Getting married is an exciting life step. It marks the shift from ‘I’ to ‘we’ and planning your dream wedding is exciting. It can also be a lot of work. A friend of mine recently told me about how stressful she was finding wedding planning to be and that she couldn’t wait for it to be over. Definitely not what we have in mind for such a special day.

This got me thinking about the advantage of a destination wedding. Think about it: instead of planning an expensive event at home with a never- ending guest list , you can plan a more intimate affair and take your pick from your dream honeymoon destinations. A major bonus for brides who don’t want to micro- manage their wedding, many hotels in popular tourist locations offer wedding planning services and have a wedding planner on staff to help coordinate everything for you.

Travel agents are a great resource to help you narrow down your choices from popular wedding and honeymoon destinations, and may be able to arrange special discounts for the hotel, plane tickets, and airport taxi/ shuttle. Once you have made your location selection (depending on budget, you can have your wedding in one location and continue on to your honeymoon in another!), it’s worthwhile to find out about cheap flight tickets/ group discounts for guests making the trip. Speaking with a travel agent can help you organize things like airline tickets and car rentals and figuring out ways to stretch everyone’s travel budget.

We’re so lucky living in BC with a variety of great airports to choose from that fly to popular international destinations. The largest local choice, Vancouver Airport, services international flights with many of the nearby hotels offering airport shuttle and taxi services. Another popular choice for many Canadians seeking cheap flights is to fly out of the US, with Seattle and Bellingham airports just a short drive across the border. You can start your destination wedding with a fun hotel night and/ or arrange a car rental and go on a mini road trip on your way to the airport to kick-start your pre- wedding celebrations.

I remember my husband talking about how ridiculous he thought it was to spend so much money on the wedding since it was only 1 day. After speaking with my friend, I have to agree that having a local wedding has a lot of benefits, but not if you’re miserable planning it. Such a special day should be enjoyed by everyone- especially the bride!

If you’re thinking about what you want your dream wedding to be, why not consider having a smaller wedding abroad? Take your budget and see how your wedding will look in one of your top honeymoon destinations. Suddenly your dream wedding might become a trip you’ll cherish forever. If you are thinking about planning a wedding abroad or are curious about honeymoon destinations, speaking with a travel agent can help make the planning process much easier and organized. Walnut Grove Travel can help you organize your travel plans and organize itineraries with flights departing from Vancouver, Abbotsford, Bellingham, and Seattle airports. Contact them today- your dream vacation awaits!