The Destination Wedding and Your Guests

The best wedding, I ever attended, was planned from the perspective of the guest.

This is something to keep in mind when planning a Destination Wedding. When you approach your friends and family with the invitation to attend your Island Wedding, you are asking them to make sacrifices on your behalf. There is the money of course, but there is also the lose of a weeks’ vacation, boarding the dog, finding a babysitter for the kids, or paying to bring them along. Your chosen Island may be the last place your Uncle Bob would want to go on vacation, but he’s going to do it because he loves you. Many guests will put off their own vacation plans for another year to attend a Wedding.

Their sacrifice shouldn’t stop you or make you feel guilty, but it should be rewarded in small ways. Here are a few suggestions.

• The resort should have a lot of different room categories so that guest can pick from inexpensive garden view rooms to higher end oceanview, or swim-out rooms.
• A resort with an Adult Only section allows older guests to enjoy both family times and quiet times.
• Make the dress code, “Island Casual” so that guest don’t have to dress up if they choose not to. A colour theme for clothing, such as a “White Party” can be fun for your guests and your pictures will look amazing.
• Plan some fun things for your guest to do. A ping pong tournament or scavenger hunt will fill in a quiet afternoon.
• A resort credit towards the Spa or an Excursion is a nice gift.
• Gift Bags waiting in their rooms when they arrive.
• Plan the events of the wedding day so that guests don’t have hours of waiting. If there is a waiting period for picture taking, plan a cocktail party for your guests.
• Arrange with the resort for a “Behind the Scenes” tour of the resort.

It doesn’t take a lot to make people feel valued.