Thinking about planning a destination wedding?

More and more couples everyday are turning to destination weddings instead of traditional at home weddings.

One of the biggest reasons couples choose to have a destination wedding is so that they can make their budget go further. Some couples choose to do it so that they can spend less (which by the way is possible, but depends on what you’re planning).  But, many choose to do it because you can get more for your money.

Most couples also choose to do a destination wedding because they want it to be intimate. They want to be surrounded by those who truly know them and have a more intimate experience.  Since destination weddings require time, money and travel, they naturally remove those who are not close to you.  This results in a much smaller group of people who really want to be there.

We speak to couples looking to do destination weddings all the time and one the of answers we hear most often when they explain to me why they are having a destination wedding is because they want more than just a wedding.  Many times they’ve attended a destination wedding and loved the vibe of it.  Or they just know it’s something they want. Either way, they care about making it more than just a one-night event.  With destination weddings, you have the ability to plan multiple events surrounding the wedding.

Couples who decide to have a destination wedding also chose to do it so they can spend time with their guests.  They care about it being an intimate wedding and having more than just one night because they want to actually hang out with their guests.  If you’ve attended weddings before you know that you barely see the couple.  With a destination wedding, you get more time to be with and hang out with the people you love.

Lots of times couples choose to do a destination wedding because they have a special connection to a particular place.  They choose to celebrate their love in a place they love and also share that love with their guests.  It could be the culture or the people or just the overall vibe of the destination that you love.  It doesn’t matter the reason, it’s just special and you want your guests to experience that too.

No one hates a vacation.  Well, unless you go somewhere lame or catch a disease or end up in a horrible hurricane.  But, in general, everyone loves going on vacation.  This includes both you and your guests.  Vacations are fun, relaxing and exciting.  You aren’t working and you get to just play.  This also relaxes everyone and you will find most of the guests love it because it forces them to take a vacation.

Nobody wants a cookie cutter wedding.  Those days are long gone.  Having a destination wedding even without any design yet already creates a unique feeling, vibe, and style. But, add in your wedding design and you can really create something unique, special and meaningful.

This is probably the biggest want that couples have for their weddings, whether you’re having a destination wedding or not.  They want to have a good time and they want their guests to have fun.  At a destination wedding, you’re pretty much guaranteed a good time.  Guests are on vacation, they are relaxed and happy already.  When you throw in your wedding for good measure, guests can’t help but have a good time.   You kind of can’t go wrong.

What about the cost – Is it really less expensive?

The average Caribbean wedding package, not including your stay, is around $1,000 and a full week in the islands staying at an all-inclusive resort usually costs between $3,000 and $6,000

Your only costs are reserving the room block and choosing the wedding package you want and the rest of the guests pay there own way and that can be as little as $1000 and as much as $5 – 10 thousand dollars if you want to be a little over the top.

Have I sold you on having a destination wedding? Haha… Nah, that’s not my intention, but if these reasons resonate with you, then a destination wedding is probably a good idea or at least one you should highly consider.

Now, if you are sold and thinking, “Sign me up!”, your next question is going to be, how the heck do I plan a destination wedding?

Planning A Destination Wedding

The hardest part for most couples in choosing the destination because there are over 1200 resorts around the world to choose from. When we talk to couples they usually have an idea in mind and then it is our job to help them narrow it down to not just the destination but also to the right resort that is the perfect fit for them.

In 2018 the most popular destinations have been Las Vegas, Aruba, Jamaica, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

When we discuss the destinations with couples we always advise them based on where they live which destinations will be the easiest to get to for their guests and what destinations usually have the most affordable flights. The next thing we discuss is what resorts offer the most affordable wedding packages and affordable room rates for their guests.

Let me start off by saying this “planning a destination wedding is easy if you use a certified travel agent that specializes in it”. I am not saying that because we are certified but because a lot of travel agents who have no experience in planning destination weddings will not even know where to start and you don’t want to be a part of their learning curve.

So Step #1 is to choose a destination. Step #2 is to figure out how many guests you think will actually attend and then Step #3 is to choose one or two resorts in that destination that we can request proposals from based upon the number of rooms that we think you are going to need. Most resorts have three levels of rooms that range from the basic room to the superior room and the luxury rooms and so we always get prices for all three levels and let the guests decide what they want.

Once we get the proposals we discuss all the pros and cons with the couple so that we can pick the perfect resort and if need to pick a few more resorts and get some additional price quotes then that’s what we do until the couple is satisfied and ready to make the final decision.

Now That We Have The Resort

One we have the resort that the couple wants we request a contract for a block of rooms the minimum at most resorts in 10 rooms and the average destination wedding usually ends up with 20-40 rooms.

Once we receive the contract for the rooms we go over all the details with pour couple and explain the cancellation policies, the upgrade policies and the benefits available for additional perks and free rooms.

The next step is for the travel agent to sign the contract and for the couple to pay a deposit to hold the rooms. Most resorts require a deposit of $100 per room. So if you are blocking 20 rooms it will cost you $2000, 25 rooms will cost you $2,500 and so on. However, this is your money and once the guests make their deposits and eventually their final payments that initial deposit gets transferred into your account to be used for your room or toward your wedding package or other incidentals. Many couples extend their stay after all the guests leave to celebrate their honeymoon. The most common length of stay is 7 -14 days for the wedding / honeymoon combination.

The contract contains specific rules and regulations as to when the rooms must be deposited and assigned to guests and what the cut-off date is to release any rooms that are not going to be used. This is where an experienced travel agent becomes very important so that you are not stuck with and paying for rooms that you are not going to need.

Once the contract has been signed and the deposit has been made to the resort we set up a website for the couple with all the details that they can share with all their guests. The website give specific details about the day and time of the wedding and will contain all of the rooms the prices and options for length of stay as well as the contact information for the travel agent that is handling all the reservations. Yes, that is correct … we handle all the reservations, the deposits and all of their questions and we send you a weekly updated spreadsheet of the reservations that have been made with all of the pertinent details.

We then put the couple in touch with the wedding coordinator at the resort so that they can begin to layout the plans for the wedding day, choose their wedding package and customize the package to fit their wants and needs.

So What Is The Timeline For Planning A Destination Wedding?

That is always the big question and the answer is we have put them together in as little as 6 months but the typical timeline is 12-18 months.

We could right pages and pages about Planning a Destination Wedding because there are so many variables depending on the couple and what they want.

If you are thinking about having a destination wedding give us a call at the JBL Travel Group at 732-831-5200 or toll free at 888-JBL-TRAV and we will be happy to answer all your questions and find you the perfect location. We are based out of Toms River, NJ but it doesn’t matter where you live. We have handled destination weddings for couple in North Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and Florida.