Having a Destination Wedding - Need Pointers For Day Of

rebekahtufa

Hi everyone,

I am new here. 1st time on The Knot. Hoping to meet a lot of great people and learn along the way from those that have been there and done that.

I am having a destination wedding - getting married in Grand Haven. My question is this - what are the sorts of "gotchas" that I should be aware of with a destination wedding. Things that come in to play because the venue is not nearby. Anything that I should be aware of or plan for?

If anyone has any horror stories from destination weddings, please do tell. I have my gown, I have my photographer and my venue. Working on the cake, invitations, florist, etc.

Thanks for any help!

Rebekah

Sue-n-Kevin

Welcome Rebekah! I am not having a destination wedding, but wanted to say "Hi".

It might help to know more: where are your families coming from, how far away? How many people do you think you might invite, about how many will make it?

There's also a Grand Rapids board which might be closer to Grand Haven, and you may have some luck getting vendor recommendations for the remaining vendors you need to hire.

Good luck.

kristinandbill

Hi Rebekah!

I didn't have a destination wedding either, so I'm not too much help.  But I also just wanted to say hi and welcome! 

We got married about an hour from our house.  Our venue was attached to a hotel so both DH and I spent the night before at the hotel and we both got ready there.  We packed up our car before the rehearsal dinner, unloaded everything either into our hotel rooms or into the reception site.  Then we went to our rehearsal. 

The only things I can say, having not had a destination wedding, is be super organized because there's no running home to pick something up if you forget.  We started to stack stuff that needed to go for at least a week beforehand.  Also, be aware that stuff adds up quickly.  As we were loading the car it dawned on us how much stuff we had and had to consider taking two cars.  Instead we crammed stuff in every nook and cranny and got it all done at once but that was something we didn't foresee.  Since we planned for months and did just a little at a time, we didn't realize how much stuff had accumulated. 

And of course make sure you provide guests with all of the information they'll need to be comfortable.  You could do this on a wedding website (I used weddingmapper.com) so that it's free but remember to offer guests not only things to do but also let them know where the closest drug store is and where they can eat. 

Hope I didn't ramble too much.  Good luck! 

Kristin

rebekahtufa

Thanks girls!

We are keeping it really small in terms of guests. Both my fiance and I want a small, intimate wedding, so between family and friends, we'll have about 30 people.

Great tip about collecting things a week or 2 before and realizing that we might need two cars. Since our guest list is small, we are sending them email updates for to keep them up-to-date. Should set up a website soon with the info so that's it's easier.

I am a bit of an anal person and that's why I'd like to get most of my vendors from here if possible. I am paranoid that I will get to GH and my hair and make up person won't show up! I'd rather pay a little extra and know that she is coming with us (not necessarily in the same car). That's why I got my photographer from this area too so that I know he will be there when I show up. I know, I'm paranoid, but it's the truth

Thanks for the tips! If anyone else has any, please let me know.

Thanks,
Rebekah

zawa0915

(Old knottie here...just "eavesdropping" and thought maybe I could help here!)

Rebekah - First, congrats! My DH and I got married up north last summer, which was a destination wedding for us and pretty much all our guests.

Here are some suggestions based on our experience (the specifics of which may differ from yours but still worth thinking about):

1. Make sure you are able to visit your location (Grand Haven?) conveniently several times in advance to interview/meet w/vendors...i.e. the more time to plan the better so you can be sure you have the best people working w/you. Starting out,  thought we might make 3 or so trips in our planning process, but it ended up being more like 6! Time = less stress

2. As most of your guests will be traveling, too, investigate the various accommodations in the area and try to pick some that range in price. E.g. We got married at a "nice" hotel where the room rates were as low as $105/night and as high as $280/night (eek!). Because they only had so many at each rate, we blocked rooms off at another nearby cheaper hotel, too, so our guests had a choice of how much they were comfortable spending. Since it's an added expense for guests to travel to attend the wedding, we tried to make it as affordable as possible for those who could attend.

3. Will you have kids at your reception? This was a tough one for us b/c I was not in favor of this at all but also didn't want to put people out since a lot of families had really young children who couldn't be left at home for a whole weekend. We researched reliable sitters in the area (your venue might be able to help w/this) and paid an 18-year-old to supervise any kids who did travel with their parents during the reception in a separate room (attached to the hotel where the party was, though, so they could check in on them). Not as many people took us up on this offer, but a few did and were really appreciative.

4. We tried to "pamper" our guests a bit ot thank them for coming a long distance - still while staying in our budget. We did the "out of town bags" that each guest received when they checked into their hotel and also invited everyone to our rehearsal dinner, which we held at a nearby farm/banquet center where we had a laid back bbq and hayrides. That way, we got to spend more time w/our guests and covered another meal for them. Because we had a lot of time to plan, we were able to keep the cost pretty reasonable.

5. When you get to sending out invitations, make sure to include a clear map and/or directions for your venue and any other key locations. A wedding website is also good to give guests the heads up far in advance of where all your wedding activities will take place.

6. Definitely make use of the Grand Rapids knot board since that would include your venue locale. The girls there are really helpful and can suggest reliable vendors for you in the area (e.g. DJ, cake, hair/makeup).

Sorry this is so long, but I hope it helps some! More info in my Wedding Bio (link below). Also feel free to contact me directly via my email address (also in bio) if you have more q's...happy planning!

rebekahtufa

Wow! Thanks so much for all that info. I really appreciate it!

By the way, how much is average for vendors to charge as travel costs? My last hair and makeup person was asking for a flat fee, while my photographer is charging half his hourly rate for every hour of drive there and back. Is that good/bad?

Thanks again!

Rebekah