The Pros and Cons of A Destination Wedding

A destination wedding appeals to so many couples who want something more intimate. They can be adventurous and they make for amazing photos and film, but a few parts are harder than a wedding at home. Here’s how we see it.

Pros of A Destination Wedding

1. Intimate & Experience-Driven 

When you plan a destination wedding, you can pick almost anything: a mountain at sunrise, a quiet beach, a family lodge on a lake. For many couples that feels more like them than a church hall or a banquet room. It also makes for incredible photos and film, especially if the team you hire stays for the whole trip and not only the ceremony.

2. Fewer Moving Parts

A destination wedding tends to be smaller, and smaller means simpler. Fewer guests, fewer decisions and a shorter list of people to hire. Many venues abroad bundle the essentials, and for an elopement or micro-wedding you may only need an officiant and one team for photo and film. It isn’t automatically cheaper. You are spending on travel and experience instead of a banquet hall, and for a lot of couples that’s the better trade.

3. Venue Flexibility

When you’re choosing your wedding destination, you’re presented with such a wide variety of venues that it’s almost impossible not to find one you love (and one that is available on your date). This is one of the most stress-reducing aspects of planning a destination wedding.

4. Built-In Vacation

A destination wedding is already a trip. Many couples roll it straight into their honeymoon since they’re already traveling, and if you want a different spot for the honeymoon, it’s often a shorter flight once you’re already abroad.

Cons of A Destination Wedding

1. Costs for Guests

This is the main reason that couples wanting big weddings may decide against a destination wedding. Depending on the location you choose, some guests may have financial constraints or travel obstacles that prevent them from being able to attend. This also depends on whether or not you’ll have discounted accommodations or meals available for guests since those are additional travel expenses.

2. More Planning Required

If you’re planning for anything other than a simple elopement, planning a destination wedding can be tricky. Sometimes there can be language barriers which could slow down or cause miscommunication throughout the process. It’s also a bit harder to get a feel for your venue, accommodations and other activities if you’ve never been to your chosen destination before. Many couples recommend budgeting for a trip prior to your wedding to plan certain aspects in person.

3. Difficulty Obtaining Marriage License

This depends on the laws of the country you’re getting married in, and it also depends on whether or not you’re making your marriage legally official while you’re there. Other countries have laws that can be difficult to translate and plan for, so this can cause some obstacles when it comes to planning a destination wedding. For example, in order to have a legal wedding in Japan, you must obtain an Affidavit of Competency to Marry from the embassy or the Japanese consulate.

In the end, we think the pros outweigh the cons, but so much depends on the place you choose. If you are dreaming of a destination wedding and want one team to document it in photo and film, take a look at the LUVIA experience or tell us your story here.