Destination Weddings in Kenya
4 Reasons to do a Destination Wedding
So you are engaged and already put on your thinking cap to start planning the wedding. You are wondering whether to have a traditional wedding local wedding or have the wedding at a different location away from home.
Here are some things that would make you consider doing a destination wedding. At least from a photographer’s perspective.
Dream Location
The number one and most obvious reason you should, and most couple, choose destination weddings over traditional wedding is the desire to get married at the place you have always dreamt of. Do you desire that beachy boho look then the white sandy beaches of Diani, Watamu or Zanzibar would be perfect for you or do you prefer the wildlife adventure, then doing your wedding in the Maasai Mara or the Serengeti would be the most ideal locations or the historical sites of Lamu present an ideal photo backdrop for your wedding.
With a destination wedding you are not limited in terms of options for venues to host your wedding. It is also an option for those who have always desired to visit those beautiful places for vacation.
Some of the most clients’ favourite venues would include:
Kole Kole, Baobab Beach Resort and Spa
2. More relaxed, More fun, More Intimate
Let me start with a disclaimer, all weddings are fun, I am yet to photograph a boring wedding,…I hope I won’t ever LOL. I have always noticed that with traditional weddings there is usually a tension to get things done in a rush so that guest could leave early and head back to their homes. While on the other hand destination weddings are more relaxed as most start in the late afternoon and end at late in the night.
With destination weddings, there is no rush since the guests are not going anywhere as most who travel will have taken a few days off just to attend your wedding. This, in a way, makes weddings more fun as your guest are more relaxed and they get to fully immerse themselves in your wedding day and you, the bride and groom, get to enjoy every bit of the day with your guests. In addition to that, most destination weddings usually have a small number of guests and this then makes a wedding more intimate. To have a few people who would take time and spend their money to travel to a different location or even country just celebrate with you, if that’s not love I don’t know what is!
Did I mention that destination weddings’ night reception are the coolest?
3. Unique Beautiful Photos
All weddings are unique and beautiful in themselves since every couple is unique. That being said most local traditional weddings are held in similar locations from the church to the ceremony. Photos from these weddings tend to have similarities with regards to the background. With destination wedding you get to choose a location that is unique to you. These exotic places have really cool sites and these gives a unique backdrop for your wedding.
Those sandy white beaches of Watamu, Lamu Diani and Zanzibar, the caves, rocks and lagoons really add on to the décor of the wedding, or the wildlife adventure with the long, beautiful plateaus and mountains in the horizon really offer a stunning site for a beautiful wedding.
One of the main things I, as a destination wedding photographer, endeavour to do is to include these beautiful landscapes, places and sites to be part of your wedding photos.
Lastly, As I mentioned before, destination weddings have the luxury of starting in the late afternoons and this, for me, is always the best time photos with the soft and flattering sunset light.
4. Potential Money Saver
Traditional wedding can be expensive even on a smaller scale. A typical wedding budget on average is between $ 33,000 and $ 45,000. Destination wedding could potentially save money if done carefully. Choosing an all-inclusive hotel or resort for the ceremony, reception and honeymoon could make sense. Planning a destination wedding in a country that has favourable exchange rate or lower cost of living could also help your dollars stretch further.
Further being that most destination wedding have a small number of guests it becomes less expensive hosting a few people compared to a traditional wedding that would have from 150 to 300 people.
Tip: Lastly having your wedding during the off seasons in these destinations could lower the cost of your wedding.
Bonus Tip
Destination weddings can present a lot of challenges planning them especially when your desired venue is in a different country. Hence it is always a good idea to seek out a local destination wedding planner who would not only help in the planning but also make your dream wedding a reality.
Here are some of our partner destination wedding planners I have had the pleasure to interact and work with: