How to plan a destination wedding
Intimate ceremonies, luxurious accommodations, an ongoing party, these are just a few reasons why you should consider a destination wedding.
When I got engaged in 2017, I had no idea where to start planning. Luckily, we always knew that we wanted to have a destination wedding. We just didn’t know where.
First thing to break down is that having a destination wedding doesn’t have to mean eloping. You can still invite friends and family and have all of the traditional wedding elements you want.
We knew we wanted to get married away from where we lived and have a smaller, intimate group. I searched the world high and low for the perfect wedding venue. We were highly considering getting married on a mountain top in Aspen, Colorado, then came about a minute away from booking a historic farmhouse on a vineyard in Tuscany. There were so many options out there!
Finally, I made the decision to make a decision.
Step 1: Decide where in the world you want to get married.
With so many options out there, it is first helpful to narrow it down. Do you want to stay in the country or make it international? Do you want outdoorsy mountain vibes or tropical surrounded by palm trees? Figuring this out is what helped me select my destination. Once I realized we wanted something tropical and not too far away, I decided Costa Rica would be the place for us.
Step 2: Select the perfect venue.
This part was pretty each thanks to an amazing tool on 100 Layer Cake Blog. This blog offers a tool that will help you find the perfect venue, DJ, caterer, etc. all across the world. I selected that I was looking for a venue in Central America. Two options came up. One I couldn’t afford. And the other, well that one became my venue! Villa Punto De Vista in beautiful Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica.
I highly suggest selected a location where your guests can all stay under one roof for an ongoing party, has dining options, and has concierge.
The villa we stayed in covered it all. My 20+ guests were able to all stay here and the villa is totally private. The villa also took care of arranging our transportation to and from the airport, group activities like zip lining, and chef services.
They also were able to recommend a wedding planner. Which brings me to my next part…
Step 3: Hire a wedding planner
I love to plan events. I have planned everything from small luncheons to black tie balls at my job, but when it came to my wedding, I just wanted to enjoy the experience. Regardless of where in the world you are getting married, if it is 15 minutes away from your home or in a different country with a different language, I can’t recommend getting a wedding planner enough.
Instead of searching the web for hours, reading reviews, and negotiating the services yourself, you now get to sit back, drink champagne, and enjoy this time with your fiancé.
My wedding planner, Susan La Raeu Events, was so amazing and has become a lifelong friend of mine.
She organized all of the details leading up to the event. The day of the wedding she coordinated with all of the vendors and decorated for the ceremony and reception while my friends and I enjoyed a brunch and got ready.
In addition to making your life stress free, your wedding planner is going to keep track of your expenses to help you stay in budget, they will think of things you never even considered, they problem solve and manage emergencies the day of, and they offer new style ideas.
Trust me, hire the planner. Your future self will thank you.
Step 4: Incorporate the local culture
The destination you choose should have some impact on your wedding. Consider incorporating some of the local culture to embrace your location. I incorporated parts of Costa Rica and the culture by having sketches of toucans on my welcome materials for my guests, providing rattan fans, and we ordered passion fruit and mango popsicles from a local stand for my reception party.
We also had salsa dance lessons our first night at the villa to kick things off. It was so much fun enjoying a new culture and have it be part of our wedding!
You can incorporate local foods, songs, colors, and more.
Step 5: Feel free to break tradition
It was so freeing having a destination wedding. There were several traditional wedding activities I really didn’t want to do like the garter and bouquet toss. Having a small, intimate wedding made me feel free to change things up.
With a destination wedding, you can get married by the ocean, in a church, on a mountain. The possibilities are endless.
Step 6: Don’t worry about other’s travel plans
Last but not least, don’t forget that this day is about you and your fiancé. This is a celebration of your love and lives together. It can be easy to stress out about how your friends are getting there and who is paying for what. I admit, I got caught up trying to manage 20 people’s travel itineraries.
When we got married, we paid for the villa, private transport to and from the villa, group zip lining, salsa dance lessons, and all wedding expenses. Our guests paid for their flights and a set fee that covered everyone’s food + alcohol and any activities they wanted to do on their own. This kept the experience easy and simple!
Let me know in the comments what questions you have about planning a destination wedding!
