I had the recent pleasure of working with Zeiry Cortez Gomez and her team on a destination wedding here in Jamaica. Events by Zeiry, is a destination wedding planning firm based in South Florida.

Having planned numerous international destination weddings from the US to Tulum, Mexico and Ireland, it was only natural that we took a moment while Gomez was here in Jamaica to get a little international insight on destination wedding planning.

Shikima Hinds (SH): When you are tasked with designing a destination wedding in a foreign country, what are your strategies for bringing it all together?

Zeiry Cortez Gomez (ZCG): When couples choose a destination I begin our research in learning key details of the location, their cultural traditions and how to exclusively make the experience of the destination for the couple and their guests enjoyable and memorable.

SH: When it comes to destination weddings, what events are customary to plan for your guests?

ZCG: Typically, when couples choose a destination wedding we research different itinerary activities that would make the experience that much more memorable along with also planning a welcome cocktail party or welcome dinner along with excursions and perhaps different settings for breakfast and lunch during their time at the destination.

SH: What are some creative ways to weave in your location into the event(s)?

ZCG: Typically, when I pick a location we tend to incorporate their traditions, eg in Mexico, using mariachis for entertainment or using tequila as a welcome drink. In Mykonos, Greece, using instrumental musicians to escort the bride to the ceremony or a donkey with the musicians to escort the bride into the local town church. We try to use as many traditions from the destination within the ceremony or reception. This allows us to make the wedding as unique as possible but true to the vision of the couple.

SH: What’s trending now in weddings?

ZCG: Couples are seeking to have elopements with their closest loved ones and friends at a unique location. Quite a few couples are leaning towards bohemian and modern touches along with simple and classic romantic touches. Couples are also asking for unique personal touches to be incorporated to show the guests how this is true to their personalities.

SH: How long have you been a wedding planner and how did you decide that destination weddings were the niche you wanted to focus on?

ZCG: I have been a wedding planner for almost 12 years. About four years ago I began to travel and on our first destination wedding I quickly realised the experience in the opportunities of expanding our margin of locations and how our couples really, truly enjoy the experience of being in a different destination with their loved ones. As there are so many locations, the world is full of endless opportunities for showcasing weddings throughout the US and overseas. When couples ask us to explore different destinations we are completely open to travelling anywhere to make their vision and dream wedding possible.

SH: What’s your favourite part of producing a wedding?

ZCG: My absolute favourite part of producing a wedding is the design process of creating that vision our couples have dreamed of and putting that together and presenting that to them in our customised inspiration portfolios. I love their reactions. Along with the process of developing that full design in person upon arriving to the destination.

SH: Where do you get your creative inspirations?

ZCG: Once we choose a destination or location we begin the process of researching and learning the history in the cultural traditions of the destination and researching photos so we can incorporate colour palettes and additional details within the weddings for a couple. Being true to a destination is important because this allows it to make it a unique experience for our couples and their guests.

SH: What are your thoughts on Jamaica so far?

ZCG: Being in Jamaica has been an absolute dream — the culture, food and experience are fantastic. The loving welcome from the locals has been everything and more! We are extremely excited to be here and for this amazing opportunity to work with local vendors and we cannot wait to return to produce more weddings and more experiences!