Lately, I've been getting a lot of questions and personal messages on my social media about how we planned our wedding. So, I decided that I would start a destination wedding series to help answer some of these questions.

In January of this year, I got married in Mexico to my amazing husband, Marcus.

After getting engaged last March, my husband and I decided almost immediately that we wanted to have a destination wedding.

I know that there has been a lot of talk (and opinion) lately about people who've chosen to have a destination wedding. I could go into my opinion about this article, but I'll save that for a later post.

Today, I'm here to offer up some advice for my future brides and grooms.

I know how overwhelming and stressful planning a wedding can be in the current city you live in, let alone a wedding miles away from home.

So, I decided to make this post the first in the destination wedding series because I believe it was the first step in starting the planning process.

It’s also the question I’ve received the most on social media, along with “Are destination weddings really cheaper?” lol

I’ll answer the cost question more in-depth one day, but for us, the short answer would be yes!

But I digress. Back to choosing the best place to have your destination wedding.

Once Marcus and I decided on a location, everything else started to fall into place.

I pray that these tips will help future couples on their path to planning the wedding of their dreams.

So, let the planning begin!

7 Easy & Practical Steps To Pick The Perfect Destination Wedding Location

Step #1 - Consider Your Budget & Your Guests' Budgets

Money doesn't grow on trees, so it's essential to consider not only your budget but the budget of your guests as well. Your guests' budgets are particularly important when it comes to three things: airfare, accessibility, and accommodations.

Airfare --- This cost is a large portion of your guests' expenses and travel time, so you must consider this when deciding on a location. If most of your guests live on the west coast (US/Canada), it may be wise to choose a more accessible location. For example, Cabo San Lucas or Hawaii (5 hr flight) versus the Dominican Republic (10 hr flight).
Accessibility --- Consider the ease of getting to the destination. Will you and your guests need certain documents such as a passport or visa? What about required vaccinations? These things ultimately add to the overall costs of traveling to a wedding abroad.
Accommodations --- I highly recommend doing some preliminary research for prices in the area. Don't choose a location that will cost your guests 5000$ to stay three nights if you know that isn't feasible for your guests.

**Consider Your Budget & Your Guests' Budgets**

Step #2 - Think About the Time of Year and Desired Climate

This point goes without saying, but having your wedding during hurricane season probably isn't the most fantastic idea. However, many couples decide to chance it and still get married during that time. But if you're someone like me, you don't like to put things up to chance. Granted, you could plan your wedding during the dry season and still end up with rain on your special day, but the probability is much less.

Also, take into account any national or religious holidays during your preferred wedding date. Venues may be booked during this time or even closed. This consideration also applies to local vendors. Planning is hard enough, and you don't want to make it harder by booking your wedding for Cinco de Mayo in Mexico.

Step #3 - Determine You and Your Future Spouse's Vision

Equally as important as the first two tips above are your vision for your wedding. When you and your significant other think about your wedding day, do you see yourselves on a beach? At a vineyard? Or a cityscape with the Eiffel Tower in the background? Choosing your ideal setting will help narrow down your preferred location.

Step #4 - Research the Destination's Venue Options

Knowing what your vision is for your wedding will help dictate the type of venue style you want. Our ceremony venue was one of the main factors in deciding which resort we chose for our day. We knew we didn't want our ceremony to be directly on the beach because walking in sand is hard, especially in heels. But we knew we wanted the beach and ocean to be in the background as we said our vows. So finding a ceremony venue that fits into our vision was a top priority.

Step #5 - Decide If You Want A Resort-Based or Off-Resort Wedding

Don't forget that off-site venues are always an option as well (off-site referring to event spaces that are not on a resort). You are not limited to choosing your wedding location based on what a resort offers. There are plenty of beautiful spaces that you can rent out as well. For myself and my husband, we didn't want to figure out the logistics of getting people from the resort to our wedding venue. Choosing a resort with gorgeous venue options was a lot simpler for us.

All-Inclusive Resort or Off-The-Beaten Path?

Step #6 - Research Vendors (and Resort Vendor Fees) Before Booking Your Wedding

I don't know if you know this yet, but I like to research EVERYTHING (or at least as much as I possibly can) before making huge plans. Our wedding was no exception to that. If you decide to go the resort-route, I highly suggest taking a look at their in-house vendors and their outside vendor fees. Based on our chosen destination ---Mexico--- external vendor fees ranged anywhere from 300$ to 1000$ PER vendor. So that means, if you don't love their preferred photographer, you could be paying an additional $1,000 to have your photographer of choice. For us, about 60% of our hired vendors were not the resort's preferred vendors. Due to extensive research and planning, we knew to account for these vendor fees (~$1100) ahead of time.

It's also important to consider hiring local vendors. I know that there may be some discomfort hiring people that you've never met before, but I think that hiring local is best. Local photographers, design teams, and hair & makeup artists are usually well-versed in the location's climate. They know how to account for windy conditions, high heat, humidity, and everything else. You may be more familiar with your hometown makeup artist but are THEY familiar with the humidity of the Caribbean. You don't want to be 1 hr into your wedding with your makeup melting off your face. Not a good look.

Step #7 - Remember That A Destination Wedding Doesn't Have to Be 10,000 Miles Away

Destination weddings have become synonymous with foreign and exotic locales. However, this doesn't have to be the case. If the majority of your guests are from Texas, but you decide to have your wedding in Napa, California --- that's still technically a destination wedding. There are plenty of beautiful locations within the US that could provide the perfect setting for your special day. Don’t be pressured to go to Bali when you have your heart set on Florida.

It Doesn’t Have to Be A Tropical Location

Most of all, remember that your wedding is about you and your future spouse. Don't let anyone make you feel bad for desiring the wedding of your dreams. As long as you and your fiancé are on the same page, that's all that matters. I hope that this helped as a starting point for planning that dream wedding. Make sure you're subscribed to this blog for more wedding planning tips and advice!

Expert Tips for Choosing the Perfect Destination Wedding Venue 2023