2020 was tough on everyone, and once travel is open again, we feel the desire for a destination wedding will be that much more! Why wouldn’t you want to get married and have a vacation at the same time?
There are many pros to having a tropical destination wedding, and depending on what is important to you, there may be a few cons. We are here to help dive right on in to help you make the decision as to if a destination wedding is for you!
First and foremost getting married on a beach is very romantic especially if you say your vows at sunset. What a special way to get married, on the beach and during sunset? Not many people can say they’ve done that! Not only is the scenery spectacular for your wedding photos, but you’re almost always guaranteed perfect sunny weather.
Many resorts in the Caribbean offer wedding packages which include a wedding planner who takes care of everything for you, from the food, cake, decor, arranging the officiant, flowers, photographer, hair and make-up stylist etc. All you really need to do is bring your wedding attire and show up.
Some resorts have special tools that allow you to customize your wedding items. On the Sandals Resorts website for example, all you have to do is click on design your wedding- then choose your location, colour palette, and specific wedding items. Once you save and share your custom wedding, you will finalize it all with the wedding planner. Sandals does also offer you a choice between six pre-designed wedding theme packages at affordable prices, sometimes they are even offered for free. The more inclusions your package has, the higher the price. You can do most of your research online or you can go to a travel agent who can help you choose the perfect destination for your wedding.
Another bonus to having your wedding in the Caribbean is that by combining your wedding and honeymoon together, it saves you a lot of money. Destination weddings are becoming more and more popular because of this, but also because there is little stress involved.
How relaxing does it sound for the wedding attire to be able to include things like flip flops, light-flowy dresses, or dressy shorts with shirt sleeves rolled up? Not only is a beach wedding romantic and carefree for you, but for your guests also. They get to relax and get a mini vacation out of it, they can unwind and have so much fun with you two- the newly weds.
Some of the negatives to having a destination wedding is that not everyone in your family or circle of friends may be able to afford to attend. If a big wedding is important to you, this may be a con for you, as the guest list may be small and you may have to accept that some of your loved ones will not be there. One way to help get the best of both worlds would be to have the smaller destination wedding, and then once you are home, do a big reception with everyone. This way, those who couldn’t afford to travel or couldn’t due to any health related issues, still get to celebrate with you and take part in this special chapter of your lives.
Another thing about destination weddings is that you can’t expect to receive wedding gifts from the guests that do attend, because they have already had to pay out all this money to attend the wedding itself. Now, if the gifts don’t matter too much to you and you are just happy with being able to share this experience with them, then this wouldn't be a con for you.
Whatever you decide to do, just remember that it’s your wedding and you can choose to have it wherever and however you want. The only time we feel it be necessary to allow someone else’s input, is if they are paying for it.