How Millennials Are Changing Destination Weddings Using Social Media

Photo by Spencer Davis

Millennials, born 1980-1995, are seeking weddings with bragging rights. Do social media truly have that much of an impact on millennial destination weddings?

"Big time," said Scott Wiseman, President of Travel Impressions. "Many agents get their leads from referrals and testimonials from other brides. Social media also helps direct brides to new hot spots and creates the buzz that helps to sell the wedding. Word-of-mouth has become even more powerful with the exponential influence of social media and reviews. And user-generated content from one couple can easily spread like wildfire and even go viral."

Millennials want their destination weddings to create buzz, which is where social media plays an enormous role.

According to Ivy Jacobson, senior editor at the Knot, destination weddings present many advantages for social media.

"The location and scenery are gorgeous, and guests will want to document the event on social media the whole time they're there," Jacobson said. "And having a hashtag is a must."

Photography becomes even more important in millennial destination weddings. These clients want to share studio-quality photographs in real time, and not wait for a photo album to emerge months later. 

Lockard-Furry, the founder of Traveluxe Official, said, "I have captured most of the weddings I've worked on really uniquely through their photographer."

Millennial couples are inviting destination-wedding attendees to download Veri for wedding photos.

It is important to set up a live-streaming video of the ceremony for those who cannot attend.

Wiseman listed Breathless and Secrets as the best brands for millennial destination weddings.

Photo by Asad Photo Maldives

"The first as an exhilarating hot spot, and the second as a romantic luxury one," he said. Contemporary decor and advanced technology appeal to this demographic.

Mexico's Unico 20.87 hotel also gets a good amount of social media attention. It has free spa treatments and locally influenced details woven into its modern style. It has quickly become quite popular, especially for destination weddings.

Kelly Poling, senior vice president of marketing for Karisma Hotels & Resorts agrees that social media plays a big part for millennials. She stated, “Other social elements include making personalized Snapchat filters, doing live streaming of the wedding for those who cannot attend to watch later, and providing photo/GIF booths on-site for guests to post photos instantly to their social platforms.”

"It's all about authenticity and capturing moments in real-time," said Poling.