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Don't budget your way around certain activities just to cut costs.
Having fewer guests doesn’t necessarily mean a cheaper wedding, says Kunal Rai.
Destination weddings are gaining popularity and every year, the demand for small as well as large scale destination weddings is on the rise.
The charm of destination weddings and the prominence attached to them has given them great aspirational value.
However, despite all the know-how available on destination weddings, it is very easy to commit these ten common mistakes when one is planning a destination wedding.
1. Making decisions based on web images
A picture is worth a thousand words, but unless you explore the venue yourself with a clear vision of how you want the set up to be, do not say yes by simply looking at photos.
Recce is essential.
2. Ignoring weather and season
Whether you are having an open venue or a closed one, the time and place, especially the weather plays an important role in how comfortable you and your guests will be.
Make sure that your venue, decorations and the wedding theme is in line with the weather of the place.
3. Leaving everything for the last minute
Planning for each eventuality is not possible but do your homework to be as best prepared as feasible. Don’t leave anything for the last minute.
4. Not hiring professional help
When you decide to have a destination wedding, an essential element of its success lies in the kind of professional help you hire.
Since you would be unaware of the local people, customs and vendors, it is important that you have full-service wedding planners on your side.
If you are marrying away from home, it is important to take help of professionals who can guide you and make sure that you experience the best of both worlds.
5. Not budgeting
Destination weddings are a costly affair.
Even small scale weddings will cost more than you might anticipate.
While you should have an upper limit to how much you can spend, don’t budget your way around certain activities just to cut costs. For example, having fewer guests doesn’t necessarily mean a cheaper wedding.
6. Not doing RSVP
Make sure that your guests confirm their presence well in advance because you will have to make arrangements according to their travel and stay at the destination.
This will also help you cut costs and avoid last minute surprises.
7. Arriving late
As the star of the show, you cannot arrive fashionably late.
If you are having a destination wedding, you must reach the venue at least two to three days before the D-day and stay at least two days after the wedding so that the entire process can be managed smoothly.
Your guests' time is just as precious as yours.
8. Fretting over small changes
No one likes a bridezilla.
Even if you have a specific vision of how you want the wedding to be, one needs to be broad-minded and accept last-minute changes depending upon the natural, political or social conditions of the destination.
9. Treating wedding as a task
Planning a wedding is not an easy task but it is also important that you don’t treat it as a big chore.
Relax and mingle with your friends and family who have travelled the distance to be a part of your big day!
Enjoy with them and let the planners do the needful.
10. Not involving logistics
A smooth logistical process is very important to keep all the guests happy.
It includes their travel, accommodation and itinerary, among others. But once you hire wedding planners, you can delegate this to them and let them plan the ground-level management.
Kunal Rai is VP-weddings and events at Tamarind Global.