Should I Visit My Destination Wedding Location Before the Big Day?
If you’re planning a destination wedding, you realize that there are so many details to orchestrate from afar. Luckily, most venues have planners to help make things run smoothly, helping ease your mind. However, that still may leave the question of whether or not you should visit your destination before your big day. At TravelBash we say, if you can you definitely should. Visiting your resort gives you an idea of what to expect as well as a point of contact to ask those very detailed questions.
Although you fully trust those planning on your behalf, organizing a wedding long distance is vastly different from being there in person. Therefore, seeing your wedding venue location and talking to vendors before the big day can give you peace of mind. Again, we won’t try to twist your arm but if there is room in the budget you should try to visit your location beforehand, and here are a few more reasons why.
Visiting Your Destination Wedding Location Beforehand
It’s a great way to meet your destination wedding team.
Getting to know your florist, decor team, photographer, and wedding manager in person can make a world of difference. You can learn their personality, and they can also get to know you so that they can help make your destination wedding dreams come to life. We also recommend working with your travel agent so that if correspondence isn’t going as you would have hoped, you have some backup and a true advocate on your side who speaks the resort/hotel language. They also can score some great perks and even maybe get those vendor fees trimmed down.
Tour your venue to see your ceremony and reception site.
Having a destination wedding is very different from getting married in your hometown, especially when it comes to touring locations. If you see your destination site ahead of time, you can better envision your ceremony and reception locations. Visiting is especially helpful if your venue has multiple wedding and reception options. Lots of times, the pictures and you actually seeing them make a world of difference. You can also better grasp the layouts for your big day which helps with the overall design and placement of decor, tables, etc...
Do a cake and MENU tasting.
A tasting is one of those things that is impossible to do if you can’t be there in person. If you’re having trouble deciding on menu items or simply want to experience flavors ahead of time, a site visit and/or test drive as some resorts would call it is a great time to try out the food. You’ll be able to taste, smell, and see the food’s presentation to solidify your choices further.
Schedule hair and makeup trials.
You can show your hair and makeup artist photos galore, but that still won’t ensure that your choices will look right on you. Scheduling trials for your hair and makeup ahead of time allows you to make any tweaks for your wedding day. If you’re willing to take your gown along, it’s also a great time to have bridal portraits with your destination wedding photographer. Sometimes you don’t have time to do this part on your visit so we recommend you do a trial a few days before your guests arrive once you have selected your venue.
Check on local marriage requirements.
Although most destination wedding paperwork can be done online and in person quickly, some locations may require you to sign documents further in advance. Do a quick check online for what your destination requires—or ask your travel agent—to see if a trip ahead of time is a necessity. Most times it isn’t and they will take care of that for you. That is also why they ask couples to come a few days before their wedding to finalize the details.
Save time while taking a mini getaway.
Email chains can be frustrating for both the sender and receiver. Instead of an endless string of electronic communication back and forth, chatting with your vendors in person can do a world of good. They can answer your questions—and you theirs—in one sitting. It’s also a prime opportunity to schedule a few days at your wedding location for some R&R. Do you really need an excuse to get away?
Explore your destination from a guest’s perspective.
When you have your wedding, you’re going to be focused on your big day, which is only natural. But if you visit ahead of time, you can make time to explore restaurants, shops, and popular sites at your leisure. You can even arrange a fun tour and/or book an excursion you would like to share with your guests. All of this will help you make personalized recommendations to your guests so that they can enjoy your destination wedding to the fullest. We always recommend doing something fun like a welcome cocktail, a special catamaran cruise, or something to heighten the guests’ experience.
What to Do if You Can’t Visit Ahead of Time or Don’t Care To Do All the Extra
If you can’t make it to your destination ahead of time, that’s ok! Wedding teams are used to brides who organize things from afar, and vendors are pros at making your big daydreams come true. This is also where a good travel agent comes in handy, they have been on plenty of site visits, can share info, share pics, and give you a good look at what to expect.
We live in a day where everyone is familiar—and pretty much comfortable with—Zoom meetings, so use this to your advantage too. You should know that most communication will take place via email, but scheduling a few video meetings and venue tours over FaceTime can be done at most places. Technology is available, so utilize it to help you in the planning process. Some of our travel agents have even Facetimed clients while at their chosen property and started a photo share with iCloud.
If you aren’t into the details keep it simple and hire someone who has been there. There is no need to be involved in every little detail. Trust your agent and skip the preview. Some couples also like the element of surprise. We even have some that rather splurge on other things than take a trip to their destination. Sometimes it comes down to priorities. With this said, most resorts will give you a credit towards food and beverage or the cost of your overall wedding package so it could be a win-win if you are up for it.
With all this said, we can’t emphasize enough how important it is to arrive at your destination a few days before your ceremony. Most resorts make this mandatory and for good reason. Why? You will be able to make any last-minute tweaks and meet some of your vendors beforehand and heads up this is their last chance to try and upsell you on all the extras you didn’t include lol! Stay strong! Our founder, Courtnie ended up adding maracas, some guest trinkets, and extra lights. She couldn’t help herself.
Lastly, having a few days of relaxation before your guests arrive and the wedding festivities begin will also help you take in the calm and prep for your big day. No matter what you decide about visiting ahead of time, rest assured that your trusted team of wedding experts can help you plan from far away.
To find out what questions you should ask your onsite wedding team at the resort, check out our blog “Visiting Your All-Inclusive Resort, Part II: What to Ask Your Onsite Wedding Team”.
P.S. There are resorts like Karisma, Hyatt, and even AmResorts that offer Dress Rehearsal Packages and/or site visit special rates.
If you need some help with planning your destination wedding, we would love to help. Just contact us.
Courtnie is the founder & CEO of TravelBash. After years as an ambitious fundraiser, she took her passion for travel full-time. She has lived all over the U.S. and abroad and after planning her own destination wedding, she decided to help other couples plan their big day abroad too. She has written “Passport to Paradise: The Complete Destination Wedding Guide,” a top seller on Amazon. She has also been featured in Travel + Leisure, Destination I Do and The Washington Post. As a certified travel advisor, expert event planner and natural connector, she uses her powers to create VIP travel experiences.
