You have seen just the place for your dream wedding. No, it’s nowhere close to home but who cares? You just have to be married there.

You have dreamed of getting married on the beach at a tropical destination but you live in a city nowhere near a beach.

The solution? A destination wedding. While many think this means a wedding where you and a selection of friends and family hop on a plane to a tropical island, there are also destination weddings that happen closer to home, just not at home.

Getting married elsewhere may mean that tropical beach, but it may also mean an apple orchard hours from home, a quaint town nestled in the mountains, a historic location that you just fell in love with. Whatever the ‘destination’ there are a few things to remember before booking.

If you are planning to get married in the country that you live in, that’s one less thing to worry about. If, however your ideal place is outside of the country there will be paperwork and licenses that have to be obtained. Most places known for their weddings will have a packaged deal that will be stress free and simple, they’ve done it before and they’ve perfected what they need to do.

If, however your dream wedding is in a place not known for weddings, you’ll have to do a lot of the legwork and planning on your own. (or with a professional planner of course)

Going out of town to get married is a lot more simple, you take who you want to be part of your big day and you save money on a huge reception since you only have a selection of friends and family in attendance. You can spend more time with your guests since there won’t be as many, and you will find the whole thing just a bit more relaxed than a large wedding with a large reception and everyone you have ever known in attendance.

If, however you have close friends and family who can’t travel or you just can’t leave out certain people no matter the numbers, then choosing a destination closer to home may be your ideal way to go. No one says it has to be a church and traditional, but having something within an hour of home helps everyone get there with not much hassle. Beach? Mountains? Historical site? Garden at home? Whatever you choose it’ll be beautiful.