Weddingbee Blog

I’ve been having a difficult time deciding exactly what time to have my (our…why do I keep doing that?) ceremony. As you may or may not remember, Mr. Pancakes and I REALLY want to have a morning wedding. Practically, it’ll allow our guests to enjoy their day in Costa Rica. Also, it’ll be the rainy season, and the morning is the best time for a rain-free ceremony. Personally, we love the morning, and we are super impatient (like children on Christmas morning) and don’t want to have to wait all day to get married. Recently, my wedding planner let me know that 9 AM would probably be the best time to have the wedding…and I was a little panicked! I would LOVE to have an early morning wedding. In fact, I used to dream about having a sunrise ceremony. I just loved the idea of starting the day off with a wedding and just spending the whole day celebrating.

The problem is that I don’t want to deal with all the griping and complaining that comes with an early morning wedding. I already feel selfish for choosing a destination wedding, but now to make people get up at eight in the morning on their vacation!?

Then I saw this:

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This lovely couple eloped at 5 AM! The light is amazing, and the bride and groom couldn’t look happier. (No sleepy eyes here!)

Granted, our situation is slightly different because we did invite guests, so it’s not just about getting me and Mr. P up, but also about getting all the bridesmaids and groomsmen up and ready in time for the ceremony.

Here’s my thought: It’s our wedding. If people are there, they are there. If they aren’t, then they aren’t. At the end of the day, we’ll be married and we’ll still have ALL day to celebrate with all the people we love…

Obviously it isn’t that simple, but it’s nice to dream. It’s just so hard to balance what’s best for us and what’s best for the guests (who happen to be our closest friends and family). The way I see it there are a number of factors to consider when having an outdoor destination wedding:

1. Local weather (You don’t want to have a wedding during the hottest time of the day!)
2. When’s high tide/low tide? (Make sure there is enough sand/beach!)
3. Light (Talk to your photographer!! what time of day do they like to shoot, and where will the sun be during your ceremony?)
4. Travel time (Where are your guests staying, and how long will they need to get to the ceremony? Unlike most weddings, at destination wedding the guests are often staying AT the ceremony site, so there is far less travel time.)
5. Arrival and departure of guests. (When are your guests arriving, and when will they need to leave? While it may be cheaper for you, it may greatly inconvenience your guests to have a Friday-night or Sunday-night wedding.)
6. It’s your wedding!!! Decide what’s most important to you and go for it…after all, you only get married once! (Well, we hope!)

What time are you getting married? Did you have any trouble deciding on a timeline, or did it all kind of fall into place naturally?