Having a destination wedding is both an exciting and amazing experience and we’ve had plenty of beautiful ones here at the Château, plus you get a wedidng and honeymoon in one! As with any wedding planning there are lots of things to consider when it comes to creating your dream day to marry your loved one. Planning such an event is not always easy but if you’re organised and have the right advice then it can most definitely be as stress free as possible. There are some important details and considerations to make when planning a destination wedding including etiquette, timescales and travel. We give you our advice and etiquette for your wedding planning journey.
Photography Jeremie Hkb
Save The Dates
The more notice the better when it comes to sending your Save The Dates. We would suggest sending them at least 10-12 months in advance. This will give your guests plenty of time to plan for the wedding and renew passports if they need to. You should include as much information as possible on these from the wedding venue details and flight details if there are multiple airports to which you can fly into. A cute idea is to send a mini-map of your destination wedding area with all the relevant details.
Photography Jeremie Hkb
Invitations
Your main invitations should include the finer details of the wedding and should be sent at least 6 months before. You’ll need to include a lot more information when you’re asking your guests to travel. Include an itinerary of the events you have planned around the wedding day too so they are aware of how long they need to stay. If it’s an intimate wedding you may be having a more relaxed lunch the day after the wedding, or a welcome party for all your guests the day before. It should include dates, times, and the locations of each event.
Guest Accomodation and Travel
Your guests generally will be expecting to pay for their personal accommodation and travel but it’s wise to make this clear on the invitations. If your wedding venue doesn’t have accommodation or it is already spoken for, then you will need to include a list of hotels where your guests can stay. It’s worth contacting these to see if they can offer a group booking discount, give a range of options for varying budgets and length of stay, remember some people might be making a holiday out of it too. Although it is not necessary it might be a good idea to give examples of flight times and other forms of transport needed, anything to make your guests’ life a little easier – they will thank you for it!
Photography Jeremie Hkb
Travelling With Your Wedding Day Attire
Your wedding day attire is a very important part of the day so finding the best way for it to travel is a must. Anything that you need for the wedding day should be with you in person at all times. Your carry on baggage can be used to place your dress and/or suit in if it is small enough to do so. If it’s not you should use a garment cover bag and take that as your carry on. Some airlines may allow for wedding garments to be taken on as extra baggage but please check this before you travel. You will also need to find an appropriate space on the plane for it to ensure it doesn’t get crushed amongst other travellers’ baggage.
Catering
Your catering on your wedding day should be included for all the guests attending your wedding. It is also good etiquette to provide at least one other meal for your guests. This could be a welcome brunch or evening meal; for the night before the wedding, or if you’re making a weekend of it then you may choose to extend the party and have lunch the day after the wedding.
Photography Jeremie Hkb
Wedding Gifts
Wedding gifts when you are planning a destination wedding is tricky. Your guests will have increased costs from attending your wedding day so you may choose to ask them not to give you gifts, with their presence being enough. If you decide to have a gift list then make sure that your guests don’t bring your gifts to the actual wedding day. Unless you are travelling by car home you’ll want to limit your baggage. You don’t want to end up with lots of gifts that you are struggling to take home with you, especially if you are travelling to a different location for your honeymoon.
Photography Jeremie Hkb
To find out more about Château Saint Georges and our wedding packages take a browse at our weddings section or get in touch to book a consultation.
