When you’re planning your wedding from afar, finding the perfect wedding venue can seem like an insurmountable task. After all, you might not know the local geography or language of your preferred destination, which can certainly make the entire process more than a bit challenging.
In this guide, we’ll break down the most critical steps to finding and deciding on your ideal destination wedding no matter where you decide to say “I do.”
Resources
Planning a destination wedding can be just as much work, if not more work, than planning one near home. This is because, on top of the wedding day arrangements, you’ll also have to research, plan, coordinate and book travel and accommodations.
Therefore, anything you can do to cut the work down for yourself and reduce your overall wedding related stress, should be considered. Here are # resources to take advantage of to make the planning process easier.
Destination Wedding Planner: Hiring a locally based wedding planner who works and resides in the region where you plan to marry can be essential to executing a smooth event. They have local relationships, understand the local culture, speak the local language and will take the burden of coordination off your shoulders.
Also, they will know every venue from first-hand experience so you won’t have to guess at the pros and cons, they’ll tell you what they are.
Local Venue Guides: By doing a little research online, you may actually find that some expert wedding planners and vendors have actually created their own public venue discovery sites to cut some of the research time for you.
For instance, this Cabo Wedding Venues guide reveals the vibe and experience of some of the best venues throughout Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo to help couples quickly recognize which ones match their vision.
Review Sites: Once you actually start narrowing down which venues seem like the closest match for you, check out various review sites online to see how other guests and couples felt about the property, service, food and overall experience.
Sorting
Researching and sifting through all the available venues in any given city is a significant task to take on. That’s why it’s important to identify your requirements as a couple first, so you can quickly and efficiently weed out any venues that simply don’t qualify.
This way, instead of analyzing a few dozen venues, you might only have to seriously consider a handful.
Whether you hand this list off to your destination wedding planner or take this project on yourself, the sorting process should begin by first eliminating any local venues that fail to meet your must-have requirements. Here are a few minimum standards to set:
Capacity: Know the total guest count you plan to accommodate, so that you can filter out any venues that don’t or won’t accommodate your guest list. If a venue has a 100 person minimum guest requirement and you only plan to host 50 people, that venue wouldn’t qualify.
If you need space to entertain 200 guests, but a certain venue can only fit up to 150 than that place comes off the list.
Logistics: It’s important to be crystal clear who and what you need to accommodate at your wedding so that you can ensure your venue has the correct accessibility and features to support your vision.
Will there be children present, such that you’ll need a family-friendly, not adults-only, resort?
Will certain guests need mobility assistance or a special dietary menu? Do you prefer the convenience of an all-inclusive resort or the flexibility to custom design your destination experience? Do you need a venue that permits your party to go late into the evening?
Do you dream of a direct on-the-beach ceremony? Will you need to shuttle guests from an off-site ceremony location to the resort or reception hall?
All of these considerations and more should help you quickly narrow down which venues can live up to your needs.
Style: Naturally, your unique taste and vision as a couple will also play a role in the venue you choose. If you both tend to be attracted to more natural settings than a rustic botanical garden or ranch may be a better fit for you than an industrial, modern resort.
Knowing the vibe you want your venue to have is a key component to quickly identifying which locations are best suited for you.
Selection
The decision making process of choosing the location for your once-in-a-lifetime event can feel very stressful, but if you’ve already utilized your best resources and done your homework, this process should be rather simple.
In fact, by this point, you likely already have a strong gut feeling about which venue feels like the best fit for you. So how do you come to the final decision?
Before deciding on a venue, here are some final steps to take:
- If possible, visit the venue. If they are also the caterer, ask for a tasting to confirm you love the food that will be served and can easily decide on the final menu. Seeing the property for yourself is the best way to get a strong feeling about how it aligns with the way you envision your event unfolding.If you can’t visit the venue in person, then you should definitely have a local destination wedding planner help you understand the venue’s offerings from their personal experience and possibly give you a video tour.
- Confirm the support available by the venue to ensure you at least have a reliable point of contact to assist with the finer venue details, such as guest accommodations (if applicable), spaces to be reserved etc. Naturally, a destination wedding planner that is independent from the venue can handle all of this for you as well.
- Review your venue contract in detail with your attorney to ensure all your needs, requirements and conditions are met.
- In addition to selecting the right venue, another aspect of destination wedding planning to consider is attire. If you’re looking to simplify your wedding preparations, you could even rent a wedding dress online. This option not only offers convenience but also a wide range of choices to ensure you look stunning on your big day. Explore this possibility at rent a wedding dress online.
David Johnson is a versatile content writer known for his ability to breathe life into words and create engaging narratives on diverse subjects. With a passion for effective storytelling and a keen eye for detail, David crafts content that resonates with readers and sparks their curiosity. He is dedicated to delivering high-quality, informative, and enjoyable content, making him a respected voice in the digital landscape. Beyond the keyboard, David enjoys exploring the outdoors, immersing himself in literature, and finding inspiration in everyday experiences.
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