No matter how long you have prepared for your big day, there are last minute changes that you simply cannot avoid. It’s pretty challenging when the change involves the venue itself. Destination weddings are so beautiful, it almost appears magical. And it’s no surprise if all of a sudden you want to shift from an indoor wedding to a beach wedding far away from the city. But when your big day is just a few months away, a last-minute destination wedding might be challenging to pull off. The good news is that it can be done! Here are some tips to help you fulfil your dream beach wedding:
Coordinate with the highest person in charge of the venue. This may be the manager or the events coordinator of the resort. He or she is the best person who can help you with this last minute change in your wedding venue. The manager can also make recommendations on the set up and can accommodate your requests because he or she has the authority to make those decisions.
Scout for the most reliable caterer. It can be your current caterer or a new one. Regardless, this caterer should not only provide sumptuous food but should also be willing to travel to your destination wedding. There are many experienced Manila Catering options for you to choose from. They have handled beach weddings in the past and can give you exemplary service as well.
Send a detour invite. If you have already sent your invitations with the old venue, you might need to send another one with the new location. It would also be good to call your guests personally so that you can explain to them the reason for the shift. For the people who matter most to you, make sure you convince them to attend your destination wedding. You can tell them that their presence is the only gift you want from them!
Organize an afterparty. Roughly half of your guests will not be able to make it due to the additional expense involved in your destination wedding. The plane fare and hotel accommodation may be steep for most of your guests. What you can do is organize a small afterparty for those who will not be able to attend. That way, you still get to celebrate with them on a more casual setting.
Go simple. The backdrop of a beach wedding is more than enough to make your big day memorable. Since this is a last-minute change in your venue, you need to come up with the simplest and easiest venue set-up. You can go all white with the chairs and altar curtains. You can go rustic with benches and twigs formed like an arc for your altar. You can simply scatter flower petals all over the place. The fewer the decors, the more elegant your wedding will be.
Have an onsite indoor option. You need to be prepared should Mother Nature decides to pour some shower on your wedding day. Make sure that there is an indoor hall where you can transfer in case it rains during the ceremony or the reception. You wouldn’t want everyone, including you and your groom, to hold umbrellas the whole time. Destination weddings always need a plan B because being in a breathtaking open venue still has a lot of uncontrollable factors.
Ask a trusted friend to help. Wedding coordinators are great but if you can have your best friend or sister help you pull off this destination wedding then that would be even perfect. The advantage of having someone you know by your side is that she knows how to calm your nerves and what you exactly want. Since this last-minute shift can be quite stressful, you need someone else to either communicate with your wedding coordinator or someone who will talk directly to the venue manager, caterer, and other key people.
Your dream destination wedding can be fulfilled even with limited time for preparations. You just need to calm down, go through the above tips step by step, and let another person take care of the other details. Do not be afraid to make that change if you really feel that a beach wedding is what will complete your big day. If you have a supportive husband-to-be, he will make sure that it will happen the way you want it. Regardless of the number of guests who will show up on your wedding, what’s important is that you and your groom will be there to make your lifelong commitment to each other.
Julieane Hernandez is a Hotel and Restaurant Management graduate turned Wedding designer. She’s an advanced tri-athlete during weekends. She’s been in the Wedding industry for about 5 years now and She’s learned so much from all the experiences she’s been through. Follow her on twitter and google+.
Photo courtesy of www.dparkphotography.com.
