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First Steps: Planning Your Coastal Carolina Destination Wedding
Whether it is just the two of you or a full-sized wedding with friends and family, planning a Coastal Carolina destination wedding presents some unique challenges. Chances are that you will be doing the planning long-distance with one or two visits to the area between now and your wedding date. It can be a daunting process. Here are some simple steps you can follow to ensure that your destination beach destination wedding is the ideal day you’ve been dreaming of.
KNOW THE LAW
Getting married in North and South Carolina is fairly simple, but there are some requirements and restrictions which may determine your decision to get married at your Coastal Carolina destination.
South Carolina Wedding Laws
North Carolina Wedding Laws
GO IT ALONE OR GET HELP
Many couples successfully plan a destination beach wedding from afar without help. Your ability to successfully manage the planning process will depend on several factors:
• Your personal availability: do you have the time to contact and book vendors, manage accommodations, and take care of the myriad of details that can be involved?
• Familiarity with the area: are you familiar with the destination beach or have you never visited the area?
• Size of your wedding: are you planning an intimate getaway for two or a large wedding with many guests?
• Budget: is money a consideration?
A rule of thumb is if you are planning a mid-sized to large wedding, do not have more than ten hours a week to devote to planning, and have a tight budget, you should consider contacting a local planner.
CALLING IN THE CAVALRY
If you’ve decided to enlist some help, the local planner or coordinator you select should be someone who is intimately familiar with the area, including wedding vendors and their policies, local traditions, wedding locations, accommodations, and seasonal influences such as weather and traffic. Before making your final selection, you should interview each planner you speak with about their experience with long-distance wedding planning, managing time and money, and communicating effectively. It also goes without saying: get references!
DO YOUR RESEARCH
No one likes surprises on their wedding day. That is why you should become familiar with your destination. Talk to brides you may know who were married or who have vacationed here. Visit on of theCoastalCarolinaBide.com wedding planning web sites for your destination or plan to attend the area's Wedding Expo. Purchase a good travel guide and make plans to pay at least one visit to the destination prior to your wedding.
Be sure to select your wedding date based on the season and day of week, as well. The busiest Coastal Carolina wedding months are May and October, with June and September close seconds. Many wedding vendors book these prime dates up to a year in advance, so book early. Summer weddings are becoming increasingly popular, especially for smaller events, but the traffic and higher in-season rates are important considerations. If you’re planning a summer wedding, consider holding your wedding on a weekday when rates are lower, traffic is gentler, and many of your guests can make a summer vacation out of the affair.
FIND THINGS TO DO
You probably chose your destination because you love it or have always wanted to visit. But if you are planning to invite guests, keep their needs and interests in mind as well.
Especially for those guests planning a week-long vacation around your wedding, check out the area's events, activities, and attractions. You can plan organized activities for your guests with the help of your local resource person, or you can have your guests contact the local visitors bureau for a free vacation guide so that they may plan their own activities.
OTHER POINTS TO PONDER
1. Let Your Creativity Flourish. By having a destination wedding, you may feel less bound to conventional wedding traditions. In addition, you may find that your guest list is dramatically smaller, and your expenses somewhat reduced, allowing you a little leeway in your budget for those creative extras.
If your setting is particularly enchanted (as many Coastal Carolina destinations are), you may be able to simplify other aspects of your wedding. For example, many beautiful historic locations speak for themselves and may not need additional decoration. Whether you choose to simplify or not, destination weddings offer you the opportunity to rethink some typical wedding wisdom.
Think maritime sublime for gifts and favors. Local artists and crafters can create custom artwork or jewelry for your attendants. Seashell and sand dollar Christmas ornaments make great wedding favors.
entertained at all times, the destination beach can do much of the entertaining for you!
2. Don’t Forget Those Who Can’t Make It. Whether by design or by circumstance, destination weddings inevitably result in some of your invitees being unable to attend but there are some creative ways to include them.
Have a friend, family member, or photographer take digital photos of your day and email them to your friends at home. Purchase a variety of local postcards and pre-address them with a personal note for mailing from your destination.
And finally, consider a reception once you return home that will bring your friends and family together for a review of your special destination beach wedding.
3. Be Flexible. Inevitably, some things occasionally go wrong. But your destination beach wedding should be a vacation for you, too. Don’t get wrapped up in details to the point that you can’t enjoy your time on the destination beach. Figure out what’s important to you, and label the rest of it small stuff.
That is the mantra for a Coastal Carolina beach wedding, and if you adopt it, you can relax, sightsee, play, and enjoy everything the destination beach has to offer!
© 2008, Coastal Carolina Brid.com
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