February 6, 2008
Destination weddings - how much easier are they?
According to this article, one advantage of having a destination wedding is easy for the couple:
"Everything is pretty much handled for them,” Goetschel said. “It’s not really a do-it-yourself wedding. The couple is treated as a guest even if they are stars of the show. They don’t have to do the extra labor, either."Since my wedding was in Korea, my wife got stuck with making most of the arrangements but is was a substantial amount of work for her.
And I remember when my sister got married - she and her husband had a lot of work to do and were real busy making plans.
So I wonder if anyone here has had a destination wedding and if it really was easy.
Naturally there are some disadvantages. For example, destination weddings are often expensive. This article talks about extremely expensive ones. For normal people, though, I don't know if it would be much more expensive for the couple getting married, especially if they honeymoon where or near the place of the wedding.
However, for guests who live near the bride and groom the extra plane fare might be a big deal.
Posted by James Trotta at February 6, 2008 6:43 AM | TrackBack
Warning for bridal couples on destination weddings... if you want any time alone - you had better plan on leaving your wedding resort for the honeymoon. Many guests decided to spend "a few extra days at the resort" which gave NO "alone time" for the newlyweds.....
Posted by: mother of the bride at February 6, 2008 9:13 PMThat makes a lot of sense - good tip!
Posted by: James Trotta at February 7, 2008 8:19 AMFor the bridal couple, much of the balance comes down to this: if they want to see many of their friends and family at their wedding, then a destination wedding is pretty much out (far from every second and third cousin would be able to attend a destination wedding). On the other hand, if they would really prefer a smaller ceremony, a destination wedding is a great way to achieve it - only the people really closest to them would bother making the trip, and everyone else would simply be left out by attrition - no offense needed. And the money they would spend on the flight and resort costs would be more than recouped by the savings on the much smaller wedding party. HOWEVER, in many families, the inability to attend a grand-niece's wedding would cause great offense. And the expense to your nearest family and friends can be quite exorbitant. And therein lies your balancing act.
Posted by: J at February 8, 2008 1:13 PMHaving a destination wedding can be really difficult--from the disappointment of those who won't be able to attend, to the expense of moving everyone around (How will everyone get to the wedding? Do they need to rent a car?), to making arrangements from far away--it can be difficult and stressful. You lose some control b/c you are not able to see everything until the big day. However, having a destination wedding with a very few guests or by yourself can be incredible. It's supposed to be about you anyway and you can spend the wedding money on yourselves rather than on dinners and stuff for others.....
Posted by: alsky at February 8, 2008 3:24 PM