The Wedding Planner’s Guide to Planning a Luxury Destination Wedding

Hello, fellow wanderlusters! I’m your friendly millennial wedding planner, and I’m here to help you embark on an extraordinary journey towards planning the destination wedding of your dreams. Destination weddings are all about celebrating your love in a unique and unforgettable way, and I’m here to guide you through every step of this fabulous adventure. It can be a bit daunting for couples to plan a multiday wedding celebration in a foreign country and I’m here to guide you every step of the way.

Let’s dive into this comprehensive guide designed with modern lovebirds like you in mind.

Step 1: Choosing Your Dream Destination

• Reflect on meaningful places and experiences. –for some couples they choose a place that holds special meaning to them and their families. Regardless of where you choose, choose a place you want to return to for years to come.
• Consider the climate, accessibility, and legal requirements.
• Research trending destination wedding locations.
• Destination-Specific Inspiration
• Explore local cultures and traditions.
• Incorporate destination-specific elements into your wedding theme.
• Curate a Pinterest board filled with destination wedding ideas.

Step 2: Budgeting for Your Dream Destination

Set a Realistic Budget! Many people think that destination weddings mean cheaper and that is not always the case. With ground transportation, excursions, room subsidies, multi-day celebrations and more, destination wedding budgets can quickly balloon. Be realistic with your guest count and expectations.

• Evaluate your financial situation.
• Allocate funds for travel, accommodations, and local expenses.
• Consider cost-saving measures like a weekday wedding.

Step 3: Assemble Your Dream Team

Personally, I think step 3 should go before step 1 but I will leave that up for personal choice. A seasoned wedding planner will be able to guide you on the best destinations for your guest count, budget and wedding style and send you curated lists of venues and locations.

• Research and vet local vendors for quality and reliability; again a good planner will alleviate a lot of the leg work for you and should already have pre established relationships with local vendors so you only have the best of the best to choose from.
• Schedule virtual meetings with vendors to discuss details.
• Scour Instagram and travel blogs to find hidden gems.

Step 4: Logistics and Travel

• Secure room blocks at destination hotels or resorts.
• Use hotel booking apps to streamline guest reservations.
• Arrange group ground transportation
• Recommend Airbnb or vacation rental options for a unique stay.
• Consider travel insurance to protect your investment.
• Stay informed about destination-specific health precautions.
• Share health and safety information with your guests.

Step 5: Creating a Unique Destination Wedding Experience

We recommend embracing the local culture of your wedding. Guests that travel to a wedding want to be fully immersed in the culture of the wedding destination. They want to eat the food, hear the music and see the sites. Allow for guests to have unique experiences throughout your wedding weekend festivities.

• Embrace local customs and traditions.
• Plan pre-wedding activities that introduce guests to the destination’s culture.
• Incorporate destination-specific food and drinks into your reception.
• Arrange group excursions and activities for your guests.
• Explore adventure opportunities like snorkeling, hiking, or cultural tours.
• Create a digital itinerary for guests to access via your wedding website.

Step 6: All About the Details

Since my team and I exclusively offer full service planning, we work with the couple on all aspects of the wedding including design. We create comprehensive design guides, mood boards and mockups to make each event and tablescape come to life.

• Personalize the space with destination-inspired decor.
• Use augmented reality apps to envision your wedding design.
• Collaborate with a local florist or decor specialist.
• Choose sustainable and locally-sourced floral arrangements.
• Curate a digital mood board for decor inspiration.

Step 7: Communication and Guest Experience

With a destination wedding, communication is key. Not only are you planning a wedding but you are simultaneously planning a large scale vacation for your nearest and dearest and they will have QUESTIONS. To offset your stress, we recommend having very clear and detailed communication with your wedding guests.

• Create a detailed wedding website with travel and venue information.
• Include a countdown timer and a virtual guestbook.
• Share photos and stories of your destination journey.
• Suggest dress code options suitable for the destination’s climate.
• Create a digital lookbook for guests’ attire inspiration.
• Incorporate destination-themed accessories for added flair.
• Utilize wedding planning apps for real-time updates and communication.
• Set up a dedicated email address for guest inquiries.
• Share a destination-specific packing list with your guests.

Step 8: Final Countdown and Celebrating Your Love

The wedding month or week is here and it’s so exciting (and stressful). As a full service planner, we are typically on site no later than one week before your wedding attending final meetings with vendors, mockups, tastings, meetings with chefs, transportation directors, etc. It is a very exciting and busy time for us. Our goal is to have everything seamlessly organized so that when you arrive, all you have to do is worry about tan lines. Some of the things that we handle before the big day:

• Coordinate final logistics with your destination wedding planner.
• Review the day-of timeline with vendors and guests.
• Final walkthrough at the venue with key vendors such as florist, band, lighting, rentals, etc.
• Conduct virtual or in person rehearsals and walkthroughs.

After all of that time and energy, we are so exciting to see our couples walk down the aisle and celebrate with their loved ones. Destination weddings are such an unreal experience and we love being part of them.May your destination wedding be a celebration of love, adventure, and unforgettable moments.

Want to hire a wedding planner well-versed in wedding destination planning? Contact us today for your free consultation.  💍🌴🥂

As always, Happy Planning, Lovelies!