Amazing destination wedding photos might make planning one look easy, but there’s quite a bit of work that goes on behind the scenes to make sure it goes off without a hitch. So we enlisted the help of Candice Coppola, founder of Jubilee Events for her secrets to pulling off a flawless and memorable destination wedding (like the wedding in Costa Rica featured in the photos below). Read on for some of Candice’s top tips for planning a destination wedding.
Carla Ten Eyck
Let the view take center stage. “When you choose a location with scenic views you don’t have to bring in a lot of decor. You can allow nature to be the biggest design element in your destination wedding,” says Coppola.
Choose a locally-inspired menu. “Food is another way to tie in the local culture by using fresh meats and produce from the surrounding areas. Guests at Mandi and Dan’s wedding [featured above] dined on traditional Costa Rican food including fresh fish, vegetables, and cheeses. I love keeping things as local as possible– it’s not only authentic to the region but helps to boost the local economy by enlisting small businesses in the surrounding area,” says Coppola
Be prepared to for the unexpected. “Often times, the challenge in doing destination weddings is limited resources! I love having to think outside the box. Not every destination has readily available equipment that I’m use to in my area, so coming up with design plans with the resources available is always fun and challenging,” says Coppola
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Think beyond the welcome bag. Remember, your guests are traveling to your wedding destination and often times, this might be their annual vacation. Guest experience goes beyond just amenity baskets and custom water bottles– also consider ways you can make their travel more enjoyable like air conditioned transportation to and from wedding related activities, cold towels when they board their busses from the airport to the hotel, foot masseuses poolside for a relaxing day before the ceremony, baby sitters for those traveling with young children…the list goes on,” says Coppola.
Want more? Of course you do!
> Our favorite one-of-a-kind destination wedding details
> Our favorite wedding welcome bag ideas
> Top 50 destination wedding spots
