Planning the perfect destination wedding abroad
Destination weddings
Destination weddings have skyrocketed in popularity over the past decade – and we can see why! They offer something completely different to the traditional wedding experience, and make for a wedding to remember. While the idea of eloping might seem uncomplicated, an overseas wedding involving sending money overseas actually means the bride and groom (and their parents) have to think about a lot of extras that they wouldn't should the nuptials be held in their native country.
So what are the most important things to consider before jetting off to say “I do” in a fairytale wedding abroad?
The location
One of the main draws of a destination wedding is that it can be a lot cheaper than a big party at home. However, your savings depend on a number of factors, including the destination, the number of guests and whether you will be footing their travel bill. Long-haul destinations will take a significant bite out of your wedding budget and may mean that a lot of your guests can’t make it, either due to the distance or the cost of the trip. It's also crucial to check factors such as the validity of the marriage service in the destination.
For these reasons, it's essential to make sure you know you can afford a particular destination before announcing it to your guests, so sitting down with a calculator and crunching the numbers is a (tedious but necessary) must.
Catering
Here's the slight bump in the road. Planning an overseas wedding is in some senses much harder than planning one down the road, as you have to organise everything while communicating from afar. Catering is one of those big things that needs considering. At home there would be plenty of options to choose from, along with food tastings, but if you're having a wedding abroad you may need to take a leap of faith with the cuisine. Many hotels that host destination weddings are very familiar with the process though and will have a selection of wedding menus for you to choose from.
Entertainment
Onto another important step; entertainment is another aspect of your wedding day that may involve you paying ahead of time. Using local entertainment will, however, be a lot cheaper than flying in a band or DJ from home. Just ensure you don't let the geographical distance prevent you from collaborating with them on the sort of music you do and don't like, and what should be played when – knowing when to put your foot down is important!
Wedding planners
Hear us out – while a wedding planner can sometimes seem like an unnecessary expense, if you want to hand over some of the planning stress to someone else, they can be a perfect option. When it comes to a destination wedding, a planner located in the area you are to be married in is likely to be a great help, with plenty of local knowledge. They will tell you what you need to spend money on and make sure everything is in line with your wedding brief, as you probably won't be able to test everything out yourselves.
Money transfers
As you can see, planning a wedding abroad is a multi-faceted situation that will require a lot of communication with businesses and service providers that could be thousands of miles away.
Deposits and advance payments are pretty much inevitable, so finding a trustworthy money transfer provider can save you a lot of headaches on top of the wedding you have to put together! It's super easy to set up, and will make future payments abroad effortless.
Sending over currency for the little bits and pieces can add up, but by going through a money transfer service, you can prevent all of those pesky bank charges and save a bit of extra money for the honeymoon! Enjoy your special day!
Now you have an idea of how money transfers can save you money, why not try out our transfer tool and compare international money transfers deals available today.
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