To pick up on where we left off from my last diary and what I am learning about the destination-wedding niche, you’ll have to remember that you are not just arranging a wedding, but a “weekend getaway” for all your client’s guests. That means taking care of their friends and family from the moment they arrive until they leave. There are certain steps that the bride, along with her Travel Professional, should take…
- Sending out very early save the dates
- Sending out newsletters informing your guests of important wedding/reception details
- Transportation Information/Airport Information
- Travel Information Packets/Newsletters
- Welcome Gift Bags
- Welcome Party/Reception
- Activities Menu
These are just some of the many things that you can do to make your clients feel like they are not only attending a wedding but having a vacation.
A few more tips:
Sending the hotel and travel details are a must. But in addition to this, make sure you let your clients know about the weather, suggested attire that the resort requires, and special needs or handicap accommodations. The next thing to think about is to have or not to have a…
Reception Back Home:
After the couple returns home, they may be worried that friends not attending the wedding will feel left out. So that may call for a reception! Many brides even wear their wedding attire to re-live the wedding day. Just a thought!
If you and the bride and groom decide to go this route, many traditional aspects of a reception can be retained. There is no reason why a bride can’t share a special dance with her husband and feed each other cake—and there will still be toasts to be made! It can be as low key or as extravagant as desired. If the destination wedding was a casual, barefoot-on-the-beach affair, maybe this later celebration is a chance to go swankier with a sit-down dinner complete with all the fine linen and crystal you did not have on the beach. Or a bride may elect to keep it simpler and throw an elegant cocktail party, a buffet luncheon, or a backyard barbeque. A wedding cake is a nice symbolic touch but certainly not required. There is no reason as a trusted advisor and partner in the wedding that you should not be involved from start to finish.
There are many options when it comes down to it, the choice is yours. Make sure you cover them all!
Until next time!
Monique
Monique Gramby is a Romance Travel and Cruise Expert with White Sand Travel in the Atlanta market. Her passion for people and planning led to a career in helping people make their travel dreams into realities. You can learn more about White Sand Travel and Moniquewww.whitesandtravel.net
