The out-of-area wedding

One of the more difficult tasks that a wedding planner has to deal with is the location of a wedding that is not in the local area. Many more details might go unnoticed, since the location might be in a different state or a steamy vacation location. Below are a few things to consider when working with a client that would like to have a wedding that is not local.

Guests

This is a huge consideration. How is everyone going to be able to get there? Is the bride and groom, or a member of their family, going to be putting up the money? Or is everyone expected to pay their own way to the wedding site?

If the client is leaning towards having everyone pay for their own way in order to get to the wedding, you should make sure that they understand that they might not have the largest turn out, simply because there might be some who cannot afford to go. Besides the cost of getting to the wedding site, some people might not be able to take off work for the required amount of time to enjoy the wedding.

Airlines

Here you would want to check into delays that might arise in flying out to the wedding site. Your clients might want everyone to go to Jamaica for the wedding to get away from the snow, but it is possible that they haven’t thought about how many delays occur in the winter months in parts of the country.

Resorts

Some resorts cater to specific clients, such as the ski resorts in the wintertime. However, you could advise your client that going in the off-season will save them money and might make it more affordable for the guests.

The other side of the coin here is that your client might want to go in the peak season, which will more than likely cost the client and their guests more money. Then again, some of your clients might not bat an eye at paying for everyone and everything.

As the wedding planner, it is your job to make sure the client knows what they are getting into right away. You should be upfront with your clients and make sure that they are educated about the wedding. You can save yourself a lot of headaches by explaining as much as possible when they first sit down to discuss an out-of-area location.