Excited about organizing and getting your wedding planned? Thinking of going out and tying the knot in a foreign land? The real destination wedding ceremony and its planning are quite different from what we all dream of. There are a whole bunch of things to consider when you are thinking of planning an overseas wedding. Of course, you can get as creative as possible while organizing your wedding; but an international wedding needs to have rigorous preparation before you dive into the joyful ride.

To give a direction to your thoughts, we have listed down a few things you need to know prior planning your destination wedding.

Beginners guide to planning a Destination Wedding

1) Why plan an International Wedding?

A destination wedding is all about having a great time with your near and dear ones in a stunning location; away from the hustle and bustle of the typical conventional weddings planned in your hometown.

There may be many possibilities for why a couple chooses to have a destination wedding for themselves. Sometimes, an international wedding venue can be closer to your guests hometown. Secondly, a destination wedding can be turned into a holiday as well! Not to forget for your family and friends who genuinely care will be attending your wedding festivities; allowing you to have an intimate ceremony.

2) The theme of Destination Wedding

The couple who decides to host a destination wedding often picks a theme to maintain the style and aesthetics of the D-day. As soon as you decide on your destination, it is important to get to know the location as well. Your location can determine the theme of your wedding as well. For instance, if planning a wedding on a beach, choosing pastel colors theme is one of the popular choices.

People who prefer to host a destination wedding often pick a theme to mark the overall style of your wedding. Some of the popular wedding themes are classic, traditional, Bollywood, contemporary, romantic, rustic, garden, vintage, chic, beach to name a few. Also, you may have a customized theme for your wedding after consulting your wedding planner.

 3) Budget to splurge

Marriage is a very special and private ceremony for any couple and their family members. However, the extravagance of a wedding should not be hard on your pockets. Be sure how much and where do you want to splurge the money.

Every wedding is unique and hosts have their estimate amount to be spent. Also, it is difficult to fix a budget for a destination wedding as additional expenses come along with such a wedding. For example, you might need to arrange accommodation at the very instant, plan trips to and from the decided location for planning purpose or any other additional expense. As a solution, be clear about the estimated budget set aside for your destination wedding; including the costs that could be needed for any emergency expenses.

4) The Guests

Guests are the most important factor in any wedding; especially in a destination wedding. You must tell your friends and family well in advance of your wedding. Destination wedding needs proper management. So, if the guests know that you are going to invite them for a destination wedding, they will save money and manage holidays for you. This will also help you finalize your guest list and let you plan your wedding accordingly.

Be open to your guests. You should also show some appreciation to your guests who manage to visit your wedding abroad. Arrange group flights, accommodation, meals, welcome on arrival or some accessories as a gift for them to take back as memories.

A considerate gesture of appreciation for your guests is to prepare a welcome pack for your guest which has all the essentials in it to name a few are; hats, sunglasses etc.

5) The Actual Moment

The wedding date must be chosen very carefully and with suggestions from the people you want to be present beside you on D-day. For instance, if you have selected a destination popular for its summer days, you must plan a wedding there in the summer season and not winters.

Of course, destination weddings demand a stunning location to be picked by you. Some prefer to go for an intimate beach wedding; some want a luxurious vintage wedding. This would make the shortlisting easier for a beach wedding as you would choose a certain location famous of beaches and for a vintage wedding, some destination with conventional buildings would be an apt choice.

6) Save the Date

Invitations are an integral part of your wedding. An invitation pings your near and dear ones to save the date for you. The invitations for a destination wedding becomes utterly important to be sent as early as possible to make sure your important guests are informed and ready and attend the most important day of your life.

If possible, your invitation should clarify the theme as well. On the other hand, wedding websites and social media specifically for the wedding are popular nowadays. People who are unable to attend the wedding can watch the celebrations and ceremonies from being far away yet so close.

7) Booking Vendors

The process of booking vendors is a little different for destination weddings. In case of a destination wedding, you have to choose from the limited options available for any services. Mostly, couples having a destination wedding book a wedding planner for their destination wedding. The wedding planners have a clear idea and contacts of the local vendors. If you hire the planner back from your hometown, their team will be responsible for all the bookings.

A wedding planner organizes your complete wedding, including the planning and its vendors, simply leaving you to have fun and make memories for a lifetime.

8) What is in my plate?

Your destination wedding catering must align with the destination popular cuisines rather than what you have back at your hometown. Each place is famous for its local dishes. Savor the local delicacies at your destination wedding and make your guests; taste buds explode with the local bites.

Besides, you can have a fusion of dishes from your home country and the place you are hosting the wedding. So, let your caterer explore and experiment with the possibilities of introducing a varied variety of dishes.

9) Click me!

Get yourself a photographer who would keep the couple as the center of attraction in the stunning destination. Let your photographer explore the wedding location and plan out the poses and different locations for clicking wonderful pictures of the couple and guests. Later in your life, you would cherish these captured moments of your dream wedding in a strange land. The views, their traditions, the local cuisines and of course the candid moments of your wedding would make a remarkable wedding album.

10) Few other things…

There are a lot of things to consider before making the final decision to host a wedding out of your home country. Research and make sure about all the travel prospects, accommodation for you and your guests, places to eat and visit in the area. You may dress like a local and perform local traditions and cultures. Also, you must take into account any legal requirements which are necessary to host a wedding abroad.