Planning a destination wedding can be as stressful as it is rewarding. From choosing a venue to finding the catering, most things have to be done online or over the phone and many decisions have to be made without seeing or testing anything for yourself. And as if planning the actual celebrations wasn’t enough of a challenge, you also need to think about the days before and after as well as how to look after your guests.
But fear not, because we’ve got the ultimate checklist for taking care of friends and family who are flying out for your special day!
1) Strike the right balance
Of course, your nearest and dearest are flying out to share your special day with you, but it’s also important to remember that they’re probably using some (or even all) of their allocated holiday days and budget on this trip. You, therefore, need to strike the right balance between organizing plenty of fun things for them to do and allowing them a bit of freedom to enjoy their holiday.
Perhaps the best way to achieve this is by having a loose itinerary detailing where you and your partner will be and when. People will then be free to join you at any point but will also feel no obligation to attend if they don’t want to.
It’s also a good idea to have a list of options and ideas of activities for people to enjoy with details of how they can book them. By offering the information, you’re making it easy for them to make their own plans, but you are not dictating how they spend their holiday.
2) Research the best local restaurants
One of the best things about traveling to a new place is getting the opportunity to try new foods. And perhaps one of the hardest things is knowing where to find good food. So, to help your guests out, do some research and come up with a list of fabulous local restaurants. So for example, if you’re getting married in Phuket, find the best thai food restaurant in Phuket and add it to the list.
Remember, you don’t need to rely solely on the internet here. You can ask the staff at your chosen venue or your wedding planner for suggestions.
3) Get discount codes
This is a great way to give your guests a little treat whilst not blowing any more of your own budget. This is particularly useful if you have a large wedding but it can be achieved with a smaller group too. All you need to do is to contact local businesses and ask them to give discounts to your guests. This could range from hotels, taxis, restaurants, and bars to gift shops, day tours or anything else you can think of. It’s a win-win as local vendors will get more business and your guests can enjoy discounted delights.
4) Take care of the logistics
Coordinating dozens of guests can be difficult, or virtually impossible. So don’t feel like you have to organize every single thing on your guests’ behalf. What you can do however is give them all the information they could possibly need to take care of their own logistics. Information on where the airport taxi rank is, how much a taxi ride from the airport to the hotel should cost, which car rental companies to use, what trains to get, where to exchange money, what day-tours and activities are available and anything else you can think of.
The idea is to take care of all the logistics without actually booking anything on anyone’s behalf. That way, people can easily pick and choose how they want to do things.
Then if you are getting married in the UK and if you need the best quality Essex wedding car hire then these are easily the best so make sure you check those out.
Conclusion
Taking care of your guests during a destination wedding takes a bit of careful planning. Your best bet is to do all the research and gather all the relevant information for them and then let them make their own decisions based on budget, preferences and other factors. That way, you’ll make life easier for them but you won’t be on the hook for any actual bookings or arrangements!
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
Speak Your Mind