How to Plan for a Resort Wedding Destination

Photo credit: Mayad Studios
Any bride would agree that her wedding day is one of the best days of her life. However, the preparations involved can be quite daunting. In fact, it can be more stressful when the setting would be a resort wedding destination. Although planning can be very overwhelming, there are ways to organize everything. One helpful tip is to come up with a checklist as this will serve as your guide and will help you arrange even the smallest details.
Ideally, the planning stage should start at least a year before your preferred wedding date, this is especially important if you’re looking at a resort wedding destination. Hence, before creating a list of to-dos, decide first on the date of your special day. Once you’re certain of the date, the below list can help you get a good start.
1. Check your budget. Identify how much you can spend for the wedding. Yes, any bride would love to have the most fabulous wedding, but also consider the fact that weddings last only for a day while marriages are bound for a lifetime. So spending too much for it while you do not have much savings is really not a good idea.
2. Wedding venue. If your dream is to have a resort wedding destination, the best thing to do is to start researching on several destinations. The Philippines has tons of wonderful islands that you can choose from. One of which is Boracay, hailed as the Best Island in the World for 2017 by the prestigious Conde Nast Traveler.
3. Marriage requirements. This is especially important if one of you is not a local resident. It would be imperative to research on legal requirements that you might need in order to obtain marriage license in the Philippines.
4. How many guests do you think you can bring in? Or would your guests have the capability to spend for their own airfare and accommodation? You will also need to start preparing for save the date invites to ensure your guests’ availability on your wedding.
5. Wedding planner. Certainly, this will be an added cost to your budget, but getting one might give you some ease. So where do you find a good wedding planner? You normally can find them at wedding fairs. Or ask friends if they know a good and trusted one. A helpful tip: most hotels/resorts have Event Specialists who can assist you not only for the venue or food, they can also recommend other wedding vendors such as photographers, stylists, couturier, etc.