Destination Wedding Magazine offers great tips on planning your fete

The following was taken from www.destinationweddingmag.com ‘s blog.   The pictures, however, are of Belize 🙂

These tips are amazing, however, the #1 Tip is:

Go with a Local service to make sure you have someone on your side!  Of course, that should be Romantic Travel Belize and my preferred vendors 🙂

Guest Relations 101

Your guests may not remember whether your wedding bouquet had roses or calla lilies, but they will remember if they had a good time and felt welcome. Here are 10 ways to ensure your celebration is as memorable for your guests as it is for you.

by Lisa Milbrand

How to make your wedding a winner for you and your loved ones.

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Your guests may not remember whether your wedding bouquet had roses or calla lilies, but they will remember if they had a good time and felt welcome. Here are 10 ways to ensure your celebration is as memorable for your guests as it is for you.

1. Give plenty of notice.
As soon as you choose a location and date, set up your website and send out save-the-dates. There’s really no such as thing as being too early on this, as guests need to plan vacation time, line up housesitters or child care, and start budgeting for the trip. It’s especially important to give people a lot of lead time (up to a year in advance) if you’re celebrating at a very expensive or far-flung location that requires a big outlay of time or money; if your event involves a holiday weekend when people might have long-standing plans; or if your wedding will occur during the destination’s peak season when it might be harder to book transportation and accommodations.

2. Know your audience.
When choosing a location and hotel, think about the people you’re inviting and whether they’ll enjoy your chosen destination as much as you do. Family members who have barely ventured out of their hometown may not be comfortable in a place where no one speaks English, and a low-maintenance crowd may resent doling out big bucks for a stuffy five-star hotel.

3.Consider Guests’ finances.
Right now, the dollar is weak compared to many currencies, and soaring gas prices have made flying pricier than it was even six months ago. Consider whether your must-have guests have enough disposable income to manage the cost of the flights, hotel and entertainment. Instead of asking everyone to fly to an exotic locale, you may be able to compromise by choosing a fabulous spot closer to home or putting aside some money from your budget to help a cash-strapped pal.

4. Lock in discounts.
You should be able to secure group rates at your chosen hotel and may even be able to arrange for bargains on airfares if a sizeable group of guests is coming from one destination. Most major airlines, including Continental, American and United, offer airfare discounts for parties of 10 or more. Some regional airlines — including Air Jamaica and Hawaiian Airlines — also offer special incentives for booking under one group account and, in some cases, free first-class upgrades for you and your groom. And almost every hotel will discount rates for a multiple-room booking — contact the hotel’s group sales coordinator to work out a deal. When you’ve set up the discounts, put the details on your save-the-dates or wedding website.

5. Give guests the lay of the land.
When a trip centers on a wedding, guests tend to do less research than they would when planning a vacation on their own. Help them out by creating a booklet-style save-the-date with extra details on the destination, or include your URL and put the info on your website. Good info to include: websites and contact details for the tourism board, relevant airlines and host hotels; a list of recommended activities and restaurants; the wedding itinerary; event specifics and pricing on activities you aren’t hosting; details on how to get around; a driving map and/or airport-transfer suggestions; a packing list; and expected weather conditions for that time of year.

Your guests may not remember whether your wedding bouquet had roses or calla lilies, but they will remember if they had a good time and felt welcome. Here are 10 ways to ensure your celebration is as memorable for your guests as it is for you.

6. Walk a mile (or two) in their shoes.
As you make your plans, try to picture the celebration from several different guests’ viewpoints, looking for details that may need tweaking to make everyone comfortable and happy. For instance, you may opt to set your beach ceremony on a boardwalk so your elderly grandma doesn’t have to trek in the sand; you might look into recommendations for nearby nightclubs if your resort shuts down early; or you may need to ensure a vegetarian option for your rehearsal-night barbecue.

7. Enlist a point person.
Even if you’ve overloaded your guests with info before the wedding, you should still expect some issues once people arrive. You’ll likely be busy with last-minute details of your own, so be sure someone else is available to help. If you have an onsite wedding consultant, she can serve as your guest-service rep; if not, ask a few of your most organized and responsible invitees to serve as “cruise directors.” To share the burden, appoint a different person for different tasks; your college roommate can handle the rehearsal dinner, while reliable Aunt Mary can make sure everyone gets where they need to be on the ceremony day.

8. Give a warm welcome.
Start their trip off on the right foot by arranging a special greeting when they arrive. If a large group of guests is flying in at the same time, arrange for a bus or minivan to pick them up at the airport, and have cold beverages on hand for the ride. Make sure the hotel front desk knows when to expect your guests, and request early check-in for those who need it. Deliver welcome baskets to your guests’ rooms prior to their arrival so something is there to greet them.

9. Rethink the amenity basket.
Couples can spend a lot of money putting together elaborate welcome baskets with souvenirs, T-shirts, favors or other accoutrements. But loading your guests up with a lot of take-home treats may not be in their best interest. Instead, include something for them to enjoy during their stay, such as snacks and a bottle of wine, along with useful items they may have forgotten like sunscreen or handheld fans to use during the ceremony. Throw in an extra copy of the itinerary for guests who may have left theirs at home.

10. Entertain your guests, but don’t go overboard.
Of course you want to show off your locale, and group activities like catamaran cruises, wine tastings and golf outings are a great way to do that. But leave them some downtime too. Most experts recommend sticking to just one or two events per day of your celebration to avoid schedule overload. That’ll leave your guests time to enjoy a little R&R or do a bit of exploring on their own.