We are thinking of a Destination Wedding (NEED HELP)

Aloha - I wanted a destination wedding for my 12/12/12 wedding but I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, Hawaii. I thought why not just have it here. It is truly magical here and so romantic. One of the best deciding factors was the wonderful beachfront venues (estates) that they have on the island especially Oahu. So, I decided to go with an estate beach front wedding. My wedding planner specializes in destination weddings and she is pretty affordable since she is just starting out. She has the most high quality vendors and she is a one stop shop. You only deal with her and she has a vendor for everything. This experience has been so chill thanks to her. Please check out her website and decide on Hawaii... You won't regret it trust me. I can help with any questions you have about the island since I am a local girl www.zenjuweddingsnevents.com Her name is Yanicke.

There are so many beautiful places i would recommend for a destination wedding, however in August have to be extra careful due to hurricane season.

A great option that is not to far away is Aruba, they are not part of the hurricane area. I have done many destination weddings, and would love to talk to you further.

There is no fee for my services, and I can do all the work for you, as well as have the wedding coordinator at the resort deal with everything. Please call or email me at anytime!

I'd say, figure out where you'd want to go first. Think about international or domestic because getting passports for everyone in time can be an issue. Then start emailing some resorts or dw services for pricing and options. It's also great to have a travel agent because they can coordinate everything for your guests. Include the location & your travel agents info on your Save-the-Dates and try to send them out a year in advance.

I'm not a fan of planning or stress so we decided to have a very intimate ceremony in Barbados...just the two of us. We'll be renewing our vows and having a reception next year in our hometown.

Good luck!

Do you have an idea of where you want to go? And how many people you'll be inviting? (immediate family only? close friends? just the two of you? everyone you know?)

You need to think about your budget first and approximately the number of guests; if you are thinking of the caribbean the ABC islands and Tobago are off the hurricane belt; however finding an all inclusive resort would be difficult; I believe Aruba only has one hotel that provides the service; You also need to factor in the cost of getting for your guests; Let me know if I can answer any addtional questions

Where are you wanting to go? We are doing a cruise wedding and getting married while in Port in the Bahamas.

Thank you everyone for the advice. We are considering Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands, or Flordia Keys. We also dont expect any more than30 people all together. My fiance likes the idea of Hawaii and me myself, I am open to any of these places. Im practical and just want our family and friends to have a wonderful time and it wont cost them an arm and a leg lol.

We are doing a super simple DW in San Diego on Coronado Island <3

I would say consider FL, it really is a pain as a guest to have to get a passport if you don't have one, book a flight and a room.

Destination wedding are expensive

What is your budget and how many guests?

My mom wanted Hawaii until she realized the cost to fly there (from St. Louis).

Take into account that while a DW is also your Honeymoon (or most are), it's a wedding and/or vacation for other people and the funds are tight. Airfare can be super expensive.

I would look online at a few choices, then discuss with your parents -- epsecially i you REALLY want them there. Will you have to pay their air fare? What about your bridal party?

Id say concider three things and go from there

1) what are you and your FH wanting to spend on the venue/ceremony/reception/trip ~ this will help you when you pick your resort to narrow down your search

2)what do you want your guests to spend on your destination wedding? $1000 per person $2000 per person?

3) all inclusive or not? from there pick your area and then your resort

i personally found my budget is way less when we wanted a destination wedding ($6000) and option b for me was doing it in my home town and my budget was way more ($25000)

i'd disagree that its more expensive for you, but its is more expensive for your guests.

if you have any questions private message me

I had a DW and my 3 main factors in deciding on a place were 1) is it accessible for people? There's nothing worse than being "forced" to go on vacation and it becomes a planes, trains, and automobiles movie and 2) is the place we're going affordable for my guests and 3) will it be easy for my MIL (who's in a wheelchair most of the time) to have fun as well as our friends.

For those reasons we decided to get married on a rooftop overlooking the Vegas strip. Almost everyone got direct flights for < $300, the 900sq ft suites at our hotel were $129 a night, no one had to go through customs, etc, etc. I probably would have chosen a beach setting, but my MIL wouldn't have enjoyed that AT ALL. About half of our guests (including us) had never been, so it was a great vacation too. We spent ~15K for 65 guests.

Justine,

I found the same thing. It was too expensive for many of my guests. That's why we decided on Coronado in California. We still get a destination but it isn't nearly as expensive for those who we want to be there!

Hi Tunisha,

We are planning a destination wedding in Florida on the Gulf. Our original goal was Mexico because we vacation there yearly and love it. However, it was a royal pain with all the documents, chest xray, bloodwork, etc......not to mention harder for our guests if they want to attend.

You can either go with a resort, or there are companies that do the ceremony all-inclusive. It depends on your budget & how much time you have to go away for the wedding and honeymoon. We are having a very small (less than 20 guests) wedding, have limited time (4 day weekend) and don't want to spent 50K, so we're going with a company to do the all inclusive ceremony, then go back with our guests to party and hang by the pool at a very nice hotel for the next 1 1/2 days.......The joys of being older and married once before

However you do it, hey.....you're at the beach and it will be beautiful!!!

I wanted a island wedding so we are getting married on the Outer Banks. I was so focused on all of the details when I started planning and now as it is approaching very quickly. I feel like I really lost my focus.

We are having a small wedding probably about 30 people. I am not sure about how to lay out the chairs for our beach ceremony. I plan to only have two attendants who are also my sisters. So I am going to stop at a wholesale flower warehouse to purchase my flowers and put the bouquets together myself.

As for the beach decor, I really wanted to have a huppah because I think they look beautiful on the beach, but they are way expensive to rent and our truck is acting up so it is not possible to put our own together. I am thinking about renting white feather flags to add some pizzaz to our ceremony site but I am worried if it is windy will it be too loud?

For our reception we are having a small dinner party in our big beach rental. The inside of the house is beautiful. Ideas?

We are doing an Island... kinda. It's coronado.

Sunset.

Under 30 people.

Rose Petal Isle.

I'm pretty excited

we are going with Dream Beach Wedding:

http://sdofficiant.com/alaCarte.html

I love desitnation weddings, but they do tend to be more expensive, more work, and typically much smaller. Before you decide on a destination wedding, I would recommend making a list of the top (5) draws of a destination wedding, and seeing if there is a location/venue closer to where you live that fulfills all of these draws. Also, are you going to be disappointed if not everyone can make it?

If you do decide to go the route of a destination wedding, your first step is to decide where you want to go. (I would recommend staying in the US...) As a second step, I would recommend finding a full service wedding planner in the town you choose to get married. There are lots of planners that specialize in destination weddings and will walk you through the whole process and help you find exactly what you are looking for, without you having to continuously travel back and forth.

Go to www.destinationweddings.com!!!!! I just got married in Jamaica in March and I used them and they were great! It's like having a personal wedding planner/travel agent to help with all your questions! I highly recommend them to anyone planning a destination wedding... couldnt have done it without them! Good luck!

Hawaii! It is expensive, but perhaps package deals might help.

Just remember that it is hurricane season for Florida and US Virgin Islands for your date! I know, because I was an insurance adjuster for the first five years of marriage (my anniv date is 8/28) and every year I was going to that area to deal with emergency insurance claims!!! In Florida, at least, it's also very hot and muggy with afternoon thunderstorms, that time of year, if I remember correctly.

Hawaii should be fine at that time.

Or, how about a beautiful Lake Tahoe wedding? Swimming in a crystal clear lake in August is heavenly!!!