Getting married soon? Book your tickets and get away with DETOUR’s destination wedding tips
Whether you dream of jumping the broom with close family and friends in a small intimate celebration or a grand-scale, budget-busting event, a destination wedding could very well meet your needs and provide the right ambiance you’ve always wanted. As the world emerges from an extended period of social distancing, lockdowns and quarantines, destination wedding demand has come back with a vengeance, with couples as well as guests spending more than ever. According to The Wedding Report, couples are ready to bust the bank and go all out with their nuptials and the subsequent celebrations.
Destination weddings aren’t just for those with big money. The average cost of a destination wedding is $20,000, which is far less than the national average of $38,000 for a traditional wedding. The word destination feels like it implies an international locale, but domestic travels can be just as elegant or bare-bones as you wish.
Have the destination wedding of your dreams without the possible legal hassles and jump-roping in the new destination. If all else fails, as long as you are married at the end of the day, the celebration of coupledom is going to be a success. Depending on local rules and regulations, obtaining a marriage license may require some fancy footwork. There are a few ways to combat this. Many couples skip over the ceremonious trappings of saying “I do” in front of an adoring audience and get legally married in their local municipality before or after a symbolic destination wedding. Joye Speight of Virtue Events, one of the South’s largest minority woman-owned wedding and event planning companies, offers one key piece of advice to couples who want a destination wedding: “I can’t stress this enough—get a wedding planner.”
The more intentional and the more curated you want your experience to be, having a planner who has the knowledge and the skillset to be able to pair vendors with the vision of the event is paramount. On top of that, it is very time-consuming to plan a wedding. According to Speight, a minimum of 250 hours are required to bring a wedding to fruition. If you don’t have that time, you need a professional working exclusively to pair your budget with your vision.
Destination weddings don’t have to be international. Choosing a domestic location is also a fantastic idea. In all situations, for the most part, guests will be responsible for booking their own accommodations, airfare, and any other additional expenses, like food or shopping. Many hotels and special event properties have wedding packages that are surprisingly affordable, leaving newlyweds with more money to splurge on the honeymoon or set up their new life together.
As for the happily ever after, the wedding destination could double as the honeymoon destination as well. Speight also emphasizes the importance of working with your partner to plan your dream destination wedding. “Enjoy the process,” she said. “Do and pick everything together to ensure the day is special.”