Engagement rings adorn their fingers, their families keep pestering them about “The Date,” and summer is fast approaching. Find out why more and more couples are choosing to get out of town for their summer wedding.

Canadian Weddingbells magazine does an annual survey of soon-to-be brides and this year they counted “51% of readers’ weddings will occur between July and September.” Many of those will most likely take place in North America, where guests don’t have to fly overseas or take too many days off from work.  

The allure of “somewhere else”

Many couples want a destination that’s near home but still feels like an escape. Kristen Lee and her fiancé Daryl are choosing Hawaii for their wedding “because it will be a more intimate ceremony. Plus, it’s a vacation with all of our close friends and family.”

It’s true that most destination weddings have fewer guests, because of both the extra cost of travelling and the challenge of taking time off work. So if a couple is looking for an intimate ceremony, they don’t have to feel guilty about keeping the invite list to a bare minimum.

Planning can also be easier, as hotels and resorts cater to the destination wedding market, often offering full wedding planning services or at least a contact that can help make sure all of the big details are taken care of. 

Where to go?

Choosing the location can be tricky: remote island or craggy coastline? Fairytale vineyard or traditional manor house? Just ask Susan Montes who coordinates the free wedding assistance program for Sonoma County in California, a region, she says, that “some people who are out of state only think of as wine country. That’s part of our challenge with the tourism bureau, is educating people and letting them know that we have a coastline, we have the Redwoods and we have the vineyards. 

“People associate us more with the Napa name since it’s world renowned; they think wine country only, you can only get married in vineyards and that’s it – it’s fun for me to educate people about it, but it’s also letting people know that if you want to get married in the vineyard, there is a higher price to pay.”

For those on a tighter budget, Susan is more likely to recommend somewhere like “the Geyserville Inn in Geyserville. What’s great about it is that the inn is surrounded by vineyards, so you have that vineyard setting but you’re not paying that vineyard price. 

“They’ve got a beautiful garden, it’s an outdoor venue, and they have a huge area that can hold up to 200 guests. It’s really spectacular because it’s nestled up in the Alexander Valley and you have that vineyard setting wherever you go.”

The key to finding discounts

It also pays to look for deals that tourism bureaus or specific properties are offering. In Sonoma County, Susan mentions a wedding incentive that they offer couples. “If a bride contacts me before they contact a property or accommodation, then I search out properties close to their venues and they can earn up to $1,500 towards their hotel master bill.

“Depending on how many room nights they book in a hotel in Sonoma County, whether it be an inn, a B&B or a hotel, depending on how many room nights they book depends on the amount of money they get. I’ve tiered the incentives, so it starts off at $500 for 5-10 definite room nights. Now definite room nights could be three people staying for three nights, and then you’ve qualified. 

“For the $1,000, you have to book from 10-15 definite room nights and with that higher amount you have to have a food and beverage component at the hotel, whether it be a welcome reception or a brunch or a breakfast or your rehearsal dinner, and then if you book 16 room nights or more, which is very easy to do, then they get $1,500 that goes toward their mast bill.” 

Meaning, you can use the extra discount to offer your guests a lower room rate, take it off the food and beverage bill or, if you plan to stay in the same accommodation afterwards, use it to pay for some of the honeymoon.

Tips for planning a destination wedding

• Pick a date. Sending out “Save the Date” cards a year in advance is appropriate, as guests might have to use vacation days at work. 
• Start with the venue. This is the biggest consideration and it’s best to book this first and arrange the rest around it.
• Accommodations next. If the venue doesn’t offer accommodations, it’s important to find a place nearby, otherwise you’ll need to provide a shuttle service to the venue.
• Baby steps. From here it’s all about taking small steps and checking one thing off the list at a time in order of what’s most important to you.