A destination wedding can be an incredible experience for everyone, but couples are often swayed toward a traditional wedding close to home for a number of reasons. Well, the truth of the matter is that many of these reasons are easily combatable. In fact, we’re sharing some of our most popular “destination wedding myths” and how we combat them.
Excuse: “Well, we don’t want to plan our wedding without being able to see the venue in advance or meet the vendors prior to the Big Day.”
Why it doesn’t matter: Technology allows us to have the full experience from anywhere in the world and the right destination wedding specialist can help guide the planning process, making brides and grooms feel right at home. Couples can often see high-definition photos, floor plans, and virtual tours of venues in a matter of minutes. Skype and FaceTime are also great options for getting to know vendors from afar, as are online reviews which can be rather comforting to see many people have had a positive experience.
Excuse: “We want to invite a lot of people and we just don’t think they’ll travel all that way.”
Why it doesn’t matter: Those who matter the most will make the trip. It’s as simple as that. A smaller, intimate wedding can be unexpectedly perfect (and much more cost-effective) and it may be just the experience they’re looking for. Couples can always choose to have a casual get-together at home for those who can’t attend.
Excuse: “We’re already paying for a wedding, how are we supposed to afford airfare on top of that!?”
Why it doesn’t matter: Airfare can be a bit pricy, but the savings from choosing a destination wedding will outweigh the cost of transportation. Destination weddings cost our clients an average of $10,000 with airfare included—a mere third of their $30,000 hometown counterpart. If the cost of flying is really a concern, there are usually savings to be had if the tickets are booked early enough in advance.
Excuse: “I’d rather not lug all of my wedding décor across borders. That’s a lot of unnecessary baggage!”
Why it doesn’t matter: Destination weddings already feature striking scenery, so décor may take a back seat to the idyllic setting. Couples can keep it light by packing any must-haves in their carry-on for easy traveling. Couples can consider shipping things ahead to the venue—it may cost a bit extra, but it will save them the headache of checking it during travel.
When it comes down to it, there will be things that don’t go as planned whether they’re close to home or halfway around the world.
Destination weddings aren’t for everyone and there are certainly some wonderful attributes of hometown weddings. However, couples shouldn’t pursue anything other than their dream wedding simply because they have a few concerns. Ease their worries with answers to their questions (or excuses) and allow them to choose the right direction for themselves!
Rebecca Hochreiter is the Vice President of Marketing & Customer Engagement at DestinationWeddings.com, the world's leading destination wedding and romantic travel planning company. DestinationWeddings.com has worked with over 20,000 couples and half a million guests to plan dream destination weddings. DestinationWeddings.com is one of the award-winning brands in the Celebration Travel Group collection.
