Tips for Planning a Destination Wedding In Croatia
I’m officially back in the states after a whirlwind trip to Paris last weekend and while it’s fresh on my mind, I wanted to share some tips for planning a destination wedding in Croatia
(which is where I was for much of June)
First off, if you’re thinking of doing a destination wedding and you love Europe and the ocean/coast and have an adventurous spirit - Croatia is an incredible location to get married. It has an Italy vibe, but much more affordable. I’m sure it’s not on your top 3 list… but I’m here to tell you, it should be. Truly a magical place, very affordable, and the people are so lovely.
Okay, for the real tips:
Start planning now! This goes for all destination weddings - not just Croatia. There are just exponentially more logistics when it comes to planning a destination wedding. That being said, traveling to Europe is a bit more involved that hopping over to Cabo for the weekend, so it’s great to start at least 18 months out to help your friends and family also have time to plan for travel.
Make it as easy as possible for your guests. Give them ALL the information early and often. Getting your group to commit and confirm may be one of the biggest challenges throughout the planning. Stay on top of them! I like to ask your guests for a “deposit” - this can go towards their room/excursions/anything really - just having them financially commit requires them to have some skin in the game and not flake out.
Hire a planner! Doesn’t need to be in Croatia, doesn’t need to be in the states -just have SOMEONE who can help you navigate it all so it’s not all on you. That goes for ALL weddings… obviously. There are pros and cons to hiring someone in country vs not… one big one for hiring someone in the states is it’s just logistically easier to meet with them with the time difference. I was constantly emailing, calling, texting my clients and that would have been so much more challenging if we were 9hrs apart.
Trust the in-country vendor’s advice. For example, my clients wanted to do a boat day with island hopping and end with a late lunch/dinner at this restaurant that they had been to before and loved it. Our boat captain from Bonaca Tours told us that over the years, that particular restaurant has come under new management and the quality has just gone way down. My clients were so disappointed but ultimately trusted him, and he recommended a new place that is top notch. Within one day, we had a prefixed menu sent over and approved + wine pairings and we were booked. The new place ended up being amazing - the food was incredible. So glad we trusted him!
Speaking of Bonaca Tours - Hire them!! Not only do they do boat tours, they do land transportation as well. Pickups from the airport, shuttle to the national parks, whatever you need as far as adventure, excursions, or just plain transport, they can do it. Depending on how many activities you want to do, there are a lot of logistics involved - having a planner who can be in constant communication with them on your behalf allows you to be fully present with your people and not on the phone the whole week. All the photos from this post were taken with their drones they brought out with them on our boat days. Such a thoughtful touch to send us those!
And finally, don’t plan too much. I know that may sound weird, but it’s important to plan some rest days where there are not big excursions or activities. Your group will appreciate it and it allows for great one on one time with you and your friends. Croatia is warm, it can be humid… being in the sun and out on the water sucks a lot of energy - take a day to just rest with your crew. No one will see it as lame or that you didn’t plan enough - I promise.
I could go on and on and I eventually will write up a whole guide to wedding planning in Croatia, but wanted to just give a snippet to anyone who is just in the initial idea phase. Whenever you’re considering a destination wedding, it’s important to have some big pictures ideas to start, hire the professionals, and then get into the details. If you’re considering Croatia as your location, feel free to reach out to us on our contact page and we’d love to chat with you more. At the very least - it’s a great place to spend a vacation and/or honeymoon and I highly recommend it!
