We asked LVL’s Founder, Lindsay Longacre, for her best advice to couples planning a destination wedding. Lindsay and Team LVL have planned hundreds of weddings for destination clients including Southern California, the islands of Hawaii, Mexico, Italy, and even Hungary! The following is a Q & A with Lindsay focusing on some of the top questions we receive from destination couples.

1. How do you hire a vendor team if you live in another country? Hire a planner who knows the area. They can help you with planning from start to finish, from selecting your venue to your ideal vendor team.

2. Is it better to fly in local vendors or use vendors from your destination location? It depends on what resources they have in the destination location. For example, if your priority is wedding photography and you love a photographer who lives local to you, it may be worth the investment to spend the extra travel fees to have them be a part of your special day (plus they may even cut you a deal if you are taking them on a trip to a fabulous location!)

3. Is a planning trip to your destination essential or can you plan remotely? Yes, especially if you don’t have a wedding planner. Venues always look different in person so if you are planning without the help of an expert, a planning trip would be ideal.

4. How early should you show up before your destination wedding? I recommend at least 4-5 days. This way you have time to adjust to the new time zone, deal with any travel delays, relax and run any last minute earrands. You also have time to do a walk-through with your venue and vendor team.

5. What is the best way to get everything to my destination? Gown and suit- should I take it on the plane or ship it? I recommend to carry all your personals with you on the plane. Anything that is not replaceable, keep it with you. Your suit and wedding dress being the TOP of that list!

6. Welcome bags- how to in a destination wedding? Ship? Pick up local items when you arrive? I would order the welcome bags ahead and pack those in a suitcase, then purchase everything else local. You can also have your wedding planner source them for you.

If you have additional questions about your destination wedding, we’d love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]!