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The World's Best Destination Wedding Guide Part 1 By: Steve Young

THE PREQUEL TO YOUR DESTINATION WEDDING

I've been working in the wedding industry for over fifteen years, planned over three thousand weddings, and have heard almost every story under the sun about why a couple chose to run away to tie the knot. But what was the number one reason I've been given? Truthfully, a couple just wants to escape the cost and stress of planning a wedding gala at home.
A destination wedding is definitely an attractive option, but it's not for everyone. While there is no velvet rope that I know of, to enter the coveted club of destination brides, there are three major details that every bride must consider before committing to a ceremony away from home. I call it the prequel of your wedding. And those three finer points are as follows:

1. THE EMOTIONAL COMMITMENTS
2. LOGISTICAL CONCERNS
3. FINANCIAL DUTIES

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THE EMOTIONAL COMMITMENTS
Running away to elope beyond the horizon of your hometown may sound very romantic. In fact, it may fulfill that childhood dream of yours. But have you asked your father what he thinks? Maybe, just maybe, it was his lifelong dream to give you away at your wedding, something he's waited 30 years for. Remember that your dream wedding is also the dream of many others as well. Before committing to a destination wedding, make sure those you are very close to are okay with your escape plans to get married. You don't have to satisfy everyone's emotional needs when planning your wedding but it's good to just hear what they have to say. Usually, if there are any concerns, your destination wedding would only require minor tweaks for you to make everyone reasonably happy.
The next thing to consider is whether you and your fiancé are emotionally ready to handle the planning of destination wedding. If you are a "hands-on-and-detailed" type of person, you may struggle with the idea that destination wedding planning is mostly "hands off." For the most part, you will be relying on a stranger, whom you come to trust, to plan one of the most romantic days of your life for you. In many cases, you will not be able to see what your wedding will look like until you arrive at your wedding. You will not get to meet your wedding planner, photographer, hair dresser, or any vendor until a few days before your ceremony. If something is not the right color, if there is possibly rain on your wedding day, or some other element of your wedding is not as ordered and cannot be fixed, you must be willing to accept it, move on, have the power and will to still enjoy the most romantic day of your life. By and large, the psychological profile of a destination bride favors one who is very much laid back and is able to just go with the flow. A bride who cannot come to terms with the emotional commitments of a destination wedding can quickly turn into a "Bridezilla," and no one wants that.
In the coming weeks, keep an eye out for the next part of this series where I'll discuss the logistics of making a destination wedding happen. It may seem like a huge, daunting task to plan a wedding when hundreds or thousands of miles away, but if you follow my guide you'll have all the information you need to walk down the aisle at the location of your dreams!

My name is Steve Young, and I’m a former screenwriter, television producer turned wedding planner. To date, I have planned over 3000 weddings making me some type of wedding-guru. My wedding company can be found at http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com.