What is the best destination wedding location?
My specialty is to help you find the ideal destination wedding location for your ah-mazing wedding!
Not so long ago I was that bride. Today, as I think about my own wedding planning, I laugh…heartily! I was stressed and almost out of my mind with worry! So many details…so many uncertainties.
Funds were low so almost everything was DIY or friends and family pitching in.
So much has changed since I got married.
If I was planning my wedding today, it would be a destination wedding on the beach of either Mexico or the Caribbean.
I had the pleasure of designing a destination wedding for Tamara and Jerald. I also attended the wedding as a guest.
It was amazing! It was easy! It was stress-free and most of all, ALL the guests had fun – they had a fantastic vacation!
Why are destination weddings so easy and so fun? Take Tamara and Jerald’s experience as an example:
For Tamara and Jerald, their wedding was simple and easy. After months of us interacting and working with the details of the wedding with the onsite wedding coordinator, they showed up in Jamaica and met with Keisha, their onsite wedding coordinator.
Keisha has insider knowledge as to what will work best such as location set-up, backup plans, seating arrangements etc. She was able to take care of and arrange meetings with the photographer, baker, florist, minister etc.
Tamara and Jerald arrived at the resort and after a few short meetings, they are able to sign the papers and begin to enjoy the time on the resort until the day of the wedding. They chartered a boat and went to Margarita Ville where they had a blast with some of the other wedding guests.
In addition to being simple, there was no family challenges. Everyone who came to the wedding, invested time and money and were the most intimate with the couple. Fifty people carry much less planning needs than 250 family members and friends who may have their own feelings towards the wedding and the couple.
For the duration of the vacation, guests continued to remark about their amazing experience. Everyone had their own agenda of fun and ventured off to the beach, the pool, the bar or their choice activity with one goal in mind – have fun!
What was even more noticeable, no one was reaching into their pockets to pay for food and drinks. The general feeling was that they were there for a vacation…an all-inclusive vacation.
For the couple, the cost of the wedding in Jamaica was a fraction of the cost if they got married in Atlanta. They tipped well (at their discretion) because everything was well worth it …it was simple, it was easy…it was stress-free! On the day of the wedding, the bridal party gathered in one location. They bonded together doing hair and makeup without the stress of driving from from different locations.
As the guests gathered on the beach, the wedding location could not have been more spectacular. The backdrop of the ocean, the powdery sand beneath our feet was nothing short of dreamy.
Some guests choose to wear sandals, flip flops and some were clad in just their bare feet. We mostly wore casual attire which made for a relaxed feel. Compare that with gowns, high heels, suits and ties and the ambiance, it was the casual and sexy feel that made the guests want to take a splash in the ocean instead of getting into a car to find the reception venue.
Our evening ended with a private reception. There was no one sitting for long…everyone was up and dancing including the wait staff who were invited to participate in the festivities.
I have not seen a wedding more fun.
Where would I get married if I had to do it again? Without a doubt…on the island of Jamaica or in Mexico.
Contact us if you have questions about planning your fairy-tale wedding!