go on and on, but the point here is to establish your must-haves, and also the things that aren’t at the top of the priority list.  This part is critical, and may involve going back to look at your budget to see what’s feasible.

Once you’ve hammered out the details, now it’s getting exciting right?  You can almost picture it….

Hire A Local To Make It Happen

My next destination wedding tip can alleviate soooo much stress, and I highly recommend it.  Seriously.

The nature of an elopement or destination wedding means that you may not be able to visit venues or taste wedding cakes prior to the wedding itself.  If your wedding will take place in another country, this is especially true.

For that reason, it’s so smart to hire a local wedding expert to do all the heavy lifting for you.  Easily the best decision we made. 

Having help from a professional can really make all the difference, because they are established in the area and have connections with local florists, officiants, etc.

Our coordinator was a wonderfully helpful lady named Yasuko.  I found her and her company through an Internet search.  Do your research! 

Here’s what to look for when searching for a wedding coordinator:

• Look for a company that’s been in business for years
• Has lots of good reviews
• Lists pricing estimates
• Shows examples of their work

After an initial phone call with Yasuko, we communicated through email and she helped us nail down the budget, find a great venue, and even coordinated a local hairstylist, florist, musician, photographer, and videographer!  She was absolutely amazing and updated me frequently with progress.

You might be hesitant or nervous trusting someone you’ve never met with the bulk of the wedding planning, but it ended up being such a blessing because it eliminated a lot of the stress of planning.

Don’t Stress Over The Details

Last but not least, don’t stress over the details!  It’s true what they say, you should slow down and enjoy the moment.  At the end of the day, your wedding is about you and your partner and the commitment you’re making to each other.

No matter if the flowers aren’t perfect or the sun isn’t shining, your day will still be unforgettable. Cherish each moment.

Are You An Adventurous Bride?

I’d love to hear from you which of these destination wedding tips resonated most.  Please leave a comment below!  If you have any further questions for me, let me know and I’d love to help.  A destination wedding can truly be magical and the trip of a lifetime! 

Before you go, be sure to check out a few of my other posts that will be helpful in planning a destination wedding:

• Keeping Your Sanity on Long Flights
• What To Pack: The Ultimate Travel Packing Checklist
• What Not To Bring On A Plane