While group travel may frighten some, others love the chance to bring their favorites together on an adventure to a fun destination! The idea of planning your wedding with no local family or friends may excite some and scare off others. We’re here to let you know this can be a reality. Chatting with the local wedding community and using technology resources can help when you are planning an out-of-town wedding from afar!
Planning Your Out-of-Town Wedding
Start here for tips on planning a wedding in Fargo, ND with no local family, friends, or inside help!
Hire a Wedding Planner
Hire a Fargo wedding planner early on. You will first need to make a decision early on if you are wanting a wedding planner. A common theme is that couples can’t afford a planner. But, oftentimes, planners are actually able to save you money by helping connect you with vendors that work well within your set wedding budget.
Get Referrals from Local Vendors
While preparing to reserve your wedding vendors, gather as much advice as you can from them. Pick their brain on any questions about the area you may have. Get local vendors’ suggestions on other wedding vendors they’ve worked well with that offer services you haven’t booked yet.
These venue managers, photographers, caterers, decorators, and DJs most likely work multiple events in the area every month and can help give you tips or a perspective you might not find from searching online.
Utilize Technology
Whenever distance is in the way, technology is your friend! When scheduling appointments with your vendors, ask if you can set up a video call on Zoom, FaceTime, or another video chat app they may prefer. You will gain a face to the name and benefit from the visual cues (and smiles!) to help you feel more familiar with your wedding day vendor partner.
Send Save The Dates Earlier
Typically save the dates are sent around 5-8 months before the wedding. (Regular wedding invites are sent 6-8 weeks before.) With a wedding with no local family or friends in town, it’s better to send save the dates around 8 months before. We suggest sending them 8 or even 9 months ahead of time if the weekend is a holiday weekend or a busy time to travel to that popular location. This will give wedding guests enough time to shop for the best prices on travel for your wedding day.
Keep Venues & Accommodations in One Area
Having a hotel block or two close to the venue will be essential for out-of-town weddings! It will also save you and your guests some hassle if you can book your rehearsal dinner location, wedding venue, and hotel block all within walking distance or ideally the same area of town. If your hotel has a shuttle to the airport, even better! This will cut down on taxi, Uber, or Lyft costs for everyone involved!
Venue Booking
We tell all our couples that picking out a wedding venue should be the first priority. This sets the stage for all the rest of your wedding planning. Some of the advantages of picking out your wedding venue first include:
- Making sure you get the location and date.
- Other vendors will know who and when they are working and then can adjust accordingly.
If you have a wedding planner or a family member who is able to go on your behalf, you can do site visits via FaceTime. If you’re planning yourself, finding a venue that handles the catering in-house will make your life much simpler. That’s one less vendor you’ll have to communicate with leading up to the big day.
Complete Weddings + Events Fargo, ND
Does fewer calls and contacts (plus more savings and services) sound splendid? Multiple services make it easy. Complete Weddings + Events offers multiple services to make it easy when wedding planning from near or far! View our locations at completewedo.com/locations and contact Complete for information on our event services for your special day