Finding the right wedding planner and the reasons why

Destination wedding planners can:

Ease the stress by being able to answer your questions, lay out the facts, and offer an unbiased, professional opinion. A wedding planner is an invaluable asset if you have to make hard decisions like rain, make contingency plans, or even postponing your wedding date.

The wedding planner usually has years of experience, connections, and relationships that they’ve built over time. They can handle any problem that arises with diplomacy.

A wedding planner will be familiar with your location or has excellent resources there, they’ll have the insight that is not available to you by simply searching online

The cost of a wedding planner will vary based on the planning services provided, the wedding location, and the number of guests.

  • How to find your Destination Wedding Planner?
  •  Ask the venue.
  • Look for testimonials and recommendations
  • Start a conversation with a wedding planner.  Ask how many weddings they have planned. Enquire how they handled a tricky situation and their most memorable moments from a wedding.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
  • Ensure they have experience in the area you are going to be married in.

Wedding Planners Abroad: Pros & Cons | Weddings Abroad Guide

Choosing the right destination for your wedding

There are so many wonderful places to go to for your destination wedding.  How do you choose which one to suit both the Bride and Groom?  There is the Caribbean, Europe or even further afield.  There will be some wedding couples who live elsewhere in the world and would choose the UK, as their destination wedding; where they can find stately homes and wonderful castles for their wedding day.

Wedding in a vineyard

Photo by Marc A Sporys on Unsplash A wedding in a destination vineyard

Guests

There will be the issue of who to invite for your destination wedding.  Factors to consider would be:

Is the country too far for some guests to travel to?

Will the Bride and Groom pay travel expenses?

Just inviting close friends and family?

Should the guests stay in the same hotel as the wedding couple?

These are factors that will take time for the Bride and Groom to come to a conclusion about.  It may be that you are unable to please everybody.  Just remember the day is about you.

Holiday/Wedding Day

If friends and family have joined you for your destination wedding and possibly incorporating the wedding into their holiday.  You may not have thought about the time you wish to spend alone.

It may be useful to use your local wedding planner who will know what the policy is for the wedding party and guests as to whether they all stay in the same hotel.  Some couples would prefer their guests to stay in other hotels, while others would like the guests to stay in the same hotel.

One factor to bear in mind is that there are “adult” only hotels which would mean that any family with children would need to stay in a different hotel.

A handful of hotels stipulate that all of the guests must stay together in the hotel for you to be permitted to have your wedding and/or reception there. Other hotels stipulate that you must have a percentage of your guests stay in the hotel for you to be allowed to get married there, often more than 80%. 

You should always check before your guests book their travel arrangements;

Jonathan Borda on Unsplash A Destination Wedding on a Beach

Customs and Themes

It’s easy for couples to want to gravitate to a theme for a party in another country, , but you don’t want it to feel overproduced or contrived.  If you don’t have a heritage connection with that country, it may be a little uncomfortable for your guests.

Themes

Décor – Have your wedding venue reflect the culture through visual elements like colours.

Song and Dance – Hiring a band to play the traditional sounds of the country or area or engaging your guests in customary dances that can really set the mood.  Greek dancing for example.

Food and Drink – Create the menu to reflect local culture through the food of your people. 

Wedding Attire – is it essential that the Bride and Groom stick to traditional wedding attire? Think about the temperature, humidity of the county you will be in.  Also think about the time of the day when your wedding ceremony will take place.

Customs

Spain brides wear a black mantilla veils symbolize devotion until death parts you.

The custom of breaking dishes is said to help the marriage remain a happy, permanent one if having a Greek wedding

Whilst in France the Groom will walk his mother down the aisle before arriving at the altar to be married.

A dark fruitcake, usually with a liberal lacing of rum is served at wedding receptions. in Jamaica

If you have a Dominican Republic wedding, the wedding party is small.  No need for bridesmaids or a long procession. A child, preferably a boy will carry gold coins while another will carry the rings.  Wedding photos are usually taken before the actual wedding ceremony.

For Cuba a Bride’s wedding dress can have a floral motif.  Wedding receptions in Cuba generally last until the small hours.

In Turkey before the wedding ceremony, the bride writes the names of her single friends on the bottom of the shoe. Whoever’s name is the first to be unreadable or the most rubbed off at the end of the day will be the next to get married.

A Legal Marriage

If you’re a British national getting a marriage or civil partnership abroad, you might need certain documents from the UK government, for example a certificate of no impediment (CNI). Affirmation/Affidavit of Marital Status form – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Your marriage or civil partnership will be recognised in the UK if both of the following apply:

  • you followed the correct process in the country where you got married
  • it would be allowed under UK law

Getting married abroad – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Couples who get married abroad can easily have a wedding ceremony back in the UK performed by a wedding celebrant.  This ceremony can then be attended by the friends and family who were unable to travel abroad.  The Bride gets to wear her wedding dress again or has a brand new dress and the Groom can wear the suit that was too hot to wear abroad.  A double bubble.

To learn more about the kind of ceremony a celebrant will do please visit my website

https://www.makingmemoriesbygerri.co.uk/weddingceremonies/

https://www.makingmemoriesbygerri.co.uk/

Blog – Making Memories by Gerri

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