By Chris Easter of TheManRegistry.com
Are you and your bride considering going the destination wedding route? Traditionally, honeymoon and destination wedding travel fall under the groom’s list of financial responsibilities. This means it’s time to start studying up. Here’s a starter guide:
Why go destination?
The main reason that many couples choose to hold a destination wedding is that it significantly makes the wedding planning process easier. The locale often will double as the honeymoon location. Resorts offering destination weddings are also generally all-inclusive. This means that they take care of the food, entertainment, decoration, setup etc.. If you have any experience in wedding planning, you know how sweet this sounds.
What are some popular destination wedding locations?
There really are no limitations when it comes to choosing where to have a destination wedding. Beaches and mountains are always popular locales, but there’s nothing saying you can’t hold a wedding in the dessert, at a waterfall or even at your favorite campground (trivia – the most popular location for a destination wedding is South Carolina). You want to be sure to get your preferred location booked far in advance. I recommend having everything locked down nine months in advance.
Who do we invite?
Typically, guest lists for destination weddings are smaller than traditional weddings. It’s standard to have an open invite with the understanding that if a guest can’t make it, it’s no big deal. Guests are expected to pay for their own airfare and travel expenses – this will significantly limit the number of attendees.
If you are upset about leaving people out, one option to consider is holding an informal “reception” once you return to your hometown. This way, all of your friends and family can be included in a part of the wedding celebration.
Are these weddings legal?
Yes, although you may want to put in some research on the marriage laws of the country you’re getting married in. Pay close attention to what documents and licenses you need to secure from the US and your home state before heading out of the country for your wedding. I definitely recommend checking with your resort on their preferred officiants.
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Chris Easter is co-founder of TheManRegistry.com – the leading online resource for engaged men. The site offers a unique wedding registry for men, a groom wedding blog and even Father’s Day Gift Ideas.
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I love destination weddings!
One of the many reasons for a Destination Wedding is the ability to throw the “rule book” away so traditional responsibilities for who pays for what frequently go out of the window. In a traditional situation the bridegooms parents pay for the rehearsal dinner, the brides parents for the wedding and reception and the groom the honeymoon. As these are normally all included in part of a destination wedding really everyone should contribute in some way. Fortunately as the guest list is normally relatively small the costs are also reduced.
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Great tips to help get one started on researching the idea of destination weddings. The all inclusive wedding sites are a wonderful plus.
Great overview. You thought of everything!
Make sure you can order items online when you set up your wedding registry. You don’t want to spend a fortune carry your packages home on a plane or having to ship gifts. My brother was married in Hawaii and we turned it into a wonderful family vacation.
Don’t forget part of the groom’s responsibilities along with the bride is the wedding registry. When shopping with the wife-to-be this is a good time to see her true taste from dishes to home decor. Listen carefully and you may hear a “place she always” wanted to visit.