My now-husband and I are from the same small town, so we know many of the same people. This inevitably means that creating a wedding guest list was no easy feat, and even with the people who were cut our guest list still topped 350 people. I don't know about you, but feeding and entertaining 350 people was just something I could not fathom.

So, we decided a destination wedding was the way to go.

I wish I had known the help a travel designer could have provided me because although my wedding on Oahu was a dream, it also broke the bank. So, take it from me: I want to help brides achieve their destination wedding dreams without spending their life savings and accruing ridiculous debt.

Here are a few tips from your bride-turned-travel designer.

Guest list

I cannot stress this enough: have your designer book group rates or blocks of rooms in the same hotel. Regardless of the size of your party and guest list, having everyone in the same area and/or the same hotel will alleviate the stress of scheduling things like rehearsals, extra wedding events prior, and the post-wedding ceremony. I had guests all over the island, which made arranging dinners and activities extremely difficult.

Wedding Planner

A MUST. Hiring a planner was crucial to my destination wedding, it was one of the things I did very right. They are the experts and know the best vendors in the area; their job is to take the stress of your big day off your shoulders. If you are having your wedding at a hotel, they often have wedding planners on-site. Ask your travel agent to find you the perfect resort with a planner to host your dream wedding.

Flowers

Less is more. Especially when having a wedding in a beautiful destination. Whether there is an ocean to look at or luscious gardens, there will be plenty of “free beauty” to be admired by your guests and for your photographs. Flowers die, and when you’re on vacation you don’t really have a place to put all the extra vases of arrangements after your wedding day is over. I spent a ridiculous amount of money on flowers and sadly had to discard them after the day was over.

Food

Rely heavily on your planner for this part. They know how to budget food and drink for the number of people. When staying somewhere away from home you don’t want to have wasted food and drinks and nowhere to put them when the day is over. Safe to say, my wedding leftovers did not fit in my mini fridge in the hotel room. Don’t shy away from buffet-style meals! It’s usually cheaper than serving by the plate and can be just as delicious and beautiful.

That’s a lot of information, I know. But that’s why it’s important to build a team to help make sure your day goes seamlessly and you and your guests have the most amazing experience.

Let’s get planning!