After shooting weddings all over the world, I truly cannot help but share my top reasons why I LOVE destination weddings! To be honest, if Evan and I were getting married again, we’d probably plan one ourselves! Destination weddings are absolutely incredible and a ton of fun. For the right couple, they are an absolutely dream come true. Here are my top 8 reasons that I love destination weddings!

#1. The Most Romantic, Beautiful Setting for Your Wedding Day

Sure, your local wedding venues have unique beauty and splendor, but destination wedding venues are on a level all on their own. Not only that, but the area surrounding your destination wedding venue is bound to be absolutely breathtaking as well. Personally, I am all about ambiance and setting the mood. If you plan a wedding locally, you’re going to see familiar places, hear familiar sounds and experience some elements of a “normal” day. Destination weddings totally immerse you in the experience from start to finish, which is why I absolutely love being a part of destination weddings!

#2. A Multi-Day Celebration

If you’re anything like me, you love a good party! And while I may be just about ready to head home at the end of a typical, locally-planned wedding, a destination wedding has so much more to offer! Something extra-special about destination weddings are that your guests aren’t going to just show up for a few hours and then head home. They are coming to your wedding and staying for multiple days! This means you have an amazing opportunity to celebrate with your closest family and friends over multiple days. The opportunities are endless for all the types of celebrating you can do – a welcome dinner, excursions, a pool party, day-after mimosas and Bruch . . . the list is endless!

#3. A Smaller Guest List Means Better Quality Time

Coming from someone who invited close to 300 people to her local wedding, take it from me: a smaller guest list is going to give you way better quality time with the people who matter most. A destination wedding does not have to be an elopement or a private family affair. You can still invite your close friends and extended family, and the people who care the most will be there. Guest counts can range from just a few people to over 100 – it’s totally up to you! And the cherry on top is that your guests who don’t know each other will become best friends by the end of the experience – it’s the best feeling! Oh, and those obligatory invitations you would have had to send to guests that you didn’t actually care about coming? They either won’t come or don’t need to be invited anymore!

#4. An Entire Experience vs. Just a Day

Do you love to travel? I know I do! Travel lovers, destination weddings were made for you! One of the things I love most about destination weddings is that it gives the gift of travel to your guests. They get to experience a location that they may never have chosen to travel to (or even thought of!). Destination weddings have taken us to many places that we didn’t have on our bucket list and honestly wouldn’t have considered otherwise: the U.S. Virgins Islands, Costa Rica, Negril, Jamaica, St. Thomas, St. John, Portland, Oregon, Charleston, SC and Hilton Head Island, just to name a few! And this is not just true for your guests, it’s true for you! You can choose a destination that you’ve never been to and experience it in the most romantic and epic way possible! If you love experiencing new cultures, foods, sights, adventures, you will absolutely LOVE having a destination wedding!

#5. Avoid Stress of Planning

It might sounds counterintuitive, but planning a destination wedding can actually alleviate the stress of wedding planning! Many couples assume that planning a wedding from afar will be more stressful, but honestly, it’s typically not! Here’s why: when you’re planning a wedding locally, all of the details are right at the front of your mind all the time. You may even drive past your venue regularly! Having all the vendors, the location and details right in front of you lead to more regular opportunities to feel stressed. With a destination wedding, couples typically have a wedding planner or coordinator organizing all the details. You’ll have options presented that are nicely packaged and don’t require endless back-and-forth. Having the location far-off oddly adds an element of “out of sight, out of mind” and your vendor team will work super hard to make sure your day is perfect!

#6. Potential to Save Money

Again, this one may be surprising! For a lot of couples, planning a destination wedding can actually save them money! There are multiple reasons for this. First of all, many destination wedding venues have semi- or all-inclusive packages which allow you to stretch your money a little further. Additionally, the cost of weddings in the US are incredibly high, so many if not most foreign countries are actually cheaper for many items on the wedding checklist. Finally, your final guest count will likely be about half (or less!) of the guest list that you would have invited to a local wedding.

#7. It Will Be Unlike Any of Your Friend’s Weddings

I am totally the type of person who loves to be unique and stand out (LOL to my friends who know this about me!). And I’m going to venture a guess that even if you aren’t typically this type of person, you do want your wedding to be an extra-special, totally unique event. Destination weddings are a guaranteed way to stand out and be remembered! While the local weddings I’ve attended as a guest kind of start to bleed together, you know that every single one of your guests will never forget your destination wedding! Destination weddings are experiences that totally stand out from the rest. Your guests are going to have memories that last a lifetime, and so will you!

#8. Your Photos will be STUNNING

Alright, alright . . . I’m biased on this one! But ask any couple who has planned a destination wedding, and they’ll tell you the same thing: destination wedding photos are on a level entirely on their own! There is so much to photograph and so many options for the type of wedding day photos you receive. Your images will be totally unique and reflect the beautiful setting around you. Trust me, most destination wedding locations have some really epic photo ops! So if gorgeous, stunning wedding photos are a priority, you will absolutely love your destination wedding photos!

So, there you have it! We absolutely love destination weddings! If you’re planning a destination wedding yourself, be sure to check out our destination weddings information page!