Wedding Planner, Emilee, joins us to share about her experiences planning destination weddings!
- The magic of “destination” can be 3 hours from where you live
- It doesn’t have to be an exotic location; you don’t have to have a passport
- KEY = has to be at least 3 days
- Guest count is small enough for guests to stay in the same place
- Who are the “destination wedding” type of people
- If you feel like you’re giving something up, you probably shouldn’t do destination
- Everywhere she goes, she builds in extra days after the wedding (not before) to explore and experience the location
- The “wedding hangover” is a real thing
- Can’t really do anything immediately after the wedding
- Honeymoon advice: don’t leave the night of your wedding if it takes more than 4 hours to reach your destination
- You will enjoy your trip so much more!
- Unrealistic expectations for destination weddings:
- How much it costs to bring stuff there
- Factor in paying for extra baggage
- All wedding information needs to be offloaded to the coordinator ahead of time so she knows all the info without having to bug the wedding party while in country
- Packing
- Guests - on their own
- Brides - remember to pack something cozy and comfy, not just cute/sexy
- It is humid in Mexico, so be sure not to bring hot, long sleeve, heavy material
- Bring extras of everything because you’ll sweat more!
- Traveled into Mexico with 180 maracas!
- Was pulled aside in customs
- She is often traveling with the materials for the guest welcome bags
- How to make a wedding planner super happy?
- Don’t buy things for them, but tips are great
- Message gift certificate, wine
- Once you make a decision, stick with it and don’t look back
- Destination weddings are often cheaper than local weddings for the couple, but they are more expensive for guests
- Working with the travel agent:
- Intake
- Kids or no kids at the resort
- Look & feel (all inclusive or not)
- How far away from the airport?
- Options from agent
- Agent coordinates all the travel!
Wish You Were Here
Cheryl: Glen Eyrie Castle, Colorado Springs, CO
Emliee: Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Ryan: Eques, Bellevue, WA
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Follow Emliee: tastefultatters.com