When a couple tells me they want a destination wedding, my first question is always the same: why? I’m not asking so I can talk you out of it, I promise. A destination wedding is a wonderful fit for some couples and not quite right for others, and I’d rather know early that the picture in your head can really happen on a beach in another country. Once I know it can, the fun starts, because now we get to find the resort and the wedding team that will bring it to life.
I’m Chrissy Samples, a vacation concierge and Certified Sandals Specialist in Caddo Mills, Texas, and I work with brides and grooms all over the country. Here’s how I walk a couple through planning a destination wedding, in the order the decisions actually come up, with the little deadlines that like to sneak up when nobody’s watching.
How Far in Advance Should We Start?
A year or more is my happy place. That’s when the ceremony spot you’ve fallen for is still open, the resort still has rooms in the categories your guests will actually want, and the payments can spread out comfortably instead of landing all at once.
Starting later than that? Don’t panic. Tell me where you are, and we’ll figure out together whether your date can hold or whether a different date gives you a better wedding. Either way, we’ll make it work.
What Is Different About Marrying Abroad?
Here’s the thing couples always forget, and it’s something I go over with my brides and grooms right at the start: getting married out of the country is not like getting married in the States. Every island has its own rules for the license and the ceremony. How many days you need to be on the island first. Which documents you bring. Who can officiate. How long the certificate takes to reach you afterward.
The good news? You don’t need to memorize any of it. The resort’s wedding team and I walk through the paperwork with you, so nothing is missing and you arrive early enough for the ceremony to be legal. And if the paperwork sounds like more than you want to take on, a symbolic ceremony on the island with a quick legal one at home is a lovely alternative. I go over both options in All-Inclusive Destination Weddings: How They Really Work.
When Should We Book the Rooms?
Not everyone you invite will be able to travel, and that’s completely normal. What matters is that the rooms get decided early, while the guest list is still moving. If you go with a contracted group block, we start it generous and trim it later, because releasing rooms is easy and adding them once the resort has sold out is not. If a contract feels like too much commitment, there are gentler ways to book your guests’ rooms that still earn you some perks. I lay out both routes, and how I size a block, in my all-inclusive destination weddings article, and Sandals publishes its own group benefits if you like to read the fine print.
This is where I want couples to slow down a little. The right choice depends on how your group actually travels, and we’ll pick it together.
Who Handles What?
It’s worth 2 minutes to tell a wedding planner apart from a destination wedding specialist, because they really are different jobs. The resort’s wedding team is a little different at every property, but their job is the same everywhere: understand your vision for the ceremony and the celebration, then deliver it beautifully on the day.
My job is to make the whole trip work, for the two of you and for everyone traveling with you. Think of me as the concierge for your entire wedding party, which is how I handle group travel of every kind. The table shows where each of us fits, and the short version is that I take the logistics and the worrying so you can take the week off from both.
| The job | Me | The resort’s wedding team | An independent wedding planner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deciding whether a destination wedding fits you | Yes, in our first conversation | Not their role | Sometimes |
| Choosing the island and the resort | Yes | They represent one resort | Sometimes |
| Room block, group contract, group benefits | Yes | Handled by a separate department | Sometimes |
| Your ceremony and reception details | I join the calls when you want me there | Yes, this is their specialty | Yes, if you hire one |
| Guests’ flights, transfers, and questions | Yes | Not their role | Sometimes |
| On the island on the day | When you ask me to be | Yes | Yes, if you hire one |
One more thing worth knowing: the person you email while you’re deciding isn’t always the person who runs your day. That’s exactly why I stay in the conversation from the first call to the last transfer home.
How to Plan a Destination Wedding, Month by Month
12 months or more out. We talk about why, and whether. Then we set a budget that includes flights and rooms, sketch the guest list you honestly expect, and choose the island, the month, and legal or symbolic. I’ll check that your passports have enough validity left, since some countries want months to spare. Then we pick the resort and lock in your date and ceremony spot in writing. This is the big one, and it’s a fun one.
9 to 11 months out. Save-the-dates go out with the destination, the dates, and your wedding website, so your guests can start planning. The room block is open for booking now. Depending on the resort you’ve chosen, your guests will either book straight into your group block, or they can contact me and I’ll handle their reservations for them. We also plan the welcome party and the farewell brunch now, so they can go right on the RSVP card.
6 to 8 months out. We settle the menu, the rehearsal dinner, the photographer, and wedding-day transportation with the resort’s wedding team, and you order invitations. I read every contract with you before you sign it, because that’s what I’m here for.
3 to 5 months out. The guest list is final, group activities get scheduled, and you buy the rings. Guests with booking questions come to me, not to you. This is also the stretch when your group contract’s key dates tend to arrive, and I keep them on my calendar so they never sneak up on the bride and groom.
6 to 8 weeks out. Invitations go in the mail. We confirm flights, RSVPs, meals, vows, the reception timeline, the music, and your legal documents. It’s a lot of little boxes, and we tick them together.
3 to 5 weeks out. Anything you’re shipping ahead, from decor to welcome bags, goes to the on-site coordinator by name, insured and tracked. Late bookers in your group get one last friendly nudge from me before the group rate ends.
1 to 2 weeks out. I confirm flight numbers for the wedding party, check the forecast, and go over the venue’s weather plan with the coordinator. I’ll also ask about local tipping customs, so you’re not guessing at the reception.
A few days out, and as many days ahead as your island’s license rules ask for. You fly in ahead of your guests, walk the ceremony and reception spaces with the coordinator, apply for the license if the ceremony is legal, and enjoy the hair and makeup trial. If you’ve asked me to be there, I’m walking it with you. The dress, the rings, and anything you can’t replace ride in your carry-on, please!
When Do Save-the-Dates Go Out?
For a destination wedding, save-the-dates go out much earlier than they would at home, often close to a year ahead, and earlier still if your guests are flying internationally. Send them once the resort and the dates are locked, because your guests will book flights off them, and put the booking instructions right on the card. The invitations themselves can follow a couple of months before the wedding.
You may see destination wedding sites tell you to send invitations 6 months out. The reason is the room block: your guests need to book their rooms well before an invitation would normally arrive. The save-the-date does that job, and I follow up with anyone who has questions, so you don’t have to.
Who Pays for What?
This one is simpler than most couples expect. You host the wedding events: the ceremony, the reception, the rehearsal dinner, and the welcome party and brunch if you hold them. You also cover the airport shuttle if the resort doesn’t include one, which is part of the ground transportation I arrange.
Your guests cover their own airfare and their own rooms, and the group block gets them a held rate. The wedding party covers its own travel, rooms, and attire too, unless you’d like to treat them to some of it. Hosting a destination wedding doesn’t mean buying the flights, and nobody expects the bride and groom to.
Will You Be There on the Day?
I cannot promise you perfection, no one can, but I can promise I’ll help do everything possible to reach it! Weather moves, flights get delayed, and a resort can have a busy week. What I will offer is being on site with my brides to make sure the details are covered. I’m a picky perfectionist, so you can trust me to do everything possible to make a difficult situation better, and to keep it off your plate while I do.
Common Questions About Planning a Destination Wedding
How far in advance should we plan a destination wedding?
A year or more is ideal. That’s when the ceremony spot, the room categories, and the payment schedule all still work in your favor.
How long does it take to plan one?
About a year of steady steps, most of them light. The busiest stretches are the first month, when we choose the island and the resort, and the last couple of months, when everything gets confirmed.
Can we plan a destination wedding on a smaller budget?
Yes, and the guest list is the biggest lever. Some resorts include the ceremony with a qualifying stay, which I cover in the u003ca href=u0022/articles/all-inclusive-destination-weddings/u0022u003eall-inclusive articleu003c/au003e, and more answers are on my u003ca href=u0022/faqs/u0022u003etravel FAQsu003c/au003e page. A smaller group, a weekday ceremony, and a resort whose package already includes the basics keep the total down. I’ll send you to the right resort for you, which isn’t always the least expensive one.
Ready to Tell Me Why?
Tell me why you want a destination wedding, and I’ll tell you honestly whether it fits and where it works. That’s the first step on the timeline above, and the rest is the fun part. Schedule your consultation to start there, or read about the romance travel I plan for couples year round and the Sandals and Beaches resorts I specialize in.
