Five things to keep in mind when planning your big fat Indian Destination Wedding!

Happy Wedding Wednesday! Today we are featuring a guest blog post by Candice Pereira of {Marry Me Weddings}. In this post Candice talks about the to-do’s for planning a Destination Indian Wedding.

We all love weddings! So vibrant and full of fun! And a destination wedding, its even more fun – nonstop fun, actually! After every wedding I plan, I hear the same thing from the couple – it went by so fast! And so we see so many couples today that want a destination wedding, and more time to enjoy and spend with friends and family! But keep in mind, the planning that goes into putting a big fat Indian destination wedding together is no easy task! Here are some things to keep in mind when planning your dream wedding!

1.    Guest list – The average Indian wedding will have an unending guest list. But if you are having a destination wedding, a guest list of under 300 is ideal. Compiling a guest list is a huge task, so we suggest you get this done as soon as possible. Remember that curbing your guest list is not an easy job and your final number of guests will affect a lot of areas – the venues you choose, the kind of celebrations and more!

2.    Keep them busy – Most Indian weddings have anywhere from three to ten different wedding related events spanning over a couple of days to a week sometimes! So when your guests travel all the way to be part of your celebrations, its important to take care of them and set some activities for them. For example, if you have a smaller family event like a Puja a day or so before the wedding, don’t forget about the rest of your guests! Maybe you could set up a relaxed brunch or a watersport fun filled day for them. Not everyone may choose to attend, but its definitely the thought that counts!

3.    Wardrobe – It is of utmost importance that the guests are informed about the kind of wedding and venues, along with dress codes. If you are having your wedding ceremony on the beach, you definitely don’t want guests turning up in heavy sarees and heels! They will be uncomfortable and unhappy and you don’t want that! Instead, be clear about whether the wedding or event is informal, on the beach, on a cliff or wherever!

4.    Other costs – When it’s a destination wedding, you have a lot of other areas to think about! Is the destination of your choice equipped to handle an Indian wedding? Can you work with local vendors for your wedding? If not, you may have to bring in professional vendors from the nearest well equipped city. In this case, you will have to take into account flight costs, accommodation, local transport and meals for all the vendors from out of the destination.

5.    Communication – Most often, you will start planning your big fat destination wedding at least a year in advance. Stay in touch with your guests and keep them informed at the earliest so they can make their arrangements. Start by sending out Save the Date cards or emails well in advance so everyone blocks the date. A must do for a destination wedding is a wedding website. Here you can upload details of the wedding, the destination, the travel options, dress codes for various events and more so guests can keep checking for updates.

We hope these tips help you when planning your destination wedding!

About Candice Pereira
Candice is the creative head and co-founder of Marry Me – Wedding Planners in India. For more information, visit her blog http://www.marrymeweddings.in/wpblog, follow her on Twitter, or connect via Facebook.

Photo Credits
Mili Ghosh of Memories in Motion