How to plan a stress-free destination wedding

In India, weddings are not just a celebration of the union of the couple, but it is coming together of the families. While the groom and bride’s side make the couple feel special, they also ensure that the two families have fun together. Till a while ago, there were different events hosted by each side of the family, leading to the wedding function. However, the new age couple wants to celebrate every small ritual together, and that too at a picturesque locale. Thus, destination weddings are on the rise. From royal palaces of Rajasthan and Europe to vineyards of Italy to beaches of Goa and Maldives to backwaters of Kerala and calming hills of Himalayas, there is a destination that matches the vibe of every couple.

While many believe that a destination wedding is an expensive affair, the truth is far from it. As more people are shifting towards intimate weddings, it is possible to have your wedding at a beautiful location, with your entire family in attendance, within a budget. However, there are multiple things that need to be managed when you are opting for destination wedding. You will need to finalise the city and hotel or resort well in advance.

Then your guest list must be locked well in advance with little chances of people dropping out last moment or adding in. Also, since it’s a new place, you will either end up paying extra to local vendors, or not getting exactly what you want or worse, spending the entire wedding in ensuring that everything goes smoothly. The best solution is to hire a wedding planner and let him do the stressing while the couple and the families enjoy the wedding. To have a stress-free wedding, ensure that you are in touch with the wedding planner well in advance and lock the dates, destination, themes of events, the kind of décor and cuisine you would want. With local vendors, the wedding planner can easily arrange everything and give your wedding a unique local flavour, with a mix of your own customs. They will also cater to specific food preferences as most Indians prefer vegetarian food and at times without onion garlic. Imagine having to run after caterers on your wedding day for these things. Make a guest list and use technology to get RSVP.

Each guest’s travel details can then be tracked using technology. They can either travel together if and when possible or arrange for cabs from the airport to the hotel, to ensure smooth transfer. Also, keeping in mind different needs of guests, hand them over a welcome kit with goodies in it that can be savoured as and when they feel like munching. Also, once the timing for all the rituals has been locked, give the guests some time to explore the destination. This will also give you some me time amidst the wedding preparations. Or if you feel like, join them and make some great memories. Lastly, the wedding planner must prepare a show flow to ensure everything goes by smoothly. This is done after discussion with the couple and their families. It includes fun pre-wedding or post-wedding parties and also details of rituals such as Haldi, Mehendi, Sangeet etc. With a local flavour to the wedding, and rituals as per your customs, it will be a wedding to remember. Don’t forget to be sustainable and eco-friendly, and cut down on activities that might impact the environment negatively. Do smile for the pictures and laugh your heart out as you enjoy the wedding, because the wedding planner will take away major stress. But wedding jitters will still follow!

(The writer is a Co-founder, Behind The Scene Weddings – Destination Wedding Consultants)