You said yes! You have the ring and are both excited to kick off the plans for your special day but… where to start? Don’t worry I have put together for you the 7 most important things you need to start planning your destination wedding in Greece.
1. Do the maths
First sit down with your partner and discuss how much you can afford to save and spend. Next up, if either or both of your families have offered to contribute financially, get together with them and calculate how much they are adding to your budget. I know, uurgh right, talking about money but once you know how much you have to play with you can start to make firm decisions and get the planning underway.
2. Get on top of that guest list
You can’t make everyone happy, it’s impossible. Being tough when it comes to deciding who makes the cut is vital because it will have a huge impact on so many choices. More guests equals more of the budget but also venue capacity, and even simple things such as more guests means more tables means more flowers etc. A general rule of thumb for destination weddings is about 10-15% of guests will decline on their RSVP.
3. Make a date
Spring in the islands or autumn sunshine, which will be your choice? The first thing your planner needs to know is the date. If you don’t know exactly, try and narrow it down to at least the month as it can have an impact on prices. For example, early June is low season where as late June is often classed as high season.
4. Holidays or term time?
It’s worth taking a look at your guest list and seeing if any guests would be affected by a date that was outside of school holidays. During term time it can be difficult for parents to take children out of school or teacher friends may struggle to get annual leave.
5. Check the flights
An important consideration is where the majority of your guests are flying from. Check the flights from your country into the destination airport; are they daily or only certain days? For example if there are only flights Saturday and Tuesdays, then immediately you can discount those two days as potential wedding days as guests will be travelling.
6. Mid-week vs. Weekend
As we are all used to attending weddings on a weekend, the natural choice is to opt for a Saturday date. However, do remember that Saturday is the most popular day for the local people to get married, so you will face more competition for venues and vendors at the weekend. This can be more so in Greece where baptisms are big celebrations like weddings and also take place on the weekend.
7. Choose your destination planner in Greece
Great you have a budget, guest number and a date, so now you need the perfect planner to help you with the next steps!
Do your research on the Greek island or area you are interested in and contact planners who specialise in that area, creating the style of wedding you want. Ask for a telephone or Skype call to meet them and see if you have a good rapport. Ask about how they work, the planning timeline and the types of ceremony available. You are trusting them with planning the day of your dreams, so it is important they understand your vision and you can communicate well.
If you are considering a destination wedding in Greece and are keen to get your planning started, contact me to chat about your ideas.
Best wishes, Claire
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