{"id":97180927,"date":"2016-08-22T19:56:44","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T19:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/?p=97180927"},"modified":"2016-08-23T18:27:42","modified_gmt":"2016-08-23T18:27:42","slug":"destination-wedding-etiquette-faqs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/destination-wedding-etiquette-faqs\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Pays for What? All Your Destination Wedding Etiquette Questions Answered!"},"content":{"rendered":"

So you\u2019ve decided to have a destination wedding. Saying your vows in a new, exotic setting can be romantic not only for the two of you, but for everyone invited<\/span> and<\/span><\/i>\u00a0it makes honeymooning even easier, since you\u2019re already away from home. Destination weddings can be memorable, adventurous, and, yes, potentially problematic. <\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to\u00a0destination weddings, the planning, logistics, and,\u00a0most of all, the\u00a0<\/span>etiquette <\/span><\/i>are all brand new issues for the modern couple. <\/span>Who pays for the flights? Do I still throw\u00a0a bachelorette or bachelor party? What if my grandmother\u00a0can\u2019t make it?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Different rules apply when the wedding is far from home, and it\u2019s important to be prepared so you\u2019re not the one committing a destination wedding faux pas<\/em>. Here are the most commonly asked questions\u00a0(and our best answers) that most planners\u00a0want to know:<\/span><\/p>\n

When Should Save-the-Dates Go Out?<\/h2>\n

Save-the-dates should go out as soon as possible. Nine to 12 months is ideal, giving guests enough time to book flights, schedule hotels, and take necessary time off of work (and arrange childcare if necessary). The more info you can give your guests, the better (i.e. exact location, airport to fly into, hotel arrangements, etc.).<\/span><\/p>\n

When Should Formal Invitations Go Out?<\/h2>\n

For a destination wedding, formal invites should go out two to three months ahead of time, in contrast to a typical wedding which is six to eight weeks out. And don\u2019t feel like you need to make it a travel brochure — it\u2019s still a wedding invitation. Send them to your wedding website if you want to include pictures of the resort and travel details. It\u2019s also easy to confuse an invitation with an announcement. If you want to let distant family and friends who are not invited to the wedding know about the upcoming nuptials, send them an announcement instead.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Who Pays for What?<\/h2>\n

This is one of the most commonly asked questions for guests. After all, <\/span>they <\/span><\/i>didn\u2019t choose to do the wedding on a secluded beach somewhere on the Caribbean<\/a>. But technically, the bride and groom are only expected to pay for the ceremony and reception. If they choose to do a rehearsal dinner, welcome party, or farewell brunch, that is also their responsibility. But otherwise, they are off the hook for paying for their guests’ hotels, flights, and even bridal party attire. However, there are definitely things the bride and groom can do to help minimize expenses for their guests:<\/span><\/p>\n

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Looking for an affordable destination wedding option? Check out our top 5 places<\/a> to getaway and save big![\/perfectpullquote]<\/p>\n

1. Research airline group rates.<\/strong> The sooner you do this the better, since group rates are usually based on availability.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Travel during the off-season,\u00a0if possible, to help with costs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Book hotel rooms in blocks. <\/strong>Guests will then be able to stay near each other and the bride and groom, hopefully at a discount. *Tip: If you plan to have your wedding at the hotel you\u2019re staying at, they\u2019ll often give you a deeper discount.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Make it a vacation.<\/strong> If you have a wedding website (a great idea for a destination wedding), include some fun things to do or see in the area so the guest can double the trip as a vacation. <\/span><\/p>\n

5. Be generous<\/strong>.<\/strong> After all, people are paying a lot of money to attend your wedding. Paying for a group tour, getting a shuttle to take them to and from the airport (or renting a van and having a family member take them) or even paying for the hotel if you can swing it will make your guests feel like their time was really worth it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Should There Be a Bachelorette or Bachelor Party?<\/h2>\n

If you are in the destination wedding bridal party, especially the maid-of-honor, you should still throw a bachelorette party, but do not need to do that at your new destination. If there are friends who cannot attend the destination wedding, it can be a fun way for them to feel involved.<\/span><\/p>\n

Side note<\/em>: <\/span>I attended one of my best friend\u2019s weddings in Los Angeles<\/a> last year. We were all from different states, and I planned a bachelorette dinner party the night before the wedding so we would get a chance to see and talk to her before the big day. It doesn\u2019t have to be a wild, drunk affair (especially not the day before the wedding)! But <\/span>something<\/span><\/i>, whether it\u2019s at home before or at the destination will give you a chance to talk, in case you don\u2019t get much alone time with them on the wedding day.<\/span><\/p>\n

What’s the Word on Gift Bags and\u00a0Party Favors?<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s up to the couple. But after a long journey, it\u2019s nice for guests to have a little gift waiting for them in their hotel room or at the front desk. A jar full of candies or nuts is sufficient, or you could do a beach bag with sunscreen, local snacks, or a scented candle. Regardless, plan on arriving a couple days early to prepare and include an itinerary for the guests. As for party favors at the wedding itself, the same rules apply as at home — they\u2019re not expected, but appreciated. Most likely you have a smaller group for your destination wedding, making it easier to afford extras like gifts and favors.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Should the Couple Still Register for Gifts? Do Guests Still Need to Give a Gift?<\/h2>\n

Gift giving etiquette for a destination wedding is pretty much the same for a normal wedding. [perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Ready to start planning your wedding? Head to our Q&A with wedding planning expert<\/a> Amanda Killian for our top tips and tricks![\/perfectpullquote] The couple can and should register for gifts, but don\u2019t expect to get them at the wedding.\u00a0Guests will likely mail them to you\u00a0before or after the wedding\u00a0to avoid carting them in their suitcase (and you having to cart them home in yours)! Making a note of this on the wedding website can help prevent you from paying exorbitant fees to get your new vacuum home from Bermuda<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many people, however, will assume that their presence is your present, which is fine. Destination weddings can be very expensive. The best thing to do is to be as gracious as possible when giving and receiving.<\/span><\/p>\n

What if People Can\u2019t Come?<\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, this is the biggest risk with hosting a destination wedding. But that doesn\u2019t mean that having one is not a good decision. If someone very important to you cannot afford to attend, consider helping them with their airfare or hotel to make it possible. Hosting a post-wedding celebration is also a great way to make those who cannot logistically or financially afford to attend.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In the end though, the two of you are the most important people in attendance and keeping that perspective will save you from any disappointments you might feel in planning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have any of you attended or hosted a destination wedding? Share your tips, tricks, and hard-won wisdom\u00a0in the comments below!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So you\u2019ve decided to have a destination wedding. Saying your vows in a new, exotic setting can be romantic not only for the two of you, but for everyone invited and\u00a0it makes honeymooning even easier, since you\u2019re already away from home. Destination weddings can be memorable, adventurous, and, yes, potentially problematic. When it comes to\u00a0destination […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":97181353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1018,96],"tags":[1688,1898,2192],"class_list":["post-97180927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international-destinations","category-wedding-travel","tag-destination-wedding","tag-etiquette","tag-weddings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97180927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97180927"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97180927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97181369,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97180927\/revisions\/97181369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97181353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97180927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97180927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97180927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}