When holding a wedding ceremony far from home, you’ll run into a number of challenges during the planning process, especially when it comes to your guests. To ensure your big day is everything you imagined, use the following three etiquette tips to keep your friends and family happy.

3 Etiquette Tips for Destination Weddings

1. Make Guest Responsibilities Clear

With so many expenses on your plate already, you might automatically expect your guests to pay for their airfare and lodging once they arrive at your destination wedding. However, you can’t expect your guests to assume the same.

Instead, make it clear in the invitations what you’ll be providing and what the guests will have to pay for themselves. You can imply their responsibility for certain costs by specifically stating what you will cover, such as the shuttle from the ceremony to the reception. Then offer suggestions for what you won’t, such as a list of hotels in the area.

2. Give Guests Time to Plan Their Trip

While a ceremony in town might only require your friends to call a sitter, a destination wedding requires extensive planning from your guests, from requesting time off work to saving up for a ticket. To allow for this preparation, let them know about the event much further in advance. To be safe, send out save-the-date announcements as soon as you decide on the location. Then make sure the official invites are out at least three months before the big day.

3. Make the Events Inclusive

If you were having the ceremony at home, you might only invite your closest friends and family members to the rehearsal dinner, as the full guest list might be overwhelming and unaffordable.

However, with a destination wedding, it’s best to invite all your guests to this pre-ceremony event. Not only will there be fewer guests, but you’ll also want those who saved up to attend to feel like they’re a valued part of the group.

If you’re planning a destination wedding in Hawaii, turn to Envisions Weddings of Kahului. For over three decades, they’ve organized unforgettable events for happy couples, from proposals to weddings. With the help of their in-house planners, you can rest easy knowing every detail of the big day will be addressed, from the flowers to the photographs. To learn more about their services, visit the website or call (808) 874-1000.