Have you always dreamed of getting married on a beautiful beach at an amazing resort where everything was taken care of for you and all you had to do was sit back, relax and enjoy yourself? That’s what I did and it was heaven. My destination wedding was in Key West, Florida and it was amazing. At Live Life Travel, we absolutely love helping to plan Destination Weddings with our couples and if you are thinking about getting married in either a tropical paradise or an Italian villa, then here are a few things to consider:
- The most important part is to let your travel specialist secure your desired date and time with the resort (we recommend that you do this at least 12 months prior)
- Once your date is locked in, you will need to secure your group room block, which your travel specialist will do for you (we recommend that couples block off a few more rooms than they estimate needing; we work closely with our clients to do this)
- Encourage your friends and family to extend the party. While 3 nights is the typical minimum stay, most resorts will offer the discounted group rate before and after so that every guest can extend their stay and make a nice vacation out of their trip (guests love this!)
- Most destination weddings are held at All-Inclusive resorts, this enables your guests to more accurately predict their out of pocket costs
- Most All-Inclusive resorts are located in Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic (Sandals also has resorts all throughout the Caribbean). It is very important to check with your travel advisor to understand the marriage requirements in the country where you will be married before you decide on a location or resort.
- We also recommend taking airfare into consideration when choosing your location as well since that will be a big component in both yours and your guests cost
- All resorts come with an on-site wedding planner who will assist you with the actual planning of the ceremony and reception (flowers, cake, menu, colors, decorations, music, etc….). They will work with you leading up to your wedding day as well as on the actual day as well.
- When setting your budget, please keep in mind that just because a resort is All-Inclusive, they still charge for private events.
- It is important to use a trusted travel advisor who has relationships with the resorts because they will know of promotions and different ways to get you everything you want/need for your special day.
- Enjoy your destination and extend your time there by choosing another resort (time to splurge) to spend your honeymoon at. No additional flight costs or travel time, leaving more time for you to spend together celebrating and relaxing!
Congratulations!
