Planning a destination wedding in Spain, especially along the stunning stretch between Valencia and Alicante, is incredibly exciting, but it also comes with decisions that can feel a little overwhelming. One of the first major choices couples face is whether to source the venue themselves or work with a wedding planner who specialises in destination weddings in Costa Blanca. Along with myself there are other wedding planners who have experience in find you the right venue, such as Natasha Zwaga and Justine Claire. All of us have experience in supporting couples to find the right venue.
Both options have their strengths. Below are some pros and cons of each to help you decide what’s right for you and to ensure your planning journey stays as pleasing as possible.
THE BENEFITS OF FIND YOUR OWN WEDDING VENUE
1. Sense of Control - Finding your venue yourself can feel like a huge undertaking. You get to explore hidden gems, browse online, and build your vision from scratch. You’re in charge of the search, the decisions, and the pace. If you enjoy researching and planning, this can be deeply satisfying.
2. Direct Communication - Dealing with venues directly might make you feel more connected to your choice and allow for faster answers in some cases.
3. Immediate Visual Appeal - Sometimes, couples fall in love with a photo or location before anything else and trust that gut feeling. Doing it yourself gives you that freedom.
4. Save on Fees - If you're only looking for help with certain aspects of planning, you may decide to allocate your budget differently and take on the venue search solo.
5. Get Started Sooner - You may look in places a planner wouldn’t normally suggest, particularly if your taste is more unusual or your plans more fluid. You can begin the search right away, without waiting to book consultations or review planner proposals.
THE DISADVANTAGES OF FINDING YOUR OWN WEDDING VENUE
1. Language Barriers - Many venues between Valencia and Alicante are family-run, and not all have fluent English speakers and may even only speak Valenciano too, which can create confusion over details.
2. Time-Consuming - Researching, contacting, and comparing venues can take weeks, especially when you're not familiar with the area.
3. Hidden Costs - You might miss additional venue fees (cleaning, service, set-up restrictions) which a local planner would flag straight away.
4. Overlooked Logistics - Planners have built strong relationships with trusted venues. Going solo can be riskier in terms of reliability. It’s easy to focus on aesthetics, but miss practicalities like guest parking, supplier access or nearby accommodation. You may not realise too how sun exposure, heat, transport access or sound restrictions affect a venue until it’s too late.
5. Stressful Travel Planning - If you want to view venues in person, it often requires extra trips, which can be costly and tricky to organise.
To assist you in researching the right venue I have created a simple 5 top tips guide – it has a tick box list which couples tell me they have found so very useful, CLICK HERE for your free download.
THE BENEFITS OF USING A WEDDING PLANNER
1. Shortlisted Venues That Suit You - Planners who live and work in the region understand the climate, legalities and seasonal quirks of a destination wedding in Costa Blanca. A good planner will match your vision and budget to venues that already suit your style, saving you hours of research.
2. Smooth Communication - They’ll handle the back-and-forth with venues (in Spanish if needed), ensuring nothing gets lost in translation.
3. Trusted Relationships - A planner is likely to know venue owners personally, which often means quicker responses and more flexible terms.
4. Budget Awareness - Planners help you stay within your overall wedding budget and not just the venue hire, but the whole picture and instead of juggling venue emails, supplier questions and schedule updates, you have one person managing it all.
5. Peace of Mind -
Ultimately, you’re free to focus on the pleasant fun parts of planning by knowing someone experienced is looking after the details.
THE DISADVANTAGES OF USING A WEDDING PLANNER
1. An Extra Cost to Factor In - Hiring a planner is an investment, though many couples say they recoup that through time saved and costly mistakes avoided and if you're someone who loves to oversee every step, it can be an adjustment to delegate.
2. Not Every Planner Is Equal - Choosing the right planner matters, someone who listens to your vision and gets to know you, not just your spreadsheet. Bear in mind that some planners work only with preferred venues or suppliers. Make sure flexibility is part of your discussion.
3. Less Spontaneity - Working through a planner may mean fewer off-the-cuff ideas if you're someone who enjoys exploring freely.
4. Initial Time Investment - To get the best outcome, you'll still need to spend time with your planner early on to define your style and priorities.
5. You Still Make the Final Call - Having a planner doesn't mean zero effort, you'll still need to make key decisions along the way.
FINal THOUGHTS: For couples planning a destination wedding in Costa Blanca, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Whether you’re drawn to sourcing your own venue or leaning toward working with a wedding planner, it all comes down to how you want the journey to feel and how much time you can realistically commit. You can get my comprehensive FREE wedding planning guide HERE to help you with you planning.
As a destination wedding planner based between Valencia and Alicante, I work with couples who want beautiful, relaxed weddings without the stress of second-guessing. If you’re wondering what support might look like for you, I’d be happy to have a quick chat and you can do that HERE. Let’s make your dream wedding in Spain as joyful and effortless as possible.
