It is days, not an evening
A wedding at home is a long day. A wedding abroad is usually a welcome dinner, the wedding itself, and a brunch nobody warned you about, spread across a Thursday to a Sunday — plus the flights either side.
Bookings here are priced by the day, with one day as the minimum, and you pay the day rate for every day booked. So the honest first step is to count the days you actually want company for, rather than the hours of the wedding. Some women book the wedding day and the night before and travel alone; others book the whole stretch. Both are ordinary.
Settle this before you book flights
- Which days he is booked for, and which you are happy to spend on your own
- Separate rooms, confirmed rather than assumed
- Who books and pays for flights, the hotel and any transfers — travel costs are confirmed with you before the booking, not raised afterwards
- The dress code for each event, since there is usually more than one
- Whether the couple's accommodation block has space, and by when they need the name
The refund window bites harder abroad
The booking is paid in full when you confirm it. Seven or more days before the date you can reschedule it or cancel for a 50% refund; inside seven days the fee is kept and the date cannot move.
Flights and hotels have their own, usually stricter, rules — and a destination wedding is normally confirmed months out, so this rarely bites in practice. It matters in one case: if the wedding itself moves at short notice, the plane ticket and the booking are two separate problems with two separate deadlines. Tell us as soon as you know, while rescheduling is still possible.
He is a guest at someone else's wedding
That is the part that makes it different from any other trip. He is on a fixed guest list, in a hotel full of people who all know each other, for several days rather than one evening. Whether you tell the couple is entirely your decision, and plenty of women simply don't.
What helps is the same five minutes of planning a wedding at home needs, scaled up: a couple of names, what the group is doing each day, and what you would like him to do when you are pulled away. Boundaries are agreed in writing before you meet, which is worth more over four days than over four hours.
Frequently asked questions
How is a destination wedding priced?
By the day, at the day rate, for every day booked — including travel days. One day is the minimum. You see the full estimate, travel costs included, before you confirm anything.
Do we share a room?
No. Separate rooms and clear sleeping arrangements are agreed before you travel. The company is strictly platonic and the distance from home does not change that.
Who pays for his flight and hotel?
Travel and accommodation are part of the estimate and confirmed with you before the booking, so the figure you agree is the figure you pay.
What if the wedding is postponed?
Tell us as soon as you know. Seven or more days ahead the booking can be rescheduled or cancelled for a 50% refund; inside seven days the fee is kept and the date cannot move.
Should I tell the couple he is booked?
Entirely your choice. Privacy is respected on both sides, and nothing is recorded or posted without permission. Most people say a friend came with them, which is true and needs no maintenance.