Taste Of Another Culture: The Libyan Bride

Imagine not just having two days to your wedding, but five. That’s right, five whole days of wedded bliss. If you were to be wed in the recently conflict-ridden state of Libya in Northern Africa, this would typically be the case. The five days are all different and each serve a specific and uniting purpose. If you’re a girl like me then you might just love the sound of day one… Read More

Saving Money With a Destination Wedding

Some couples know right from the start that they want an exotic destination wedding.  Others may be stumbling at home with wedding plans and getting discouraged.  Maybe you have found some great options for a large wedding at home but somehow it just doesn’t feel like “you.”  Think….. destination!

First of all, you can keep your expenses down through the average cost per person.  Reception costs at a destination wedding venue can be less than half of the average cost per person of a local wedding venue.  There are so many hotels and resorts with wedding packages that you can shop around and find one that suites your budget.

Second great reason to get out of town…your guest list will be smaller. With a destination wedding, you could invite your closest friends and family to an exotic location and have a much more intimate and memorable wedding celebration. Do you really want all of your unfamiliar extended family and casual business acquaintances sharing the most important day of your life anyway?

Next, you will likely save money on decorations because you typically don’t have to dress up an exotic location with fancy flowers and centerpieces.  The view / setting itself can be worth a million bucks.

Finally, there is no need to spend thousands of dollars on a one of a kind ball gown for a wedding on a beach or in a vineyard.  You can have a smaller, yet elegant dress that travels well and saves you money!

So if you do decide to go with a Destination Wedding, here’s additional piece of advice: Leave the details to someone else.  Any hotel or resort you choose is going to have an on-site wedding coordinator.  Relinquish control.  The very worst part of a any wedding is the planning.  Soooo many details, details, details.  And truthfully, it just doesn’t matter.  When you look back on your wedding photos, you won’t care about the decorations much if you didn’t spend weeks of sleepless nights worrying about centerpieces and flower arrangements.  But I guarantee if something is wrong in your pictures and you micromanaged the whole thing, you will only see the flaws (however minor they might be). What fun is that? Give yourself the gift of a wedding coordinator and just enjoy your engagement.  The coordinator will seek your input and will want you to be happy. So enjoy yourself!

5 Important Questions for Your Destination Wedding Photographer

As a former destination wedding bride, I can happily say that my husband and I had an absolutely wonderful experience! To this day, I gush about my wedding day! Fortunately, I also have beautiful photography to show off as well. As a wedding photographer myself, it is important to think about a few things when booking that important person who will make your memories last a lifetime.

My hubby and I got hitched in Napa Valley, California. Living in Florida, I knew we had to rely on the wedding planner at our venue to make sure everything went off without a hitch. She was fabulous and literally took care of everything, even the photographer. Bear in mind that there are some important things to ask and consider when you are trying to find the “right” photographer, especially when planning from so such a distance.

First off, bear in mind that you will most likely not get a chance to meet the photographer before hand. Therefore, you should ask your wedding planner the following questions:

1. Can I choose from more than one photographer?

Depending on whether or not you booked a package for your destination wedding, you might be limited to the number of photographers you may choose from. It’s important to get a feel for the photographer’s style prior to picking one. Dig around, look at their portfolios and make sure that their style of photography speaks to you!

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