A tropical island, historic European city, or desert oasis can be great destinations for your dream wedding. But remember that the planning of a destination wedding differs from the wedding in your homeland, so such a decision must be carefully considered. Here are the most important details you need to know when planning a destination wedding.

Use professional help

Planning a destination wedding will be difficult without the help of a professional wedding agency or wedding planner. Their language skills and knowledge of local service providers will be invaluable. Even if the wedding is planned for two, it will be difficult to plan it yourself. The further and more exotic the destination, the more useful the help of professionals will be.

Lane Productions, luxury wedding planners in Mallorca, offer a full management service to make the bride and groom’s journey from concept to completion enjoyable and exciting. A wedding is a treasure to keep in your memories forever, but together with professional wedding planners, the process of organizing a wedding will also be memorable as the most exquisite experience. And you don't have to worry about how to organize a perfect wedding in a country where you are not in the process of organizing it as Lane Productions offers unlimited consultations via e-mail and phone, and at the same time you can rest assured that the organizing work has into safe and knowledgeable hands: Lane Productions prides itself on having long-standing amazing relationships with the selected vendors.

The perfect season

Many couples pick a wedding date or at least a month and then choose their wedding destination, but sometimes you have to do the opposite. If the chosen destination is on the other side of the equator, it means the seasons will be the opposite – In June it will be winter, and in December – summer.

When travelling to other climate zones, do not forget about the rainy and dry seasons. Carefully research the weather conditions you would expect at a particular location in the wedding month, and change the date or even the destination if the season is not appropriate for a comfortable wedding.

Wedding packages

In many countries, wedding agencies offer a variety of wedding packages. It is a good option for those who want to know the total cost of the wedding at the beginning of planning. However, the services included are rarely customizable, so the wedding may seem impersonal.

In most cases, it is not possible to choose either a photographer or a caterer, as the agency has its partners included in the specific offer. If you are having a wedding for two, such a ready-made offer will save you a lot of worries, but it will not be the best choice for larger weddings. In that case, better choose a wedding agency to create an individual wedding just for you.

Symbolic or legal ceremony

When organizing a destination wedding, be sure to find out everything you need to know about the law of the chosen country and everything related to the legalization of marriage. Often various additional documents will be required, which usually also need to be translated and notarized at an additional cost. You also have to pay state fees and other contributions, which will always be more expensive for foreigners.

If you want to skip and ease this process, you can always choose a symbolic ceremony that will not have legal force. You can get married officially in your homeland. Also, wedding packages usually only include the cost of the symbolic ceremony, so you should read the conditions carefully before making a choice.

Think of guests

Destination weddings mean that everyone will have to travel to a specific location. It is worth considering how comfortable the conditions will be for both the youngest and the oldest wedding guests. A five-hour flight or a connecting flight may not be a good idea.

The arrival of guests should also be planned – who will pay for the transportation and accommodation, the couple or the guests themselves? Also, when choosing a destination wedding, gifts are usually not expected due to the increased cost to participate in the wedding.

Please note that weddings abroad must be announced earlier, so invitations must be sent out at least 8 to 12 months before the wedding. So planning must also start very early.

Plan your time

Depending on the scale of the wedding, it is recommended to arrive at the wedding destination a few days or even a week before the special event. This will allow you to see everything in real life and make small changes if necessary. It is very important to check all the details during the planning process because it will no longer be possible to change big things, such as the location of the ceremony, at the last minute.

Remember that everything looks different in the pictures, so during the planning process, ask to send a video of the place of the ceremony or invite it to be shown during the live conversation. This will make the chances of unpleasant surprises much lower.

Author: Elisa Rudzite

Photo: Ilze Ose, Miks Sels, Benjamin Wheeler

Wedding planner: Lane Production