Whether you choose an Elvis chapel in Los Vegas or a Caribbean resort, holding a destination wedding is a great way to blend your love for each other with a love of travel. If you decide to have a destination wedding, don't forget to do everything you can to make the experience a pleasant one for your guests. Some people will travel thousands of miles and spend a lot of their own money to attend your celebration, so it's only fair to accommodate them as best you can. Follow these tips to make your destination wedding easier on guests.
1. Choose a date with local weather in mind.
Before you set a wedding date, learn about weather trends in your chosen destination. If you choose to have a wedding in the Caribbean, you'll need to plan with hurricane season in mind. Las Vegas generally has beautiful weather, but the summer months are especially hot, so a fall wedding might work better if you have guests who can't tolerate the heat.
2. Send your invitations early.
Wedding invitations are usually mailed approximately six to eight weeks before the event. Because your guests will need extra time to make travel arrangements, you should send your invitations approximately two to three months before your wedding date. This gives guests enough lead time to book their hotel rooms and airline tickets.
3. Set up an email list for attendees.
If you have to let guests know about any changes, you won't want to make dozens of phone calls. Make it easy to share information by setting up an email list for all of your guests. Most email providers allow you to save a list of addresses so you don't have to type out every address each time you send a new message. If you use an email list to keep in touch with attendees, limit the number of messages you send to avoid overwhelming recipients with email.
4. Arrange for transportation to all wedding events.
Another way to put your guests at ease is to arrange transportation to all of your wedding-related events. This includes brunches, bachelorette or bachelor parties, and pre-event dinners. Arranging for transportation ahead of time eliminates the need for your guests to figure out the local transportation system or worry about getting lost on the way to a venue.
5. Inform guests of important travel considerations as soon as you know about them.
If your guests will need to update their passports or get certain vaccinations before they travel to your event destination, let them know as soon as possible. In the United States, it takes approximately four to six weeks to receive your passport. If you pay for expedited processing, it still takes up to three weeks to receive your travel documents. If you have guests from other countries flying into the United States for your wedding, give them as much lead time as possible to ensure they are able to pass through U.S. Customs without any problems.
6. Choose a venue that provides multiple services.
Rushing from one place to the next is one of the most stressful things about attending a wedding, especially for members of the bridal party. Make your wedding day more relaxing by choosing a venue that provides multiple services. Las Vegas wedding chapels, for example, often provide flowers and photography services. You won't have to stop at the florist or go to a separate photography site, so guests will get to spend as much time with you as possible.
7. Work with a travel agent to secure package discounts.
Traveling to a destination wedding can cost each guest hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Make your wedding more affordable by working with a travel agent to secure discounts. Your travel agent should be able to offer several packages that are more affordable than the prices your guests would be able to negotiate on their own.
Your destination wedding will be an event to remember, so you should do everything in your power to make it a happy memory for guests. Following these tips ensures everyone in attendance will be able to focus on you and your intended, not the logistics of booking a hotel or rushing from one event venue to another.
Check out sites like http://www.alittlewhitechapel.com for more info.
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