By: WPIC Instructor and Destination Wedding Expert, Monica Caesar of Aisle Plan Your Day
The Destination Wedding Market is the fastest growing sector of the Wedding Industry and it was my distinct pleasure to facilitate the Professional Destination Wedding Coordinator & Specialist Certification Course for WPIC. The course was held at the Varscona Hotel on Whyte Ave in Edmonton on April 17, 2016. The class consisted of travel agents and certified wedding planners eager to expand their knowledge in the area of destination weddings.
A big thank you to the Mexico Tourism Board for sponsoring part of our course and supplying the students with some swag.
As a full time destination wedding planner and owner of Aisle Plan Your Day based in Edmonton, Alberta; it was a wonderful opportunity to connect with local Edmonton planners and travel agents to speak about an industry I am so passionate about. My extensive travel planning destination weddings for my clients, attending industry conferences, reviewing hotel properties, private wedding venues and wedding packages allows me to stay up to date with the latest industry trends and build an extensive network of top industry professionals worldwide. Through these experiences, I am able to provide first-hand knowledge to the students in all aspects of destination wedding planning and in every facet of the business.
Our day started off really focusing in on who the destination wedding couple is and what makes a couple opt for a destination wedding over a local wedding. We discussed all of the factors that destination wedding couples need to consider before determining if a destination wedding is a good fit; followed by how we can market to this clientèle to expand their businesses into the destination wedding market. Destination wedding planning is not for the faint of heart… having the ability to problem solve in a new country, be extremely organized and detailed, resourceful and quick on your feet, patience (with slow responses from vendors and venues overseas), and a true love for travel are all key aspects to being a successful destination wedding planner.
I think that in destination weddings, a common misconception is that planners and clients are not aware of the expansive options available for destination weddings, and that taking the wedding off the resort and beyond the typical “cookie cutter” resort weddings; can offer some really unique wedding services and options to the couples. In the course, I spent time reviewing the pros and cons of weddings on resort vs. private venues off resorts and emphasized the importance of building relationships with resorts, coordinators and private venues and vendors to be able to offer our destination clients an array of options.
Some of the topics covered throughout the DWC course included:
- The business of destination weddings including how to market our services, how to charge and things to be mindful of when preparing our contracts with clients
- The top destination wedding locations and best times of the year for travel
- The legalities of destination weddings and things to be aware of with regards to marriage requirements, blood tests, residency periods, etc
- The steps involved in planning a destination wedding for clients
- Things to consider when planning a destination wedding
- Including children into a destination weddings and factors to consider when children are invited
- Mapping out your role in this industry as a destination specialist, travel agent or both
- How to build am International vendor database and nurture those relationships
- And much, much more……
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