Pros and Cons to Choosing an off site wedding venue

Are you looking for a destination wedding that is a little bit more unique than the resort wedding packages are offering you? There are definitely pros and cons to choosing an off site venue and we are excited to go through them today! As destination wedding planners, we love the challenge that an off site venue brings. If you came here from Google or Pinterest, allow us to quickly introduce ourselves. Something Azul is a destination wedding travel agency based near Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We are award-winning, WPIC certified, and members of DWHSA (Destination Wedding and Honeymoon Specialists Association). We have been doing this for over 5 years now, and we have to say, we absolutely love it.

We typically work with couples who want all inclusive resort weddings, but when a couple brings up the idea of an off site venue, we are up for the challenge. If you only learn one thing from this blog post today, let it be this: you are definitely going to want a destination wedding planner to help you plan your off site wedding venue.

Advantages to having your destination wedding “off the resort”

 

First, for couples who value complete privacy, going off the resort is a great option. Fewer and fewer resorts are limiting weddings to one a day, which means the average resort now hosts three weddings per day. Even though they do their absolute best to make sure each couple feels like they are the only ones, the reality is, there is always a chance you’ll pass another wedding dress or tuxedo on your wedding day.

There is also the possibility that guests from the resort will get drunk and crash your beach wedding or that a few families will gather around the beach to watch your reception. Some resorts have more private venues than others, which is why it is so important to choose a resort with a destination wedding planner you trust.

The other advantage you may not consider is that an offsite venue allows you to have a truly customizable wedding planning experience. For couples who want a similar planning experience to local couples, we would recommend considering an off-site venue (or a select few resort venues) that allow for that kind of experience. Resort weddings are beautiful, but they can have strict rules (like no loud music after 11 pm) and often have a set list of preferred vendors for services they do not provide in house.

 

Advantages of getting married at an all inclusive resort wedding

 

Unfortunately, there are some disadvantages to going off-site. First, it can be a bit more expensive piecing everything together “a la carte”. Some resorts offer discounts based on room nights as well, and by not having your wedding at the resort, you are forgoing those benefits. There are also additional services (like transportation to and from your resort) that you would not need if you got married where you and your guests were staying.

Off site weddings can also be more complicated to plan – especially without a destination wedding planner. One thing that we are incredibly passionate about, is attending as many conferences and meeting as many vendors face to face as possible so that we have personal connections with the vendors we book for your wedding day. It’s nice to have someone local to you for planning purposes, but we always love our friends who work in destination as well.

 

What’s the next step to planning your destination wedding?

 

Wondering what you need to do to get started? Should you hire a destination wedding planner or destination wedding travel agent? We offer both services, so the first step would be contacting us to set up a consultation. From there we can talk about your destination wedding planning and vision and discuss which package would be right for you. Happy wedding planning!