Destination Wedding Checklist... Keeping It Simple From Miles Away

How many guests?... Get calling those potential host hotels and inquiring about reduced rates for booking out the entire guest availability (if it's a smaller establishment). If it's a larger building, how about reduced rates at the in-house restaurant the night before the big day? There is often wiggle room when a large booking is involved.

Ready to commit... Most popular vendors, especially in areas that are familiar with the destination wedding market, book up WAY in advance. Make sure you start your research early, know what you want and are prepared to commit once you find it.

Access to features... Be sure to do your homework on weekday AND weekend accessibility to your florist, make up artist, hair stylist, dry cleaning facility, caterer, entertainment... everyone you need, to get your big day off without a hitch! There are certain circumstances such as with island escapes, where even though they are attached to the mainland via road, there may be a cost incurred each time the bridge is traveled or there may be certain hours and parking permits involved that were otherwise unforeseen!

Image: weddingrugs.com

Public festivals and local celebrations... Check local websites on the area to make sure your big day isn't going to be clashing with the town's own big day! Even if there is a day or two between events, make sure you aren't going to be faced with someone else's clean up duty or a traffic aftermath.

Local vendors... Review sites like  www.weddingwire.com and www.weddingbee.com are a great way to get started on narrowing down the possibilities on wedding vendors at your destination and offer customer reviews as well as professional links and portfolio examples. Also worth exploring are local awards and online news articles from the last year or so, regarding vendors that you are considering. A fab way to get the down low, from the people who know!

Check local restrictions... Whether your intended matrimonial scene be set with freeze dried petals, flickering candles or biodegradable confetti; if it's going to be outside or close to public property check what's considered legal ahead of time. Rarely are exceptions made, so avoid unnecessary havoc and know your rights!

Image: BevsBookBeat

Combine and save... Presumably you are already interested in what the area has to offer and that's why you've chosen it to be the site of a lifelong commitment! Advantages of remaining around your chosen destination for your honeymoon are plentiful; opportunities for extended stay discounts at hotels in the area, less travel time and expenses and not to mention the upgrades you could enable yourselves to afford due to staying put! If you like the lavish in life and don't care to move around too much, this is definitely an option to consider.

Know the area... Once you arrive at the your destination, a test drive is a great idea to fill you in on routes and potential hold ups on your way to your vendors & ceremony site. We didn't realize until we arrived at our own site that we would have to pay each time we crossed the bridge to our secluded island hotel, so gathering up that information in advance is a definite stress busting plus!