Destination Weddings...good or bad?

Re: Destination Weddings...good or bad?

• bethsmiles member

  

  January 2011 edited December 2011

  In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_destination-weddingsgood-bad?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:a8c14dc3-905b-46db-807f-49b87f5eeac7Post:b4709aff-3cf9-4b66-8ce6-5f9e607d1a82">Re: Destination Weddings...good or bad?</a>:
  [QUOTE]I considered having a DW.  We would have had a very small guest list, but in the end, I knew it wouldn't work because there is no way even my most immediate family could afford to attend.  I also thought I would regret not having a lot of my family and friends there to celebrate with us....so we opted for the 'traditional' at home wedding. <strong>Eventually, I would love to renew our vows on the beach in Hawaii where we got engaged.</strong>  <strong>Maybe in 10-15 years, we can do something like that and even have our future children present.  And hopefully my immediate family would be in a better financial situation to attend as well.</strong>
  Posted by jemmini6[/QUOTE]
  
  BF have discussed doing something like that too, obviously not where you got engaged lol, but we know that eloping would kill our families and we don't want to hurt them like that. But we would really love to renew our vows at some point with just us.

  
  

  
  

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• stemms8810 member

  

  January 2011 edited December 2011

  My sister had a destination wedding and it was great!  After she did that I would seriously consider it for my own wedding.  Immediate family only was invited so they did not have to worry about friends and other guests being able to afford it and take time off of work, etc.  I can understand PP's concerns about cost for guests.  I think it's a situation where you both need to decide who are the most important people that you want there and if there really is no way they could afford it or take that amount of time off work, you may want to reconsider.  I also think though that with plenty of notice (like months to a year) it's easier to pull off if you want more people to come.  It gives guests time to save money.  Some guests might be offended but it's not their wedding and the bride and groom can really have whatever wedding they choose.

  

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• bakes218

  

  January 2011 edited December 2011

  Everyone keeps talking about what everyone else wanted for their wedding and I wonder if more people would do a DW if they truly did what THEY wanted.
  
  DH and I had to be very strong to not have a wedding. We talked a lot and knew we would get a lot of comments, good and bad. At the end of the day it is OUR wedding. No one else's. My parent's were happy to not have to buy 150 chicken dinners for everyone anyway!
  

  

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• calindi member

  

  January 2011 edited December 2011

  In some cases, no matter where you host it, it's a destination wedding for half the family (when they live far enough apart).  So in that case, picking a neutral 3rd location is actually more fair all the way around.
  
  I've been invited to a few destination weddings, and we've only said yes to one.  Yep, they're usually more expensive and difficult to get to, but sometimes it's worth it because you get a nice vacation out of the trip.
  
  We actually spent a lot of time talking about this over the weekend, and we're pretty firm that we want a destination wedding after all.  It just works for us - we already live 2500 miles away from both our families, so if we had it where we live, it'd already be a destination wedding.  To have it in Costa Rica, it would actually be cheaper for our guests than Miami - the flights are comparable, but the rest of the costs (hotel, car rental, food, etc.) is MUCH cheaper.  And we plan on getting a house for the week where both our immediate families will stay - for us, as we'll be moving around quite a bit in the years to come - it's a great way to spend some time with our families, which is a huge bonus.  It builds a family vacation into our wedding budget. I took inspiration from 2000dollarwedding.com and thought that perhaps a wedding should be a bit more like a family reunion - that way we can spend more time with friends and family.
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

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• niknik15

  

  January 2011 edited December 2011

  I really like 2000dollar wedding too. Almost everything she says is very grounded and looks at things from an outside perspective. Really helps me look at my situation with a different light.

  

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