How to have the best exotic beach wedding: tips from a destination wedding planner to avoid disaster
- Getting married on a tropical beach sounds like a dream, but without good planning, it can be a nightmare
- Destination wedding planner Sonya Yeung shares her tips for the perfect overseas occasion
Photographs of destination weddings have a carefree, fairy-tale feel to them. A bride-to-be may long for the wind in her hair and the sand between her toes as her freshly minted husband kisses her on an idyllic beach. But a lot of planning, not to mention expense, goes into creating dream nuptials – and there are a number of possible pitfalls to watch out for.
One of the big draws of tying the knot overseas is the promise of an exotic location. Sonya Yeung, founder of the destination wedding company Bliss Creations, says her clients are often looking for something out of the ordinary, with a holiday feel.
“It might be more unique than if you get married in the same city as all your friends, seeing the same venues repeatedly. Everyone wants a Pinterest wedding,” says Yeung.
One downside of out-of-town weddings is that there will inevitably be some guests who cannot attend. Yeung estimates the dropout rate at about 30 per cent, depending on the time of year and whether the event coincides with holidays.
British-born, Hong Kong-based Lisa Pang got married last year in Bali. She said that fewer than half the 70 guests invited made it to her big day, citing cost as the key factor.
“My mum and dad came, but a lot of family and friends in England did not come because it was out of their budget. I was OK with that, it’s a long way for people to come. For many of the ones who came it was their first time in Asia and they turned it into part of a holiday, which was great,” says Pang.