How to choose a destination for your wedding.
Most couples search “best destination wedding locations” - but I have something that will make this easier.
There’s nothing worse than the overwhelm of choices when it comes to picking a location for your wedding. How can you even begin planning your if you don’t know where to begin when choosing where it should be?! Not only that - your dream wedding could easily become a logistical nightmare if you’re choosing your destination based on pretty photos alone. In this blog I’ll teach you how to create a framework for making a wedding destination choice that will be the perfect fit for you! You’ll be on your way to choosing your perfect location in just two simple steps.
I’m Alice, a Nashville based wedding photographer, and I love helping couples have the best possible experience not just on their wedding day, but every day leading up to it.
The Cotswolds is a beautiful location for a destination wedding.
Step One: Looking for destination wedding ideas? Let’s begin with building your wedding framework.
This is what you will use as parameters so you can narrow down your search. Be as detailed as possible - the more specific you can get the better!
•Are you planning this yourself, or are you going to hire a wedding planner? (some venues require a planner, some just a day-of coordinator)
•When you picture your wedding, what are the three things you hope your guests say they felt? (Peaceful and relaxed, exciting… like a big party, moved by how much the day reflected the two of you, inspired by a cultural experience, etc.)
•Outdoors, indoors or both? And which season?
•Do you have a theme or inclinations towards a specific look or style?
•How many guests would you like to host, max?
•How important is it for guests to have an easy trip? This changes whether it can be somewhat remote, or if it needs to be in or just outside of a major metropolitan area.
•Do you want everything to happen on one property, or are you ok with you and your guests traveling from one space to another?
•Are there any absolute no's? (Beach, woods, farms, resorts, certain countries, etc.)
•Would you rather pay more for a stunning venue that needs less decor, or do you want more of a blank space you can create and decorate?
•What is the budget range you're hoping to stay within?
The Smoky Mountains during sunset - the perfect place for a destination wedding.
Step Two: How to use your destination wedding framework.
Now that step one is complete, here’s what to do next…
Option 1
Hire a luxury travel planner who can take the info you have here and help you come up with some ideas of locations, and to then find the right venue for you.
Option 2
Your second option is to hire a destination wedding planner to do the same as above.
Option 3
Your final (and free) option is to plug the earlier questions and their answers into an AI platform like ChatGPT or Claude. Copy and paste the following:
I’m planning a destination wedding and feeling overwhelmed by options. I’m going to paste my answers to a wedding vision framework below. I want you to act as a thoughtful destination wedding strategist. I do not want a huge list of ideas. I want you to help me narrow down my best-fit options.
Please do the following:
Identify the emotional priorities behind my answers - not just the practical ones.
Pull out my non-negotiables, preferences, and possible contradictions.
Create a clear decision framework based on what I said.
Use that framework to recommend my top 3 destination locations.
For each destination, explain:
why it fits emotionally
why it fits logistically
what kind of venue style I should look for there
what potential drawbacks I should consider
what season would work best
Please prioritize destinations that match my descriptions.
Do not recommend places just because they are trendy, ads or sponsored. Recommend places that fit the feeling and experience I’m trying to create.
Please search the web for current wedding/logistics realities before giving final destination recommendations.
Your recommendations should be either states or countries - not specific cities. However, you can reference cities that would likely be good options in the details you provide.
Here are my answers:
[copy and paste the questions from earlier in the blog, and your answers to them, here]
The Pearl Hotel in Rosemary Beach, FL. A perfect place for a destination wedding.