Getting Married in another state

See if any of the Hotels you will be using or could use offer wedding services. I am pretty sure when you make your reservations you can set that all up at once. Also, try and book everything in the same building. (I will have lots of family and friends who are traveling from out of state, so one location helps everyone.)

If you have any friends or family in that area, have them maybe scope out a few different places. Tell them What you are looking for and they can probably help out. Chances are they'd be able to help you decided better than web-photos, which can be deceiving.

We live in virginia and we are getting married next week in Philadelphia. The internet will be your best friend. Emails and phone calls will be constant! But in the end you will have to do some trips because there are things you must do in person. Try and line appointments for one trip to maximize the time. Like we went up and met with 3 photographers, 2 florists, and our venue all in one day. Also be sure to double and triple check with anyone you do have appointments with. We went all the way up there to meet with someone and they had mixed up their days and never showed! totally wasted the 6 hours of driving! If you have the extra money and want to you could hire a local wedding planning down there to work with and it could save you some trips. I personally didn't find this necessary but I would have micromanaged them the whole time anyway! Just take your time and start planning EARLY!!

Wow, seriously "touch of flavor" each time you do that you are putting us off from ever wanting to give business to a vendor that obviously does not pay attention or care about what a bride really is asking. You're cutting your own throat by annoying everyone here and making your business look bad. save your posts for when someone has a question actually pertaining to your business.

I live in Canada and I'm getting married in Mass. It hasn't been very hard actually. I do have family in Boston, but they really haven't had to do anything for me that I couldn't do myself. The way I did it was I researched all the vendors online, made phone calls, got references, and once I chose I asked them to meet me when I was home. All our contracts were done over email and fax. It hasn't been bad at all! I think it definitely would help, like the 1st poster said, to have it at a venue that will include/provide a lot of the things for you. (Like linens, cake, bar services, catering, etc)

Good luck! Start early like Laura said and it will be a piece of wedding cake!

I live in NY and I'm getting married in PA not a huge distance but travel seems time consuming. What we've been doing is telling everyone ok we're going to be there on such and such a day and give them a time to meet with us. They've had to travel to a central location for us (everyone except for the hotel of course). Also if you have the money I'd hire a wedding coordinator to also help. We've also done A LOT of phone conversations. We're typically on the phone from 5:30-8pm twice a week with different venders etc. Without a coordinator I would think you would need to make a couple trips out there to over see things etc. Mostly for venu purposes finding the place, meeting with the coordinator there etc.

I got married in New Orleans but live in Philly. One thing that was a tremendous help was the recommended vendor list we got from our reception venue, see if yours has one. I would also highly recommend your local board for your wedding on the knot. I got a ton of my vendor recs there and felt confident with them all, our vendors were amazing! like laura said, the internet is your friend, check out websites, referrals and reviews!

we did make one trip to our location before the weddng to meet with all of the vendors we booked, which was a good idea as well

If you have picked a venue you may want to ask if they have an inhouse coordinator that will be able to help you with all the odds and ends. You will eventually have to drive to FL or fly but that may cut back on the travel.

I was living in Califorina and Came back to New York to get married. I was VERY OPEN to help. I was NOT picky. If you want to keep down on your visits to plan - it would be in your interest to be very easy going.

Find people you trust will help you to get the things done that are needed. and you can do it from afar. I never once went out to NY - I had my inlaws working on the venue and catering, and my Father worked on the flowers and colors of things. Can't remember every details as it was almost 16 years ago. But I do know that the ONLY thing I was in charge of was my dress and wedding accessories. It was SOOOO nice to have them all help. and you know it was a blessing in more than one way... when the time came - Hub and I tried to pay for the things and everyone involved said NO - it was on them. This was totally beyond out expectations and such a blessing. So you never know... When you trust people to help they may just go above and beyond for you.

There has to be a reason that you're getting married down there, right? Is it family? Invoke more help from them. We got married out of state, in my parent's backyard. My mom took the lead on calling florists and finding who would have the flowers she wanted. Likewise, someone local should have recommendations for the preferred vendors. My mom knew exactly who to go to for the cupcake tree, so it was simply a matter of scheduling a tasting and choosing the flavors.

I'm sure a wedding planner can help as well for stuff like the venue and photographer recommendations (makes me think, I need to get in with some planners!). Or there are other resources online that you could use to find photographers, check the photographer forums, we post there for critiquing by other professionals all the time. Of course if you have a local one you like, many are willing to travel if you put them up.

We live in California and are getting married in our hometown Detroit in August. I travel a lot so my back and forth has not been anything out of the ordinary. My friends & family there have been a great help doing a lot of leg work for me. But, once I booked my venue I have been utilizing their contacts and suggestions. They have also worked with me on getting discounts form other vendors. So, I would say that is key.. just utilizing your resources. I even posted something on here about cakes this morning, although I already have a list of a few im thinking of. Never hurts to have more info then necessary. Just think..how many wedding magazines have you purchased?!:-)

I am a member of the Volusia County Wedding Professionals (www.wedpros.com) and the Wedding Professionals of Flagler (www.flaglerweddingpros.com). We cover the east coast of Florida from Jacksonville to Melbourne. By contacting us we can put you in touch with trusted vendors who have been screened by the respective organizations, so if you are getting married anywhere in that area (west to around the Orlando area) we will be glad to help you get everything you need without even getting off your computer. If you are getting married on the west coast or south, check there for similar organizations.

Hi Leigh: I am a florist in Melbourne, Florida and would be very happy to help you with your flowers for your wedding. I specialize in PRESERVED REAL FLOWERS. These are real flowers, specially treated to be preserved to last a long time. No need for water, no worry on your wedding day that they will wilt or die and after the wedding, you will have your bouquet to keep for a long time, with proper care. (Out of direct sunlight, away from moisture). Please visit my website for more information and do not hesitate to contact me. Good Luck. Liz Ann

You might want to consider hiring a wedding planner in Florida. You can only do so much on line and even though most venues may have a coordinator on site who will be helpful, their main job is to look out for the interst of the venue. You will need an advocate who is looking out for your interests and will make sure that your wedding is just how you envision and want it to be; i.e. looking out for your interst. A qualified planner will be able to work with you via phone calls and emails. Where in Florida will you be getting married? Maybe we can recommend someone for you.