Getting Married In Australia? Overcoming the Challenges of Getting Your Relatives from Overseas

Your wedding is arguably one of, if not the most memorable days in your life. It is a celebration of your love for one another, and also a time to share the joy with your closest family and friends. With that said, you want all your loved ones in attendance, but that’s not always easy, especially if you have relatives who come from overseas.

Here we’ll take a look at some simple tips and steps you can use that will help you to overcome the challenges of getting your overseas relatives to Australia in time for your wedding. There’s no need to let the logistics stress you out and spoil your big day.

Book Your Date and Venue Well In Advance

Because overseas relatives need plenty of notice, it’s important that you book your wedding date and venue well in advance. Giving only a few weeks’ notice to your overseas guests will likely result in them not being able to make it, leaving you disappointed at the turnout.

There’s also the fact that by leaving the booking until the last possible moment, you risk not being able to get your top choice of venue. Places tend to book up months in advance, especially ones that are popular and feature the kind of atmosphere that is trending right now, such as the popular rustic chic look.

Quoting Tony, general manager at Factory 51 wedding venue in Brisbane, celebrating with your dearest friends and family is critical to the success of the day, but the right venue is also important. You can bet places such as this book up fast, so this needs to be the first thing to check off on your to-do list.

Send a Save the Date

Once you’ve picked a date and a venue, ideally you will want to send out a “Save the Date” notice immediately. This doesn’t have to be as formal as a wedding invitation, you can even send it as an e-vite. The purpose is to let people know when the wedding will happen, so they can book the time off and start to plan their trip.

Block Hotel Accommodations for Guests

Unless you plan on hosting all your overseas relatives in your home, they’re going to need hotel accommodations. Rather than leaving it to them to find something that is conveniently located and comfortable, you can do the legwork for them and reserve hotel room blocks. This is possible when you need to reserve 10 or more rooms in a hotel. Typically the hotel will also offer a group discount for your guests.

Once you reserve the hotel blocks, be sure to communicate to your guests the hotel information they need to make the booking. This includes the phone number/booking number and any pertinent website details if they choose to book online.

Having a block of rooms reserved means your guests are guaranteed to find space. Experts tend to suggest reserving a block of rooms three to eight months in advance. The final tip is to make sure you speak to the hotel about what happens with rooms not booked. Some hotels may charge you a fee for rooms that don’t end up being used.

Think About Transportation Once Guests Arrive

Another important consideration is what your guests plan on doing once they arrive in terms of transportation? For example, how will they get from the airport to the hotel? If all your relatives on coming on the same flight or just a couple, it may be a nice touch for you to meet them there. You can also pre-arrange transportation with a service so they don’t have to worry about anything.

Should family members wish to rent a car and do a little sightseeing while they are staying in Australia, you can provide them with a list of potential car hire companies to check out.

Keep the Lines of Communication Open

The most important tip will be to keep the lines of communication open so you are there to answer any questions or concerns relatives may have regarding the planning and booking process.

There’s No Need for Stress

Following each of these tips will ensure that there is no stress involved with getting overseas relatives to Australia for your wedding.