How I, Barefoot Bride Megan t., Chose My Destination Wedding Location and Resort: A Journey to Finding the Perfect Setting

Mar 21

Choosing a destination for your wedding is one of the most exciting—and daunting—tasks in the planning process. The venue sets the tone for your entire celebration and can influence everything from the atmosphere to the logistics of your big day. Here’s a look into how I navigated the decision-making process to find the perfect destination wedding location and resort, and how you can apply these steps to find your dream setting.

1. Defining Our Vision

Before diving into the specifics, my partner and I spent time defining what we wanted our wedding to be. We envisioned a celebration that combined natural beauty with relaxation and adventure. We knew we wanted a location that offered stunning scenery, a range of activities, and an all-inclusive resort experience. Our goal was to find a destination that would be both memorable for us, enjoyable for our guests and reasonably affordable.

Our ideas ranged from the mountains in Montana, to the blue oceans of the Dominican Republic, to the lush greenery of Costa Rica. Yes, our ideas were all over the place!

2. Budget Considerations

One of the first practical steps was to establish our budget. We considered not only the overall cost of the wedding but also the expenses our guests would incur. Since we did not want to have guests choose not to come to our wedding because of financial reasons, my fiance and I knew we wanted to pay for a portion of their stay. This means that the affordability of the accommodations was even more important!

We aimed for a destination that offered a balance between luxury and affordability, ensuring it would be within reach for our guests and ourselves without compromising on our dream experience. This meant looking for resorts that offered competitive pricing and comprehensive packages.

3. Researching Destinations

This was the most stressful part for me. It was overwhelming emailing tons of resorts or hotels, managing who said what, and trying to stay organized. Luckily, I had the help from my super organized and crafty sister who made this process so much easier.

I told her our budget and top 3 location options and she made a powerpoint based on 1-2 resorts in each location. During this presentation she gave information about the following:

Climate: Since we were open to the time of year, month and day for our wedding, she provided pricing based on the time of year that had great weather but was peak season. Peak season is obviously going to be the most expensive. We tried aiming for that transitional period.
Accessibility: We considered locations with good flight connections and proximity to major airports to make travel easier for our guests.
Activities and Attractions: We wanted a place with diverse activities for our guests to enjoy, whether it was exploring nature, relaxing on the beach, or experiencing local culture.
Uniqueness: We wanted a location that wasn’t your typical resort or typical vacation spot. Since we are such travel lovers, we wanted our guests to experience something new, which is something we both as a couple love to do!

4. Narrowing Down the Choices

After narrowing down our list of destinations, we began researching specific resorts within those locations. We focused on:

Resort Features: We looked for resorts with a variety of amenities, such as beautiful wedding venues, comfortable accommodations, and a range of dining options. All-inclusive resorts were particularly appealing due to their convenience and value.

Below are some more examples of some of the powerpoint slides we created to help us compare resorts.

Wedding Packages: We compared wedding packages offered by different resorts to see which ones aligned with our needs and preferences. We looked for flexibility in the packages, as well as included services like catering, décor, and coordination.

5. Planning a Site Visit

After reviewing our presentation and seeing estimated total pricing, we were able to narrow down our options to Costa Rica and Dominican Republic. We knew we wanted to see both locations in person, because of course everything is going to look picture perfect online, and used this as a way to work with two different travel agents.

We booked our Costa Rica site visit with Sharon at Barefoot Bridals, a travel agency specializing in destination weddings. And we booked our trip to the Dominican Republic with a local travel agent who my parents have booked vacations with.

My conclusions, BOOK YOUR WEDDING WITH A TRAVEL AGENT WHO SPECIALIZES IN DESTINATION WEDDINGS! Our experience between the two was night and day. Sharon was constantly reaching out to me asking about our trip, what we liked and what we didn't and making sure we had all the information we needed for our trip. Our other travel agent gave us the exact opposite experience.

When going for your site visit, make sure the resort knows you are there for a wedding visit. They will spend the day walking you through the resort, talking over the packages and you might even be able to squeeze in a food tasting!

6. Considering the Resort’s Reputation and Support

We also assessed the resort’s reputation for hosting weddings and their support services. We met with the wedding coordinators to discuss our plans and gauge their responsiveness and expertise. It was crucial that we felt confident in their ability to bring our vision to life and handle any issues that might arise.

7. Making the Final Decision

After our site visits and thorough evaluations, we made our decision based on:

Overall Experience: We chose the resort that offered the best combination of beautiful settings, comprehensive amenities, and excellent service.
Value for Money: We weighed the cost against the value offered by the resort, ensuring it fit within our budget while providing the experience we desired.
Guest Experience: We considered how well the resort would cater to our guests’ needs and enhance their overall experience.

In the end, we choose our destination wedding to be at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic. After doing our site visit, we were in awe of the resort and felt it would give our guests the experience we want them to have! When it comes to wedding planning, they have so many options that work within your budget, decoration options are truly limitless. To learn more about Casa de Campo, check out my post about our site visit here.