You might have seen that the Real Wedding this week features tennis pro John Isner and jewelry designer Madison McKinley. Their love story is an international one, from Texas to London to South Carolina, where the pair said “I do” in 2017. So since they planned a destination affair with the help of Todd Events, the bride has given us three of her top tips for getting married away from home.
Hire a local planner you know and trust.
For Madison, hiring Todd Fiscus was a no-brainer. The two are friends, and she trusted his vision. She recommends that brides find a planner close to home to plan a destination affair. “Meeting with them in person gives you more comfort rather than talking over the phone,” she says.
Plan time to be together throughout the weekend.
Due to John’s tennis lifestyle, Madison’s closest friends had not gotten to know him all that well. So they designed the entire weekend around events and opportunities for the two sides to meet. “It takes all the pressure off the night of,” Madison explains. “It was nice that I got to talk to everyone, and not just a ‘hey,’ because there were events every night—even Sunday.”
Consider an after-party to soak in more time with friends.
The couple hired a 30-piece band to play during dinner and the reception. But by 10:30 p.m., DJ Lucy Wrubel created a late-night dance party. “We could have stayed there all night dancing and having a blast,” says the bride.
