Four Winds Wedding Blog

Choosing to have a destination wedding can be quite a liberating experience. The idea of having a small, intimate ceremony in a tropical setting is something that is becoming more and more appealing to engaged couples around the world.  Not only are destination weddings more affordable, but they are less stressful as well. Since far-away weddings are typically harder to self manage, wedding planners provide the wedding party with the confidence of knowing that the event is being taken care of professionally and within budget. One of the big decisions that any bride has to make is whether to go with an in-house wedding planner or choose an independent option. This is probably the single most important detail regarding your destination wedding, so it’s a good idea to give this a lot of thought. I’ll admit, when my husband and I were married in Jamaica, we didn’t even know that there were independent destination wedding planners out there. Since we had event experience and floral design expertise, we didn’t really stress too much about the concept of going with the in-house planner at the resort who we had never met. Well, pretty much anything that could have gone wrong did.  I am not saying by any means that this is the result of using an in-house planner, but there are issues that can occur when the wedding planner works, first and foremost, for the resort. I have listed 5 reasons why you are better off using an independent wedding planner:

1. A good independent planner will take your vision and add their artistic touch to it. They will create a completely custom event from start to finish without using formulaic decorations or floral bouquets.
2. Negotiating power. No one wants to haggle with vendors when planning a romantic event. Independent planners have more negotiating power due to their established relationships with vendors. Leave the negotiating to them and enjoy the discounts that they provide.
3. An independent planner works for you and, ultimately, answers to you.
4. Many independent planners are harnessing modern technology, like Skype, to narrow the distance between bride and planner. This makes for a personal planning experience.
5. Independent planners can help you choose your event location based on your needs. From beach mansion’s to boutique hotels, they create a plethora of venue options so that your day is exactly as you imagined.