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Call Zurich and Move Some Money Around
Consulting with the bank is the preferable place to begin. “Initially, what I always tell people is to talk about your budget and what you feel comfortable with. That will give you the parameters of where you can have your wedding and what you can do at that location,” says Canada, who also co-owns Bright Event Gallery with her friend and business partner Kelly Gill.
Another purpose of a destination wedding is to manage your guest list and to cut down on the costs associated with inviting a hundred guests to your wedding. “People are doing it because they want to get out of town; they want different scenery,” Canada says. “Or they might be doing it because if they were having a wedding in town, it could get out of control as far as the guest list. So you want to also see what your motivation is.”
“If you want to make sure your closest friends are able to come [to the wedding], instead of doing it in the Caribbean, you might consider maybe doing it in Mexico,” Canada says. “Location is obviously the cornerstone of any destination wedding, but then also really being cognizant of your budget.”
It’s a Plan
Canada recommends working with a planner in your immediate area in addition to a planner at the destination, so support exists in both locales. Complications can arise when the bride only has a planner at the location of the wedding. “Then where does she get her paper products here?” Canada says. “Where does she get her dress? Who’s reputable? And who is going to give her the product that she is looking for? [Local wedding planners] have those resources, and we know what direction to point her in.”
A local planner is also beneficial because most brides can’t schedule in traveling to their wedding destination every other week to ensure details are being carried out. Canada says from a local front, planners at home can help with timelines, while the destination planner can advocate for the bride at the location.
“We are able to pull together a mock centerpiece and set the table with the paper products and everything that [the bride] wants
to do to achieve the look. Then we take a photo of it and email it to the planner there, so that they have an actual blueprint of ‘this is exactly how I want the table set.’” The photo documentation process ensures that for both the destination planner and the couple, the wedding is surprise-free.
