Destination weddings are such a fun way to turn your wedding into more of an experience. Instead of everyone arriving for one day and heading home the next morning, you get a few days together in a place you love.

But there are definitely a few extra things to think about when your wedding involves flights, hotels, transportation, and planning from a distance. If you are considering a destination wedding, here are a few things worth thinking through before you start booking.

Start With the Right Location

It is easy to choose a destination based on how beautiful it is, but think about the logistics too.

How will your guests get there? Are there plenty of places to stay nearby? Will everyone need rental cars? What is the weather usually like during the month you are considering?

The destination should fit the kind of wedding you want, but it should also make sense for the people you are inviting. You do not need to make every decision around your guests, but knowing what travel will look like for them can help you avoid unnecessary complications later.

Give Everyone Plenty of Time to Plan

The earlier your guests know about a destination wedding, the better. Flights and accommodations can get expensive quickly, especially if you are getting married somewhere popular during its busiest season. Sending save the dates early gives everyone more time to figure out travel plans and turn the trip into a vacation if they want to.

Once you have more details, make things easy by putting everything in one place. Hotel recommendations, transportation information, the weekend schedule, and even a few favorite restaurants or things to do are all helpful additions to your wedding website.

Find a Planner You Really Trust

If there is one place I would not try to do everything yourself, it is here. A planner who knows your destination can help with so many things you may not even know to ask about yet. They will likely have relationships with local vendors, understand the area, and know what logistical issues tend to come up.

When you are planning from hundreds or thousands of miles away, having someone there who knows the location is incredibly helpful.

Make a Weekend Out of It

If everyone is traveling to be there, you might as well take advantage of the extra time together. A welcome party is one of my favorite additions to a destination wedding. It gives everyone a chance to settle in, grab a drink, and spend time together before the wedding day begins.

You could also plan a rehearsal dinner, beach day, boat trip, farewell brunch, or something completely specific to the destination. Not every event needs a full design plan or formal itinerary either. The point is simply having more time with everyone while you are all in the same place.

Leave Some Room in the Schedule

Try not to plan every minute of the weekend. Travel takes time. People run late. Weather changes. Transportation does not always go exactly according to plan.

A little extra room in your timeline can keep one small delay from affecting everything else. This is especially important on the wedding day itself. Your planner and photographer can help you figure out how much time you actually need for getting ready, portraits, family photos, travel between locations, and everything in between. You should be able to enjoy the day without constantly checking what time it is.

Think About Who You Want to Travel With You

You do not necessarily need to hire every vendor locally. Some couples build their entire team in the destination, while others bring a few vendors with them. There is no right answer. It really comes down to who you trust and what matters most to you.

If there is a photographer, planner, videographer, or other vendor whose work you already love, ask about their travel process. Many of us travel regularly for weddings and already have a system in place for it. There is also something really nice about arriving somewhere new and already knowing the people who will be beside you throughout the weekend.

Pay Attention to the Season

Do a little research before falling in love with a date. Look beyond the average temperature and check things like rainy seasons, sunset times, tourism, local events, and how early it gets dark.

If a lot of your plans are outdoors, talk through a backup plan before the wedding weekend arrives. Hopefully you never need it, but knowing exactly what happens if the weather changes is much better than trying to figure it out that morning.

Actually Enjoy the Destination

This one sounds obvious, but it can be surprisingly easy to forget. If your schedule allows, arrive a little early or stay an extra day after the wedding. Go to dinner. Walk around. Spend time with your family and friends. Enjoy the hotel you spent months choosing. You picked this place for a reason.

Destination weddings involve a lot of planning, and you deserve to actually experience the destination once you get there.

Consider Photographing More Than the Wedding Day

If you are planning a full weekend, consider having more than just the wedding photographed.

The welcome party is often the first time everyone is together, and it has a completely different energy from the wedding day. Rehearsal dinners, excursions, and other events can also be worth documenting, especially when your guests have traveled from all over to celebrate with you.

When you look back at your photographs, you get more than the main events of the wedding day. You get the people, places, and experiences that made the entire trip what it was.

Planning a Destination Wedding?

There is a little more to coordinate when you are getting married away from home, but that is also part of what makes destination weddings so much fun. You are creating a wedding and a trip all at once, surrounded by the people you most want there.

If you are planning a destination wedding and looking for a photographer to travel with you, I would love to hear where you are headed.