Before you start searching for wedding venues, it can be helpful to have an idea of where you want your wedding to take place. There are typically two ways to go here: a local wedding or a destination wedding.
A local wedding is – surprise surprise – held somewhere close to where you live. This could be in your city, township or anywhere that’s within an hour’s drive.
A destination wedding is held outside of your own locality. This could be a couple of hours away, interstate or international.
There are great perks to either type of wedding location – it really comes down to what you guys gravitate to and envision for the day (now might be a good time to do our ‘Wine and Non-Negotiables Exercise’ – if you’ve got no idea what we’re on about, click here to get reading and then come back to us on this blog post.
Featured photography by Alex Marks Photography.
Local wedding
PROS
- Convenient.
- Often more affordable as there are no accommodation or travel expenses involved.
- Accessible for elderly or handicapped guests.
- Easy for guests with kids (as they can palm off the little ones to the grandparents or get their regular babysitter in).
- The likelihood is most guests can attend.
CONS
- Often just a one-day event – the time with guests is short and sweet.
- The likelihood is most guests can attend (i.e. don’t count on travel being a factor to bring your guest numbers down).
Destination wedding
PROS
- A rich guest experience – there’s an extra level of anticipation among friends and family as they’re heading away together.
- Often accompanied by an itinerary of get-togethers before or after the wedding, meaning you’ll have more quality time to spend with guests.
- The satisfaction of knowing you’re contributing to a regional economy (which often rely on tourism).
CONS
- May come with an additional expense due to accommodation and travel costs.
- Distance may make your wedding inaccessible for elderly or handicapped guests, or guests who aren’t able to afford the cost of your wedding (it’s a significant commitment for guests in terms of accommodation, travel, and food – on top of all of the other usual expenses that come with going to a wedding. Most will be delighted to make this commitment but you need to consider that it may not suit everybody’s budget at their life stage and be OK with this).
Have a location in mind?
Well, this sure makes life easier. Here are our tips on what to do next.
- Check the local tourism website to see when any special events are happening in the region. Over busier periods, accommodation might be booked well in advance and resources like taxis, babysitters, hire companies etc. might be limited.
- Ensure there’s enough local accommodation around to be able to sleep all of your guests.
- Start searching for wedding venues in your preferred region. More on this in the next chapter.
No idea where you’d like to get married?
For better or worse, the world’s your oyster! Here are some things that might help with your decision making:
- Think about proximity to where you guys live. Decide how far you’re comfortable getting your guests to travel for your wedding. If you’re keen on a local wedding, this isn’t a worry but for any locations further than an hour away, your wedding probably won’t be a day trip – rather an overnight stay or weekender for your guests.
- If you’re keen on the idea of a destination wedding, consider what activities are available for guests to partake in the day before and/or after the wedding. Getting married in a location where there are cafes, shops, wineries, pubs, spas, golf clubs and beaches nearby will allow you to create a full weekend experience for your guests.
- Keep in mind that locations that are popular for weddings will often have a great community of local vendors and small businesses that can help bring your wedding together. The more remote the location, the smaller the pool of local vendors is likely to be. This isn’t a deal-breaker – rather, something to factor into your budget as it’s likely you’ll need to pay more in travel (and possibly accommodation) fees for the team you bring in.
- What’s on for the coming weekends? Nothing? It’s time to hit the road then. There’s no better way to get a feel for a region than to visit. An excuse for a romantic weekender? You saw straight through us. But it’s all in the name of research, right? Start browsing hundreds of unique wedding spaces, right here.
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