Many people dream of their weddings from an early age. In a number of cases, these visions include tying the knot in far-flung locations. While destination weddings are incredibly popular, there are also a number of problems that come along with making this decision. Maybe you picture yourself getting married on a warm beach on an island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. In reality, you are going to have to make some sacrifices and compromises for this plan to come to fruition. While you don’t have to give up your dream of a destination wedding, it can definitely prove useful to take your time and consider all of the details before you make your final decision. A bit of research will help you to discover if a local wedding ceremony would be best for you.

Where’s Grandma?

One of the biggest issues with hosting a destination wedding is actually ensuring that guests are going to be able to attend. First, you are not going to be able to have a large destination wedding unless you have limitless finances. Since most people don’t have access to unlimited cash, it stands to reason your budget matters significantly to your plans. If you’re okay with a small wedding, you still may not be able to guarantee that all of your closest friends and family members are going to be able to make the journey.

Older relatives, like grandparents, may not be up for the task of journeying to another country. Since grandparents are usually quite important guests, this can be a deal breaker for many couples. Outside of elderly guests, there might be a number of people you want to invite who cannot afford to take an expensive trip to another country or state for your nuptials. If your guest list matters more than the location, a local ceremony could be a better choice for your wedding.

Paperwork Parades

Getting married in your own hometown can involve a lot of paperwork. This is not always the most difficult task to tackle. However, it’s important to understand that a lot more paperwork is required when you decide to have a destination event. This is especially true when you are planning on tying the knot in a country other than the one where you were born. All locations feature different rules and regulations for how couples must obtain their licenses, which means you need to stay on top of things.

While this can seem like a lot of work, you can get some help in a few different ways. For one, a wedding planner for your destination event can help you obtain all of the various documents required for you to legally wed in whatever country you plan on holding your event. Still, some couples might be turned off by the extra paperwork and feel like they’d rather keep things simple by sticking closer to home.

What About the Honeymoon?

Finally, a destination wedding can often blur the line between the event itself and the honeymoon. Though it makes total sense to vacation in the same country you’ve come so far to reach, you also might discover that this makes it difficult to “escape.” Your friends and family members might stick around for a few days after the reception. It might be difficult to get away from your loved ones and enjoy time alone with your spouse.

There are plenty of reasons to keep your wedding day local. When you want an affordable event with all of your family and friends present, it makes sense to stay local. You can leave the destination part of the equation for the honeymoon.