Destination weddings have become very popular as they serve as mini vacations for couples and their guests. Finding the right destination wedding venue is very important and can be a challenge, due to the following travel constraints: lack of vacation time, or funds to visit multiple locations. If you are certain you want to have a destination wedding, but are not able to travel to scout out locations, don’t worry!
Here are some tips on how to choose a destination wedding venue without actually traveling.
Research
Look at every single photo of the venue, from their main website, and across the Internet (do an extensive search). Aside from the venues’ main website, do a cross reference of blogs to find others who have had their wedding at this same venue. Look at as many photos and blog posts of other weddings at the venue(s) you are considering. After you’ve found photos of other weddings, ask the venue for the contact info of recent couples who were married there. Contact those couples and ask them to tell you about their experience. A few questions to ask them:
1) Is there anything they would do differently?
2) Was there anything that was a surprise to them after they arrived?
Accessibility
Make sure the venue is accessible via an airport. It may not be a major airport, but being able to fly as close to the destination as possible makes travel easier for your guests. If the destination is longer than 2 hours from an airport, you’ll want to rethink the location.
There are many beautiful remote islands all around the world, however they may require a boat ride to get to. Be considerate of your guests, as not everyone is comfortable with multiple modes of transportation.
Local contact
Pay attention to the professionalism and consistency of the local contact person at each venue. If you ever have any doubts around their abilities, then trust your instincts. It may be worth exploring several options before committing, as you will have to place your full trust in this person to execute the vision of your wedding without actually being present.
Article by: Sojourner Auguste, Erganic Design
Photography by: Brilliant Studios