Bored with the usual ideas of getting married in a marriage hall or at home? Looking for an exotic/ romantic location for your wedding? Does the idea of having your wedding double up as a vacation for your guests excite you? Welcome to the idea of Destination Weddings! Lots of to-be-weds are looking at destination weddings a refreshing break from the boring confines of a mantap to breathtaking natural locales, beaches etc as wedding locations both in India and abroad.
Of course, the immediate question that comes to mind is the budget..what will it cost? Well, with some meticulous planning, it doesn’t have to burn a hole in your pocket…
Well, if we’ve got you excited, we offer you some practical tips to help you plan THE wedding of a lifetime:
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Choice of Location—Weddings are being organised at remote/ so-far-little-known but beautiful locales pan India as well as countries like Sri Lanka, Turkey, Thailand, Mexico and in locations across Europe. What you need to remember while choosing the location includes: Travel costs eat up significant proportions of destination wedding budgets; therefore not only does the place need to be easily accessible by rail/air but it also needs to fit your wedding budget; also, book location as well as travel modes well in advance to avoid hassles; plan your wedding during off-seasons so that costs are significantly lower than during vacation times; if you are planning for a wedding abroad, make sure that your guests have their passports in place and arrange for visas well in advance so that someone you really want at your wedding doesn’t miss out; most destination resorts will offer something for free if you ask, for eg. resorts may offer the wedding hall free if you promise a minimum number for food or rooms for stay. Try and choose a location that boasts of natural attractiveness-this will help reduce, or in some cases, do away completely with décor and lighting costs.
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Booking for Stay and events-even South Indian weddings have started incorporating traditionally North Indian vents like Sangeet, Mehendi and western trends like cutting a wedding cake into the wedding rituals; so try and keep the events in one place/hall to avoid local conveyance expenses. Book for stay and for the venue for the events ASAP-maybe as soon as you decide on yhe destination of your choice.
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The all-important Guest List-yeah, we know you would like everyone to be present on your D-day, but everyone means HUGE expenses; so invite only those people whom you really, really want to be there at your wedding-relatives you can’t leave out, friends who must be there etc.; others can be invited to a reception in your hometown; so while preparing the guest list, think budget; try and keep it somewhere between 50-100 guests.
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Food menu-The all important part of an Indian wedding, the FOOD! It must strike you that when people are attending a destination wedding, the location and/or theme of the wedding would be a more interesting proposition to the guests rather than food as opposed to a hometown wedding; unless of course, the local cuisine itself is an attraction. Try and go local as much as possible with the menu so that costs with moving your caterers and their cooking paraphernalia can be avoided/minimised. But of course, if that palpayasam is a must on the menu and can’t be found on the local cuisine, you would be left with no choice but to have your caterers present at the venue. Still, try and keep the number of items on the menu minimal, because, in all probability, the sheer excitement might not make people hungry(or, on the other hand, it might!)…so BE PREPARED…
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Wedding Outfits : You want to look your ravishing best on your wedding day and we aren’t arguing with you on that one; still, decide your location first and then choose your dress and accessories; you just might look a tad silly trying to run on the beach dressed in a heavy lehenga and high heels; or wearing stilettos on a grassy lawn.If you keep movements minimal, then traditional clothes work well at any location So wear clothes and accessories that go with naturalness of your location and make you feel comfortable.
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Extra costs : Factor in any extra costs that you might have to incur while planning your budget; for example, if you are insistent about your wedding photography, you might have to bring in a photographer from your place. Try local vendor choices to see if someone fits your requirements before you make the decision; same goes for your make-up artist; if you are doing your own make-up, that significantly reduces costs but if you insist on a particular choice, then those costs need to be factored in too. Try and include your honeymoon at the same/nearby location to reduce travel related expenses. Wedding gifts/favours for your guests can be localized too; not only will they be more affordable than making/ordering and transporting them from elsewhere, but they will also give your guests to take away a piece of your wedding memory with them.
So, are you all set to plan your wedding destination? Have fun with choosing and making arrangements and we hope you really live the dream on your D-day!
Pic. credits: Ankit.in Destination Wedding Planner, Danny Photography