You’ve decided on a great destination for your wedding. Or
maybe you are just in the thinking stages. You’ve always wanted
to get married on the beach at Maui, or maybe in a cathedral in
France.
One of the most burning of issues when planning a destination wedding
is: What part do I need to pay for? Well, there are different ways
of approaching this issue. If you are one of those very lucky people
that can pay for everything, then by all means do so. Book the airplane
reservations, and reserve the rooms and have them billed all to
you.
Unfortunately, that is not within the budget of many of us. So
what is the answer? Current etiquette says that it is perfectly
acceptable to expect that those able to attend your destination
wedding pay for their travel and accommodations. You can help by
engaging a travel professional who will help everyone attending
the wedding book travel. You can have a block of rooms held up to
a date certain at the hotel where everyone will be staying. Then
it is important that you provide as much in the way of entertainment
and food that you possibly can.
One way to help out would be to ask people that have asked to give
you a shower or party to go together and hold their event at the
destination. Plan a picnic on the beach. Have everyone go to the
club at the hotel after dinner. You can pay admission (if there
is one) and buy the first drink for everyone. You don’t really
need to buy drinks all night long. Have your travel agent scout
out a local restaurant. This is often less expensive than dinner
at the hotel and everyone really wants to see more of the locale
and eat the local dishes. (Don’t forget to ask the hotel if
they will provide the transportation – at no charge. They
just might.)
One of the things to think about for your destination wedding is
if you would like to give your bridesmaids a gift that is a remembrance
of your special destination. Think about a sterling
silver starfish necklace or a dolphin anklet if you are going
to the Bahamas or maybe a Celtic cross for your Irish destination
wedding. You get the idea. Just be sure to purchase your gifts well
before you leave; you just can’t put yourself in a position
where you’re out rummaging around trying to find something
at the last minute in unfamiliar surroundings. Pack your gifts unwrapped
in your carry on luggage. Aloha!
