Picking the Perfect Spot
The location of your wedding determines not only the mood (rustic, sophisticated, beachy), but also the travel, time and budget required to pull it off. You want your guests to walk away from your wedding weekend saying, "That was so them!" Your wedding elements -- not just location, but also activities and overall vibe -- should say something about your personal style and your passions. Did he propose on vacation in Paris? Then why not host a swank wedding in the City of Lights? Are you foodies? Think about gathering your crew out in wine country. Or if you love outdoor adventures, consider Cabo San Lucas, where guests can zipline through the treetops before the rehearsal dinner.
Time It Right
Unfortunately, the best weather in popular vacation destinations tends to correlate with tourist season, when there are typically more crowds, fewer hotel and venue availabilities, and higher rates all around. So your safest bet would be choosing a tropical destination that has sunshine practically all year long. For instance “Cabo San Lucas Weather” is ideal for any wedding, as the sun shines all year round. And you have the best of both worlds, warm tropical weather and bathwater ocean.
Take a Trip
We seriously can’t recommend this enough: Take at least one planning trip and if you can swing it, two or three is ideal. On the first trip, you'll need to scout and secure your key venues -- ceremony and reception spaces, hotels for guests, a rehearsal dinner venue -- and local suppliers such as caterers, florists and photographers. Next (or during a second trip), you'll need to schedule "tastings" with your caterer, see sample bouquets from the florist, plan a hair and makeup session with a local salon and organize activities (golf, tennis, walking tours, museums) for your guests.
Research Local Marriage Requirements
The legal side of tying the knot in a different country can be complicated. Many countries have a "residency requirement" (for example, 24 hours in Turks and Caicos and 7 days in England), which means you must reside in the country for a certain length of time before your ceremony. Although this is usually just a few days, it can be longer. Places such as Mexico only require a simple blood test and your marriage is sealed!
Get Help
Control freaks, beware: If you’re hosting a wedding in a distant locale, you will need to entrust at least part of the planning to someone else’s capable hands. A wedding planner can ease the burden of researching and securing local vendors (especially valuable if said vendors speak English only as a second language), dealing with logistics like tent rentals and lighting and handling any last-minute fires that may start in the weeks leading up to the wedding. She is also the behind-the-scenes queen, creating gift bags for guests, greeting everyone at the airport, keeping people busy with fun activities once there, vetting special requests (babysitters, dry cleaners, and so on), and getting everyone where they need to be on-time. Generally speaking, a local planner is your best bet, as he can be your man-on-the-ground when you can't be there. But if you prefer to go with a planner from back home, make sure they have experience planning weddings in your chosen destination and expect to cover his transportation costs for planning visits and the actual wedding.
The location of your wedding determines not only the mood (rustic, sophisticated, beachy), but also the travel, time and budget required to pull it off. You want your guests to walk away from your wedding weekend saying, "That was so them!" Your wedding elements -- not just location, but also activities and overall vibe -- should say something about your personal style and your passions. Did he propose on vacation in Paris? Then why not host a swank wedding in the City of Lights? Are you foodies? Think about gathering your crew out in wine country. Or if you love outdoor adventures, consider Cabo San Lucas, where guests can zipline through the treetops before the rehearsal dinner.
Time It Right
Unfortunately, the best weather in popular vacation destinations tends to correlate with tourist season, when there are typically more crowds, fewer hotel and venue availabilities, and higher rates all around. So your safest bet would be choosing a tropical destination that has sunshine practically all year long. For instance “Cabo San Lucas Weather” is ideal for any wedding, as the sun shines all year round. And you have the best of both worlds, warm tropical weather and bathwater ocean.
Take a Trip
We seriously can’t recommend this enough: Take at least one planning trip and if you can swing it, two or three is ideal. On the first trip, you'll need to scout and secure your key venues -- ceremony and reception spaces, hotels for guests, a rehearsal dinner venue -- and local suppliers such as caterers, florists and photographers. Next (or during a second trip), you'll need to schedule "tastings" with your caterer, see sample bouquets from the florist, plan a hair and makeup session with a local salon and organize activities (golf, tennis, walking tours, museums) for your guests.
Research Local Marriage Requirements
The legal side of tying the knot in a different country can be complicated. Many countries have a "residency requirement" (for example, 24 hours in Turks and Caicos and 7 days in England), which means you must reside in the country for a certain length of time before your ceremony. Although this is usually just a few days, it can be longer. Places such as Mexico only require a simple blood test and your marriage is sealed!
Get Help
Control freaks, beware: If you’re hosting a wedding in a distant locale, you will need to entrust at least part of the planning to someone else’s capable hands. A wedding planner can ease the burden of researching and securing local vendors (especially valuable if said vendors speak English only as a second language), dealing with logistics like tent rentals and lighting and handling any last-minute fires that may start in the weeks leading up to the wedding. She is also the behind-the-scenes queen, creating gift bags for guests, greeting everyone at the airport, keeping people busy with fun activities once there, vetting special requests (babysitters, dry cleaners, and so on), and getting everyone where they need to be on-time. Generally speaking, a local planner is your best bet, as he can be your man-on-the-ground when you can't be there. But if you prefer to go with a planner from back home, make sure they have experience planning weddings in your chosen destination and expect to cover his transportation costs for planning visits and the actual wedding.