“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

— Nelson Mandela

First of all, congrats! You are getting married!

Planning a state-side wedding can be stressful enough between making big decisions like choosing your photographer to the tiniest of details like which font to use on the invites. Planning a destination wedding is next level stressful, and you seriously deserve a gold medal for accomplishing the task! I don’t have a gold medal for you, but I can help you along the way with a realistic planning timeline and a few things you need to consider specifically for bringing together your perfect, or close to anyway, destination wedding.

Research, Research, Research!

Nearly all your arrangements with vendors will be made over the phone or email. Make sure you are contracting reputable, trustworthy, and quality companies. Hiring a wedding planner in your destination country will pay off in the long run. If your destination happens to be Costa Rica, you can find here a list of the best wedding planners.

Weather and climate, high and low seasons, and cost of plane tickets all need to be taken into consideration when deciding a date.

Do not wait to find out what travel documents you will need to enter your destination country! Find out as soon as possible and do not neglect to get any mandatory vaccines ahead of time. You will also want to read up on the legal requirements of marriage before you head out and make any necessary arrangements.

Make sure you have set up a cell phone plan that will allow you to communicate once you arrive and the appropriate outlet adapters in order to charge your phone.

Contact the airline in advance for their policies on checking or carrying on your dress.

Accommodations

Finding the right accommodations can be a bit tricky depending on what you are trying to accomplish. For my destination wedding in Costa Rica we rented a beautiful Airbnb large enough to fit everyone. This option was perfect for us because we all wanted to be together without anyone having to take out a second mortgage. We were able to save a lot of money cooking our own meals and splitting the cost of the Airbnb. However, we waited too long to book and the only place large enough to accommodate us was almost an hour from the ceremony location. So make sure you reserve a few months in advance for larger groups.

There are other approaches as well, such as providing two or three hotel options for guests within different price ranges. Just be sure they are within walking distance or that transportation will be provided. The simplest option, though maybe not the cheapest, would be to book an all inclusive wedding at a hotel and everyone can room at the same hotel. No worrying about transportation or coordinating much.

Culture

The last element of a destination wedding that you will want to consider is culture! Destination weddings are enriched with exotic beauty and traditions, why not include some of that into your wedding? It will make for a memorable experience to incorporate a foreign tradition into your special day not only for your guests, but for you and your partner as well . You can find symbolic traditions such as releasing doves in the Philippines, fun traditions like the best man cutting the groom’s tie and selling it to guests during the reception in Italy, and some other not so desirable ones like the father of the bride spitting on her in Kenya.

It’s Worth It!

I know there is so much to plan and execute, but I promise you, destination weddings are worth the extra effort! You are not only planning a wedding, but an epic vacation with all the people who love you most. Do not be afraid to do something out of the ordinary and make memories that you can relive for a lifetime through your wedding photos and video. If you still need a videographer to catch every memorable moment of your big day we can help you at El Ancla Wedding films because we believe your love story deserves to be remembered.