All Weddings Are Destination Weddings

Welcome to Los Angeles. Photo: Love and Wolves Co.

I plan and officiate a fair number of destination weddings here in Los Angeles.   People from all over the country and the world want to get married a few steps from the beach, or a hop and a skip down the way from Disneyland.

I’m helping a couple in Denmark plan their wedding here in the Fall. We’re still working on finding a venue. I’m also planning another event that’s happening next month for a couple that lives in Santa Monica, and they ALSO still need a location. Both need everything else, too – caterer, photographer, a hotel for their guests. The only real difference…is the time difference. but the challenges are the same:

You’ve never done this before: Wherever you are, wherever you’re coming from, this is most likely your first time planning a party for 100+ people. When you’re starting anything new, there are a few things that will trip you up before you figure it out. Wedding wise, that could be remembering add tax and service to the cost of food and beverage minimums, or understanding how far away Calabasas is from LAX. And can that price actually be right, how is that possible? The first venue, the first photographer, the first caterer you talk to might not (and probably won’t) work, no matter how great they look online. Keep going: none of them are the last option you have. You’re in unfamiliar territory, and you have to learn how Wedding World – and rush hour traffic – works. It’s frustrating, but it’s also just a process, and you will get through it.

Emotions are HIGH: You want to create a wonderful wedding. And that never happens fast enough! There is so much pressure to have a perfect day, and a perfect planning experience. Why is this so hard? Are you doing this wrong? Are you running out of time? What if you can’t find a dress you love?  Are your friends and family judging you because you haven’t sent out invitations, yet?

At some point, maybe at several points, your wedding may start to look and feel like a disaster that’s not going to happen. Deep breath: You’re doing  lot better than you think you are.  When you  start feeling like you’re completely screwed, make a list of what you’ve already accomplished, even if it’s something like crossing three potential venues off the list.

I’m not going to tell you the pressure, or your fear and stress aren’t real – you get to have your feelings, and don’t be ashamed of them.  My point is that you can manage those feelings and stay out from under that rock until you get to the other side of a signed contract. Think about how cool it will be to be done with all the searching, and be able to just  enjoy the day with your family, friends, and an open bar. It’s important for you to believe that you will find what you need, no matter how much reality seems to showing you differently.  You’re almost there. You are always almost there. And don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Every wedding starts out as a blank canvas. Every couple has a ton of choices on how they want to fill that up. Everyone goes through it, and everyone gets through the other side, happy in the middle of a full dance floor. It’s there waiting for you, trust me.

See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz Coopersmith

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