Destination Weddings - Is a Wedding far and away from home right for you?

Written By: Jaime Valdes-Riench, Owner of Travel & Events with Style

Most people are getting acquainted and comfortable with what destination weddingsa are. In one case or another, most have had the opportunity to have been invited or even attended one of these weddings and holidays raped up in one. Destination weddings by definition are weddings held a significant distance from the home town of the bride and groom, but often the first image that comes to most minds are the destination weddings that are held in tropical climates on white sandy beaches next to crystal blue oceans.

As you begin to plan your own wedding, has the thought of starting your new life together at one of these locations crossed your mind? How do you know it is right for you as a couple? Here are some questions you may want to ask yourselves to see if this option will make for a wedding day dream come true:

1. Make a truthful budget – one that you can live with after the wedding bells have stopped chiming. Now what is your true bottom line, so you do not go over it? Destination weddings at established resorts in the Caribbean and Central America often come with smaller price tags and guest lists verses traditional local weddings. To keep on budget, thought must be put into location, resort type and ranking, and the actual cost for the celebration.


2. Are you comfortable that there will be a lot of arrangements that are out of your control? Are you whiling to trust more to professionals to direct you in your choices verses seeing every item yourself done during the planning process? Are you the type of couple where the small details do not matter as long as there is sun, sand, and love abundantly?


3. Will this bring family together because they are too spread out? Are most of your guests comfortable with travelling? Are you comfortable without everyone in your family and social circle in attendance? Are you hoping for a smaller size wedding and were not sure how to obtain it if you had it locally?


4. Are you comfortable that you will be dealing with legal procedures outside your country? Are you comfortable not knowing the officiant prior to the ceremony? Or, as an alternative, are you comfortable with a private and brief civil ceremony prior to leaving in order to alleviate most of the “red tape” from the country of choice?


5. Does the idea of another culture, country, and climate inspire you or make you nervous? Are you the adventurous type that enjoys new things, and will embrace that your wedding location will have another culture inspiring your wedding cuisine, music and theme?

As with all things, there can be easy answers to all these questions and there can be some second guessing that can come with it as well. If this all sounds like it could be your dream, focus on the important things that can work for you. See if you can fix the areas in doubt and if so, stand back and look at it again. If you have found the answer for the area in question, Congratulations! You have just started the first part of planning you wedding! Here is an example of a challenge: If you are not comfortable in dealing with the legal procedures of another country and the correspondence that will come with it, consider having a civil ceremony locally prior to leaving. This way, once you are at the resort, you can have a renewal of vows, and the legal paperwork is done here in Canada. If having the legal ceremony here is an option, have an important person in your life such as a pastor or priest marry you prior to your departure (remember, all that is required to make a marriage legal in Canada is to have the officiant, the bride, the groom and 2 witnesses be in attendance and of legal age while the marriage vows are being said). Then you can still have your dream ceremony at the resort with all your guests in attendance. You will have the best of both worlds! If there is no one in particular you would like to request officiate your vows here in Canada, there is always the option of a Marriage Commissioner or Justice of the Peace.

A wedding is the beginning of two lives uniting together. The decision of the location should truly be that couple’s dream into a reality.