Destination wedding planning steps
You just got engaged, huh? CONGRATS! Getting married is one of the most important moments in your life and you’ll want to make sure everything goes exactly as you dreamed it. But in order to turn the dream into reality, there are a few wedding planning steps you want to follow.
So, are you nervous about your big day? Not sure what to do first? Who should do what and when? Worry no more! Hola Weddings is here to guide you through the essential steps every wedding couple should follow, that will ensure you arrive at your wedding day ready, happy, and sane!
Curious about what this is all about? See it all in just one image:
1. SET THE DATE AND LOCATION
Are you still excited about that proposal? Have you made the big announcement yet? You must be dying to tell everyone! And you should, why not?
Take advantage of that enthusiasm and channel it toward your wedding planning! Create a Pinterest vision board with your loved one and talk about your dream wedding. You will want to answer questions such as: Do you want a typical tropical destination? or do you prefer an exuberant and exotic faraway land? Where do you see it happening?
When it comes to the guest list, will you be inviting kids or teens? Where are most guests coming from? Will the frecency of flights match your wedding date? Is it going to be difficult or too expensive for them to get there? Let’s say people living on the West Coast will easily arrive at Cabo and Vallarta but may struggle to get to Cancun or the Caribbean.
Answering these questions is something you should definitely consider in the early wedding planning steps, so the important people in your group are able to go! There is no such thing as a perfect wedding when your favorite people are not there with you to celebrate.
Also, dates are super important. Planning an event during the high season will surely increase flight tickets, room rates, and wedding dates will be more limited. Usually, the high season comprises Easter, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, all major holidays, and school breaks.
The lower season also coincides with the rainy or hurricane season in most destinations. You may have a chance to get a better deal, but also there are more possibilities for inclement weather. We’ll have plenty of options for you to choose from if you’re hesitant about locations!
2. FIND YOUR DREAM RESORT
Brace yourself. Once you are absolutely sure about the destination and date, you will find literally hundreds of resorts, all with different themes, vibes, price points, pros, and cons.
Our wedding experts will work hand in hand with you to help you find the perfect match according to your requirements, the size of the group, and your budget.
We are located in the Riviera Maya and have experienced firsthand most resorts in the area, we’ve also visited Los Cabos, Vallarta, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic. So, we know a thing or two about resorts!
Hey! If you need a little inspiration to find your dream resort, visit our YouTube Channel with hundreds of real videos of resorts, beaches and wedding venues!
If you’re up for a read, find out how to choose the right resort for your destination wedding!
3. SAVE YOUR WEDDING DATE
Once you fall in love with your destination wedding resort, let’s secure your date, time, and venue!
Beach destination weddings are extremely popular and most resorts will book up to 18 months in advance. On top of that, some hotels accept 2, 3 or more weddings a day. Commonly, resorts have limited staff and often more requests, emails, and calls than those they can bear.
So, if you absolutely want that rooftop gazebo for your ceremony or that incredible beach location for your reception, you may need to make up your mind ASAP.
We have personal relationships with the on-site wedding coordinators and can help you get a speedy answer most of the times. It will just take a few emails back and forth with the resort’s sales department, a couple of days, and you’ll have a confirmed wedding date to put on your Save the dates, so they’re ready to post! (or email, too).
4. BLOCK THE ROOMS
Block what? A room block is a set of hotel rooms that are specifically assigned and held for your wedding group. You will want to get one since the more rooms you book, the more benefits, and perks you get!
Hola Weddings will find the best rates, concessions and even get you freebies you will never have access to if you do it yourself. Some of the benefits you receive with room blocks are free rooms, upgrades, cashback, and meeting the requirements, free flights for the wedding couple! Isn’t it nice?
It is up to you to choose what rooms you want your guests to book. Most resorts are very flexible but take note, it’s always easier to add more rooms than to remove them, as long as there are rooms available of course!
If you have guests coming to the resort but not using the room block, they will not be counted as wedding guests and you will likely have to pay extra for them. Also, they will not count for any perks or freebies. You will want to make sure all your guests book through us, and we’ll make that super easy for you.
Once you determine the rooms you’ll need, we’ll request the room block to the resort and in a couple of business days, the contract will be ready. It may sound complicated, but we can walk you through it.
5. BUILD YOUR WEDDING WEBSITE
You have your date, you’ve chosen your favorite resort, the rooms are blocked, you already sent the Save the Dates to your guests, and now you want to create your wedding website!
Share with us a piece of your own love story, and your favorite pictures together and we’ll work our magic! In a few days, you’ll have your personal website that will help your guests solve any questions regarding the event, rates, booking rooms, and all there is to know about your wedding.
6. SEND WEDDING INVITES
Letting your guests know all the deets in a timely manner is crucial, so everyone has enough time to make arrangements at their jobs, the school for the kids, get plane tickets, and last but not least, a rocking outfit for the party!
Including the website link in your invitations will save you tons of emails and texts. You’ll be super busy thinking about flowers, dinner menus, party favors, and all wedding stuff. Focus on what really matters and we’ll take care of the rest.
7. KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR GUESTS
Are you dying to know who already booked? who is confirmed? Instead of making calls to your guests, why don’t you just open one link and see all the rooms and details of your guests?
As the day gets closer and closer, you’ll have complete updated access to your group information! We are here every step of the way to assist all your guests, provide the info they need, and even book transportation and some tours for them.
8. ENJOY YOUR WEDDING!
You made it! It’s time to pack, get to your resort and enjoy your party. Let’s celebrate!
CONCLUSION
So, now you know all the wedding planning steps you need to follow to achieve the wedding of your dreams! Overwhelmed? Remember, we are here to help. Meet our team.
We are genuine people that work hard to make your destination wedding planning easy. With over 50 years of wedding and travel planning experience combined, we surely can help you turn your wedding planning into a joyful experience for you and your guests!
