Photo: Thayer Allyson Gowdy
Every time a celebrity gets married on a tropical island or on top of a mountain, another bride-to-be dreams of having a destination wedding.
The problem is that while in theory a destination wedding may become your "dream wedding," there are some couples who are not good candidates for getting married away from home.
If you're very close to your elderly grandparents who cannot travel and would be heartbroken not to see you in your wedding dress, then getting married someplace they can't be is a bad idea. If you're very involved in your church at home and just bringing the minister with you won't make it feel "real," you should be walking down the aisle of your church and not some random beach.
Still, a girl (or boy) has a right to wedding dreams. And the popularity of destination weddings has made them affordable and easy to plan. The question is: Is a destination wedding right for you?
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If you answer "no" to more than one of the following questions, maybe you should consider a destination elopement followed by a traditional wedding reception back home. Or plan an elaborate honeymoon after the wedding in your hometown.
Take the quiz below and see if you can say "yes" to all of these important questions:
1. Do you and your fiancé both want to get married away from home?
2. Do your parents support your decision to have a destination wedding? And if they're not really excited about it, will they still play ball and be a part of your festivities?
3. Can you afford the travel and accommodations and additional expenses for yourselves that you might not have incurred if you'd gotten married at home?
4. Have you always envisioned a destination wedding (wherever it is, beach, mountains, etc.)?
5. Can the members of your bridal party afford to travel for your wedding?
See More: How to Plan a Stress-Free Wedding From Across the Country
6. If some of your friends can't be there to celebrate with you because of expenses or job commitments, can you live with that?
7. Will you be able to afford (sometime within a year of your wedding) to have a smaller reception back home to include elderly family or other important people who couldn't travel to your destination wedding?
8. Do you understand that, depending on the destination you choose, not everything is available the way it is back home and you might have to make some compromises?
9. Will you look forward to spending an extended amount of times with your guests at your destination?
10. Are you the type of bride who can give up control to a wedding planner or vendors at a destination far away where you can't be the one in charge of everything?
Are you a good candidate for a destination wedding? Tweet us your results @BRIDES!
Owner of Weddings in Vieques, a destination-wedding planning company off the coast of Puerto Rico, Sandy Malone has helped countless couples plan their big day since 2007.