Elope, they say
It will be fun, they say
No planning, they say
What they say is not totally wrong!
We decided on a destination wedding with immediate family and a couple of our closest friends. That was the easy part..
Figuring out all the other details is where the destination/local wedding are fairly similar.... the Where? When? How? Time? Vendors? Travel expenses? Honeymoon? questions.
After deciding on a location and hotel and getting pricing we decided that wasn't really what we wanted. In the weeks following, many hours were spent trying to decide a new location. While knowing we wanted a beach wedding, my mom had sent me a short, simple, and to the point e-mail. This led us to research the destination and fall in love with the location knowing it was the perfect spot for us to get married!
And for the When?... perhaps the most difficult! My parents live in Saudi Arabia, both our siblings have 3 kids each, and everyone's in school and summer sports.. oh the little things you do not consider! But after getting everyone's schedule and pre-planned events we decided on a date-- it worked with the wedding planner as well! YAY another win.. maybe this was too easy after all.
How? Invite away and see who joins us on our new journey together as husband & wife & little princess! We completely understand not everyone is able to spend the extra money not budgeted to attend, but so grateful for those who chose to do so.
Time? Sunset.. It was always going to be sunset! Since living on the beach for a several years this is, by far, my favorite time of day by the ocean. It's probably my favorite time of day anyway! (If you've ever been to Santorini- you have witnessed Spectacular sunsets! Seriously breathtaking...if not- GO THERE!)
Vendors? Thinking this would be a challenge because of the distance and having never been to our destination, it's actually been so easy to narrow down. Thank you reviews, referrals from our wedding coordinator, and customer service we have selected the vendors we hope will provide us the event we desire! Really I am confident in each vendor we have chosen to give us the perfect day we look forward to.
Side note: I'm not the best person in the world to let others handle things in my life I deem important- in fact I am way controlling normally to let others take the lead and produce what i envision. Not to worry-I don't want to stress over wedding day details- it will all be fine because at the end of the day I get to marry the person I am so excited to spend my life with- who cares or will remember what the decor & colors were?!
Travel & Honeymoon? Thanks to an amazing travel agent who was quick to respond and get us details for a wedding and spectacular honeymoon this was by far the easiest part of our planning. She gave so many wonderful locations and options it was hard for us to narrow down the precise place, but after talking to her & looking--there was only one that fit all of our needs and wants for our honeymoon. *high-five, high kicks, & cheers*
So at the end of the day while there were a few times I "stressed" over little details- really planning your wedding & honeymoon in 2 months versus a year was the right choice for us. I hope if you were on the fence about destination or local, this has helped you decide what your heart was already telling you.
Did you have a destination wedding or local venue? What do you remember most about your special day? Any advice for this bride to be?