s you’re planning your destination wedding you’ll find that the travel and accommodation details are big aspects of it. There can be an overwhelming combination of flights and hotels. It can get riddled with so many logistical details, needs of your guests, and the dreaded budget requirements.
No doubt we all love getting more for our money. Weddings are no different. Both local Vancouver weddings and destination weddings can add up. Since you’re asking your family and friends to make the trip of a lifetime it’s a great idea to give them options to save on travel. Think about it: when else are you going to have the same group of people travelling and gathering to celebrate the biggest day of your life! It’s such a special thing.
A great way to give your guests the gift of saving on travel is to consider staying at a vacation rental property. This is one of the BIGGEST aspects you and your guests can save on and get way more for your money. I can’t highlight this enough if you are from Vancouver or anywhere else in Canada planning a destination wedding. It can mean renting out a condo for 2, a large property with a pool for 16 guests, or anything in between.
It really can be tailored to your guests needs and is a fraction of the cost of staying at a hotel. Rental properties are a really popular option in Hawaii for destination weddings. For example, Maui is dotted with many hotels on the west side where the golden beaches of Kaanapali are. Many rental condos are within the same hotel property and are rented out by the condo-owner as short-term and long-term vacation rental. This is great for those planning a destination wedding, for a lower rate than staying at a hotel, you and your guests can have access to the same property or to something very similar!
-courtesy Google
Here are the major advantages of vacation rental properties for your guests going to your destination wedding:
Better value for your money
It generally costs less than staying at a hotel per night and you get more for your money. You get access to an otherwise larger property equipped with everything a house has. Typically there will be more space. Everyone can have their own bedroom or bed and still have lots of space to sprawl out in the living room, dining room, backyard, patio, etc.
Food and Bonding Advantages
A vacation rental property will be an apartment or house, which means you, and your guests will have the benefit of a fully stocked house. This typically includes a kitchen with full appliances, so there’s the option of preparing a meal, making a quick smoothie, barbequing. This saves money on food and lets your guests spend time getting to know each other- a major point about destination weddings! Your guests will actually know each other and create memories together. Staying together at a vacation rental is also great for anyone who has diet restrictions, is health conscientious, or just picky. They’re free to prepare what they would similar to home.
Save on converting dollars
For us Canadians having a destination wedding in Hawaii or anywhere tropical in the Northern Hemisphere it means converting our hard-earned Canadian dollars to USD. How great is when you and your guests can save on the conversion! A cheaper per night rate means you need to convert less Canadian dollars. Meaning more money for sightseeing or anything else your guests fancy.
Here are a couple go-to websites for booking vacation rental properties:
vrbo.com (can be set to different currencies)
airbnb.com (of course)
Hopefully this gives you an idea on how your guests can save on travelling to your destination wedding. Now, I’m not advocating that you throw ALL your guests together in a house for a week. Yikes! If you can, awesome, but most likely you will have certain groups of family and friends who naturally are willing to go for this arrangement.
You can go from there, arranging those groups to stay at a certain property. Maybe you have two large groups staying at two different apartments across from each other. Or maybe you have as little as 3 friends share a condo for the week. If you do choose to rent out a vacation property my advice is to make sure everyone has a comfortable sleeping set-up and access to multiple bathrooms. That way all your guests are comfortable and happy with the extra cash in their wallets.
Happy Planning! If you need help arranging travel details for your guests or anything else with your destination wedding planning just give me a shout and contact me here
