Destination weddings are a new trend for Malaysian couples, started after the recent craze with Taiwan and Hong Kong wedding photography and honeymoon packages. For most of today’s couples, a destination wedding will be like fulfilling their dreams of a fairy-tale wedding of their own version; local or overseas; on land or on the sea; summer or winter.
Here, we have compiled some of the details that couples would need to pay attention to if they are planning for a destination wedding.
The Good Reasons
It is not too expensive
Particularly true, if your destination happens to be somewhere nearby, such as Bali, Phuket, or with affordable exchange rates of not more than 2.5 times of RM. With proper planning, a destination wedding could be as affordable as a ceremony plus banquet-of-1000-guests right back at your home town. Other choices of place include Hawaii, Australia, Korea, Taiwan and the Caribbean Islands, though costs will be higher depending on the currency rate.
It is honeymoon + wedding
If you are planning for a honeymoon right after the wedding, then a destination wedding is definitely for you. Now, even in Malaysia, island resorts and popular wedding destinations all around the world do provide R.O.M services, along with a honeymoon package at the local resort. Some of them are: Pangkor Island, Sibu and Langkawi, for those nearer to home; Hawaii, England or Korea, for those more exotic, exciting overseas adventures.
No Uninvited Guests showing up
When you’re having your wedding across the Malaysian border on a Thai island, chances are, annoying Uncle Loud will not ‘conveniently’ show up with his whole clan, despite the invitation only stating his and his wife’s names. The best part of a destination wedding—only close friends and family members will likely show up upon invitation, saving you the hassle of dealing with extra, and sometimes uninvited, troublesome guests.
Convenience in Planning
Planning ahead for a destination wedding is no longer the trouble it had used to be. With the internet, not only can you find out about your dream location, but also the packages offered, the transport, even an all round budget calculation. Websites such as Wedding.com.my provides couples with not only the calculation tools, but a directory on accommodation and registrar as well.
The Shortcomings
Guests will most likely not attend
The downside of fewer guests is that a lot of your friends or close family members may not make it as well, especially those who may be facing tighter budget constraints now. An air ticket to Bali may not be too expensive, but it is still a great sum for some people. And the accommodation as well. Unless you’re wealthy enough to include their stay and air ticket into your wedding budget.
Difference in Marriage Laws
When your wedding’s on another country, with a whole different set of laws, being registered in one doesn’t mean the registration is accepted elsewhere. And in certain cases, the process to legalize the marriage in both countries can be tedious; which is one of the reasons to do your research before hand and get the necessary documents prepared. And not counting on exotic tribal or traditional rituals, which might be bounding in the host country, but not back at your hometown.
Planning can be a headache
While the internet may have help lessen some of the stress, there are still lots of stuff that one will need to pay attention to when preparing for a wedding far away from home—accommodation for yourself, your spouse, and probably for some of the guests attending your wedding; choosing the right venue at the right time with the right price, and preparing the necessary documentation for any legal procedures (marriage registration, immigration etc).
So, all in all, it still comes down to each other’s own preferences, as well as financial means, if they’d decide to have a destination wedding, or one near home.
