There is no reason why a wedding planned in an exotic location should compromise your dreams in any way. By considering the following pointers and keeping abreast of all of your choices, your wedding has the potential to be a unique expression of yourself and a honeymoon all rolled into one.

Choosing your Destination

1 - Check out local marriage guidelines – some destinations require you to be in the country for a "waiting period" before your wedding day. If this doesn't suit your schedule you might want to choose another location.

2 - Weather – some regions are prone to hurricanes during specific times of the year. Although these times are considered "off season" and therefore cheaper, they also pose risks to your day.

3 - Check into the wedding services available in the area. The more remote your location the less services will be on offer, including tourism type activities. This might affect your guests decision to attend the wedding

4 - Cut costs for you and your guests by booking a destination wedding in off season times. For the Caribbean this is between May and November.

Nailing Down The Details

Are you happy handling all the details of your wedding yourself or would you rather have the support of an onsite wedding planner? Planners are in touch with local service vendors and often have the local knowledge that can save you money and time. Once you have decided on your location, its time to decide if you want to enlist a wedding planner 'on the ground' to help with your plans.

To begin, use an online resource such as http://www.islandbrides.com to get an initial list of all the planners in your chosen wedding destination. Contact them all initially by email to see who gets back to you promptly and efficiently. Once you've narrowed down the list to 2 or 3 possible, keep up an email dialogue with them so you can find out which of them wants to plan your wedding, your way, and which are only interested in selling you their own fixed packages.

Once you have found the planner you feel most comfortable with, make sure that you have spoken to each other a few times, on the phone, before you arrive in your location. Make sure they know what you want for your wedding, and have given you a detailed quote for their services, broken down so you can see exactly what you are getting. Also ask the obvious questions about experience, packages and how she/he charges for their services.

It may seem like a lot of work, but choosing your wedding planner can make or break your day, so putting him or her through their paces will ensure you are happy with your choice, and both you and the planner are on the same page.

The Cake, The Photographer, The Flowers, The Stylist, and all the rest.

If you have decided to enlist a wedding planner, he or she will be able to recommend florists, bakers, and stylists in the area. Don't be afraid to ask to see photos of the work of these people - if they're not willing to provide them, choose someone else.

If you are doing your own planning, most wedding vendors have websites nowadays, and destination wedding websites such as http://www.islandbrides.com/ can put you directly in touch with everyone you will need for your wedding plans.

Just as with choosing your wedding planner, don't just choose one from the list. Start by contacting them all, and then narrow your list of options down by speaking regularly to them. You can tell a lot from a few e-mails back and forth, and you have the chance to make sure you are getting exactly what you want out of your package, and review their work online.

With a bit of time spent on research, and a few e-mails in the right direction, your dream beach wedding can be an event that every guest remembers for the rest of their lives.