Guests Attending Destination Weddings: A Guide

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By: Kristen Henningson

So you’ve decided to plan a destination wedding. Be it on the beaches of New Zealand or the pyramids in Egypt, it is not just the bride and groom to be considered for travel accommodations.

Traveling abroad can be beautiful, but hectic—especially for the guests. Who will pay what? When is the wedding? How much will a plane ticket cost? Can he or she request vacation time at work? Those questions pulse through a guest’s mind, but there are ways to ease their qualms.

First and foremost, establish a budget. Will you have the money to pay for family to fly out, or help cover the bill? Is that even something that you had planned? Once you have established that, the rest falls in place.

Far in advance, inform the guests of the destination, the date and the cost. Chances are good that most people will need to start saving money, request time off work and plan a travel schedule. Because of so many potential complications, do not take it personally if a guest cannot attend your wedding. They will be satisfied knowing you wanted them to attend such a special ceremony.

When your guests arrive at the chosen destination, it would be a nice sentiment to leave a small gift basket in their hotel rooms. Despite the fact that the guests may have taken the opportunity to make this trip a vacation for themselves, it required schedule rearranging and fiscal adjustments to attend your wedding. Leaving a gift basket with a few snacks or local souvenirs is a small but effective way to welcome the guests and thank them for traveling far for the special day.

Now that the long journey has been completed and the first moments have been kick-started with a welcome gift, it’s time to relax and enjoy the celebrations to come!