Am I Obligated to Attend an Expensive Destination Wedding?
You should not feel obligated to attend an unaffordable destination wedding, or one inconvenient or impossible for you to travel to. If a couple plans a destination wedding and chooses to invite several people, they should fully expect that some might not make it.
Many couples plan intimate destination weddings with reasonable pricing, but some include elaborate ceremonies and luxury resorts that quickly stretch a budget. Factors such as cost, children, limitations on travel, and length of time may cause issues for even the best of friends, so try not to beat yourself up about missing a Caribbean ceremony!
Make your best effort, but if things just refuse to align the way you need them to, send your congratulations and stay at home. And remember, you need not explain your reasoning to the bride and groom unless you really want your inability to attend to remain your own private business. They should understand!
How do I Dress Appropriately for a Caribbean wedding?
Caribbean weddings, despite their fabulous location, are still weddings, and this typically means dressing up. Not every ceremony takes place barefoot on the beach some occur in hotel ballrooms, fancy restaurants, churches, and a variety of other venues that require you to look your best!
Some brides choose to relax their dress code to reflect the laidback atmosphere, particularly if the ceremony takes place outside in this case, you’ll be informed. And regardless of the environment, avoid showing up to a wedding ceremony in your bathing suit or a beach cover-up! Many islands specify that couples must not wear swimsuits to the ceremony location, and this logic applies to guests as well.
What Will I Need to Pay For?
Guests typically pay for their own lodging and transportation, but not for any activities involved with the wedding i.e., the ceremony, rehearsal dinner, reception, and so on. If a bride and groom choose to plan activities in the following days, they should cover your cost. You pay for any outside activities, meals, or other things you pursue on your own time outside of wedding activities.
As a guideline, the couple pays for anything that they invite you to. However, this may vary per couple, so know the cost of the trip you sign up for some destination weddings adds up quickly! The exception here applies to attendants in their case, the bride and groom pay for lodging and transportation.
Should I Send a Gift even if I can’t attend the Wedding?
Guests should feel no obligation to send a gift if they choose not to attend the destination wedding. Just remember that everyone loves a present and appreciates the thought, so depending on how well you know the couple, consider making the nice gesture regardless!
Do I bring my Gift to the Destination?
Because of the hassle of dealing with gifts on airlines, and the issue of transporting all of them back from the destination, guests usually send their gifts to the home of the couple or the mother of the bride. If the couple plans otherwise, they will send further instructions.