P L A N N I N G
Planning Tips
For Your Dream Destination Wedding By Karen Leiva
The proposal was made – you said yes! Now, it’s time to set the wheels in motion and begin planning for your special day. We know planning a wedding, regardless of how big or small the event will be, can be overwhelming – that’s why more couples are enlisting the support of qualified destination wedding experts to help them with every step of their journey. With an expert guiding you, there’s no need to sweat the small stuff, just let them take care of the details to make your dream wedding come true. We connected with Lisa Sheldon, president of Destination Wedding & Honeymoon Specialists Association (DWHSA), to ask for insights and tips to start planning your wedding. Here are six top recommendations.
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Pick a Date
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Set a Budget
Once the proposal has been accepted, start talking about the kind of wedding you want – and when you want to get married. Within 12 months, 14 months, 18 months? Making a timeline will help you stay organized and not miss an important deadline in the planning process. It’s smart to engage a destination wedding specialist right at the beginning so they can help outline milestone dates.
There really is a wedding for every budget. It depends on a few things, including the number of guests, the type of hotel and its amenities, and the wedding options you choose. Your wedding specialist will be able to show you options that are within your budget, and also determine if there are hotel perks you can access – for example, some hotels offer the wedding free of charge to the couple if they have a certain number of guests. Your specialist can work within your budget to help ensure travel logistics, special day arrangements, as well as any extras such as entertainment, suit your needs. Destination wedding specialists will have an arsenal of knowledge and experience to help steer you in the right direction, which is why it’s important to meet with one at the beginning of your planning process.
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