MISTAKES OUR FORMER CLIENTS MADE IN TRIP PLANNING

Mistakes our former clients made in trip planning that lowered the quality of their whole experience. And how to avoid them. This is our most important article to study.

 

We recommend you read this article before you even book your flights and start trip planning.

 

As you probably know, we've been working as elopement planners for 11 years. And on average, we have around 30 weddings every season. Minus two covid years, that makes 250+ planned elopements. And I am always talking with everyone, about how the trip was planned, what they liked and disliked, and why. And most couples share the same struggles.

 

I've collected their experience and made this guide on how to avoid the most popular planning mistakes that can ruin your wedding emotions.

​

You are planning a whole trip on your own. This can be your book of wisdom from our former clients.

​

​

​

MISTAKE #1 GOES LIKE THIS: "WE WERE TOO TIRED TO ACTUALLY ENJOY OUR ELOPEMENT DAY"
 

This is the most popular struggle for 9 out of 10 of our clients. And this one is so easy to make!

What happens? The couple plans a big packed euro trip with several countries, cities and destinations, Paris being one of them. 1-3 days for every city. By the time the wedding day comes, they are already exhausted from all the traveling. Running on little sleep they survive the elopement day like in a fog. And the whole experience is two things:
1) Endless rush
2) Kind of a blur from all the adrenaline

​

​

They dreamed about a perfect honeymoon and a wedding in Paris, but got an exhausting marathon of cities and museums.

Why does that happen? It can be one of 4 things:
-The couple is too overly excited about the whole trip planning and tries to squeeze in everything they want
-The couple has no experience of overseas traveling and thinks that 3 countries in 10 days will be easy and chill
-The couple has too much money to spend and wants to spend it all on one take
-There is an opinion that flight to Europe is very long, so better to use it to the fullest and visit more than one country while you're there (not to waste your long flight)

​

Do you know that there is such a thing as a dopamine overdose leading to decreased sensitivity to all exciting things? Imagine you are going to Disneyland first time in your life. First day, you will be super happy and excited about everything. On the second day, only 80% excited. On the third day, maybe around 40% and you begin feeling a little tired from it.

​

There are two solutions for that.

→The ideal solution: let it be just your elopement trip with Paris only, dedicated to your wedding. We recommend you to spend at least a whole week in Paris. 5-7 days. Your wedding day on a second or a third day. Then Paris museums, and landmarks. You won't be overtired. Maybe at the end, you can plan something else like a Cote d'Azur road trip or visit Venice.

​

→The more realistic solution that also works: plan your Paris wedding for the very first part of your trip. Paris is your first destination, you get married, and only then you go to Amsterdam, Rome, London, and Switzerland.

​

But our recommendation here is to not think about this trip as your last trip ever and the only chance to travel. This is not your last chance to experience the maximum number of European restaurants possible. You can return to Italy or London next year.

​

​

If you want to remember the elopement and experience it to the fullest, dedicate a whole trip. Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life.

​

You already booked a trip with at least 2 destinations before Paris? No worries. Just try to relax more, don't go to all your excurstions and save your strengths.

​

 

​

MISTAKE #2 GOES LIKE THIS: "WE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH DAYS FOR PARIS TO FULLY ENJOY IT"

​

We understand that not anyone has more than 2 weeks of vacation per year. And it is hard to leave your work. But if you have some extra vacation days, please hear us out.

What happens? The couple plans to spend only 3 days in Paris. On the first day they arrive and check into a hotel. The second day is for the elopement. The third day is packed with tours and shopping. And they plan to leave immediately after. But then suddenly there is rain announced for the elopement day. And the day after that. The couple does not have enough days to postpone and they have to get married during the terrible not-camera-friendly weather. Or even worse. The luggage with the wedding dress is lost by the airline. It takes 4 days to find and deliver it. The couple has only 3 days and no wedding can be held.
 

But not only those are major risks. Also, there is a risk to get overtired on the first day. The couple knows that they have only 3 days in Paris to explore, one day drops out as a wedding day. And what happens? They take everything from the first day. 5-hour long walking tour to visit the most famous landmarks, the couple goes to a restaurant, and it is so difficult to return back...staying in a french restaurant and drinking wine is too tempting to resist. They stay there till 11 PM, and return back to the hotel by midnight. But wake up is scheduled for 4 AM.

​

→The ideal solution: plan to stay in Paris for at least 4 to 5 days. You will have enough room for postponements in case of bad weather. Ideal plan is:
Day 1 - you arrive and check in
Day 2 - exploring Paris, dealing with jetlag, steaming wedding outfits
Day 3 - elopement
Days 4, 5, 6 plan b in case of bad weather + endless activity possibilities