Are you planning a destination wedding? Lucky you! We absolutely love destination weddings and already know that you’re going to have the most amazing experience! Over the last several years, we’ve photographed couples all over the world. In that time, we’ve learned a lot about what the very best destination weddings all have in common. Today, I’m sharing my top 5 tips for planning a dream destination wedding!

#1. Hire a Wedding Planner

First thing on my list: hire a destination wedding planner. Honestly, this is always my recommendation for wedding days. However, it’s even more important for destination weddings! You’re planning a celebration from afar, and my guess is that you’ve probably never planned a wedding before. There are a lot of moving parts (things you wouldn’t even think of!) that go into making a destination wedding perfect. A planner can take your vision and dreams for your wedding day and translate that into a plan of action – and you don’t have to lift a finger! You’ll arrive to your destination wedding and not have any work to do or details to stress over – it’s total relaxation and enjoyment! I truly think hiring a planner for your destination wedding is THE top priority to having an amazing experience!

 

#2. Narrow Down the Location by Knowing Your Vision

There are a lot of places in the world, aren’t there? Choosing your destination wedding location may seem a little overwhelming if you love to travel and have a lot of possibilities on your list! While the exact venue or location of your destination wedding may take a little more research, the best way to start picking a spot is to start dreaming of your vision for your wedding celebration. What kind of activities do you want guests to be doing? What season are you getting married in, and how does that make a difference? Do you like to be in the heat, or do you love the cool weather? What kind of cultural experiences do you envision? Once you narrow this down, you can start zeroing in on the region of the world or country that makes the most sense for you. From there, you can work with your planner to choose the perfect venue!

#3. Plan a Honeymoon Separately

This tip might surprise you, but I highly recommend planning your honeymoon as a separate event. A honeymoon is all about it being just the two of you – to celebrate your new marriage and focus on one another. Chances are, if you stay at the destination wedding location after the wedding day, guests will still be around. Even if all of your planned activities and excursions have ended, you’ll likely still have several guests that wanted to hang out and enjoy the beautiful destination. I 100% encourage you to make your wedding a multi-day experience for you and your guests, but I also highly encourage you to not count this as your honeymoon! You have a lot of options – you can plan events with your guests leading up to your wedding day and then leave for a separate but nearby resort or location, or you could plan an entirely different trip in a few months to celebrate. It’s totally up to you, but I encourage you to make the honeymoon private, special and unique from the wedding day!

#4. Go All-Out for Your Photos

Yes, I’m super biased, but I can’t recommend this highly enough! Wedding day photos are a once-in-a-lifetime gift. This is even more true for destination wedding photos! This magical location is going to be meaningful and special to you for the rest of your life. You are going to have the most stunning location options and views for your photos, so you’ve got to go all-out! What I mean by “all out” is this: first of all, prioritize your choice in photographer. Make sure it’s someone you absolutely love, and don’t feel pressured to make it someone local to your destination. Be sure that you click with your photographer before hiring her, and also be sure to work with your planner and photographer to arrange for plenty of time for magical photos! You will never, ever regret it!

#5. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Finally, I encourage you not to sweat the small stuff. There will likely be a little detail that doesn’t go accordingly to plan. A guest will miss their connecting flight and be late. You’ll forget to pack something. Don’t get caught up in these things, and instead, understand that a few of these things will happen and it’s totally ok! Your wedding day is still going to be an absolutely dream! So sit back, relax, and let your vendor team take care of you!

I hope these tips were super helpful to you! Planning a destination wedding is a dream come true if you do it right! By following these tips, you’ll ensure that your destination wedding is unforgettable!