1. What exactly is a Destination Wedding?
When a couple decides that they want to exchange their vows and celebrate their love in a
dream location that they and their guests will have to travel to, they are deciding on a
Destination Wedding. Destination weddings often take place in tropical areas such as the
Caribbean, Mexico, or Hawaii. Others decide to celebrate their wedding in Europe, South America,
or the South Pacific. The entire wedding party will travel to the destination
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and enjoy a long weekend - or an entire week -
and be on vacation while attending the wedding.
2. Why plan a Destination Wedding?
There are many reasons to choose a destination wedding. Many couples look to a destination wedding
as a way to have a unique and memorable wedding experience. Often, when looking at a guest list,
many people will have to travel from far away states or countries. A destination wedding allows them
to travel somewhere exotic and fabulous, where they can also enjoy a relaxing vacation; as opposed to
asking guests to book a flight and hotel in a less exciting hometown. Some couples are in love with
the destination, and want to spend the most special day of their lives in their idea of paradise.
More couples decide upon a destination wedding as they are from different areas of the country, and
do not want to decide against one hometown for another, so they opt to go to a location that will,
from now on, be somewhere special to each of them. One of the most common reasons to choose a destination wedding is to save money. Destination Weddings often allow couples to save upwards of $20,000 versus a traditional wedding!
3. Is a Destination Wedding right for us and our Guests?
Are there certain people, such as close family or friends, without whom you would not have your wedding?
If so, we suggest that you poll these guests to see if attending your
Destination Wedding is feasible for them. Click
here for a sample of an email that several of our engaged couples have sent to their
guests prior to committing to having a Destination Wedding.
4. Who are you as a company?
DestinationWeddings.com's headquarters is located just west of Boston, Massachusetts. We are co-located with our sister company Horizons Unlimited Travel, which has been in business since 1954. Horizons had been doing Destination Weddings for over 20 years, and when Destination Weddings became more popular we decided to start a sister company that focused only on Destination Weddings. As the years passed we have had the honor of planning several thousand Destination Weddings around the world. Our dedicated team of Destination Wedding Specialists and support staff are not only the most experienced available, they love what they do. We have over 170 Certified Destination Wedding Specialists and plan over 1,000 destination weddings per year, very few planners can claim that level of expertise.
5. Why book your destination wedding with DestinationWeddings.com?
DestinationWeddings.com offers a full service "one stop shopping" approach which has one goal in mind - to make the planning
and coordination of your Destination Wedding as simple and stress-free as possible.
Destination weddings are different from typical weddings and honeymoons, and therefore require the planning of
an experienced travel agent, a Destination Wedding Specialist. Furthermore, DestinationWeddings.com offers a complimentary wedding website to its couples.
The site helps organize and get the word out to guests, and serves as an interactive community for you, your
guests, and your Destination Wedding Specialist.
In addition to expertise in planning DestinationWeddings.com also offers a unique discount reward program that is available only to couples working with DestinationWeddings.com. The Circle of Love program features a network of hotels that have negotiated a "preferred" status with DestinationWeddings.com, which means you and your fiancé can earn extra "perks" based on the number of rooms your wedding books at the resort. Rewards range from champagne and chocolate covered strawberries ... to a complimentary stay! Not only do your guests get access to travel discounts not available to the general public, but you and your fiancé enjoy the extra travel benefits of dealing with the only true full-service Destination Wedding service.
6. How much experience do your specialists have?
Our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists are truly where the "magic happens". They are with couples from the beginning stages of picking out a destination, to welcoming them home as husband and wife. All our Specialists have been carefully selected from the best in the industry, have completed a rigorous certification program, and are subject to continuing education requirements to stay up to date on destinations and locations for Destination Weddings. In addition to our Specialists we have a dedicated team at our headquarters that monitors the progress of every wedding and is available to support both our specialists and couples throughout the entire process. We are in the business of planning successful Destination Weddings and take that seriously (and have fun doing it).
7. Why do you require a $50 deposit?
We get tens of thousands of couples on our website who are interested in information on Destination Weddings, which is great. We provide general information on planning and destinations for everyone, but require a $50 deposit to start planning with one of our Destination Wedding Specialists. Because our specialists put a great deal of time and effort into ensuring every one of their weddings is a success, we want to make sure that they are only working with couples who are serious about planning their dream Destination Wedding. The $50 is not a fee, but a deposit that is applied towards final payment.
8. What are your fees?
The good news is that we don't have any fees. We are a unique combination of an event planner and a travel agency. We are reimbursed by our suppliers (the hotels, airlines, etc), so we don't have to charge fees to couples or their guests. Because of our commitment to making your dream Destination Wedding a reality, we simply ask you to commit to making your travel arrangements with us, and encourage your family and friends to do so as well.
9. How will I communicate with my Destination Wedding Specialist?
An event as important as your Destination Wedding takes a lot of coordination and planning. In the beginning stages your Destination Wedding Specialist will want to speak via phone so they can get to know you and your fiancé. Once the planning gets moving, email is a great way to exchange information and work out the details. Our Specialists have been quoted as saying that they consider themselves the "surrogate mother/father of the bride", and they enjoy being part of the planning process for such a special event. Why would you want to have a Specialist who isn't excited about your planning?
10. How far in advance should I plan my destination wedding?
This really varies with the destination. One major factor is how many guests are going to be invited. For a traditional wedding a month or two is acceptable notice for "Save the Date" cards. Destination Weddings however involve travel arrangements, and therefore should be sent out at least 4-6 months in advance. This is to allow the guests to properly budget and plan for the trip, and to make sure that they are able to obtain reservations.
11. How do I decide between "Group Reservations" and Destination Weddings Wholesale Rates?
Our clients often ask for our help in determining if making a group reservation is better than
taking advantage of Destination Weddings wholesale rates. In order for you to better understand your
options, we feel it is important to outline the good and bad points of each option.
Click to read more ...
12. Will I need a wedding coordinator to handle the ceremony at my destination wedding location?
Depending on the ceremony details, it is recommended that you work with someone at the location to help
finalize the details. Many resorts and hotels have on-site wedding coordinators, who maintain reputable
local vendor lists, and can help organize your big day. DestinationWeddings.com also maintains a list of reputable
wedding coordinators in most destinations, who are available to assist as well. Your Destination Wedding Specialist will
help you choose the best wedding coordinator, and will stay involved with you throughout the planning process.
13. What are the legal requirements when getting married out of the country?
This depends on the location of your destination wedding. This is a question your Destination Wedding Specialist can answer. Don’t worry about the legalities, we can help you through that. If we didn't understand how to meet the requirements we wouldn't be able to do over 1,000 destination weddings per year!
14. Do you have a list of resorts that you work with?
We can work with just about any resort out there. Because our top priority is assuring your Destination Wedding is perfect, we do try to stay with properties that we have worked with in the past for other couples.
15. Do you get the best prices for travel packages?
Yes, and given that our parent company just celebrated its 55th year in the travel industry, we
are always competitively priced. When you work with a Destination Wedding Specialist, you won't be lured or fooled by
"loss leader" quotes. Furthermore, at DestinationWeddings.com our "full service" approach to destination wedding
planning and coordination sets us apart from the rest. We are unequaled in our offerings of a 24-hour, in-house
staffed emergency travel assistance hotline, a free wedding web site great for communicating with your
guests, and our new EasyPayment Plan
-- just to name a few.
Keep in mind that Destination Weddings are not just about guest travel. Although your guests do have access to discounted rates not available to the general public, you and your fiancé also benefit through two reward programs - The Circle of Love and the Vendor Discount Program - where you can earn discounts on your travel and your wedding fashions!
And remember: Destination Weddings are all that we do. Why would you deal with anyone who doesn't
make destination wedding planning their company mission, and their passion? Your destination wedding is a once
in a lifetime celebration, and you only get one chance to make it perfect!
16. I'm concerned about my guests being able to afford to come, what does a Destination Wedding cost
for the guests? And do we have to pay for our reservations in full right away?
Because we custom build every wedding to the unique dreams and needs of our couples, each wedding is
different, as are the costs. Most guests will purchase a 3 night package, and historically we have
seen these packages start at $750. This is dependent upon many variables including, but not limited to,
availability, hotel, time of year, etc. It is very rarely feasible to assume a guest travel budget of
less than $750, so consider that a good starting point.
Destination Wedding Travel offers our exclusive EasyPayment Plan, which allows you and your guests
the flexibility of spreading the payment of travel expenses out over time. With the average travel costs
for guests starting at $750, do you think your family and friends would rather pay upfront, or pay a
little bit each month? The choice is simple, our EasyPayment Plan makes it easier and more affordable
for your closest friends and family to be part of your big day. Learn more about DestinationWeddings.com's EasyPayment Plan.
17. What is the "Circle of Love"?
The "Circle of Love" is a program that rewards couples for the total number of hotel bookings for their wedding. DestinationWeddings.com has negotiated with hotels in our most popular destinations to offer your guests discounted rates not available to the public, AND offer you and your fiancé rewards from free meals to free stays! Once you start working with your Destination Wedding Specialist be sure to ask how you and your wedding guests can benefit from this exciting program.
18. What is the Destination Wedding Vendor Discount Program?
We understand that there is more to planning a Destination Wedding than just travel, ceremony, and reception. There are other aspects
of the wedding that our couples are planning - such as invitations, favors, bride and bridesmaid dresses, and many other details.
Our couples are given discounts from other online vendors, just for being affiliated with DestinationWeddings.com.
For more information, visit our Destination Wedding Vendor Discount Program page.
19. Do you offer bilingual Destination Wedding Specialists?
A report by Mintel International cites the popularity of Destination Weddings with Hispanic couples growing by over 13%, or 2 million couples, from 2007-2012. In order to continue to service these couples, we are now able to offer Spanish-speaking specialists to our couples.
However, we don't stop there. We appreciate the many unique needs of today's Destination Wedding couples, and offer specialists bilingual in English and many popular languages.
Because availability of these specialists is subject to scheduling by wedding date, please specify any language requirements you have when enrolling in our services, so we can make every effort to accommodate you.
Please Remember:
Destination weddings take considerable planning and research, and the best properties & accommodations often book far in advance of the wedding date.
The earlier you begin planning your wedding, the greater the likelihood you will be able to book the perfect property for you and your guests.
 Start Planning your Destination Wedding Today.
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