It recently came to my attention that I haven’t actually done a post about why having a destination wedding was one of the very best decisions of my life. What the heck, self?!
So, in the hopes of influencing all newly engaged couples to have a destination wedding, I give you…
Why the Husband and I are over-the-moon happy that we decided to have a destination wedding (10 months ago!):
// The opportunity to hang out with ALL of our guests for almost a week! Although some of our guests were only at the resort Friday-Sunday, most of them were there at least four days. This means that we had time to spend with each and every guest, beyond the time we spent hugging and dancing with them at the actual wedding. The Husband’s family actually got to the resort a day before everyone else (except for one of my bridesmaids!) so we had a lot of quality time with them before the chaos began, which was awesome.
// Less guests than a traditional wedding, which means everything was a bit easier to plan! Our best friends and family were there, which made it such a meaningful event for us. We didn’t have to worry about anyone showing up uninvited or random dates or an estranged relative making an appearance… it was all very manageable. Although we wished we could have celebrated the day with EVERYONE we love, it was super-specical with the people who could make the trip. (We had 54 guests there, in all).
// Less options. I only had one or two options for florists and less than five options for a photographer (unless I wanted to fly someone in)… and the resort provided an all-inclusive food and drink menu, so everything was super easy in terms of planning!
// The wedding planner. The Husband and I had a wedding planner (that the resort provided for free) and a butler for our entire stay. Heck to the yes. To say they made my life painless is a crazy understatement. These ladies were AMAZING and everything went flawlessly. I wanted a special song to play during our walk down the aisle and I told my wedding planner at the rehearsal. I don’t know how she did it, but she had the whole thing timed perfectly so at the wedding, the song was ending just as I got to the altar. That lady was MAGIC.
// All you can drink. Guys, it was all you can drink for AN ENTIRE WEEK. No one was complaining and everyone became instant friends.
// Cost. This event was by far cheaper than a wedding in Chicago would have been. There were less details to take care of and everything is cheaper in Jamaica! Although, our guests did absorb a lot of the cost since we were staying at an all-inclusive resort.
// Our rehearsal dinner. We invited all of our guests to the rehearsal dinner and it was the best thing ever. The resort planned it (although I selected a few options for the food) and they created this awesome buffet. They also created little centerpieces and had tables set-up… it was WAY better than I had imagined it would be. All the guests were able to be there and it was like a mini-reception! I would say that most everyone was drunk, and it was a blast. The Husband’s grandparents even told us it was the best wedding ever (at which point we were forced to explain that the wedding hadn’t happened yet and that they should make sure to come back the next day for the main event!)
// The cliffs. Our scenery was the freakin’ cliffs of Jamaica! At sunset! Honestly, the beauty was breathtaking and I could not have been more pleased. Our reception was outside in the moonlight with torches and candles… It could not have been better. Plus, we even saw a dolphin the next day at breakfast. A DOLPHIN!
// Fun. Our guests made the whole trip so much fun. Can you imagine with vacationing with 54 of your closest friends and family?! I could cry just thinking about how happy that made me. Water volleyball, snorkeling, cliff jumping, beer pong, drinking, climbing trees to get coconuts, ping pong, cornhole, pool, random shenanigans, tanning, getting our nails done, having heart-to-heart talks, waking up at dawn and going to bed way too late… we just had the most spectacular time with friends. Since we rented out our entire resort, everywhere we looked were loved ones having a blast.
// The stories. Oh gosh, the stories. There were hookups, breakups, flashing incidents… I absolutely loved the ‘OHMYGOSH you wouldn’t believe what happened last night!’ stories. I’m STILL (10 months later) hearing about wedding stories that I hadn’t heard before!
// “No Problem Mon!” Who doesn’t want to hear this phrase?! Anytime there was any sort of minor issue or thing I needed done, the resort or whoever I was talking to said it was “no problem”. This was a little frustrating in the planning phase because any time I got a little Type A they kind of thought I was crazy, but once I got there, every fear I had vanished immediately. The whole 4 days (the ‘official’ wedding days) went off without a hitch.
// The ‘unique wedding factor’. I don’t think anyone is going to forget our wedding anytime soon. Not only was it a wonderful night for us, but I like to think that it was a memorable few days for our guests. And judging by the THOUSANDS of pictures I have from that week (posted by our friends), I think it’s safe to say that people had a great time.
// The staff. The bartenders/managers/wait staff/etc knew almost ALL of us by name. I felt like a friggen celebrity! You should have seen the group that was there to welcome us when the Husband and I pulled up in our car from the airport. What a way to start the best week of your life!
// One location. The ceremony, the reception, the spa, the salon, the hotel rooms… everything was in one spot! The guests hung out at the pool until an hour before the ceremony and then quickly got ready and headed to the ceremony/party. No one got lost, no one was late (except for me… whoops!) and no one had to worry about rides anywhere.
// Cliff jumping. The day after we got married, while everyone was enjoying a scrumptious brunch, the Husband and I got into our ‘wedding’ bikini/swimsuit and jumped off some cliffs for pictures. I wore a costume veil (I didn’t have one during the actual wedding) and the Husband wore a ‘fake’ bow tie. It was awesome and the moment is captured in some of my absolute favorite pictures in life.
I could probably go on and on, but this seems like a good place to stop. Of course, there are some (very few) things that were stressful in having a destination wedding, but I think that’s all weddings in general. And of course, I haven’t had a local wedding, so I’m not sure how to compare the two, but I know that my wedding was one that I would never, ever, ever do any other way. If you’re considering a destination wedding, I say – DO IT! If you can, preferably have it at a small resort that you can practically ‘take over’, and at a place that’s as calm and welcoming and friendly as Jamaica. (Or just go to the exact resort we went to, because I’d recommend it a bijillion times over).
If you have any questions about how I did certain things at my wedding or about planning a destination wedding in general, don’t be afraid to ask me! I would love to pass on the little pieces of wisdom I’ve gathered.
Cheers to love and weddings,
