Considering a destination wedding in a sultry location, or perhaps a wedding in your old home town?

To be different and to start off the marriage with a different sort of spice, many couples are choosing destination weddings thinking it will fulfill their wedding dream………..until the planning starts.

Let's face, you can't do everything long distance. You're going to need help.

A responsible relative (mother or sister, usually) or a best friend can be VERY helpful in this effort. Still, planning the wedding in a remote location can be more stressful than having it back in your hometown or where your parents currently live.

If you follow some of the following tips, you will add enjoyment to the wedding planning process by reducing the stress on yourself and your helper.

First, if you have a helper who lives in the town, odds are that helper is NOT a professional in the business. This is okay, but remember to help your friend help you. Don't expect them to do everything. Moreover, don't expect to be on the phone with them every day. If you feel their degree of responsiveness is not what you desire, gently take on more of the planning yourself in a nice and grateful way. Treasure your relationship with your helper. He or she should be able to give you room in deciding alternatives and direction.

Second, if you're getting married in a popular location, the name of the city or town may have a website. Try it and see by typing www.nameofcity.com and see what you come up with. If the place DOES have a website, there may be some vendors there that can help you. Look them up under the advertisers or yellow pages options on the site. Send them ALL an email and check their responsiveness. Remember, responsiveness is the key in long distance wedding planning. If they don't respond or don't respond in a timely manner, try another vendor.

Many companies in this day and age STILL don't respond to email, even though they have a website. If you're stuck for alternatives, give these same vendors a call or write them a letter. If they still don't respond to your satisfaction, then you MUST move on.

If you still have trouble lining up vendors, find out who the local telephone company is and buy a telephone book from them. You'll find ways to recoup your costs back for the book. You can also hire a wedding coordinator in the local area. Many of them have very reasonable fees.

Another great way to find local vendors is to search the Internet for them. Enter the city name followed by the word "weddings" and you will likely find some local Internet sites to help you out. Here are some to get you started:

http://www.SpringsWeddings.com (Colorado Springs, CO)
http://www.FtLauderdaleBride.com (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
http://www.BocaWeddings.com (Boca Raton, FL)
http://www.WestPalmWeddings.com (West Palm Beach, FL)
http://www.LakesAreaWeddings.com (Detroit Lakes, MN)
http://www.FargoWeddings.com (Fargo, ND)
http://www.DenverWeddingCenter.com (Denver, CO)
http://www.KnoxvilleWeddings.com (Knoxville, TN)
http://www.SmokyMtnBride.com (Smoky Mtns, Gatlinburg, and Pigeon Forge, TN)
http://www.RockyMtnWeddings.com (Summit County, CO - Featuring Ski Resort Areas)
http://www.MinneapolisWeddingGuide.com (Minneapolis, MN)

Next time, we'll discuss how to work with individual vendors.

You can contact the author of this article, Ken Giordano, at 1-866-Time4Us. Associated Ministers is currently available to you in the states of Virginia, Maryland, Missouri, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, parts of West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

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