A destination wedding is a dreamy idea, on many future brides’ Pinterest boards, and is right for many couples. According to The Spruce, destination weddings are small ceremonies held in vacation locations away from a couple’s hometowns. This could mean global destinations like Italy, Greece, Hawaii, or any dream location spot. It could also mean your local mountains or beach. During COVID-19, many couples adapted the idea of holding a small, intimate ceremony for just their closest family members and perhaps a few friends due to travel restrictions and virus containment. Now that travel is slowly opening back up, a small, intimate ceremony in a place further away from the home that you’ve stayed in during quarantine may be appealing to you. Ask yourself these three simple questions to find out if a destination wedding is the right fit for you.

1. What Type of Wedding do you Envision?

When you think about the special day, is your wedding a large one? Are all of your friends and family there? If a large wedding is important to you, perhaps you should go through with that idea instead of a destination wedding. Many people dream of including all of their loved ones in their wedding, which may not be a reality if you choose to have your wedding further away in a location that most guests would have to fly to. However, some couples love the idea of holding a small destination wedding for their closest family members, loved ones, or even just the couple themselves, and throwing a large reception/ celebration at a later date. Take into account if your dream wedding is a large one, or if you’d be okay with a smaller ceremony in a dream location.

2. Do you Have the Budget?

While destination weddings are much smaller than traditional large weddings, travel fees can add up. Depending on where you dream of saying your vows with the love of your life, plane tickets, hotel reservations, and many other cost factors could make a destination wedding pretty expensive, most likely averaging a few thousand dollars. Our advice to you? Travel smart. Think through a realistic budget with your partner, perhaps the budget you’d spend on a large wedding, and plan this trip similarly to how you’d plan the traditional big day. After all, you’ll still need a dress and outfit for the groom, officiant, rings, and whatever other wedding details are important to you both. Take some time to account for what you need to be included in your destination wedding and what it’d take to make it happen.

3. Where Would you go?

It’s important to have a good idea of a dream location for your destination wedding before planning the rest. Is there a specific country or town around the world that matters more to you and your fiancé than others? Perhaps you both have always wanted to travel to Europe, and dream of getting married in Paris. Maybe the idea of tying the knot under a waterfall in Jamaica entrances you both. Make sure that you and your partner both really love the idea of getting married in a specific dream destination before making extensive travel plans.

A wedding trip/ dream vacation with the love of your life sounds like a spectacular idea, and it is. After taking these three things into account, you and your fiancé will be on your way towards planning a trip of a lifetime.

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