Destination wedding planning 101

A wedding venue should perfectly reflect the personalities of the couple tying the knot, and planning a destination wedding is no exception: • Love the beach but want something more exotic than nuptials at the local boardwalk?

How about a wedding in Hawaii?

• If you and your fiancée love the outdoors, look into saying your vows and exchanging rings in the Alps or the mountains of

Colombia.

• Foodies in love? Paris is an excellent wedding destination for food and drink fanatics, as is Spain or Italy.

Always look into average temperatures and rainfall so you can avoid inclement weather on your big day.

Popular destination wedding locations like islands or tropical beaches

often have high and low tourism seasons with varying price points. Even though hurricane season may seem fantastically cheap, it’s best to avoid taking the risk!

Once you’ve decided on a location, plan a trip – or two – to secure all the necessary details: •

Tour venues and hotels

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Meet with florists

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Plan local activities for guests

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Schedule tastings with caterers

Believe it or not, destination weddings can actually help a couple save money. For example, planning a wedding in a high-demand city in the

U.S. could potentially cost more than an all-out bash in Costa Rica, even after factoring in hotel expenses and airfare! Still, there are extra costs that come with a destination wedding, such as travel costs for immediate family members, gift bags, and more, so look into the overall spend in advance.

Since your guests will likely be traveling a long way for your wedding, make the most of the event. Plan

activities to fill the duration of the trip and let your guests explore the area with itineraries tailored to your specifications. For example, an action-packed nature weekend in Brazil that ends with a beachfront wedding reception. Incorporate a range of activities, from whale-watching and horseback riding, to winetasting or farm tours.

As you get to know the area where you’ll be married, be sure to look into

local traditional events. Don’t accidentally plan your wedding during Brazil’s Carnival or the Cherry Blossom Festivals in Tokyo, which will make rates steep and crowd the area with tourists. On the other hand, make sure you don’t plan your wedding during an “off” season, when restaurants may close and tourism can come to a halt.

Start putting together a plan for guests, from airfare to ground transportation: • Where will the majority of your guests be flying from?

• Will they be able to fly directly to the destination?

• Once attendees arrive, will they need a car? Is local transportation inexpensive and reliable?

• How will guests travel between the reception and ceremony?

Once you’ve got a plan in place for your destination wedding, start sharing news with guests.

Send save-the-date cards as soon as possible so everyone

can start putting the big day on their calendars and making the necessary arrangements. The sooner the better, and the easier the planning process is, the more people who will be able to come.

Alaska Jewelry offers innovative wedding ring designs for fine

jewelry lovers. Operating out of Sitka, Alaska, founders Chris and Tamara Fondell attract customers

from all over the world with their selection of precious metals, gemstones, gold nugget jewelry, and more.

For more info about Alaska Jewelry, call 1-800-360-5744 or shop online at www.alaskajewelry.com.