By Megan Velez, DestinationWeddings.com
While it may take some extra effort to plan, a destination wedding is guaranteed to be a trip to remember! Whether tying the knot in Bermuda or Italy, destination weddings come with special considerations in addition to your general wedding responsibilities. Three of these are particularly critical to a successful day: packing wisely, completing all necessary documentation in advance, and notifying your guests early.
Pack with a Plan
It’s safe to say that your destination wedding day is not the day you want to realize you left something at home, or that the airline lost your luggage. Carry on your most important wedding day items keeping things as compact as possible to meet airline requirements. Do not forget your computer, phone, and the chargers needed for all electronics, but also keep an emergency paper copy of the contact information for your most important service providers with you at all times. Make (and stick to!) a list for your checked luggage as well. You can never be too prepared.
Speaking of Copies…
Weddings, especially the destination variety, involve an immense amount of documentation, much of which is absolutely essential for you to enjoy a stress-free, magical day. Make sure you bring all of your important information including:
- Your passport and a photocopy in case it is lost or stolen
- Your flight, hotel, and transportation confirmation numbers and reservation details
- Emergency contact information for friends and family back home
- Copies of vendor contracts, agreements, and other important wedding details
- Copies of your receipts for any bulk items like wedding favors and welcome gifts you may be traveling with
- Medical and travel insurance details and prescription information
- Marriage certificates and proof of dissolution of previous marriages if applicable
Remembering to bring this documentation can make the difference between a trouble-free wedding and a nightmare situation.
Save-the-Dates Actually Save the Day
Booking travel to attend your wedding is a major expense and commitment for your guests. Arranging time off from employment and other responsibilities is as well. This is especially the case with destination weddings, which is why the typical wedding stationery timeline doesn’t exactly apply to you.
Instead of the traditional 6-9 month time frame, allow your friends and loved ones to make the best possible arrangements by sending your Save the Date notices as soon as you know that your date and venue are secure. Include any travel information that you feel they might need, like major nearby airports, and basic time and date guidelines. Information regarding dress code would also be appreciated, as well as locations and times for all wedding events. Considering including initiating a group activity? Include this option tentatively on the save-the-date to gauge interest.
A fun and popular solution to this is to send out e-Save-the-Dates. These can be fully customizable to include colors and themes of wherever you will be saying ‘I do!’
Don’t take anything for granted when planning your destination wedding. Attend to the details and you’ll ensure yourselves one completely memorable and fabulous day.
Megan Velez is the Vice President of Product at DestinationWeddings.com, the world’s leading destination wedding and romantic travel planning company. DestinationWeddings.com has worked with over 20,000 couples and half a million guests to plan dream destination weddings. For more information, visit DestinationWeddings.com.