Planning a destination wedding can be quite stressful, even more so than planning a traditional wedding at home because there are so many unknown factors added to the equation if the wedding location is one that the bride and groom are unfamiliar with. The fear of “the unknown” can completely affect the wedding planning 
experience in a negative way, which can trickle down to the actual wedding day, leading to an unhappy bride or groom. So, to ease the wedding planning process, here are a few tips to take into consideration when planning a destination wedding. With organization and diligence, all the uncertainty can be removed from the equation and the result will be one fabulous wedding that no one will ever forget!
1. Utilize the Internet
By doing an Internet search for “destination wedding” the search will yield thousands of results, however, many of them will be useless because they will be advertisements for vendors and other services which are not necessary until you make your decision. But, the forums at the Best Destination Wedding website, and The Knot message boards have tons of valuable advice from real brides who are in the process of planning or have planned their own destination weddings. You will be able to check out some of your favorite destinations and see if they look like the proper setting for the wedding of your dreams.
2. Consider the Cost for Guests
When choosing a destination wedding location, it is important to not only think about how much a wedding would cost at the location, but also how much it will cost for guests to attend. This is especially important if you plan on having a larger wedding. Typically, the further away you travel, the lower numbers you may have in attendance. For example, a destination wedding in Las Vegas or even at some of the all-inclusive resorts and many villas in Cyprus, may be more affordable for a few days stay, but, a destination wedding in Paris will be significantly more expensive for guests who have to pay for their own transportation and accommodations.
3. Be Alright with a Small Wedding
Although there is no telling for sure how many people will show to a destination wedding, on average destination weddings tend to be intimate ceremonies of no more than 40 or so people although 200 invitations may have been sent out. This is in large part due to the fact that many people simply cannot afford to attend, or they cannot get out of other obligations with work, school, etc. If many of your guests can’t make it, plan a second reception in your home town a month or two after the actual event. It doesn’t need to be fancy, in fact it can be as simple as a large backyard barbeque or a dinner at a local favorite restaurant.
4. Choose an Easily Accessible Location
Most popular destination wedding locations will often have shuttles, taxi service, etc, to cart guests from the airport to the hotel, ceremony location, etc. But, for weddings that take place in more isolated areas, transportation may have to be arranged which can become costly for the wedding budget and for the guests.
5. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
One of the most important things to remember when planning a destination wedding is to not sweat the small stuff. This means, obsessing about the flowers and what the cake will taste like are not advisable because unless a site visit can be done in advance, there is no way to control how certain aspects of the wedding will turn out, so, there has to be a little bit of control that is relinquished when having the wedding.
Keeping all these tips in mind will help you pull off the destination wedding of your dreams without unnecessary stress and drama.
Kate Olson is a contributing writer for AphroditeHills.com, a popular destination wedding site which offers beach front property in a gorgeous Mediterranean setting.