Far Flung Weddings

Having your wedding abroad in some beautiful exotic location could be one of your dreams. But will it work for you?

There are several practical questions that may throw cold water over this lovely dream, but if the answer to most of them is ‘Yes’ then it could well work out well for you.

Do you want a small intimate wedding?
Flying a hundred guests out to a beautiful and remote tropical island for your wedding is only going to work if you are seriously loaded and have your own private jet or helicopter. The logistics of getting a number of guests to the right place at the right time is far easier if you are only inviting a handful of your closest family and friends.

Can your family and friends afford the time and money to travel?
It’s a lovely idea to invite friends and family to a wedding in a beautiful far-off place, and even lovelier if they can turn it into a well-deserved holiday. But if your parents or best friends can’t afford the tickets or have a hectic work schedule and can’t get time off, you might find several important people missing from your special celebration.

Are your family and friends already living in different places around the world?
If you have a brother in Australia, a sister in the US, friends in South Africa and parents in the UK it could be a great idea to pick a destination somewhere in the world that they can all fly to fairly easily. Meeting up for a family reunion and wedding in Bali could actually become a practical and economical solution rather than an extravagant gesture.

Are you happy for your wedding to be a simple affair without all the traditional extras?
Organising a wedding at home is complex enough, but organising a wedding long distance when you will only be arriving at the destination and meeting your suppliers  a few days before is much easier when you keep things as simple as possible. Concentrate on a simple ceremony, good food and wine and a beautiful location. Forget about wedding favours, elaborate decor and all the frills and furbelows.

So now go ahead and plan your wedding abroad,  but make sure you give everyone plenty of notice to book time off work, organise tickets and so on.

What To Ask Potential Wedding Planners

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 Are you dreaming of a big wedding, something special, individual, stylish and distinctive? You are probably going to need a professional wedding planner to make your dreams come true and it’s best to choose your wedding planner at the very beginning of the planning process... yes before you’ve even set the date! This way she (or he, but wedding planners do have a tendency to be she’s!) can help you form your own style and theme for every detail and give you the very best value for money.

While it may seem a little daunting to be entrusting everything to a stranger, bear in mind that she won’t be a stranger for long. By the wedding day itself, she’ll feel more like a best friend. So choosing a wedding planner is an important first step in a vital relationship. While it is important to choose someone that you click with, it is also essential to know that the wedding planner you choose is experienced and professional. You also need to establish the business nitty gritty right from the start, so that you can relax and enjoy the process.

Here is a great list of questions to ask when interviewing potential wedding planners. It covers all the obvious questions as well as many not so obvious. It should put you well on the road to choosing the right wedding planner for you.

To find wedding planners in your area, ask friends who married recently for referrals, check out your local wedding directory online, look at weddings featured on some of the best wedding blogs. In South Africa check out the listings on SAWeddings for a selection of wedding planners, wedding coordinators and events organisers. Make a shortlist of those that you think suit your style and get interviewing!

What is ‘Day Of’ Wedding Planning?

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When you hear the phrase ‘day of’ wedding planning or wedding coordination, all it means is booking a professional for the day of your wedding to coordinate  everything and make sure it runs smoothly.

In this case you will have done all the planning, choosing and booking of the suppliers for the wedding. You will have negotiated contracts and put the whole thing together. But on the big day you want to be able to relax and forget about the details, so you hand over to a wedding planner just for the day itself.

This is a good option if you have a limited budget, know exactly what you want and are confident that you will have enough time and organizational skills to do the planning yourself. You can’t expect the day of wedding planner to magically fill in gaping holes in your arrangements or to transform mediocre caterers into gastronomic wonders, so you have to be sure of putting a strong team together and thinking of everything before you hand over.

Usually you will meet with your wedding coordinator about a month before the wedding and go through all the arrangements. You will hand over all the details, including contact numbers of all the suppliers and service providers. During this meeting you will also be able to make sure that nothing has been overlooked and then make any last minute arrangements necessary.

Your wedding planner will then coordinate everything on the day, make sure that things go smoothly, field any emergencies and generally oversee things, so that you can relax and let go of the planning role.

If you are looking for wedding planners in South Africa who offer this service, check out the directory at SA Weddings as a starting point.