As a destination bride myself as well as a destination wedding photographer I have had experiences that have allowed me to pass on my advice to you as you plan your dream destination wedding so that you aren’t left overwhelmed and stressed out!

Be sure to have these 6 items covered before you set off for that dream destination wedding of yours!

1. Your budget and the budget of your guests. Be practical when planning your destination to satisfy the different budgets of your guests.
2. The country you pick here is what you need to consider:

• The legal requirements
• Are travel visas required?
• The weather/season – do not plan during hurricane/monsoon/typhoon season if you are going to a hurricane/monsoon/typhoon prone country.
• Are there local festivals during your planned time? If so prices will be higher
• How far is it for travel for all your guests? Will they spend 5 hours travelling or 22?

3. Now that you narrowed down budget and country it is time to look at resorts.

• Do you want a large spread out resort or a small intimate one?
• What activities and services does the resort provide that will appease your guests? Is there a spa, water activities, kids club/babysitting, adults only area, all inclusive, café, gym, is it close to town for shopping?
• Is the resort within reasonable distance from airport? Is it a 1-2 hour bus ride? If so plan to delegate the task to 3-4 people to stop just outside arrivals to get drinks for everyone before the bus leaves.
• What vibe do you want your photos to have? Is the resort full of luscious green tropical trees or is it all buildings with little nature left? Do you want a gorgeous sunset over the water ceremony and does that location offer it?
• What are the resorts ceremony and reception options as well as their back up options if the weather does not cooperate? This is important because if all they have is ballroom back up then you have to be ok with that before all the booking begins.
• What is the group rate deal? This is something a travel agent will help you narrow down on too.
• Is there an option of a welcome dinner/farewell evening event you can do? I have seen farewell bonfire nights that were a hit! Be sure to get the costs of such events ahead of time to make sure they fit your budget.
• What is all included in the wedding packages? Do they include hair at the spa, spa discounts, spa services included? Is there a extra charge for reception hours? What is the reception shut down time? Most resorts only allow until 10/11pm whereas some that are more secluded and consist of only you and your wedding guests do not have a reception closing time.
• Does this resort allow an outside photographer if you are bringing one? This is SO important. If you plan to bring a photographer you would hate to get there to find out they aren’t allowed or you have to pay a $500 fee to have them photograph there. So be prepared and ask ahead.
• Does the resort offer 3,4,5,6 weddings per day or just 1-2? This may be important if there is limited indoor options for backup…something to keep in mind. Generally the resorts that offer 1-2 a day will give you more attention to your needs unless there are several planners at the larger resorts to assist as well.
• What décor is provided/included/extra? Will they be able to bring your vision to life? Look through photos of past weddings there, ask the planner, send images of what your vision is and see if they can accommodate it.
• What dates/times do they have for your wedding during the week you want? This is one of the first things when you choose the resort to get booked asap as lots of resorts fill up fast!
• Lastly what are the reviews on this resort in terms of weddings? You want to make sure you have a good experience and that the food is good too! Past brides’ experiences trump any travel agent advice in my opinion. But do take the reviews with a bit of common courtesy as everyone has different standards of needs to fulfill… something you may see as a minor setback others see as completely devastating.

4. Connecting with the wedding planner.

• Be sure to have it in email confirmation of your chosen date, time, ceremony and reception locations.
• Ask you planner what documents are required for marriage and get those sent off as soon as you can so that they have it on file and its one less thing to stress about in that last month of planning.
• Be sure to let them know your vision and that they can accommodate it
• If you are planning any welcome dinner/farewell events ask them about availability and how soon you need to decide this
• For the reception what music is available? Will you be required to provide your own music? Will they accept a list of songs you request and does that need to be sent before you leave?
• Be sure to connect with your planner at the time of booking, then again follow up around 6 months prior to your date, then 3 months, then a month and finally a week before. For peace of mind that you have done all that is required of you and they are fulfilling your needs.
• Be sure to set a day to meet your planner upon your arrival. I generally suggest meeting the day after you arrive that way you can settle in a bit. When you meet with them it’s best to have on hand conversations of what was sent that way if they missed something you have it documented and ready to show them.

5. Now that you have your resort and trip booked look at insurance. Travel and wedding insurance is something you should really consider just in case. If you plan a wedding during hurricane season but the trip gets cancelled because of it you want to make sure you can re-book or recoup costs spent.
6. Build a wedding website for your guests! This is the best way to include them along the way. Be sure to include not just wedding details but links and lists of things they can plan to do while they are there. Perhaps you want to plan a group excursion for a day or a guys golf trip this is the best place to do it and include everyone. You can do this for free with The Knot or maybe your travel agent does one.

Now that you have the most important planning pieces done it’s time to get through the rest of the wedding planning! Get your dress, rings, groom’s attire, wedding party attire, invitations/save the dates, photographer, give bridal party that list of responsibilities, your timeline, dress fittings, wedding gifts, this list can go on for a while… OH don’t forget you can now plan your honeymoon too!

Don’t forget to check with the airline to be sure you can bring your dress on board (most airlines are so good about this).

Be sure to plan a few moments for yourselves to just sit back and watch it all happen, watch your guests enjoying their time. Be sure to make time to visit with everyone who attended even if it means just hanging out on the beach for an afternoon… they came all this way to be with you.

Don’t fret the little things. Not everyone will want to leave the resort for excursions and that is fine.

Flight delays happen… try to roll with it unless it’s a long 24 hour delay then feel free to cry!

Be sure to bring your documents with you that you also scanned and sent to the planner (birth certificate and any other documents).

Check in early enough for your flight to relax and enjoy some time in the airport before you go… nothing worse than rushing there stressed that you will miss your flight.

Drink plenty of water the days before your wedding… you want radiant skin right?

If you are booked with a travel agent through group travel be sure to ask about checking in online as sometimes it needs to be done under group bookings and the reservation code will not work in the regular check in spot on the websites (little something I just learned)

Last but not least ENJOY every moment!