It has been your dream to head off to a lush, tropical paradise for your wedding, and it has finally all fallen into place for you to have a destination wedding in the Hawaiian Islands. As important as it is to you to get married at your tropical locale, it may be difficult for the majority of your family and friends to travel with you to attend the event. How do you handle a wedding with a lack of family and friends in attendance?
The first thing you want to do is work with your local Hawaiian wedding planner to make sure none of the venues you are choosing will make your wedding seem small. Have them scope out intimate settings, or consider décor that will minimize a large locale so your guests “fill” the location.
Keep your expectations realistic. Your wedding is, of course, the biggest day of your life, but if your grandparents or the groom’s parents are elderly or not well, traveling may not be an option. Consider how you will all feel if someone important is unable to attend. Your lifelong dream may be to have your father walk you down the aisle, but if for some reason he is unable to travel, will it ruin your entire wedding?
An option many couples choose is to have their destination wedding with however many people can attend, and then plan for a larger celebration when they get home. This allows you to get married in the romantic location you dream about, but it also gives those people who are closest to you the chance to share in the joy of your wedding celebration. This is something that your wedding coordinator in Hawaii can help with as well. While they won’t be able to direct you to a venue in your area, they can aid you in choosing items from Hawaii that you can either bring back with you when you return to your hometown, or they can suggest items you might want to order so you can recreate your Hawaiian atmosphere in your party location.
Many couples are opting for destination weddings, and families and friends are usually understanding and appreciative of you fulfilling your wedding dreams. Don’t, however, forget the people left behind. Try to do something – even if it’s on a very small scale – to let them know you wanted them to share in on your paradise wedding.
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