|
Written by Adam Coholan, an active blogger out of New York who covers local events and travel based on his experiences with Elliman Real Estate. You can follow him on Twitter @Coho22.
From
DJs to food to attire and everything in between, wedding planning can
be stressful enough without having to bicker with family complaining
because they can't attend. But with many people embracing
destination weddings because of their cost savings and intimate
experience, this is a growing issue that brides and grooms are
dealing with. To prevent any friction between loved ones during the
planning process, here are a couple of ideas to help ensure the
success of your destination wedding.
Pick
a Neutral Location:
If
you're from a different region or state than your spouse, don't
make it a destination wedding just
for their
side of the family by planning the wedding in your hometown. Pick a
location that is neutral for both sides and that both families can
travel to with similar effort. Remind them that this can make the new
destination a special place for everyone.
Make
an Offer They Can't Refuse:
An almost sure fire way to have everyone attend is finding a
breathtaking venue that is hard to turn down. Then, following
typical etiquette for a destination wedding, offer to pay for part or
all of the accommodations. If relatives are still hesitant,
encourage them to put any money they set aside for a wedding gift
toward the travel expenses, making sure they know their presence is
enough of a gift for your wedding. It will be hard for them to make
travel an excuse if they get to stay in a Caribbean resort or a beach
home in the Hamptons and you're helping their budget.
A Wedding-Reunion Combo:
If
your family is already spread out, travel was most likely going to be
required anyway. Destination weddings often bring family together
for more than just a day or two, so give it an underlying theme of a
family reunion, where everyone can get together and catch up. It's
still quite difficult to get the entire family to attend, so many
services offer a live stream of the wedding ceremony that can be
viewed online. This may make your mother feel better about the fact
that your second cousin once removed isn't being invited but can
still see the ceremony.
Overall,
remember that you do your best to consider everyone's feelings in the
process, in the end it is a special day for you and your spouse and
it is supposed to reflect the two of you. While pressures from
family and tradition may make the wedding process a hectic one,
remember to refocus your family, and even yourself, on what the true
meaning of this 'vacation' is all about-the joining of two people
into wedded bliss!
|
News 