Tips to Reduce the Stress Destination Weddings Can Induce

 

Destination weddings help brides and grooms create the perfect environment and backdrop for their ideal day. But planning a wedding at a distance can also produce added stress compared to hosting one in your hometown. Here are some tips for planning the perfect destination wedding while keeping your stress levels low.

Low-stress Destination Weddings

If you’re planning a destination wedding, review these tips for how to keep your stress levels low throughout the planning process.

1. Research Carefully Before Choosing a Location and Venue

Before landing on a date and signing a contract with a destination wedding venue, do your research. Some considerations include:

 

  • Whether the resort has experience with destination weddings

  • Best time of the year to travel to the area

  • Your budget and how flexible the venue is with meeting a budget

  • Ease of travel to the area (such as, whether friends and family will need a passport, proximity of the resort to the airport, etc.)

  • What's included with your venue booking (some venues offer catering, cake and decorating all in-house for ease of planning)

  • Look at photos from recent ceremonies on independent photographer websites. This will give you a real view of the venue’s appearance instead of edited or old marketing images the venue uses

2. Review Your Guest List

Think through who you really want present during your wedding. Analyze whether the venue and destination are right based on how many children or elderly guests you have. Consider too whether your primary guests can afford to travel to and stay at the location you’ve chosen. You can’t do this for everyone on your guest list, but review the information for your most important guests.

3. Start Planning and Spreading the Word Early

If you want people to attend, be sure to share information about your wedding date and destination early. This will help your wedding guests plan for vacation time and budget for the trip. Plus, you’ll have more options for venues if you start planning early before the venue books up. Try to place a deposit to hold your wedding date at least 12 months in advance to avoid the stress of scrambling to find a location.

4. Set Expectations for Who Pays for Guest Accommodations

Destination weddings can create some grey areas where guests aren't sure who pays for the accommodations. Generally, guests pay for their own accommodations. But close family or members of the bridal party might be unclear about what it means if they accept an invitation to join you for your special day.


You can outline special group rates at a preferred hotel or share special accommodation plans with the bridal party and place generalized information for other guests on your invitations. Ordering blocks of rooms can help you lock in lower rates for your guests and take advantage of group discounts.

5. Begin a Packing List on Day 1 of Planning Your Wedding

One of the most stressful aspects of a destination wedding is that you’ll have to pack up everything you need and bring it to the destination city. Avoid that stress by keeping a running list of packing materials. Or put someone from your bridal party in charge of keeping track of this information. 


Starting early will help reduce the last-minute stress in the weeks leading up to your wedding as you try to think back through every little detail. Digitize the list so that you and your fiancé can both add to the list as you go through the planning process.

6. Purchase from Local Vendors when Possible

Instead of purchasing and bringing materials with you, try to purchase your wedding supplies from local vendors and just pick them up once you arrive in the destination city or have them delivered directly to the venue. This will reduce the need to pack tons of party materials and can take advantage of concierge services at your venue. Here are some items to consider purchasing locally:

 

  • Decorations

  • Flowers

  • Wedding planner

  • Tux rental

  • Photographer (to reduce expenses associated with having them travel)

7. Plan to Arrive Several Days Before the Ceremony

Don’t plan for the bride and groom to arrive at the same time as all the guests. Make accommodations early so you can settle in and relax a bit before things get hectic. That way, you can accomplish any last-minute errands or planning activities before everyone wants your attention or starts asking questions.

Pros and Cons of a Destination Wedding

Destination weddings are not for everyone. Take some time to review the pros and cons of hosting a destination wedding before you finalize the details for your upcoming nuptials.


Pros

  • Often better weather, depending on the location

  • Stunning scenery for the perfect photos

  • Romantic setting for the couple

  • Special or memorable location, perhaps with history or meaning for the couple

  • A memorable experience for guests and wedding party


Cons

  • Travel disruptions or delays

  • Legal restrictions

  • Arriving and finding the venue is not what you expected

  • Guests can’t afford to join you for your special day

  • Challenges with delegating tasks to the wedding party

Planning a Destination Wedding in Northern Tennessee

The Barn at Spring Lake Farms offers a premier destination wedding location in northern Tennessee. Nestled among peaceful rolling hills just north of Nashville, this family-owned farm is a state-of-the-art wedding venue. With more than 14,000 square feet of indoor space paired with two outdoor areas ideal for photos and additional event space, you can create the perfect wedding atmosphere at the Barn at Spring Lake Farms. Let’s chat about your special day. Call the team at 615-492-2369. 


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