How To Plan A Destination Wedding

It's true, destination weddings are all the rage today.

What exactly is a destination wedding? In simple terms, it's a
wedding away from your hometown, either just the two of you, or
with family and friends. It can be as simple or elaborate,
inexpensive or lavish as you desire.

Okay, so it's the wedding trend of the day, but, is it any
simpler to plan? Or, is planning a wedding far from home even
harder than planning one in your own hometown? The answer to
that, of course, is up to you, and how lavish or unique you want
your wedding to be. Here are the steps in planning that
destination "I Do."

Step One: Who's Going to Attend?

Before you can plan your wedding destination, you really have
to decide who you're going to invite, as your guest list can
sometimes narrow your choices of destinations.

Is your destination wedding going to be for just the two of
you? Then the whole world is your oyster.

Are you going to invite a few close friends or family members?
If so, are you going to pick up the tab for their travel, or are
travel expenses to be paid by each individual? If you can't
afford to pick up the tab for travel to your wedding, and the
friends and family members would have a hard time coming up the
money, then you might want to pick some special place closer to
home. For example, if you live in Phoenix and want a destination
wedding where family and friends could easily travel to, you
might want to pick Sedona rather than Hawaii.

There might also be time restrictions for your guests as well.
Some people just can't take time off of work to attend your
wedding on some tropical island, whereas they might be able to
attend a wedding which is a few-hours drive away.

Step Two: When is the Wedding?

If the two of you are planning your wedding around vacation
time at work, then that too may dictate where you will have your
destination wedding. If your vacation time is during hurricane
season, you may want to skip Cancun and opt for the beaches of
Southern California instead.

Step Three: Draw up a Wedding Budget

Face it; some locations are just more traditionally affordable
than others. Your heart may be screaming the beaches of Costa
Rica, but your budget is screaming Las Vegas. Yes, we all want
to answer our heart's call, but your budget should have the last
word.

But, don't let that keep you from choosing a great, unique
wedding destination. You'd be surprised how many wonderful,
unique wedding destinations there are which may fit your budget.
B&Bs all over the United States, in such romantic destinations
as California, New England, Florida and Virginia, offer
inexpensive wedding packages for either just the two of your, or
several guests.

When considering your budget, you have to consider travel
expenses (flying or driving) as well as the wedding related
expenses. In addition, you should also plan on the costs for
accommodations, meals during your stay and even the things that
you would like to do there.

Step Four: Consider the Marriage Laws

Some locations in the United States as well as some countries
make having a wedding very difficult. You may have to deal with
specific requirements before you can actually wed. Before you
select a location at which to be married, make sure you know
what the laws in that location actually are.

Step Five: Hire a Wedding Planner or DIY

Once you've narrowed in on your wedding location, you need to
decide if you will be planning your wedding yourself or if you
will need to hire a wedding planner. If you are having a larger
destination wedding with numerous family and friends attending,
you may want to hire a wedding planner to help coordinate
everything.

If it's just the two of you, you can probably handle the
planning yourself. Often you can hire a wedding officiant who
has packages available which include picking a location,
performing the ceremony, as well as transportation, cake and
champagne. Resorts and even B&Bs also offer packages which make
the planning extra simple.

Step Six: Enjoy Your Honeymoon

Here's the best part of having a destination wedding. The
honeymoon starts right after the "I Do."

With destination weddings continuing to grow in popularity, and
more B&Bs, resorts and wedding planners offering wedding
packages, planning a destination wedding can be as simple as
planning a vacation. No more renting a hall, hiring a band,
sending invitations to an ever-growing list of guests. It's time
to take the stress out of your wedding planning and make it fun.
A destination wedding allows you to do just that.

About The Author: Shari Hearn is the creator of a wedding
website, http://www.locationweddings.net as well as
http://californiaweddings.blogspot.com and
http://squidoo.com/eloping