The dos and don’ts of destination wedding planning, according to an elopement specialist
What’s more exciting than saying “I do” in an exotic location? From Mexico to Greece to Italy, destination weddings can be luxurious and intimate, but planning them is no easy feat. To get the low-down on everything from planning to attending a destination wedding, we got advice from Hannah Sherman, a travel advisor and elopement specialist.
“Sometimes it’s easy to forget what the wedding is truly about, which is celebrating your marriage with people most important to you,” Sherman says. “A destination wedding is a great way to make the experience more intimate, and everyone who is there truly cares about supporting you. Another highlight is that everyone gets to spend quality time together in a new and exciting place.”
Sherman offers a “one-stop shop” for planning destination weddings. She finds beauty in keeping weddings intimate, focusing on planning a special event for celebration with close family and friends.
“Keeping our weddings this small allows us to offer unique and intimate experiences you can’t get with a large wedding,” she says, “We are currently planning elopements in Italy, France, Spain and Greece.”
If you are thinking of planning a destination wedding, read below for some of Sherman’s dos and don’ts.
Do
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EXACTLY what you want to do. This is your wedding!
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Plan in advance. While we can pull an international elopement off in two months, flexibility will be crucial.
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Look to experts for help. It’s essential to know the legality of each country because it can get complex if you plan on having a civil ceremony. We can help you with all of the paperwork and information you need to have.
Don’t
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Assume everyone can attend. Understand that not all guests can afford or take time off for a destination wedding.
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Ignore weather factors. Another reason to leave it to the experts is that we will be honest with you if the time of year you want to go to a specific location has unfavorable weather and find a different place to pivot to.
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Ask others’ opinions unless they’re helping financially. Trust me.
For more information on Hannah Sherman, click here.
