Destination weddings have become more and more popular and for good reason. Getting married in an exotic locale is a dream come true for many couples.

Maybe your destination is somewhere very special for you and your loved one. Or maybe it's just someplace you've always dreamed of visiting. Whatever your reason, if both of you have your heart set on it, then go for it. One of the nice things about destination weddings is that they can be very affordable, depending on the location and the number of guests you invite. So whatever your budget, most likely you can pull it off.

Booking Your Location
Once you've decided that a destination wedding is for you, it's important to begin planning. You'll want to book your location as soon as possible, as you would for a traditional wedding. But unlike planning for a traditional wedding, you may not have as much control, since your wedding location isn't nearby.

In this case, you'll have to be willing to rely on others, like family members or friends who are closer to the destination to make some decisions for you. You may be fortunate enough to make a trip or two to your destination prior to the wedding, but if you can't, choose people you know and trust and delegate responsibility to them, even though all final decisions will be yours.

Choosing Your Invitations
After you've settled on your location, it's time to invite your guests. As with any wedding, your invitations are important because they set the stage for your wedding's theme. Think how excited your guests will be when they receive an invitation to your destination wedding! For some ideas check out this assortment of destination-themed invitations.

Guest Accommodations and Expenses
As you plan your destination wedding, keep in mind that you may be asking your guests to travel a great distance. Since guests are responsible for paying for their own travel and hotel expenses as well as any other expenses normally incurred with a wedding, you should do some advance scouting for them regarding airfare and hotel accommodations. Often, you can reserve a block of rooms at a discounted rate as well as alert them to any deals with airlines.

The cost of the wedding itself falls upon the couple or the couple's families, just as it would for a traditional wedding. Because guests usually arrive a day or two before the wedding, you might want to plan an additional dinner or activity to include them. The couple would absorb any of these costs.

The Honeymoon
Another benefit of a destination wedding is that newlyweds can honeymoon at their destination wedding location. This alleviates additional travel and hotel expenses. Likewise, guests have the option of extending their stay and enjoying a mini-vacation for themselves. Everybody wins at a destination wedding!

Depending on how many guests attended the wedding, many couples host a party after their destination wedding or mail announcements to those who didn't attend. Typically, these celebrations allow friends and family the opportunity to congratulate the newly married couple. Gifts are not required, but it's not unusual for some guests to bring them anyways.

More Planning Tips
So after reading this, do you think a destination wedding is right for you? As with planning any wedding, there are endless details to consider. Although this article touched upon many of the basic points of destination wedding planning, there is much, much more.

With that in mind, I've included the following Web site links to help you perform further research. Each one has a wealth of information about destination weddings so you'll be sure to get every question you have answered.

Enjoy the process and have a beautiful wedding!

Websites & Resources
A Wedding For You, Inc.
More destination wedding planning services.

Destination Weddings and Honeymoons
An abundance of info on destination and honeymoon locations. Subscribe to the magazine.

Destination Wedding Invitation Wording
Sample invitation wording for a variety of exotic destinations.

DestinationBride.com
Links to many popular destination sites that contain info on marriage license requirements, tourism and events, even weather.

DestinationWeddings.com
Destination wedding planners featuring numerous testimonials from happy couples.

The Knot
Offers a great tool that's lets you choose your wedding destination and find out what the marriage license requirements are for that location. Tons of articles on destination weddings, too.

WeddingChannel.com
Great Q&A section on destination weddings. Everything you'll ever need to know.

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