Considering a destination wedding? Read this first.
There’s just something special about tying the knot while your feet are in the sand, and waves are crashing behind you.
Or enjoying Italian wine at sunset in the courtyard at a Tuscan villa, surrounded by your favorite humans. Or eloping on a mountain that can only be a sneak peek of what heaven will look like.
Photo Cred: Mountain Weddings, from my lovely clients who recently tied the night in New Zealand!
We’ve been part of dozens and dozens of wedding days, have helped people tie the knot in Hawaii, Ireland, Mexico, and New Zealand, and even Argentina.
As I professional wedding planner, AND luxury travel advisor – destination weddings make my world go round. But before you jump in, there are many details to consider.
Let’s dive in with some pro tips.
Timing is everything.
Be sure to consider the weather at the time of your ideal wedding dates! You don’t want the beach to be overran with seaweed, or have to cancel because you didn’t realize it was hurricane season in Mexico.
Keep in mind that peak season, or summer in Italy, for example, is going to be the most expensive time to visit. Consider shoulder season to keep costs reasonable for you and your guests.
Villa or Resort?
If you’re keeping the guest list to immediate family, or you prefer to keep everyone under one roof - consider a villa! From hired chef services, to a private concierge and cleaning team, a villa may be the perfect fit for you and your guests. It’s even possible to curate special cocktail hours and events right on property with your wedding and design team. If you prefer an all-inclusive approach, or have a larger guest list with people who prefer to have an endless list of activities to do, a resort may the best bet. Often times, this decision comes down to which location(s) you are considering, and we’d be happy to talk you through this and make recommendations.
When to Send Save the Dates
From booking flights, requesting PTO, and saving up, your guests need to know well in advance what your wedding and travel dates will be. As your dedicated travel advisor, we’ll keep you informed when save the dates need to be sent out, what information should be included, and we can even create a custom questionnaire to gives guests an idea of room costs, and get their room request to help in your preliminary research.
We recommend sending out your ‘save the date’ cards eight months to a year in advance, once you make deposit on your wedding package at your resort or villa of choice. After that point, your travel advisor will be hard at work getting your room block and wedding website created, so guests can book their stay. If your date is during the summer months or over a holiday, err closer to a year.
Surprise and delight your guests
As a luxury travel designer, we create custom pamphlets to mail to guests prior to your wedding, so they know exactly where to access all transportation details, dining information, wedding information, and more. But if you want to take it one step further, you could consider creating welcome bags or wedding favors to have your hotel, villa or resort hand-deliver to guests on-arrival. For example, perhaps you have water shoes, bug spray, aloe vera and/or a small beach bag for guests at your wedding in Costa Rica, or tissues, lip balm and cozy socks for your European winter wedding.
On that same note, it’s a nice gesture to invite guests to a welcome cocktail hour, or welcome dinner to kick off the event and bring everyone together. A well-planned experience will get spirits high and remind everyone it was worth every penny and minute spent to travel to your beautiful wedding.
An extra perk of working with us for your destination wedding? We’ll act as each guests’ travel advisor and work directly with them if they choose to arrange additional experiences or tours with their travel party.
Dress the Part
No one wants to be wearing a black formal gown or suit on the beach! It’s become a trend to have custom dress guidelines, such as wearing black to a welcome cocktail party under the stars, or it could be as simple to letting your guests know that summer dresses and button up shirts are welcome for the ceremony, and to bring something cozy for the evening wedding bonfire, for example. Adding guest attire expectations to their final wedding pamphlets will help them feel at ease, and even more excited to be part of such a special event.
I have a secret - you will lose money NOT working with a travel designer for your destination wedding.
From discounted room rates, to advisor amenities, to honeymoon upgrades, to a streamlined booking process and wedding website for your guests, to budgeting and organizational help during your planning journey – working with a travel advisor will be the best investment in peace of mind that you can make.
Due to our partnerships, we’ve even been able to get our clients of up to $1,000 in air credit! And let’s face it, do you as the bride want to be bombarded with guests asking you where they’re going to meet their arrival transfer, or how they can secure an upgraded room category?
Visit in Advance
There are several resorts that offer discounted stays if you tour your wedding resort prior to getting married. This will help you to educate your guests on what to expect, get you even more excited, and… well, why the heck not?!
Important Reminders & Tips
Before locking in your room block, it’s important to work with your travel advisor to secure the correct rooms. Remember, this is your guests’ vacation too! It’s possible they may want a room upgrade, and it’s nice to get those requests before signing a contract with your wedding resort. On the flip side, we’ll make sure we have an estimate for nightly room rates before we sign on the dotted line with your resort, so that your guests aren’t blindsided with huge nightly minimums.
Keep in mind that you NEED to drop unused rooms by a set date, otherwise you could be on the hook for those unpaid rooms. Yikes! Want guidance and someone to point you in the right direction for these big decisions? We will walk you through these decisions and help make suggestions for room types you should choose, when payments are due, and how to do this right.
If you choose to allow children, think about offering a nanny or a babysitter for your guests to use. Does the resort offer a kids’ club? It’s also important to consider older relatives, as sometimes travel can be restricting for them. Will that be a dealbreaker for you if they can’t make it?
Legal Documentation
It’s quite common to get legally married BEFORE your destination wedding, as many countries have complex restrictions, such as a legal ceremony in Mexico will be in Spanish. Our suggestion? Have an elopement celebration a few weeks before your wedding, to keep the celebrations close which will keep the energy high.
Travel insurance, travel insurance, and more travel insurance
We can’t express the importance of this enough! I’ve seen these situations happen…
· Phone damage in the ocean and clients received full reimbursement
· Luggage delayed and clients received $500 per person in shopping money
· Canceled vacation and clients received a full refund
This is a crucial investment to budget for, and we’ll guide you and your guests through the booking process of insurance.
If you've made it this far, thanks for sticking around! I hope you've gotten value out of this.
In summary, CONGRATULATIONS on your engagement. Planning a wedding is a whirlwind of decisions and emotions, so do yourself a favor and invest in peace of mind, whenever possible. With the guidance of a destination wedding specialist, your wedding journey will be a breeze!
And there’s one thing I can promise – we’ll have some fun along the way too.
Looking for more travel inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, @onyx.and.evergreen.travel.
I post travel tips and inspiration daily!