If you get invited to a destination wedding, you may be unsure about how the etiquette for these events is different from those of a traditional wedding. Because there’s a little more involved with a destination wedding, you want to be sure that you follow all the best practices to ensure that the wedding party has the event they dreamed of. To help you do this, here are three tips for traveling to a destination wedding.
Only Bring Those Invited
Once you receive your invitation in the mail, take extra care to look at the details of the event closely. Depending on the wording of the invitation, you’ll know exactly who’s invited to the event and who isn’t. For example, Venus Wong, a contributor to Refinery29.com, shares that you should only bring a guest with you is their name is specifically on the invitation or if you’re explicitly given a plus-one. If not, it’s best to just accept that only you’ve been invited so you should plan on going to the wedding just by yourself. With everything else the wedding party has to deal with, you don’t want to bother them with the additional stress of trying to plan for everyone’s uninvited guests as well.
Know What To RSVP For
Because destination weddings are often a much bigger event than just a wedding ceremony, you’ll want to be sure that you RSVP for the right parts of the wedding event that you plan on attending. Jess Simpson, a contributor to Paste Magazine, shares that many destination weddings include things like the wedding ceremony, a ring ceremony, a reception, cocktail hours, meals, activities and more. Because each event likely will be attended by varying guests, make sure you only RSVP for the parts you want to be involved with. This will ensure that the bridal party doesn’t expect you somewhere that you’re not planning on being.
What Costs You’re Covering
Not only can destination weddings be expensive for the wedding party, but they can also be expensive for the guests. Because of this, Jaimie Mackey, a contributor to Brides.com, recommends that you find out exactly what the bridal party will be paying for and what you’ll have to cover on your own. This could have a big impact on your ability to come to the wedding or be as involved as you might like, to make sure you take the financial aspects into consideration when planning to go to a destination wedding.
If you’re concerned about how to manage going to a destination wedding in the near future, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you maneuver your way through this event.