Destination Wedding

Getting married in a far away romantic location is a definitely a dream. If you’ve decided to go for it and have your wedding in your favorite spot in the world, congratulations! But you have your work cut out for you. Planning a destination wedding entails a lot more than any other wedding.

There are so many lists online about how to prepare for your big destination event. But most of which neglect one of the most important details – your guests.

Your family and friends will undoubtedly travel to the other side of the world for your big day. It’s up to you to make sure they enjoy it. No one wants disappointed guests at a wedding hundreds of miles away from home.

This list does not include location hunting or decor arrangements. Rather, it will focus on the most important thing, how to make sure your loved ones have a blast at your destination wedding.

Create a wedding website

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Creating a wedding website is the perfect way to make your destination wedding hassle-free for your guests. Your website will be your wedding hub, providing all the information your friends and family may need.

Everything mentioned above should be included in your wedding site. It’s the perfect place to present your itinerary and travel plans. You should link to flights and hotels from here. Any local tips, like where to eat and what to check out could be included in the site as well. Perhaps even include a weather forecast.

Your website will act as an information center for your guests during and building up to the wedding weekend. Make sure it has everything they could possibly require.

Check out these wedding website examples for inspiration!

Give your guests a heads up

Location weddings require more than a day of people’s time, it can often be a weekend, or even more. It’s not always easy to get everyone’s timetables synchronized.

Once you’ve settled on a location and venue, sit down with your closest friends and family. See what they have planned for the next year and try to make your plans work for as many people as you can.

You should also send out save the dates and invitations as soon as possible. Giving people time to plan ahead will make a huge difference in attendance, and the way people react to your big announcement.

Make sure there are accommodations for everyone

So, you found the perfect venue. Before going all in and setting a date, you should make sure there are accommodations for all of your guests. The last thing you want is to find out that the hotel near the venue is already fully booked.

Another thing you may want to provide, is options. Perhaps some of your guests might want cheaper accommodations. It’s best to have a couple hotels lined up so your friends and family can have the experience most suited to them, budget-wise.

Whatever options you decide to recommend to your loved ones, you should make sure the locations allow easy access to the venue and pre-wedding events. Aiming for a less than 10 to 15-minute drive is the sweet spot.

If the wedding is in, or close to a city, or other tourist-worthy attractions, make sure your guests are located where they can enjoy it all.

Provide local tips

Flying your guests out to a destination wedding means they’re going to more than a wedding. They’re going on vacation. You probably know quite a bit about your dream location, but your guests might not. It’s up to you to make sure they get the most out of their weekend getaway.

Most weekend-long wedding events have quite a bit of down-time. This is the perfect time for your guests to go out and get to know the place you love. To ensure they have the best time, give them a list of recommendations. Restaurants, bars, shops and parks are a great place to start.

A crucial part of travelling is being prepared for the local weather. Let your guests know exactly what’s in store. If the various events you have planned are outdoors, beachside, or in the forest, everyone should be packed accordingly, to avoid any unpleasantries on the big day.

Make traveling as easy as possible

Travelling is probably the least pleasant part of a destination wedding. Booking flights, going to and from the airport and hotel, and even getting to the wedding venue itself, can all be frustrating. Especially when language barriers are involved.

Luckily, you can make this much easier for your loved ones. You can find travel options and even try to arrange group deals on flights and buses. Giving your guests the option to simply book everything, without doing their own research, will go a long way.

The same is true for local transportation at your destination. You can arrange buses or other forms of transportation from the hotel to the venue. If your guests are spread out, you can provide the necessary info for them to get around easily on their own.

To make thing easy for yourself, as well as your family and friends, you can hire a travel agency to take care of flights as well as local transportation.

Make your guests feel appreciated

Your friends and family love you and they are more than willing to travel far for your big day. Let them know how much you appreciate them!

A good way to show appreciation is by giving them giftbags on arrival with things they could use for the weekend. If you’re headed to an island, for example, you could give them cool flipflops and water bottles.

Be creative with the ways you show how thankful you are. Showing appreciation is about the little things. Keep your loved ones in mind and put yourself in their shoes. If your guests enjoy their weekend, you most definitely will too.