Finding the Right Wedding Destination Location

For many couples, the start of wedding planning begins with finding a wedding venue.

Because without a wedding venue, there’s no wedding date. And you obviously need a wedding date in order to do anything else!

But, there’s a very important step that comes before finding a wedding venue, and that’s finding a wedding destination location.

Because the location isn’t always set in stone.

If you know you want to get married in San Francisco or Napa or Cape Cod or Anguilla, then you can start diving into more definitive plans. But, what if you want to get married in Scotland or Italy or Hawaii or in the Pacific Northwest?

Yes, it’s a location, but it’s a general one and there are lots of areas within that location.

Which island or area or state or part of the country will the wedding actually be in?

And then there’s couples who don’t have a general location, just an idea of being in the mountains or desert or country or city or somewhere tropical.

And then lastly, there’s the couples who have absolutely no idea at all. It’s just about finding the right place with the right vibe.

No matter where you are on that range, solidifying your wedding destination location will need to come first.

It’s an important piece you have to figure out before anything else can be done.

But, I’m going to be honest… finding your wedding destination location can take time.

Finding just the right place, just the right wedding destination location isn’t always easy.

Because for most couples the wedding location is wrapped up with the wedding venue.

It’s hard to imagine a place without also imagining the venue.

But trying to nail down your location while also nailing down your venue is very difficult!

It requires a lot of searching and time, which lets be honest, you just don’t have.

So, what’s the solution to finding the right wedding destination location?

How to find the right wedding destination location

The solution to nailing down your wedding destination location is to set parameters. Because you need to focus your efforts.

You need come up with the criteria of what you’re looking for in a location.

And then you use that criteria to narrow the location down.

It’s just like finding your wedding venue, which is also similar to finding an apartment or home.

You have to put together an ideal list of what you want and need.

If it’s a home, it’s things like the number of bedrooms, a front yard or a washer and dryer indoors. If it’s a venue, it’s things like great outdoor spaces, a place where everyone can stay and the ability to fit 100 people.

That’s all criteria specific to you to narrow the field and focus your search on what you’re looking for. And your location will work similarly.

Because you don’t want to search everywhere.

It’s just not a good use of your time or efforts.

So you want to sit down and think through what’s important to you about a location.

That could be COVID rates. Close proximity to a major airport. Near the ocean or a body of water. In a forest setting. Not far from a cute town that guests can explore. Lots of hiking trails nearby. English speaking. Or a place with great food options.

Really think about what YOU care about.

Not just the visual and vibe, but the logistics as well.

Ask yourself, what would be the ideal location?

Now a good portion of the criteria will be very much related to your vision and what’s important to you about the wedding. Who you are and your personalities will also play into this as well.

Given the criteria you come up with, you may be able to settle on a location pretty quickly.

But it’s also possible your criteria might not narrow the field enough.

If this ends up being the case, it’s time to plan a vacation! Or at least, pretend to plan one.

So, imagine you were planning a trip to Italy or Hawaii or the Pacific Northwest. How would you figure out where you want to go?

You’d do some research right? See what areas you want to explore, what you want you want to see, do and experience. You’d research where you’d want to stay, whether you need a car and how much things cost.

You’d do all the research you’d normally do when planning a trip.

And in doing that research, you may discover you want to stay in one of 3 little towns on the coast. Or you may discover that getting around is a pain and you want to be in the main town or city so you don’t need a car. Or you might find out that pricing is exceptionally high for this area, but less so in another nearby.

There’s all kinds of things you will discover while doing your vacation research. Both things that turn you off and things that excite you.

And in doing so, you’ll start eliminating areas or honing in on the right area.

Even if you end up narrowing the field down to just a few areas, that will help you a ton as you start looking into venues. Because you won’t be looking at a whole state or a whole country or a vast number of islands.

You’ll be looking at particular areas, sections or places. You’ll be focused, which means you’ll spend much less time searching.

And narrowing the location, also narrows your venue choices!

And while that can seem like a bad thing, it’s actually a good thing.

There is definitely such a thing as too many options. It’s why Pinterest is so overwhelming.

But, when you focus, everything becomes much easier.

And your efforts are worth so much more.

Finding the right wedding venue begins first with finding the right destination wedding location.

And while narrowing that geographic field, isn’t always easy, the tips I shared can definitely help make it easier.

But another way to make it even easier is by hiring a destination wedding planner!

Utilizing our knowledge, expertise, network and research skills means you won’t have to search at all. Not to mention, they’ll be able to figure out not only which locations are right for you, but which venues are right too.

If you’re looking for help nailing down the right destination location and venue, contact us today!