Destination Wedding Planning SOS

09 Jul Destination Wedding Planning SOS

It’s been a while since we posted but since we are currently in sunny Portugal (The Algarve to be exact) preparing for one of our couple’s to tie the know I thought what better time to share some considerations for destination wedding planning.

This isn’t an exact science and the destination wedding planning process all over the world can vary but the Bumble Events team have done a fair bit of wedding globetrotting and these are some of the things we’ve picked up.

Wedding Legalities

There are different legal requirements depending on which religion you observe, if at all.  These requirements should be explored before you decide where you’d like to get married. There’s no point painstakingly choosing a destination and selecting a venue to discover you may not be eligible to marry or have run out of time to complete or submit any necessary documents.

In some cases you may need an interpreter to assist you along the way. Try and find someone who understands the wedding process in the country you are to wed. Our experience is that these people are with their weight in gold.

Wedding Venue

When choosing your wedding venue it’s all about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. How easy is it for your guests to find and are there any accommodation options on site or close by? Guests will be grumpy and complaining if they have to do an hours drive from their hotel to get to your venue and may not get to enjoy a cocktail or two before starting their mammoth journey back after your first dance.

Is your hotel in easy commute of an airport or train station. This is always a winner but may push the venue price up a bit.

Be sure to ask your venue which items are included in the price of venue hire such as tables, linens and crockery. If you are having a wedding over 50 guests then do check they stock enough tables and chairs for your wedding size.

Wedding suppliers

Speak with your vendors BEFORE booking them. I know this may be stating the obvious but you’d be surprised to know plenty of people book wedding suppliers based off stunning social media profiles and then discover there are other things they needed to know before signing a contract.

I’m all for sourcing suppliers who are independent of the venue and competitively priced however I also think that removal of any risk factor is key for destination weddings. Speak to your venue and ask for their recommendations on wedding suppliers who are familiar with the venue and have worked there a number of times before. You can then compare the prices of these vendors against any wedding vendors you’ve managed to find.

You may find a wedding photographer or wedding decorator who are amazing and what they do and reasonably priced only to discover that they are not local to your wedding venue, have never worked there before and charge a hefty delivery cost.

Always ask whether prices quoted include tax and delivery costs. If they don’t then establish what these costs will be. Again, this is one that can come back and bite you on the bum. I’m sure you can do without the additional stress of an extra 5K on your wedding budget in VAT.

Choose vendors who are responsive and visual / illustrative in their communication. The responsiveness factor applies to all weddings and not only a destination event. Remember, most of your actual wedding planning will be done in the comfort of your living room so you will have to have built a good relationship with your wedding suppliers. You can have the most decadent wedding cake planned but if you can’t get through to your cake maker to discuss your vision then there’s no point as you will end up disappointed. Wedding planning is often a stressful time for couples so make your life easy by selecting suppliers who can reply to your messages within a day or two and who are happy to jump on a video call. There are so many free methods of communication that radio silence from your wedding vendors in neither an option or acceptable!

Bridal Party 

Choose a bridal party that can be useful to you. Nuff said but let me elaborate. Destination weddings require a whole heap of coordination and information to be shared amongst your guests and also your wedding suppliers and wedding venue.

You will need help from those closest to you so select your bridesmaids and groomsmen with this in mind. Good communicators, solution focused, methodically minded and calm under pressure are all key assets that you need in your wedding squad on the day! Think of this like a job application process. Why have your cousin when you know all she is going to want to do is lay by the pool topping up her tan and taking insta worthy pics and Snapchatting!  Believe me on this one……I’ve only done a handful of weddings where the bride doesn’t end up wanting to murder at least one of her bridesmaids. You’ve been warned.

Planning

Hire a wedding planner. Simple. Done. Finato.

Don’t think about planning a broad without using a wedding planner. For my advice on choosing a wedding coordinator or wedding planner then refer to the section on wedding suppliers above.

I’m not saying you cannot plan a beautiful wedding yourself. You can. I’m saying that use a professional who can make it their job to look into and resolve all the challenges.  There are lots of things to consider (we’ve only covered a few here) and you want it to go right. Your planner can help you through it all and you can relax a bit knowing it’s all in hand.

Right, I’m off to top up my tan and take some pics for the Gram! I hope you’ve found this post useful. Share your destination wedding planning tips with us. We’d love to hear them.