How to Plan a Destination Wedding (the Stress-Free Way!)

Planning a destination wedding and don’t know where to start? However, planning a destination wedding requires careful consideration and organization to ensure a smooth and magical experience. Here’s your step-by-step guide to planning a destination wedding!

A destination wedding is a dream come true for many couples, offering the opportunity to say “I do” in a stunning and memorable location. From sandy beaches to historic cities, the possibilities are endless. 

You may have already seen some destination wedding planning guides, and you may be wondering why mine is any different.

As a past destination wedding bride and one who has helped over 7000 brides plan the destination wedding of their dreams, I’ve picked up a tip or two along the way!

Learn from our mistakes! I’ll break down how to plan a destination wedding (the stress-free way!).

Ps. This destination wedding planning guide is geared towards those getting married at all-inclusive resorts, but these steps apply to destination weddings all over the world!

How to Plan a Destination Wedding

Planning a destination wedding requires mega attention to detail, but with careful preparation and a well-thought-out plan, you can create a magical experience for both you and your guests. 

By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to a dreamy destination wedding!

1. Envision your destination wedding

Before all else, envision what your destination wedding looks like.

Where do you see yourself? Is it on some breathtaking cliff top overlooking the ocean? A sandy beach with swaying palm trees? A historic castle? You need to have some idea of where you want to get married.

If you need tips on how to pick the perfect destination wedding location, I’ve listed some of my best tips on how to narrow down locations.

Make a list of “needs” and “wants” when it comes to your wedding. Consider things like adults-only vs family-oriented, distance from the airport, and budget.

You will also need to consider your wedding theme. Do you envision vibrant colours or tropical greens? This will influence your decor choices as part of your wedding package and ultimately your budget.

If you’re looking for inspiration, here are my top picks for dreamy Caribbean destination wedding locations!

2. Pick a date for your destination wedding

Is there a specific date you have in mind? There are a few factors that may influence your travel and budget when it comes to certain dates. What’s the weather like during that time? Is it a busy time to travel? Are flights easy to book during this time, and are they affordable (if this is a priority). 

Having a travel date in mind will certainly affect how easy it will be to travel and book accommodations. 

My tip to create more of a stress-free experience is to try to avoid major holidays. While people have these holidays off work, it also means it’s prime time for people to travel. Think insanely busy airports and sold out accommodations – not good for planning a group trip!

You will also want to consider weather events like hurricane season.

While you will be able to snag cheaper rates, you take a bigger gamble on the weather working out in your favour. Typically, hurricane season in the Caribbean is June through November, however, I have travelled south many times during this period and the weather has been perfect.

Of course, if you have your heart set on a date, then go with it!

2. Create a budget for your destination wedding

Speaking of budget…how much are you able to spend on your wedding?

I’m a huge fan of destination weddings at all-inclusive resorts. Their all-in-one pricing is attractive for couples and offers a budget-friendly option for weddings – and guests travelling to join you!

Does your budget fit within the average cost of destintion weddings? If it doesn’t, don’t worry.

Sure, the idea of a luxury resort and overwater villas in Bora Bora would be a dream come true, but does it fit within your budget?

Don’t go broke on your wedding day. You can have a gorgeous destination wedding without breaking the bank! There are so many ways you can trim costs and save money on destination weddings.

3. Decide if you want a symbolic or legal wedding

While you may go back and forth on this idea, it’s a good idea to know beforehand if you want a symbolic or legal destination wedding.

Why?

Because different countries have different rules and legalities about getting married abroad. Some countries require paperwork translations and bloodwork, while others only require you to be in the country for a certain amount of days. 

Researching the laws and costs associated with legal destination weddings beforehand will allow you to be fully prepared and reduce the chances of disappointment if you don’t want to go down that route.

4. Work a travel agent who specializes in destination weddings

Once you have an idea of what you’d like for your destination wedding, the next step is to find a travel agent. Not working with a travel agent is one of the biggest destination wedding planning mistakes you can make – trust me! 

A destination wedding travel agent will do all the legwork for you when it comes to choosing the perfect location for your destination wedding and will help you navigate your wedding contract.

They are free to work with, know the ins-and-outs of travel incentives and wedding packages, legalities with civil weddings, and will ensure your guests have go-to when it comes to all-things-travel-related.

If you’re stuck on where to start, send me a message and I’ll recommend my top choices in the USA and Canada.

Once you’ve picked a wedding date, secured your travel dates, and contracts have been signed, the planning can forge ahead!

Things to consider prior to signing your wedding contract:

• What are the backup locations in case of poor weather?
• What is the outside vendor policy? Are there vendors included in your package?
• Are there any additional costs not listed in your contract?
• Do you want a private reception or a semi-private dinner? What are the options?

Your chosen wedding package at this point is a ballpark range. This can (and will) change once you finalize your guest count.

P.s. At this point, you will have been in touch with the resort itself. You will have a point of contact to send questions to. This contact may change over the course of your wedding planning.

5. If possible, visit your location!

If you can swing a site visit to your destination wedding location, go for it! It will give you the opportunity to get a feel for the place, see your wedding venue in person, and go over the menu (and tastings!). 

It’s a great opportunity to get some first-hand knowledge of what to expect, which you can also share with your guests to create more excitement!

However, if this is something you can’t manage, don’t fret.

Tons of brides don’t get the opportunity to visit their location ahead of time, and this is completely normal. This is what places like Tripadvisor and Facebook groups are for.

Wedding planning groups that are location-specific can help ease your mind and answer your burning questions.

6. Set your guest list – but have expectations

When it comes to destination weddings, your guests will be all over the map – haha, no pun intended!

Statistically speaking, you can expect anywhere between 30%-60% of guests you invite to actually attend your destination wedding. This of course can range all over the place, but this is what I have found in my past decade of being involved in destination weddings.

We invited 32 guests to our wedding and 18 joined us, which is about 56%. Some may not be able to attend, and some may drop out at the last minute for a variety of reasons, and this is something you have to expect (and deal with)!

You can’t be upset with them. While everyone would love to join you on your wedding day (and get a vacation at the same time!), it’s important to remember that people have their own lives, their own jobs and vacation time, families, expenses, and commitments to juggle.

Having a destination wedding means that you have to accept not everyone you want to be there, will be there.

7. Send RSVPs (or Invites) to your Destination Wedding

Depending on the date you’ve set your destination wedding for, I always like to give guests as much notice as possible so they can book time off work and save for travel.

Send your save the dates or wedding invites with ample time. There are loads of creative and fun designs to pick from, like boarding passes, passport books, luggage tags and so much more. I’ll be sharing my top favourites in a separate post shortly!

At this point,  you can also have a wedding website created, a Facebook group, or Whatsapp chat created for your guests to answer questions and create excitement surrounding your destination wedding!

8. Look for outside vendors

If you’re wondering how early is too early to secure your vendors such as photography and hair & makeup, the answer is, it’s never too early. I always recommend booking your vendors ASAP!

I also always recommend booking local vendors for your destination wedding. They know the climate and lighting best, and conditions to make sure your photos/hair/makeup are picture-perfect.

If you have your heart set on bringing a vendor from home, you need to ensure you are able to, first. Different countries have different laws around bringing in professionals. Ask your wedding coordinator what the policies are surrounding in bringing in outside vendors (if at all) and the costs associated with it.

Vendor fees are normal at all-inclusive resorts. Some resorts also may not allow outside vendors and instead have a preferred vendor list to pick from. It’s always good to check these out ahead of time before you get your heart set on a certain vendor.

P.s. While thinking about vendors (and potential DJs, if your package doesn’t include one), it’s important at this point to think about ceremony music. Plan a list of songs that are special to you and start making note of them!

9. Secure your RSVPs

Once you have your RSVPs, you can start planning the fun bits like whether you’ll do favours or perhaps a group excursion. It’s also at this point to finalize your wedding package based on your final guest count.

When it comes to guests actually saying they’ll come to your wedding, my best piece of advice with inviting guests to your destination wedding is to create a fake deadline.

People, by nature, will generally wait until the last minute to commit. If you’re still pressing people for RSVPs at the 11th hour, it creates an undue amount of stress. Create a fake deadline of a week or few days prior.

10. Decide if you are doing favours and/or welcome bags

One of my favourite parts of having our destination wedding was putting together welcome bags for our guests – and they don’t have to be expensive! 

These welcome bags are small tokens of appreciation for your guests and you can include fun things like tumblers, floaties, and beach chair clips all the way down to survival/hangover kits that include Tylenol, aloe vera, and other first-aid kit related items!

Don’t feel you need to do these – I really wanted to (and still make them for group trips!) because they’re so much fun to put together, but definitely do not feel obligated.

You can also opt for guest favours instead. It’s a small gesture of saying thank you to your guests. Popular items include custom shot glasses, bottle openers, luggage tags, and sunglasses.

Of course, this section is entirely optional for you and absolutely not required as part of planning a destination wedding.

11. Consider group excursions

If creating welcome bags and sourcing favours isn’t your thing, lots of brides have opted to plan a group excursion as a way of saying thanks to their guests.

While planning your destination wedding, consider having a group excursion for your guests, if your budget allows!

There are plenty of local companies in various countries that can help you organize such events. For example, you can plan for having an afternoon of sailing and snorkelling, an eco-adventure, or a trip to a popular attraction.

If you are planning this type of event, it’s important to factor it into your overall budget.

12. Finalize package details (again), and confirm vendors

Being the Type A planner that I am, it’s always good to review final details with your resort/package, and vendors.

Just a note on all-inclusive resorts when it comes to weddings: it’s not uncommon that you won’t hear from your resort coordinator assigned to you until 3 months prior to your wedding.

Don’t panic.

They’re busy working on upcoming weddings but trust they have all your details organized! I didn’t hear from mine until 2 weeks prior to our wedding – yeah, I know! – but they had everything I ever sent in their package and all our details were perfect. 

Confirm with your vendors once again and go over final details.

13. Create a preflight letter & welcome letter for your guests

While this is entirely optional, it was so much fun to create a little preflight letter to our guests that we sent out two weeks prior to leaving. 

It included things like:

• Flight info and transportation (if you are all travelling together)
• How to get a hold of you or the travel agent if needed
• Packing list (including attire for the wedding)
• Information on tipping at the resort (if applicable)
• Wedding-related information like welcome party, rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception, etc!

Feel free to get as creative as you like! If you are handing out welcome bags prior to departing, it’s a great time to include these letters. Otherwise, feel free to snail mail or send digitally.

We also created welcome letters for our guests that we handed out upon arrival. This included things like resort FAQs, wedding-related activities, any planned excursions, etc! Some brides create booklets but most keep it to a simple 1-pager in Word or Canva.

13. Pack your bags!

As your wedding day approaches, it’s time to start thinking about what to pack for your destination wedding. I always joked that I had my passport, wedding dress, and future husband and that was all I needed!

Of course there’s so much more to consider. You need to pack for your wedding and a vacation. I divided my wedding packing into two different tote boxes; one for the wedding itself and one for travel. It helped me stay organized of what I may need.

For your actual wedding, you’ll need your wedding attire, shoes, undergarments, rings, jewellery, veil (if using one), and your vows. Be sure to bring these items onboard with you in the cabin and never ever check these valuable items.

I’m working on an extensive destination wedding packing list and will update this post once it’s posted!

You will also want to pack a travel medical kit in case of emergencies! Think of things like pain relievers, Tums, aloe vera, etc.

If you’re getting married at a resort, here’s a great list of what to pack for an all-inclusive vacation.

14. Arrive (!!!) and meet with your wedding coordinator

Once you arrive at your location (woohoo!), you’ll get word of when to meet with your wedding coordinator and go over any last minute details for your wedding. 

You will also settle up final payments. 

Your wedding coordinator will be your point of contact for everything wedding-related during your stay. They will help you organize your wedding rehearsal (if applicable) and give you a step-by-step guide of what’s to come.

15. Have your dream destination wedding!

Everything you have planned has led up to this point – enjoy every single moment of it! Congratulations on your wedding!

Quick tip: Make sure you eat a fulfilling breakfast (it will be hard, if you’re nervous!) and remember to stay hydrated. You’ll be so busy and excited it’s hard to remember to drink water in between flutes of champagne, but it’s a surefire way to avoid a migraine on your most important day.

Things I didn’t include in this step by step guide to planning a destination wedding:

Finding your wedding dress

I recommend looking for your wedding dress as soon as possible, too. Wedding dresses can take 8-12 months to come in on the extreme end of things.

You will also need to allow time for fitting and adjustments.

Picking your bridal party & attire

Having a bridal party? You’ll need to decide on how many you want and who you will ask.

You will also need to factor in budgeting for this if you are paying for their attire, pick their styles and colours, and go for fittings. You actually don’t need a bridal party, contrary to popular belief.

If you’re trying to save money or have a smaller guest list, don’t stress! There are no rules with destination weddings!

Bachelor/ette party

Having a bachelorette or bachelor party is so much fun, especially if you have it when you’re all away for your wedding.

Plan to have it at least 2 days in advance of your wedding in case anyone imbibes a bit too much!

Fun ideas include off-resort excursions, yacht or catamaran sailing, deep sea fishing, etc. You can get as creative as you like with your closest friends!

Planning a destination wedding doesn’t have to be stressful!

Destination wedding planning doesn’t have to be stressful. Enjoy the process and deal with any hiccups that may arise with the confidence you’ll get through it (because you will!). Lean on the support of your travel agent and wedding coordinator to solve any issues – that’s what they’re there for!

I hope this guide to planning a destination wedding gives you all the tips and advice you need to seamlessly plan the wedding of your dreams!

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