Destination Wedding Ideas: How to Plan a Wedding Away from Home

Destination weddings are often considered one of the most expensive wedding ideas people have and essentially, they are. Destination weddings to exotic places like Hawaii, the Bahamas, Jamaica and other similar venues are indeed very expensive and not only because these are prime vacation destinations. Aside from the cost of getting to these wedding venues, you will also need to consider the accommodations of your guests, their daily meals and of course, the cost of the wedding ceremony and reception as well.

Destination Wedding Ideas Away from the Destination
If you want to have a destination wedding without having to deal with the huge costs that come with it, why not opt for a wedding venue that can be converted into the destination you want? For example, if you want to have a destination wedding in Hawaii but, your budget won’t let you do so, try to have a Hawaiian inspired wedding instead. Find a wedding venue near the beach or have your wedding planner create an atmosphere similar to that of beaches and tropical islands with the help of wedding decorations, and you are good to go.
There are many ways you can have a destination wedding without really having to go to the destination you have in your mind. Want a Paris wedding? Have your wedding planner come up with Paris inspired wedding themes that can include French food, French decorations, French wines, French wedding songs and the like. Want a Caribbean inspired wedding? Have your wedding planner put together different island flavors that show the taste of the Caribbean and have the wedding happen in one of the many outdoor wedding venues near you.

Destination Wedding Ideas on a Compromise

Planning destination weddings when you are on a limited budget can be pretty difficult if you have to cover the airfare, accommodations and other expenses of your guests and wedding party. If the people you invite to your wedding agree to shoulder some or all of their own travel and hotel expenses, you might be able to have the wedding of your dreams after all.
You can help your guests and the other members of your family who are willing to shoulder these costs by assisting them in finding budget friendly plane tickets and discounted accommodations. One way to pull this off is to set your destination wedding to occur during what is considered the off-peak season for your destination of choice. This will give you and your guests the chance to get to these locales with low airfares, book rooms in good hotels at low, discounted rates and even get your food and wedding decorations at low prices.

Another thing you can do is to book plane tickets and hotel reservations as a group. This will often get you huge discounts and will help everyone attending your wedding to enjoy a vacation at a lower rate than expected. You might also want to look into booking villas for your destination wedding accommodations instead of hotel rooms when you decide to go to a resort destination. Villas can come cheaper than hotel rooms if the cost is shared by a few people.

Look for the hotels and resorts that offer cheap wedding packages and all inclusive wedding packages that include the wedding ceremony, the reception and everything else needed for the event. This often includes the use of the honeymoon suite for the couple, discount rooms for guests and full use of the resort amenities for all of the people in the wedding party.