Destination Weddings | Inspired by This Blog

Here we are again with another wedding debate! Destination Vs. Local. There are pros and cons to both options – you might want a huge wedding with all of your friends you’ve known since the second grade, you might want to have a local wedding where everyone in a 50 mile radius can come. Or if you want a smaller intimate wedding with just the people that you are closest to and have a mini vacation out of it, you might want to have a destination wedding. (that’s what I did!) Below we have experts in the field weigh in on this great debate! Let us know what you think!

Jenn of Green Wedding Shoes Blog: In looking for weddings to feature on Green Wedding Shoes, I’d have to say that local weddings are typically my favorites. The couples usually put in lots more details and personality into their day which my readers love to see. Also, most of my readers are planning local weddings, so those help them find inspiration – although it’s fun to mix it up once in awhile and share a destination wedding :).

Kelly McWilliams of Weddings by Socialites: “Destination weddings are my favorite to plan for a few reasons. First, I love that a destination wedding allows for all the wedding guests to get to know each other before the wedding (typically at a welcome reception or other planned gathering). When they have this time to meet and find out how they’re all connected, the ceremony somehow just feels so much more intimate and meaningful to everyone. The reception in turn is even better because everyone is friends and experienced the ceremony as a group and not strangers. Secondly, I love that when planning a destination wedding I’m planning events for people who are truly going to be ecstatic about getting a weekend away to a new place and that they get to celebrate with everyone they enjoy most. I also love that with destination weddings we can break some of the traditional rules that just don’t work. That means we can make each event as unique as we like. Finally, I love being introduced to new locations and professionals.”

Jeff Hendlin of Bridal Guide Magazine: I am a big fan of destination weddings. So are an increasingly number of engaged couples who are breaking from the traditional hometown weddings and opting to exchange their vows away from home. The boom in destination weddings has also been recognized by hotel/resorts companies in exotic vacation destinations. You’d be hard pressed to find a major resort in Mexico or the Caribbean today that don’t have well-staffed wedding departments. Some have even created catchy titles for the heads of these departments like Chief Romance Officer and Director of Romance.

Jennifer Stein of Destination I Do Magazine: “Suffice it to say, I’m a HUGE cheerleader for destination weddings, I mean, we have an entire magazine devoted to the very subject! But to say they are “better” would be untrue. It totally depends on the couple and their situation. The reason I think destination weddings offer more is because they allow friends and loved ones to celebrate together with the bride and groom for longer than just several hours on the day of the wedding. Most weddings away give guests the unique opportunity to spend some serious quality time with one another in a fabulous vacation destination which, many times, maximizes the overall experience for everyone.Hometown weddings are the bedrock of our industry and give couples the traditional option so many feel more comfortable with. But for couples who are doing a hometown wedding…my advice would be to travel to an exceptional honeymoon destination to really live it up and start your new life together off right!”

Photo by Kira Sugarman Shemano

Photo by Anna Kuperberg

Photo by Boutwell Studio

Photo by Megan Ann Photography

Photo by Jose Villa

Photo by Shawna Herring

Photo by Rochelle Cheever

May you be inspired,

Leila

After all of the great feedback we received from the hire a planner post, I thought I would devote this Love This Thursdays post to one of my fabulous planners Kelly McWilliams who owns the company Weddings By Socialites was truly made to be a wedding planner. She is super passionate about what she does and it shows when you see the amazing weddings that she puts together. Kelly services the south west Florida/Gulf coast area but also does many destination weddings. Here are some fun facts about Kelly:

She finds comfort in lists (as do I), She has been doing weddings since 2003 ( talk about experience and credibility!), Kelly strives to make each wedding unique to the couple and really cares about her clients and wants the best for them. She lives by the motto: “Work hard, smile a lot, and be very very nice”. Kelly is married to a man named Kelly and together the Kelly McWilliams’ have 2 children.

When asked what inspires her, Kelly shared this us with, “I am inspired by the unique items that I find while browsing the aisles of my favorite shops and boutiques (particularly at HomeGoods, as my twitter friends know). I’m known for finding a single item and building an entire event design around it. I love looking through coffee table books, fabrics, and pretty paper. Music is a big inspiration for me; “Let’s Get Married” by Jagged Edge, (the ReMarqable remix) gets me inspired for wedding days. I can’t dance or sing, but all the girls in my studio will tell you I put on full concerts daily. Nobody would by a ticket to my concerts. I’m inspired by successful and intelligent people who educate without even knowing it.”

I am so thankful that I get to work with Kelly. She is both very nice and extremely talented. You can follow Kelly on Twitter also be sure to check out her blog! Below are some images from some of Kelly’s beautiful weddings. Some of the images will be featured in the upcoming issue of Destination Weddings and Honeymoons.

May you be inspired,

Leila