The world is your oyster when it comes to destination weddings these days. You might want a hot sunny beach, a beautiful, unique view or a country that means a lot to you and your intended. You might just want to save some money on the cost of getting married by getting hitched in foreign climes. Many couples are opting for destination dream weddings these days and it is no wonder.
Some couples would love to marry abroad but opt to stay local because they can’t bear to hold the celebration of their love without being able to share it with their nearest and dearest. They may think it will cause upset or arguments within the family. However, you could have the best of both worlds with some careful planning. Here is a great guide on how to involve your friends and family if you get married abroad.
Invite People Anyway
If you invite your close friends and family to your wedding, it is up to them if they come. This may be harder for them if you are getting married abroad but if they have had to turn you down, they can’t get upset that they weren’t invited. This means that you will avoid rows while still having the people you mean the most to at your wedding.
Don’t Change the Preparation
If you have your heart set on going wedding dress shopping with your best friends or holding a bachelor party that will be talked about for decades afterward then there is nothing to stop you from doing so even if you are getting married abroad. Not altering some of the build-up to your wedding will make you and your friends and family feel involved even if they aren’t coming.
Set up a WhatsApp group where you can post your wedding preparations and you and your loved ones can chat about your big day. You can send posts on the day itself so that they know how your outfits look and what the destination is like, and you can film yourself cutting the cake or having your first dance.
It is traditional for the groom not to see the bride’s dress until the actual wedding. The bride does not have to adhere to this but if you want to uphold this tradition, there should not be any pictures of the bride’s dress uploaded to WhatsApp before the event if the groom is in the group.
Live Stream
One of the wonderful things about modern technology is that you don’t have to be at an event to feel like a part of it. Live streaming has become popular over the past few years, and you could invite all your friends and family to watch you get married from the comfort of their own homes. This will make them feel like a part of the congregation, but it means that you can have the destination wedding of your dreams without feeling as if you have surrendered too much privacy or left people out.
Throw an After-Party
Hold a reception event when you return and invite everyone that you would have invited if you had got married at home. Send out already married reception invitations using a site like Greenvelope. Whether you have eloped and want to let people know you are married for the first time or whether you want to send these invitations well before the big day, this company can offer invitations for all eventualities, and they allow you to personalize the details.
You can style your after-party in whatever way suits you best. If you want to throw a massive party complete with a chauffeur-driven limo and free-flowing champagne, you can. If you wanted to get married abroad to avoid this type of fuss, then you can choose to hold a more low-key affair when you get home and only invite a few people to your event.
Ditch the Guilt
A wedding should be the celebration of love between two people but all too often the betrothed couple are too busy worrying about what everyone else thinks or what other people would want to plan and enjoy the day of their dreams. Remember that this is your big day, and you should be able to spend it however you want to. Ditch the guilt and get married when, where and how suits you best. If that involves going to your dream destination and finding a couple of witnesses en-route, then you shouldn’t let the voices of others affect your plans. It is what you and your intended want that counts.
Follow this guide to keep your friends and family as involved in your big day as you want them to be and have the most memorable day of your lives. All you need to do now is select the perfect destination.
