Destination Weddings - Pros and Cons

So is a destination wedding right for you? Destination weddings over the past few years have spiraled into being one of the most popular marriage trends

Destination weddings allows the couple being married to combine the best of a honeymoon with a more traditional ceremony in a destination such as the Caribbean, Mexico, Bermuda, Hawaii, Alaska, or some other venue, and sometimes save money in the process. Traditionally with this type of wedding the bride and groom pay for the hotel, food, and most of the guests' expenses. Guests on the other hand pay for their own airfare. This alone can set a couple back if the guest list is huge. However, if the bride and groom keep the wedding list to a minimum then the savings can be huge.

Also, you don't have to feel committed to invite that uncle to your wedding if you haven't spoken or even seen each other in years. If you have a friend that likes to stir up trouble and you do not want that person attending your wedding. Then you don't have to invite them because of it being a smaller and more intimate event. However, if you have someone who insists on being at the destination wedding you can have this person book directly through the travel agent and explain that you will not be paying their portion of the travel, hotel, food, and other costs, but would be happy to have them added to the event and have the travel agent collect the costs from the add on guest directly.

Some destination weddings just involve the eloping couple and are very small and intimate event, but still are able to offer traditional wedding arrangements such as wedding cake, florists arrangements, photography services, for a flat fee or an additional add on to an already booked honeymoon or romantic getaway vacation.

Destination Weddings also include your honeymoon travel. You can plan on staying longer then your invited guests so that you can have that intimate and romantic alone time after your guests leave or you can arrive earlier to take care of any last minute planning of your destination wedding such as marriage licenses, or specific details you want included in your wedding.

A con to having a destination wedding can also include gripes from the guests, especially guest who are seniors and don't particularly care to travel. They may bulk at the idea and try to persuade you to have your wedding in a more traditional venue.