Destination Wedding Etiquette Tips for Success

As a couple delves into a new life as husband and wife, some dream of taking their vows in an exotic or otherwise thrilling location. Destination weddings are growing in popularity, so brides and grooms will want to ensure that guests feel welcome without experiencing certain pressures that can accompany attending your event. Following these destination wedding etiquette practices can ease everyone’s mind before the big day.

Be Mindful of Guests Expenses

Brides and grooms should discuss financial considerations including how costly the locale is and whether they’ll contribute toward guest’s expenses. Airfare, time off, hotels, dining, transportation, and extras like gifts add up fast.

According to a 2018 CBS News report, these monetary burdens results in more than half of invitees declining attendance to destination weddings. By keeping costs reasonable or by offering to pony up some comped rooms or travel fees, couples can likely expect more supporters to come.

Prepare Attendees with Key Information

Don’t send guests to a strange location blindly. Prepare a welcome packet of sorts to send to RSVP guests with pertinent details such as:

• Event itineraries
• Maps and transportation information
• Local weather conditions
• Places to see and things to do
• Emergency contacts and how to stay connected

A nice touch is to include the info along with some locale-appropriate goodies in a gift basket that can be presented to guests in their rooms upon arrival to help them navigate the experience.

Know the Culture and Share with Guests

You and your guests will want to be privy to the etiquette of your host country, as there are different norms throughout the world concerning practices such as personal interactions between sexes and traditions such as tipping. For example, some nations find tipping or PDA to be offensive, so these details should be in your information packet for guests.

Courtesy to your guests and your host city is essential to ensuring the event culminates into a memorable success.