How To Choose The Perfect Wedding Destination

You and your partner are from different parts of America. Your love comes from another country. Your guests will be coming from all over the globe. That was our question at the time Jack and I were engaged last October (while travelling in Greece obviously!) Finding the perfect location for our wedding was definitely a puzzle that was a lot of fun to solve.

I'll tell you, I'm from the Pacific Northwest. I traveled the world as a child, spent years working abroad in Florida, and lived my whole adult life in NYC. Jack my gorgeous potential husband, hails from the South, with family all over the country, an avid traveler and a huge crew of Texan pals in New York. I'm a Sagittarius, happy to get married anywhere (wedding in an Amazonian riverboat please?) and Jack is a Taurus, while super adventurous He's more assertive and considerate.

Don't put off getting married

We knew that we would not be returning to the United States to marry our globe-trotting Florida beaches weddings photographer. It wasn't logical for us to choose one family member over the other because we're from different parts of the country. Additionally, Washington's weather is so volatile that Texas isn't truly "us".

Find Your Ideal Guest Count

The process of choosing a location is easier to plan when you know the number of people you need to accommodate at potential venues. If you're planning a large wedding, you'll require more space and possibly more vendors. This could include an additional hotel or huge marquee area that covers a lot of the land. If you're happy with an intimate wedding, you'll be able to throw a party at your budget just about anywhere.

Ballpark Your Budget

This step may be before step 2. It is possible to take them on tangents. But, the most effective way to narrow your options is to determine the amount you can manage to afford. What if you are on limited funds? You certainly can marry anywhere, however traveling to the Maldives may be a bit harder than, say, driving to the sea cliffs in Maine. Unlimited budget? Lucky you! The world is yours!

Due to my experience at the wedding and ability to be resourceful, I thought our budget was feasible. While I'm in the wedding industry I've always wanted to make sure that the costs are affordable for everyone. Therefore, I hope and plan to budget well below the national average.

In my experience, weddings outside of the USA are usually much less expensive with a limited guest list similar to ours. We have our sights set on countries like Mexico, Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Morocco, (and even our beloved Vietnam!) We also considered being a wedding on a beach in California since only a few guests reside in the Golden State.

Get Your Globe - From Where Are Your Guests Taking Off?

You don't need to worry about whether your loved ones are able to make it to the fete. Take a look at the world map to see which countries are similarly close to you. Although it's unlikely that all will be able to go, there are some options which could be a breeze for most of your guests.

Important tip

simply because a location is geographically closer, it does not mean that it will take less time to reach it. If I was traveling from New York, I've ventured to weddings in the USA which took longer to reach (and were way more expensive) as opposed to the majority of my weddings in Florida!