It’s no secret that we love to travel! I grew up traveling my whole life and I love the feeling of arriving in a distant location with a whole new world to explore. New people, sites, food, and all kinds of other endless possibilities await for an epic adventure. During my years as a photographer I have had the pleasure to shoot amazing weddings and assignments all over the US, and a few outside of the country. Of course, I also shoot a lot of Atlanta weddings and the surrounding areas of Georgia.

From all of my years of traveling and photographing destination weddings, I have learned a lot. Here are 10 reasons you should definitely have a destination wedding.

YOU LOVE TO TRAVEL

This one is obvious. If you love to travel, then a destination wedding would be a great excuse to do more! When choosing a destination wedding, you are not just limited to venues around you, you have the whole world to choose from. You can go to a different state or a whole different country. It could be a location that has sentimental value to you or your family, or it could just be a place you both have always wanted to visit.

WEATHER

The weather is something we can not control yet, but maybe some day. Maybe it rains 363 days of the year where you live, or it’s hot all year long. With a destination wedding you can choose a more desirable area that has weather you would like. There’s no guarantee it won’t rain on your wedding day, but your destination location might be less prone to raining. You can also choose to have your wedding in the winter where you live, but summer somewhere else in the world. This gets you out of the cold and could be better timing for your schedule.

YOU CAN KEEP THE GUEST LIST SMALL

When you are traveling for your wedding, you don’t have to worry about feeling compelled to invite everyone you know. In fact, you can be pretty strict with your guest list and keep it to your closest family and friends. Or, you can invite everyone. Not as many people are going to be able to attend when they have to pay their own travel.

IT CAN BE MORE INTIMATE

Many of our couples who did not have destination weddings have said the same thing, they wished they had more time by themselves and with the people that meant the most to them. On the wedding day dozens of guests are all fighting for your attention wanting to congratulate you, chat, ect. By having a destination wedding with just the key people in your life, you are able to spend much more time celebrating with them and spend more time by yourselves.

IT’S EASY

If you choose a destination wedding, you won’t need to spend as much time stressing over every detail. Most venues located in popular destination wedding areas offer great options that can be tailored to your wants and needs. They also often include a planner / coordinator for you to keep organized and ensure everything runs smoothly. Plus the amazing scenery itself takes care of most of the decorating.

IT’S A LOT CHEAPER THAN YOU THINK

Expensive is first thing most people think of when they hear the words destination wedding. In reality, destination weddings can be surprisingly affordable. Remember, your guest list will be much smaller with a destination wedding. The majority of cost for weddings comes from the need to feed and supply your guests with drinks. With destination weddings, most guests pay for their own transportation, accommodations, ect, so this frees up a ton from your budget. You can always offer to pay for some travel or maybe a really nice meal for everyone if you’d like.

Also, many hotels and resorts offer discounts and all-inclusive options for larger parties, so you can save a lot there too for yourself and your guests.

YOU CAN HIRE A DESTINATION WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER 

The photos from your wedding day are one, if not the most important, treasures you will have after everything has come to an end.  These are the photos which capture the emotion, the love and happiness, and everything in-between of your adventure. It’s not something you want to leave to chance, so you’ll want to find a destination wedding photographer who takes the photographs you love and has the experience of traveling specifically for destination weddings. As if you even need to ask, of course I would love to be your destination wedding photographer!

MORE EPIC PHOTOS!

Of course you can have your photographer there for just your wedding day, but even better, have them there for a few key days. Maybe you are planning an exciting adventure with your family and friends. Have your photographer tag along to document it! You can also plan some time to shoot some epic portraits with just you and your partner in some amazing locations you normally wouldn’t be able to capture on your wedding day.

IT’S UNIQUE

Most couples want their day to be unique to them and standout from many weddings they have attended in the past. Many couples do this by choosing a theme or spending extra money on tons of extras that highlight their personalities and add a wow factor. Although destination weddings have grown in popularity, it’s still only a small percentage of couples who choose to get married this way. The amazing location, breathtaking views, and incredible weather will all help your day be unique to you.

IT BOOSTS THE CELEBRATION

Weddings are typically only a one day celebration and many couples say the best part of their day was having all their loved ones there to celebrate with them. With a destination wedding you can get so much more than just one day! You might choose a long weekend or even stretch it out over a week. This way you can have your amazing wedding day and include so much more celebration through local adventures and other activities.

BONUS! THE HONEYMOON CAN START EARLY

By time the wedding is over, most couples need a vacation from all the stress, planning, emotions, and excitement of the big day. With a destination wedding you can start the vacation before the wedding day and continue through afterwards. No need to worry about anything but showing up, relaxing, and having a great time. Some couples choose to honeymoon at the same place they have their wedding. Others might start at their wedding location, then hop around to a few other amazing locations for the honeymoon. It’s totally up to you!

My name is Matt Druin and I’m an Atlanta wedding photographer that specializes in unique, offbeat weddings for all awesome people! Not only do I shoot amazing Atlanta weddings, but I also travel frequently for destination weddings, and weddings all over, with no travel fees in the US for amazing wedding photography. I also shoot Atlanta engagement sessions for newly engaged couples. I’ve even been known to travel, and far, for engagement sessions too!

Contact Atlanta Wedding Photographer Matthew Druin

Email [email protected]

Phone 678-551-0115

Address 225 Parkway 575 #66 Woodstock, Georgia 30188

Portfolios www.matthewdruin.com

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