Let's start by asking ChatGPT how he/she/they define a “destination wedding”:
A “Destination Wedding” refers to a wedding that takes place at a location that is not necessarily localor close to home for the bride and groom. Instead, the bride and groom choose a location outside their usual area or even outside their home country for their wedding celebrations.
The choice of location can range from exotic beaches to historic cities to picturesque landscapes. The idea behind a destination wedding is often to create a unique and special environment that is memorable for the couple and their guests. Often a destination wedding is combined with an extended stay for the bride and groom and their guests, turning the celebrations into a kind of honeymoon.
Destination Weddings usually require careful planning as they can involve additional logistical challenges, such as arranging accommodation, transportation and local wedding services in a far-flunglocation. Nevertheless, many couples opt for a destination wedding to create a unique and personalized experience.
Hm, so even if we leave aside the fact that this artificial creature should know that it is no longer appropriate to speak of “bride and groom”, but - as it has been established in our language for years - it is much more appropriate to speak of “wedding couple”, there are still one, two or more places that we think do not answer the question at all, first and foremost this one:
The idea behind a destination wedding is often to create a unique and special environment that is memorable for the couple and their guests.
Let's rephrase, no, correct it as follows:
The idea behind a wedding is always to create a unique and special environment that is unforgettablefor the couple and their guests.
And from our point of view, you don't need to travel hundreds of kilometers between your (chosen) home and where you say “I do”. On the contrary, for a wedding to be special and unique, it needs one thing above all, and as authentic as possible: you!
And what could be more obvious than to choose the surroundings, the region, the place where you feel at home, or at least in whose vicinity, also and above all because that's where you live?
In some cases, this one place, this one region, this one country that has a special, individual meaning for you and (literally) accompanies you on your journey together is somewhere else. We understand. We like. We plan.
What we don't really understand, nor do we really like and/or enjoy planning, for example, is hosting the trillionth finca wedding on a Mediterranean island beloved by Germans - which starts with M and ends with allorca - just because “destination weddings” have been trending again for a while (# everyyearagain # yawn).
Incidentally, something that doesn't happen here at all, this trend thing. Two personalities, celebrating their connection, their love, is always in vogue and therefore more or less above any trends. Also and above all how these two people arrange it...both in terms of the program and the look, for us there is only the goal here to create something that will still evoke the most beautiful memory for you even if the corresponding hashtag on Instagram has disappeared into oblivion or the whole social network has perhaps finally imploded...!
But since we could almost fill a separate blog post with our comments on this, let's get back to the actual topic.
Where we can at least partially share in the outcome of the artificial shape of our brains:
Destination Weddings usually require careful planning, as they can involve additional logistical challenges, such as arranging accommodations, transportation and local wedding services in a far-flung location.
Because we can't help it, a small addition first: organizing a wedding always requires careful planning, no matter where it takes place.
But yes, the logistics of “destination weddings” are a very unique and sometimes quite challengingtrallafitti. Regardless of any language barriers - a little insider: yes, “ladder” is actually the English word for “ladder”... - this perhaps forgotten proverb also fits quite well here:
Other countries, other customs!
Which is great, by the way, and exactly how it should be! But it can often lead to a lot of extra work (and a few more crémants than usual...), especially when it comes to communication and planning in advance. Not to mention the different expectations and demands in terms of realization. It can be quite normal that instead of an edible wedding cake that has been coordinated in detail, a dummy that looks completely different from the one briefed is served... luckily the cake had disappeared for hours in the foreign pampas, so that instead of being served at the reception in daylight, it only made its (fake) appearance for dessert, fortunately after the really edible dessert, in the dark flanked by a wine level that had been reached by then.
Incidentally, in our opinion, the solution cannot be to fly in the entire program and the service providers involved, e.g. goods of all kinds, decorative furnishings, floristry, etc. from Germany....
Which brings us to one of our last points (yep, you're almost there!):
The ecological footprint!
Dear people, we only have this one world! And anyone who, amidst reports of floods, storms, extreme heat and drought, et cetera pp., has not yet understood that every one of our micro-movements now has a macro consequence, should quickly type “climate change” into ChatGPT...
No question, it is almost impossible to plan and realize an event, be it a wedding or a company party, 100% sustainably, which is why we have never proclaimed anything else in this matter. What is possible, however, and what we believe should be a matter of course in everything we do, is a conscious and mindful use of resources. Whether this concerns the use of means of transportation or the use of regional, local products and/or services, of course it makes a difference whether you have 80 guests plus goods plus service providers traveling/flighting/traveling to the Hamburg area or to the Caribbean. And the often recommended vacation around it doesn't change anything. You could also go to the North Sea. Just saying.
As you can see or read, the topic of “destination weddings” triggers a few red flags for us, but this explicitly does not mean two things: It's not that we generally don't attend weddings abroad. If the story behind it and during it is coherent and we have the feeling that the aspects included in the luggage are handled carefully and consciously, then we are very happy to travel with you to farawaycountries...yes, even to Mallorca.
Secondly, we always follow the mantra: “To every child their own balloon” (...just please don't let it go up!), which of course also applies to this topic. Whether wedding couple, planner or serviceprovider - your thing, your rules!
For us, the most important thing is that this balloon is chosen for the right reasons, and since “right” is of course highly subjective, it can of course also be the Instagram Pinterest Vogue celebrity hype orperhaps simply the wanderlust factor.
With this in mind, we wish you all a wonderful and safe journey through the 2024 wedding season - whether on another continent or on your own doorstep.
Bye, Goodbye, Adiós, Au revoir, Sayōnara, Tot ziens, Do svidaniya, ... Ciao for now!
Sarah & Liv
P.S. By the way, the pictures are not from a wedding in Tuscany, but from our beautiful home town of Hamburg - #auchwennsnichtsoaussieht #isso :-)
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