Perfect Places - Vacation Rental Blog: Tips for a Destination Wedding; Vacation Rental Options

Your destination wedding guests will appreciate
a relaxing vacation rental to call home.

Destination weddings are becoming more and more popular as brides and grooms seek out nuptials in exotic locations. Their reasons are varied, but many are looking for a unique way to have smaller, more intimate weddings. Vacation rentals are a great way to offer guests lodging at a destination wedding. Vacation rentals for weddings will help family members enjoy their time together. The bride and groom can arrange for their own accommodations either with their family or in separate rentals. Plus, vacation rentals help build on the togetherness and intimacy of a destination wedding. Here are tips for planning a destination wedding, as well as some of the most popular locations.

Imagine getting married on a Hawaiian beach
next to the beautiful, blue Pacific Ocean.

Choose Your Location Carefully. Start with determining your tentative guest list. Consider how many people will really be able to make the trek. If you want grandparents to attend and they're in their 80s and not able to travel a great distance, you may need to opt for a location closer to home. Or, if you select a destination that requires multiple airline connections, you may find that not everyone has the time or money to make the trip. Conversely, it you select too small of a venue and your whole guest list decides to attend, you might have a seating problem. That romantic isolated beach won't be quite as romantic when it’s packed to capacity with guests.

Be sure to consider the weather in the location you select. Check sunset times, rainy and dry seasons, find out what the wind is like. This applies even if your wedding is going to be indoors. You don't want to plan your wedding during a monsoon season!

The location you select, if it's out of the United States, will have its own legal requirements for marriage. So be sure you and your fiancé have all the necessary documents.

Plan Far Ahead. Guests will need time to get passports, get time off work, find sitters for the kids and more. Remember, you're asking people to make travel plans. If your destination location is domestic, you'll have a little more leeway.

Verify Your Vendors. Thoroughly research all the caterers, florists, artists, wedding cake bakers, musicians, DJs and any other vendors you'll be hiring for your wedding. Get references and check them out. If the vendor is trustworthy, they'll be proud to share their references with you.

Detailed Directions. Don't assume you guests will know how to get to your destination wedding. Provide as detailed information as possible, down to the best airlines to use. For experienced travelers on your guest list, your detailed instructions will be a reassurance. For the less experienced, they could make the difference between getting to your wedding or not coming at all.

Gifts. It's common practice for couples holding destination weddings to insist on "no gifts." The presence of the guests is considered to be enough of a present.

Here are some popular locations for destination weddings that also have an ample number of vacation rentals available:

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico