Wedding Trends - The Local Destination Wedding

The "local-destination wedding" has become a very popular option among brides and grooms over the past few years.  I'm sure just about everyone reading this blog has attended at least one wedding that required some travel and a weekend hotel stay but the wedding didn't quite fit into the destination wedding category at least not in the traditional sense - when most people hear destination wedding they instantly think of a longer flight to a tropical or remote location, an intimate guest list and a long weekend or full week with close friends and family.  I happen to love destination weddings, but they are often more difficult for the invited guests because they require a more significant monetary and time commitment.

As many of us grew up in one area, went to college in a second and then moved to a third (or fourth or fifth) location, it's tough to decide which location is "local" and besides that, no matter where you have your wedding some of your friends and family will need to travel.  Additionally, because many of us no longer live near all of our close friends and family, weddings have become an excuse for reunion weekends to catch up with everyone.  

Enter the "local-destination wedding" - Pick a location that may be a short drive for some guests or a short flight for others and invite guests to stay the whole weekend rather than just one night.  

This type of wedding does require additional activities surrounding the wedding - often a larger rehearsal dinner, a welcome party and a post wedding brunch - but these can all be low key and do not have to be a major expense to the bride and groom and their families.  You do not have to provide activities for the guests for the duration of their stay - you can have a website or welcome packet with ideas of places to visit, favorite restaurants and activities and let guests explore on their own.  

As a wedding planner - I've received many requests for this type of wedding - locations such as East Hampton, NY, Bar Harbor, ME and Watch Hill, RI being recent examples.  

Stayed tuned for my next blog featuring photos from a recent "local destination wedding" in East Hampton.  Here's a sneak peak in the meantime - 

Virginia and Tim's East Hampton Wedding - Photo Credit - David Willems