Post # 1
Member
913 posts
Busy bee
In follow up to a recent post about the burden of destination weddings, I’d like to get your thoughts on what qualifies as a destination wedding. For example, my personal situation is that our friends and family are not only scattered all over the country, but also the world. There isn’t even an area with a high density of friends/family. This means that wherever we had our wedding, people would have to fly, book hotels, etc – there is no such thing as local for us. However while reading the thread below, the consensus seemed to be that destination weddings were 4 or 5 day events at all inclusive resorts or a beach location, and that some bees even said that destination weddings are rude and selfish (which to me seems like a rather broad statement without knowing a couple’s specific situation…)
And so my question to is… what qualifies as a destination wedding to you? Anyone else with few local friends/family?
(Previous post I was referring too: http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/dw-why-is-it-looked-at-as-a-burden/)
Post # 2
Member
30402 posts
Honey Beekeeper
To me, a destination wedding is one that takes place in a location that is neither the hometown of the bride or groom, nor where they both currently live.
Post # 3
Member
1838 posts
Buzzing bee
If the couple is getting married where they live or near by and guests fly in, that’s not a destination wedding. It’s a regular wedding with out-of-town guests.
Post # 4
Member
2865 posts
Sugar bee
Kannon: a destination wedding is one at a resort in an area where neither the bride or groom grew up or currently live.
I am fine flying to the bride’s home town in Hawaii. I’m not fine flying somewhere with a 4 night minimum stay.
Post # 5
Member
518 posts
Busy bee
I also noticed when reading that thread that quite a few posters mentioned that a Destination Wedding makes sense when everyone has to travel anyway. If very few of your guests would be local no matter where it is, why not have it somewhere fabulous?
Post # 6
Member
4517 posts
Honey bee
A destination wedding to me (personally) is any wedding I have to put up significant costs to fly towards. I have a tolerance of about $350 for a plane ticket and one night’s stay.
I had family and friends all over the world as well. We brought the party to them instead – I held receptions in China, west and east coasts of the US.
Post # 7
Member
3 posts
Wannabee
I’m in your same situation. Besides my fiancé and his parents, every guest is flying in for our wedding to the city we live in. We’re treating the wedding as if it were a destination wedding: we are having the wedding & ceremony at a hotel in a central area, invitations were sent five months in advance, we’re budgeting on spending $40 bucks each for welcome bags, our wedding website is loaded with hotel, tourist, and restaurant recommendations, etc.
Post # 8
Member
1504 posts
Bumble bee
We’re in the same boat as you – our guests are coming from all over the world with no real concentration in any one area so we’re doing a pseudo Destination Wedding. We dont even live on the same continent as either of our families at the moment so everyone is traveling no matter what. It’s domestic for my family but 4 hours drive from my home town (where only my parents and one or two friends are still) and then everyone else is coming in from Canada, Europe, NZ, Aus, and other regions of the US. We chose the location because of its natural beauty, accessibility for domestic guests, and range of accommodation (its a ski town in winter and a hiking town in summer).
So it’s not a resort wedding – but it’s not where either of us grew up, where we live now, or where any of our guests live. And all the planning is being done remotely so I count it as a Destination Wedding.
Post # 9
Member
940 posts
Busy bee
Yup, I agree that the term “destination wedding” is too broad to be really helpful. We had what I think of as a domestic destination wedding in Florida: we don’t live there, we chose it for the nice weather, but all of our friends and family are scattered around North America anyway and it was like a normal wedding in that people stayed at regular hotels, not at an all-inclusive, and the trip could be done in a weekend. Several people chose to drive rather than fly.
Post # 10
Member
6313 posts
Bee Keeper
Kannon: Back in the day a Destination Wedding usually meant everyone having to travel to a destination – typically out of the country. These days, couples and their families are so spread out most are having to travel anyway. The way I see it, if the majority of your guests have to travel you might as well have it somewhere awesome that people would enjoy visiting.
Post # 11
Member
913 posts
Busy bee
Good to know, ladies! Very interesting to hear people’s points of view!