Here are my expert tips on why you want to do your engagement shoot in the destination you are getting married.

1. 1. It allows you to take your wedding vendor team for a test drive! It’s very important to have a feel of the vendors that will work with you on your special day. It is also hard to make that happen with a destination wedding.  Most destination couples do not meet their vendors until a few days before their wedding.  Doing your engagement shoot in the same destination allows you to meet, work with and get comfortable with your team before wedding week.  It also gives the bride the extra perk of doing her hair and make-up trial. Score!
2. 2. Most vendors are willing to offer you great rates on your engagement shoot if you confirm with them for your wedding. Find out if you pay their regular rates upfront and receive a credit against your wedding package when you confirm. Insider note: If you are a Moon Palace bride, explore doing their Preview of Paradise. You will pay for upfront and if you confirm your wedding with them, they will credit the cost of your stay for the 3 days to your master bill. This can be used however you choose against your wedding expenses.  You just scored a quick getaway for just the cost of your airfare.  Thank me when you call to book your decor and design services!
3. 3. You get to run away for some intimate time in the destination that you will exchange your vows in. There’s nothing more romantic than a short getaway before your wedding.  It gives you a break from your daily to just enjoy the fun side of wedding planning!

Take a quick peek at some sweet shots from our May 2017 couple, Stacey + Tony from their engagement shoot in the springtime.  Fabulosity!!

Special thanks to the following vendors:

Borghinvilla for a beautiful venue

Merrick Cousley Photography who rocks every shoot

Joni Stone of Gourmet Makeup, who’s team make all our brides feel + look gorgeous on their special days

Weddtv, who captured all the feels!

No Planning | Just Paradise

O*

We are so excited that you found us and we are looking forward to working with you! We designed our site with the busy bride in mind. We know that you want an amazing wedding design, flawless execution and a team of professionals behind you to keep everything organized and make sure that the process is smooth and fun! We know that you want amazing but you also want to relax and enjoy the process. We know you aren’t really planning to do this again so this whole “once in a lifetime awesomeness” is really important to you!

We heard you. We are here for you.

Here is sneak peek into our initial style shoot we did for the website earlier this year. It gives you a feel of our aesthetic and a peek at one of the gorgeous venues that you have at your disposal when you collaborate with us, The Moon Palace Jamaica Grande!

Happy browsing!

Designer: Ophellia McKnight
Planner:  The Destination Collective
Flowers: D’Mar Events
Bridal Stylist: Vainglorious Brides
Make-up: Gourmet Makeup
Photography: Joel Finnigen Photography
Venue: Moon Palace Jamaica Grande, Ocho Rios

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A destination beach wedding in Jamaica plus fun couple who loves Games of Thrones…results in an amazing and fun wedding celebration!

We love when our clients embrace their wedding day and infuse their personalities so it reflects them. Our fun and gorgeous couple did that for their luxurious beach destination wedding this summer. Their wedding design and styling was a nod to their love for “Game of Thrones”.  It incorporated old world elegance and bohemian luxury.

I was very excited to work with this couple because though their details were exquisite, their focus was on a culinary experience. They wanted to share their passion for cuisine, wines and all things cheese.  This spoke to my foodie heart and we created an evening to remember. One of the highlights was their non traditional “cheese cake” instead of a traditional sweet dessert.  We topped the evening off by releasing 75 wish lanterns which seem to create its own galaxy.  fitting ode to an evening well spent.  Here are a few shots to whet your appetite!

Take a look at their wedding video trailer below and look out for a full blog post on their wedding details soon.

https://vimeo.com/175842606

Xoxo,
O*

Hire a destination wedding planner because it saves you loads of time and effort planning a wedding from another country! That sums it up in a nutshell and I am sure that you may have read articles like this ad nauseum since you first had the thought to do a destination wedding lol.  Here are a few other really good reasons and why you should choose The Destination Collective as your wedding planner bestie!

Because this is what we do every day, 7 days a week for our clients so you don’t have to dedicate hours of your week to planning a wedding.

Because doing this as our full time job allows us to dedicate the time necessary to do the research and curate all the vendors that you will ever need to execute your wedding flawlessly

Because we have seen every venue worth seeing on the island of Jamaica (and have a handful of hidden gems that we only share with our clients ;), we have met with and/or worked with almost every wedding professional on the island who can deliver the level of quality that our clients deserve

Because our reputation and experience in the industry allows us to negotiate the best deals with our vendors on your behalf

Because we are trained in vendor contract negotiations and can suggest amendments to protect you (please note however that we do not provide legal advice and will redirect you to your lawyer for that service;).

Because we will be there from the moment of our first e-coffee to making sure the venue is broken down after the wedding. Everything will be prepared before you get to destination and all your last minute issues will be taken care of while you relax on your day and entertain your guests at your wedding.

And if that isn’t enough, we have a major emergency kit that covers anything that may possibly arise on your day…no matter what happens, we’ve got you covered so relax the way one of our springtime couples did and allow us to handle your details so that you can just have a good time and #welcometoJamrock!

Thanks to Merrick Cousley for these amazing shots of our bohemian beach wedding this summer!