How to Survive a Destination Wedding
EXPENSE BREAKDOWN
A lot of time during the hype of the occasion people forget to read. It's totally understandable. most people see Costa Rica and their eyes glass over. However, in this day and age, where everything is easily accessible at the push of a button, it is very important to thoroughly read the "e-vite".
Not only will it contain crucial information about the where, why, and how everyone will meet up, it can also have the general cost and breakdown of the wedding. It's important that everyone involved, from bride to groomsmen, know whose taking care of what bills and what expenses
If you arrange for your friends to pay for any part of the trip, don’t be offended if some of them can’t make it. You never know how people are with money, and imposing additional costs on them is never a good idea. Discuss the finances with them openly, and see if you have room in your own budget to help them out.
CHECK THE WEATHER
As any experienced wedding planner will tell you, destination weddings, are a practice in controlled chaos. Knowing what you can and can't control is important in not only thriving at the wedding but keeping your sanity intact. You can't control the weather but you can control checking the weather forecast before the big day. You don't have to camp out in front of the weather channel, but it pays to do your due dilligence, know what kind of weather you might be experiencing before the big day arrives. There is nothing worse than planning your big day and then realizing you planned it right in the middle, of some island/countries, monsoon season. Checking the weather forecast regularly will save you mounds of frizzled hair and dampened tuxedos.
Checking out all the Legalities
Another important factor to keep in mind is that different countries have different requirements when it comes to marriage licenses. Some countries require you to reside in the country of "nuptial arrangement", for a period of time, before the wedding counts as legally binding. Make sure you do your research beforehand, and ensure your overseas marriage will be valid in your home country as well.
Make sure the "small things" don't become the "Big THINGS"
One of the most difficult parts of planning out a destination wedding is taking care of the“smaller” details – the drinks, the band, the food, the flowers. It’s most likely than not, that until you actually get past customs, and make it to your venue; you will not have tasted the food that will be served at the wedding. Nor, will you have had an opportunity to tour the hall to ensure that the bride and groom won't have their first dance shoulder to shoulder with the in-laws.
Flowers and other necessities can become a nightmare to ship, and maintain, all the way up to the wedding day. So the easiest and least time-consuming approach would be to arrange all the "particulars" with the venue itself. Whittle your options down when searching for a hotel for those with experience in hosting and organizing destination weddings. They can arrange all the smaller details for you; and ensure that everything is as well and as put together as can be, before the wedding planner arrives.
Wedding arrangements
Apart from the destination aspect of your wedding, you will also have to arrange your Tuxedo, your groomsmen, your speech, and so on. There will come a point when you will feel overwhelmed, and this is the time that you need to ask for help. Different members of your wedding party may have different skills: you can arrange for one of them to take the pictures, or one of your talented female friends to do the make-up.
After reading this you should now be ready to live, thrive, and survive the wedding and the destination.
As always, stay dapper!
