Crush on Destinating | part II

Are you considering a destination wedding? 
Don't miss Part I - To Destinate or Not? The Advantages. 


Today, we are looking at why a destination wedding might not work for you.

DISADVANTAGES
The disadvantages to a destination wedding focuses mostly on the others who would attend your wedding. Typically, destination weddings save the couple thousands of dollars while the guests dish out a lot to attend. 

- Not all your friends and family will be able to afford to join you. Many cannot get the time off work or afford the cost of a vacation that you have chosen when and where it will be. Accept and understand that not everyone wants to join in on your travel plans and it has nothing to do with how much they care about you or not wanting to attend your wedding. Quite the contrary, using vacation time, acquiring passports, purchasing outfits that fit the locale, etc. can really add up. 
- What about children? Are you welcoming them along? This will substantially raise the cost for your traveling families. If children are not invited, what are the parents to do with their babies for a week while attending your wedding?
- What about health? Not everyone is in good health and may find the trip to be draining or impossible to make and would miss out on celebrating with you because of health, age, or disability.
- Plan for jet-lag, travel delays, and lost luggage. Yes, brides often carry their dress down the aisle. The aisle of the plane that is. 

- Be prepared to upset family and friends about this decision. From my experience, there are many conflicting opinions during any type of wedding planning. Whether you are destinating or not, keep in mind that while it is your dream day many key players in your life will want a say in how you do it. 

- Less control and more trust in the planner and/or vendors you have chosen. Be aware of inflated advertising. I know the photos online look wonderful, but most are not going to pay a visit to double check as you would do at home. Do your research and lots of it. Read lots of reviews from many different sites. Hold your vendors to the same expectations you have at home. Are they emailing, phoning you in a timely fashion? Is the website professional? Can you contact someone immediately? Are there guarantees? 
- You may not be able to get a particular service that you could at home. Pricing will be different--some will save you, some way more expensive. Photography and videography are a good example of this (we'll talk more about this in part III).

- You may have to plan much further in advance simply to allow for your guests to make travel arrangements that fit their life plans as well. 

- Etiquette states that you should never expect a wedding gift from anyone if they were not invited to the ceremony (or could not make it) and that includes if you throw a reception/party when you return home.  


Still thinking of destinating? Stay tuned for the third post in our series of destination weddings. Don't miss out. Follow the blog or join our Facebook page at Skye Snyder Photography.