Wedding Planner, Emilee, joins us to share about her experiences planning destination weddings!

• The magic of “destination” can be 3 hours from where you live
  • It doesn’t have to be an exotic location; you don’t have to have a passport
  • KEY = has to be at least 3 days
  • Guest count is small enough for guests to stay in the same place
• Who are the “destination wedding” type of people
  • If you feel like you’re giving something up, you probably shouldn’t do destination
• Everywhere she goes, she builds in extra days after the wedding (not before) to explore and experience the location
• The “wedding hangover” is a real thing
  • Can’t really do anything immediately after the wedding
• Honeymoon advice: don’t leave the night of your wedding if it takes more than 4 hours to reach your destination
  • You will enjoy your trip so much more!
• Unrealistic expectations for destination weddings:
  • How much it costs to bring stuff there
    • Factor in paying for extra baggage
  • All wedding information needs to be offloaded to the coordinator ahead of time so she knows all the info without having to bug the wedding party while in country
• Packing
  • Guests - on their own
  • Brides - remember to pack something cozy and comfy, not just cute/sexy
  • It is humid in Mexico, so be sure not to bring hot, long sleeve, heavy material
    • Bring extras of everything because you’ll sweat more!
• Traveled into Mexico with 180 maracas!
  • Was pulled aside in customs
  • She is often traveling with the materials for the guest welcome bags
• How to make a wedding planner super happy?
  • Don’t buy things for them, but tips are great
  • Message gift certificate, wine
  • Once you make a decision, stick with it and don’t look back
• Destination weddings are often cheaper than local weddings for the couple, but they are more expensive for guests
• Working with the travel agent:
  • Intake
    • Kids or no kids at the resort
    • Look & feel (all inclusive or not)
    • How far away from the airport?
  • Options from agent
  • Agent coordinates all the travel!

Wish You Were Here

Cheryl: Glen Eyrie Castle, Colorado Springs, CO

Emliee: Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Ryan: Eques, Bellevue, WA

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Follow Emliee: tastefultatters.com