After planning destination weddings for the last 11 years, I think I know a thing on how to plan a destination wedding. I’ve worked with hundreds of couples planning all-inclusive destination weddings throughout Mexico & the Caribbean (and yes, one cruise wedding we will never talk about again, insert eye roll).

Here’s the cold hard truth about how to plan a destination wedding right – there’s no right way, but these tips are here to guide you through the beginning stages of finding the perfect destination and resort for your wedding. Disregard everything else you’ve read and bookmark this one to keep coming back to!

Grab a cup of coffee or if you’re feeling extra, a glass of bubbly, and dig in!

Follow these four simple steps on how to plan a destination wedding.

1. The Guest List

Let’s start with your guests. First, write down everyone you want to invite, then cut that list in half; that’ll most likely be your true guest list. Statistically, on average, 50% to 60% of your guest list will attend a destination wedding. Ultimately, this is going to save you so much compared to what you’d spend having a local wedding with double or even triple the guest list!

Here’s how determine your guest list using the A, B, C, D rule:

A-list: Guests you must invite. These are the people that absolutely have to be there! Your parents, siblings, closest friends, or your own children.

B-list: The guests you really, really want to invite. Think grandparents, aunts, nieces and nephews, and your wider circle of friends.

C-list: The guests you’ll invite if your budget and venue allows. This is basically everyone else; all your aunts and uncles, all your cousins, plus ones, travel buddies, old friends, college friends, work friends, etc.

D-list: Basically, everyone you feel obligated to invite to your wedding. Neighbors, friends of your parents, children of guests, people who invited you to their wedding, and so on.

Most recently, I’ve had a few couples send out their save the dates in waves to gauge who was actually committed to going. They went in order from A through C, then tapped into D if they felt it was needed or wanted to. Remember to account for the No’s, but don’t over-invite and end up with too many guests!

2. Money

Let’s talk money, which is the most important part of planning. How much do you want to spend on your wedding? What’s your max? Most of my couples don’t know how much an all-inclusive destination wedding costs. That’s perfectly fine because it will be much less than a wedding at home. Ideally, a minimum wedding budget of $15,000 would be great for 40-50 guests. This would include your wedding plus your travel costs. 

There are two parts to your budget to consider: your actual wedding budget and your guest’s travel budget. Let’s get into it so you can plan your destination wedding right…

Your Destination Wedding Budget

This is the actual cost of what you want to spend on your wedding, including your travel. All-inclusive resorts typically offer a variety of wedding packages to choose from based on the number of guests attending. These packages include all the basics you need to have the wedding, but they don’t include any enhancements. Enhancements can include decor, lighting, floral, entertainment, photo/video, and more.

Depending on how you want your wedding to look, these costs can add up quickly. If you’re in a tropical destination, the background speaks for itself without having to add extra decor!

Even if you went with minimal decor, your biggest expense will be the photographer and/or videographer. The average spend is around $5,000.

To get a better idea of the cost, add an extra $5,000 to $8,000 to the wedding package.

Here’s a breakdown of a wedding for 75 people. It includes a welcome party, rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and cocktail hour. There is also a 3-hour wedding reception. The package has basic decor, string lights, and a dance floor. It includes a photographer and a mariachi band. The total cost would be about $20,000 to $25,000.

Don’t forget your room comps!

This is money back in your pocket for the number of rooms you booked into your room contract. This is paid out after your wedding. Let’s say you booked 30 rooms and you were getting every 6th room free with a max of 3. This could easily be $5,000+. I can’t give you an exact number here since there are many variables to consider (total length of stay, lowest room category booked, cost of actual room, etc), but it means incredible cash back!

For instance, my last wedding in Mexico got $6,000 back for her comped rooms, which was HUGE! That money can easily be spent on your incredible honeymoon or to pay off your wedding expenses.

TIP: DESTINATION WEDDING PACKAGES INCLUDE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF GUESTS. YOU’LL HAVE TO PAY A PER-PERSON RATE FOR EACH GUEST OVER THE PACKAGE GUEST ALLOTMENT.

Guest Travel Budget

Another thing to consider is what you want your guests to spend. The nice thing about an all-inclusive resort is they’ll pay one flat rate for their stay and airport transfers. All-inclusive resorts include meals, drinks (alcoholic & non-alcoholic), on-site resort activities, and much more! So they really don’t have to worry about paying much out of pocket. This makes it easier for them to RSVP Yes!

Keep in mind most resorts require a 3-night minimum stay. There are a couple that may require a 4-night minimum stay, so when you’re looking at resorts, be sure to find out the minimum night stay requirement.

Here are examples of different price points (based on 2 guests sharing a room):

• Low-Quality Resort (3 stars or less): $200-$400 per person per night
  Total of $600-$800 per person for a 3-night stay
• Medium/Average Quality Resort (4 stars): $260-$430 per person per night
  Total of $800-$1,300 per person for a 3-night stay
• High Quality/Luxury Resort (5 stars): $500+ per person per night
  Total of $1,500+ per person for a 3-night stay

These prices don’t include flights, so be sure to factor that in as well. The good thing is most people have points or flight credits they can use to help offset the cost!

Another thing to consider are flight prices when you’re picking a destination. Choose a destination with many nonstop flights. This is important based on where you and most of your guests are located. Head to Google Flights and start getting an idea on flight prices at different times of the year.

It’s important to have your guest’s costs figured out as well when you’re venue shopping for your destination wedding!

Learn More About Booking Destination Wedding Room Blocks

3. The Destination

After you’ve done some research on flight costs, this will help narrow down your destination list. All-inclusive resorts are mainly located in Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and other Caribbean islands.

If you haven’t been to the destination yet, that’s totally okay! That’s where a Travel Advisor comes in. It’s important to hire a Travel Advisor who knows about destination weddings. They can help you find the best resorts for groups. They also know details about wedding venues. They’ll truly know how to plan a destination wedding!

Here’s a list of things to consider when it comes to picking the right destination for your destination wedding:

Location:

How far do you want to travel? 3 hours? 6 hours? Depending on where you and your guests live, this can eliminate quite a few destinations. While a wedding in Bali is incredible, it also means an 18+ hour plane ride! If you’re based in the US, you’ll most likely go with Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, or Costa Rica since you can get to these destinations within a 2-5 hour plane ride.

Scenery:

Scenery varies throughout Mexico and the Caribbean. What kind of backdrop are you looking for? A white sand beach, mountains, desert, or lush greenery/jungle? This is important to consider as it’ll help narrow down certain destinations or areas in Mexico. I’m an expert at picking out scenery since I’ve seen it all!

Budget:

This is the biggest part to consider when picking your destination. Some places will instantly be scratched off the list if you don’t have the right budget. The further you travel, the more expensive it’ll be.

For example, if you have a minimum guest budget of $1,500, you can easily eliminate Turks & Caicos, St. Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, etc. Any of those higher-end islands won’t work due to the cost of the actual trip itself.

Destinations that cover a wide variety of budgets are Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. Check out Stephanie & Mike’s wedding, whose wedding is featured in this blog. They had their wedding at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic!

Tip: Most resorts do offer a preview stay to experience the resort. This is where you can travel to the resort at a discounted rate for a few nights and meet with the wedding coordinators to make sure it’s the right fit. If you end up booking your wedding with the resort, they’ll most likely apply the funds you spent for the test drive towards your wedding. Cha-ching! It’s practically a free trip! You can read more about how site visits work here.

4. The Plan

Now that you have an idea on your guest count, how much you and your guests want to spend, and destinations narrowed down, it’s time to start planning!

Ideally, you’ll want to plan ahead. Most weddings are planned 13+ months in advance. This ensures you have enough time to pick the perfect resort and for your guests to plan ahead to make their payments.

Here’s a quick rundown of the steps you should take:

1. Start a Pinterst Board and send it to your Travel Advisor and Wedding Planner so they can see your vision.
2. Secure your wedding date with the resort (your Travel Advisor can help facilitate this for you)
3. Book your room contract with your Travel Advisor
4. Create a wedding website with all the details for your guests, including pricing!
5. Send out your save-the-dates & include the wedding website link!
6. Hire a photographer & videographer, if you’re not using the resort’s preferred vendor
7. Watch the RSVPs roll in and start planning the rest of your wedding!

Another important point is that most wedding planning happens 3 to 4 months before your wedding date. The reason being is that the resort is working with hundreds of brides and works on them based on the couple’s wedding date. If you pay attention to details and want to start soon, send your vision to the wedding planner. This way, they can begin working on your proposal. This is one of the reasons you need a destination wedding planner, even for all-inclusive resorts! Don’t worry though, we can help walk you through all of these decisions so you’re prepared before you arrive for your wedding.

Also be sure to inform the resort of any specific requests you have for the wedding.. For example, if you have a specific ceremony arch that’s not offered by the resort and has to be custom-made, you should send your vision over right away so they can find a vendor to create it for you.

Response times in Mexico and other Caribbean destinations can be slow at times. They’re on island time, so to speak. It may take them 5-7 days or longer. Be sure to copy your Travel Advisor on every email so they can step in and escalate a response if needed.

Now you know the basics on how to plan a Destination Wedding!

This may like a lot, trust me, I know! But working with someone like me, a certified Destination Wedding Expert, will help you every step of the way. From finding the right resort to creating your wedding website and handling all of your guest bookings so you can focus on the wedding!

You don’t have to do this alone. I’d love the opportunity to chat with you about your dream destination wedding. To get started, fill out this inquiry form and I’ll be in touch to schedule a complimentary Google Meet with you.

Vendors

Destination Wedding Travel Advisor: Bridie Travel

Venue: Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana

Photographer: LizArtStudio

Florist: Vlady Flowers

Wedding Dress: Brick and Mortar Bridal

Wedding Planner: Greisy & Andry at Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana