6 Tips for Picking The Perfect Destination Wedding Venue

Perfect destination wedding venues are hard to find. Stick to these tips to relieve the stress and pick the perfect venue.

We celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary this year and I couldn’t be more excited. I remember that special day like it was yesterday. I was 7 months pregnant with Tristan. When I found out that I was pregnant, we were already 4 months into planning our destination wedding so there was no turning back. Our venue was booked and it was too late to cancel. We only had 5 months to go until the big day and were expecting almost 200 guests. Planning a destination wedding is tough. Planning it while pregnant is even tougher.

I knew that I wanted to get married on the water. Originally I wanted to get married in Barbados so we didn’t have to deal with so many guests but as soon as I let my family know, all hell broke loose. The complaints started to roll in. No one wanted to travel so far for a wedding.

My biggest mistake when picking our perfect destination wedding venue was listening to others.

Since the complaints were overwhelming, we started searching for another venue. Something closer to home would be ideal for everyone. Luckily, I found the perfect destination wedding venue in West Palm Beach. The West Palm Beach Lake Pavillion was a picture perfect glass building right on the water. Our ceremony would be outside facing the water with a background filled with beautiful palm tress. I knew that once the sun set it would just be so beautiful and the lighting would be unbelievable. I was right. The lighting was romantic and perfect for the occasion.

Our wedding was travel themed. We chose navy, blush, grey, and gold as our colors to compliment the water.

6 Tips for Picking The Perfect Destination Wedding Venue

There is a lot that goes into planning a destination wedding. You have to think about your budget, guests, food, photographer and so many other things. If you’re planning to DIY a lot of your decor, a destination wedding venue makes it a lot harder because that’s more stuff to travel with. Don’t be discouraged. If you’re searching for the perfect destination wedding venue, here’s a few tips.

1. Come up with your theme after your date is set.

Picking your venue will be a little easier once you’ve chosen a date and theme. Our date was in September and our wedding was travel themed. I’ve lived in Florida my entire life so I knew that I wanted our venue to be somewhere close to home that I grew up loving. That’s when we decided on West Palm Beach. It’s beautiful. What’s even better is that it’s on the water.

2. Brainstorm possible cities for your perfect destination wedding venue.

Once your theme and date is set, you can sit down with your fiancé to brainstorm possible cities where you can vision your dream wedding coming to life. This part was easy for me because my husband didn’t really care where we got married as long as it was somewhere that was easily accessible for his family. Any place that required them to get on a plane was out of the question because almost all of them are afraid to fly.

3. Google is your friend.

After your list is compiled, you can begin doing your research. Google is one of the best and quickest resources. You can google wedding venues in the city and look at pictures along with indoor/outdoor views of the venue. Don’t forget to look at the reviews of the venue too. Those are probably the most important thing to take into consideration when picking the perfect destination wedding venue.

4. Consider your guests.

This one was hard for me because in my mind it was my wedding so I didn’t see the need for considering what everyone else wanted. Hell, I could’ve chose a destination in Timbuktu but I chose West Palm Beach instead because it was easily accessible for everyone. Guess what? People still complained.

You can’t make everyone happy so don’t try. It’s your big day. However, I did take my guests into consideration when it came to hotel options. If you’ve ever been to West Palm Beach you know that hotels there can get pretty pricey. I chose the best affordable option for our guests so that they could enjoy their time with us.

5. Tour the venue as many times as you want.

I’m a visual person so in order for me to picture my big day, I had to go to our venue a few times. We saw it once before we booked it but then made several trips down after to see how others decorated for their wedding and see what the lighting would be like during ours. Touring or visiting the venue can put you at ease when you’re planning a destination wedding.

6. Choose a wedding planner that lives near the venue.

This one is important. Choosing a wedding planner that is near the venue will make your life so much easier. Your wedding planner can go to the venue for any changes that need to be made along the way. If you’re questioning placement of something your wedding planner can take photos and send them to you.

These tips should be able to get you a good start on picking the perfect destination wedding venue. If you’re spending the big bucks and getting a wedding planner, they can help you too. I also love this article from Brides with tips for planning a destination wedding. Good luck!

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