Planning the Wedding

Everyone dreams about wedding as a perfect day of the life. Therefore it is very important to organize it well.

The preparations can be done in 5 or 6 weeks, of course. All depends on the size and the ideas about your wedding; where do you want your ceremony, reception etc.
Sooner you start to organize your Day D less compromises you will have to do. Some interesting places will be booked soon in advance.


Some advices of the wedding planner:

• Number of guests is probably the most important question at the beginning. Another important question is where and when do you want to get married. When you have answers for these you may continue - either change the number of invited guests or change the place of reception if they do no match together. Also consider who are you inviting for your wedding and how far your guests have to travel to get to your chosen venues.

• Visit your potential venues (unless you leave too far and you trust your wedding planner) and book them as soon as you decide for the date. Ceremony and reception venue should not be too far from each other.

• Look for your bridal gown, then shoes and rings (it may take couple of months until you'll agree with your future husband or wife what type of ring you like and the budget your want to spend for it)

• Book your photographer, video and print the invitations. Ask for responses from your guests ideally 2 months prior to your wedding

• Make your list of gifts and choose your honeymoon destination
  

• Book the cars, music and other entertainers (their agendas are getting full before the wedding season very quickly)

1 month to go

• Book your flowers, print the namecards and seating plan
• Delegate tasks to your family and ushers for the wedding day
• Try your hairstyle
  
• Organize your stag / hen party

1 week to go

• Relax :)

Day D

• Enjoy your Big Day! :)

Destination Wedding

Hot Trend in Weddings today

One of the most watched trends in weddings today is the 'destination wedding'. They represent about 10% of all wedding occuring among American or Canadian couples. 10 years ago the term 'destination wedding' was an unknown term. This trend is gaining speed.

What is 'Destination Wedding'

It essentially means 'eloping with a crowd' in a modern way. A couple eloped in the past alone. Today they still run off to get married but with their closest family and friends to share in the celebration.
Destinations weddings are also known as 'Honeymoon Weddings' because they combine a wedding and honeymoon all in one. You may call it 'Familymoon' because it is, in essence, a honeymoon that the whole family goes along on.

Why is it Hot?

It is hot because it appeals to couples who want to get married somewhere exotic ('different') and those who want to spend a special and memorable wedding with the people closest to them. Instead of having just one day to celebrate the wedding with all favourite people, couples getting married aboad have several days of quality time together with their closest persons. In comparation with the traditional wedding when the couple has only fleeting moments to spend with individual guests you start to see the appeal of the destination wedding.

Another reason for this wedding trend is that re-marriages now count for 50% of marriages. Some couples just may not feel comfortable with the second or third traditional trip to the altar. Some prefer something a little more low key or quiet, with just the closest people to them. The destination wedding is perfect for this.
Thanks to the Internet that makes the world a much smaller place, destination weddings explored in a high speed as well. You can perfectly organize your wedding with all vendors by distance, all you need is an email.


How many guests?

The trend is now close to 50 guests on a wedding which is a significant number because only few years ago the typical destination wedding had a list of just 10-15 guests.

However you may invite as many people as you wish. Just keep in your mind: there are likely to be people who will be unable to attend your wedding abroad due to the expense or the logistics of arranging their holidays. Also your idea of the dream destination may not match theirs, so if you are expecting them to pay their travel costs, they may not be willing to invest their vacation budget into the vacation of your choice.
If you plan to do your wedding abroad, inform everyone that you intent to invite about your plans at least 1 year before so they can plan their vacations and start to save the money.

Before you decide

A little research will be required. Either a beach/snow/castle dream wedding will need to do the legal papework. Some countries only allow citizens to marry on their soil, others may require a residency 30 days, 6 months, or just couple of days before you are eligible to marry there.
You will be required to provide various documents in order to marry abroad.


Costs and who pays what

There is no rule that requires the couple to pay for guests their travel expenses, however it would be a real treat for your guests if you can cover some of their costs. Some couples do this, others do not.
Therefore it is more than recommended to announce your plans to get married in another country early enough so everyone (especially your closest friends and family) can organize their trips.

Hotels and resorts will often discount the accommodation for wedding guests. Reserve a block of rooms for your party and when guests call in to make their reservation they simply mention that they are part of your party.
You might also want to work out alternate accommodations that are close by but less expensive. Make sure your guests are aware of all of their accommodation options so they can select that which best fits their budget.


Get professional help

Some brides like to personally oversee every little detail of their wedding plans. If this is you think carefully before proceeding with a destination wedding unless you plan to make one or more trips to the destination. You may also get a help of professionals - a resort event coordinator, wedding planner or a travel agent. Make sure your wedding planner is specialized in destination weddings.
A good wedding planner can help you to sort out everything that has to be done at place, will help you to choose a good venue within your budget and propose services that you may choose from. You will, of course, need to make decisions e.g. about your flowers, menu, drinks... but most of the organization will be on your planner. The biggest plus is that he or she will be with you on your wedding day and will take care of the smooth run of your day D and can help to your guests if anything unexpected will occure.


If you want to learn more about destination weddings please contact us by email at
weddingtrendswatching(@)gmail.com