Summer Sales

As summer winds down, stores are having their end-of-summer sales. If you’re having a destination wedding next summer, now is a great time to stock up on things for your out-of-town bags and decorations for cheap.

This is one of the ways we saved really significant money for our wedding. The year before, we bought all of our decorations, favors and out-of-town bag items on clearance sale and then stored it over the winter before our June wedding.

Act quick before the sales disappear!

Destination Wedding Decoration Ideas

One of the most enjoyable aspects of planning your destination wedding is planning all the fun, festive theme items that accompany it. Your options are compounded exponentially if you are doing a beach wedding or a wedding in the tropics.

From cake toppers to table decorations there are so many options to choose from. This is really an area where you can let your creativity take over and let your personality show through. It’s also a place where you completely break your budget by going over the top.

I wish we would have found this short YouTube video when we planned our destination wedding. I literally spent months going through bios on The Knot and pulling together some of the best ideas – many of which are reflected in this video.

While this was developed by a vendor (The Wedding Bella), our recommendation is always to shop around for the best deal and do it yourself if possible. The end of summer (i.e., RIGHT NOW) is when many stores put these kind of “summer items” on sale. So if your wedding is this fall or even in 2009, you might consider buying things now cheap and holding onto them. If you do decide to go with Wedding Bella, just take note that they are based in Canada (and prices are in Canadian dollars and shipping is higher than you might expect within the U.S.).

[Note: The audio has this grotesque repeating seagull, so consider watching this video with the volume muted.]

Wedding Seasonality

We wanted to talk for minute about wedding planning. And we want to emphasize planning. PLANNING. And we mean it.

Depending on the nature of your destination (a beach wedding, a wedding at an Italian villa in the fall, etc.) there will be certain items that are only available seasonally. Ever tried to find a bathing suit in November for your destination wedding in February? How about flip flops?

It can be incredibly difficult to find some items you might need/want for your destination wedding if it is out of season. These items can include:

• Bathing suits
• Groom’s suit (or apparel)
• Shoes and sandals
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Beach bags for out of town bags
• Beach towels
• Sea shells or other table decorations

As the summer wears on, stores will be having sales on merchandise. If you have a destination wedding this fall, winter or even next summer, you might consider stocking up on things you might need/want for your destination wedding.

Step back and really plan out your wedding. Think about everything you will need. You can save money and ensure you have access to things you might want by buying at the end of the season. But don’t wait too long or you might be out of luck.

Reality Check – Too Much of a Good Thing?

You are engaged and want to share you joy with everyone. You’ve decided on fabulous destination wedding in some tropical, beach location or some other exotic spot.

And you’re thinking it would be a good idea to infuse the theme into [fill in the blank here.] It could your birthday, your holiday plans or just about anything.

There is too much of a good thing. Having a beach themed bridal shower/bachelorette party may intrigue you, but resist the urge. You are thrilled about your European wedding, but resist the urge for an Italian themed Thanksgiving. You CAN go over the top in theming.

This hit home for us recently when a friend invited us to a party. The party was, you guessed it, beach themed. The bride-to-be was so thrilled with her upcoming destination wedding in Jamaica that she decked out the party with reggae, Bob Marley, jerk chicken and about every other Jamaican cliché. It was a party, not her wedding.

The same can also be true at your actual destination wedding. Just because you’re in an Italian villa doesn’t mean everyone needs to act like extras in The Godfather. Just because your nuptials are on some tropical island, doesn’t mean that you need to decorate EVERYTHING in seashells.

Your friends and family are excited for you. And they want to be a part of your special day. Just keep your excitement in check.

Personalized M&Ms

Want to infuse some personal style into the wedding reception? You can order personalized M&M’s for favors or use them to decorate the table instead of confetti. We realize this isn’t new. And we realize that with celebrities buying them, it’s becoming follow the leader.

However, having been to many a reception where people play with the confetti, why not give your guests something different to play with on the tables? Best reserved for receptions in cooler climates.

You can order yours from mymms.com. The cost is $47.96 for four 7 oz bags, which is pretty expensive.