Is A Destination Wedding Right for You?

Destination weddings are certainly growing in popularity.  While there are still many couples who go down the traditional route of getting married in a church followed by a reception in a banquet hall, there is no doubt that a destination wedding is a new and upcoming trend with couples wanting to tie the knot.

The phrase 'destination wedding' refers to a wedding which takes place away from either the bride or groom’s hometown, placing the ceremony and reception somewhere where everyone has to travel to get to the wedding.  Usually destination weddings are smaller and more expensive than their local counter-parts, though the added cost can be offset if the bride and groom honeymoon near the location of their wedding and ask for wedding guests to pay for their travel expenses on their own. 

Destination weddings are most often held in picturesque and sometimes exotic locations.  Destination weddings don’t necessarily need to mean that everyone has to travel by plane.  A few hours drive away from home brings some people to exotic areas that may as well be on the other end of the country.  One benefit of relatively close destination weddings over their international counterparts is that more local weddings don’t require guests to spend a great deal of money on travel costs, nor do they need to apply for passports or visas.  If you’re planning on having a destination wedding, realize that many guests who would otherwise like to attend your wedding simply won’t be able to afford the added cost of traveling to the wedding location.  

Many couples who opt for weddings locations and have a reception immediately after the ceremony, but then also host an additional reception back home for friends and family who couldn’t attend the ceremony itself.  This strikes a nice balance between having your wedding where you want while still getting everyone involved.  Of course, you could always fly everyone who wants to attend the wedding to the location, though this alternative is extremely expensive and is out of the means of most couples. 

Remember that you will be inviting the guests to travel with you.  Most likely, the guests will be paying their own way and are essentially planning their entire vacation around your wedding.  Therefore, you will have to give considerable thought in what both you and your guests want to do before and after the wedding.