Destination Wedding Questions, Answered.

A destination wedding turns your ceremony into a shared vacation: guest costs are usually predictable through all-inclusive rates, the venue, catering and lodging are bundled at one resort, and the celebration stretches across several days instead of a single reception. Some couples spend less than they would on a comparable hometown wedding, although total costs vary significantly by destination, guest count, resort, season, and event design.

It's the right fit if you want an intimate guest list (typically 20–80 people), value experience over formality, and would rather spend on shared memories than on a bigger local event. It's not the right fit if you're inviting 200+ guests or need every family member to attend regardless of travel.

Twelve to eighteen months out is ideal. That timeline lets you lock the best resort and ceremony venue, negotiate a strong group room block, and give guests nine-plus months to save and book, the single biggest predictor of guest attendance.

There are two separate costs to think about. The wedding itself, ceremony, reception, décor, photography, typically runs $8,000–$25,000 for 30–60 guests, though it varies by destination (Costa Rica and boutique properties tend to run higher; Punta Cana and Jamaica tend to run lower). That's separate from our fee for helping you plan it: our flat-rate planning fees start at $800, and we never take a percentage of your wedding budget. Guest travel is a third, separate cost, each guest pays for their own.

Our fees are flat-rate, not a percentage of your wedding. Just Travel (our core travel-advisor service) is $800. Wedding-planning add-ons are Deluxe at $1,600 or Complete at $4,200. What you pay is what you pay: no back-end commissions billed to you, no percentage escalators as your wedding scales up.

Just Travel is our core destination wedding travel-advisor service: group room-block negotiation, guest booking management, RSVP tracking, transfer coordination, and travel-day support for you and every guest. It does not include wedding planning, great for couples who want the resort's on-site planner to handle the wedding itself.

Deluxe adds wedding planning on top of our core travel-advisor service. Everything in Just Travel, plus resort matchmaking with our firsthand tour notes, wedding-package contract negotiation, vendor sourcing, welcome-event coordination, and a design consultation. Available only to couples booking their group travel through us.

Complete is our top-tier planning add-on layered on top of the travel-advisor booking. Everything in Deluxe, plus full-service design and vendor management, a detailed wedding-week timeline, and Shanna physically at your resort for the entire wedding week, greeting guests, walking the rehearsal, and coordinating on the wedding day. White-glove, and only available to travel clients.

Yes. Wedding planning (Deluxe and Complete) is only available as an add-on for couples who book their destination wedding group travel through us as their travel advisor. We don't offer planning as a standalone service, every couple starts with our core travel-advisor booking (Just Travel), and planning is layered on top from there.

No. The flat fee is the only thing you pay us. Wedding-package costs, resort night stays, outside vendor invoices, and taxes/fees at the resort are paid directly to those providers. We show you every line item before you commit.

Two different people, two different jobs, and mixing them up is where couples get burned. The resort's coordinator runs the show on their property: ceremony setup, their vendors, their timeline. Your travel advisor works for you: picking the right resort, running your room block, and catching everything that falls in the crack between 'the resort's job' and 'yours.' You want both in your corner, not one person pretending to be both.

Book 9–12 months out, choose an all-inclusive resort in a value destination like Punta Cana or Jamaica, lock group rates early, and share a clear per-person estimate the moment you send save-the-dates. A contracted room block may provide group pricing, flexible terms, and valuable concessions, although savings vary by resort, travel dates, room category, and contract terms.

They can, but they shouldn't. A properly negotiated block matches or beats public rates and includes perks (welcome events, upgrades, guaranteed room categories) that outside bookers forfeit. If the resort enforces a group-count minimum for your ceremony, outside bookings can also put your wedding package at risk.

Most of our recommended resorts offer both family-friendly and adults-only properties on the same campus, or in the same brand family, so guests can pick. If you want an adults-only ceremony experience with a family-friendly overflow option next door, we plan that constantly.

The couple typically pays for the wedding itself (ceremony, reception, décor, photography) and welcome events. Each guest pays for their own travel and lodging. Optional gestures, welcome bags, a group excursion, or covering the rehearsal dinner, are the couple's call.

Some people will think so before they've even RSVP'd, surveys show over half of Americans side-eye destination weddings, and about 1 in 5 have turned one down over cost. None of that means you did something wrong. It usually means someone felt blindsided by the price tag, not that they don't love you. The fix isn't skipping your dream wedding, it's not springing it on people. Give real notice, be upfront about cost early, and mean it when you say 'no is okay.' Do that, and most of those same skeptics end up calling it one of the best trips of their life.

Skip the trinkets nobody keeps, a keychain or a shot glass is just clutter someone leaves behind at checkout. But a welcome bag with genuinely useful stuff? Different story. Sunscreen, aloe, a phone charger, snacks for the travel day, maybe a printed itinerary card so nobody's texting you 'wait, what time is the welcome party?', that's the kind of thing guests actually use, not something they toss. If you want to do something for your group, make it useful. Skip the rest.

Yes, when the destination's civil requirements are met (documents, translations, residency period). The United States recognizes valid foreign marriages. Most of our couples do a symbolic ceremony at the resort and a civil marriage at home, it's simpler, cheaper, and legally identical.

No longer, as of 2024, Mexico, Costa Rica, Punta Cana (Dominican Republic), and Jamaica have all removed blood-test requirements for foreign nationals. Some resorts may still request a general health form; your planner will flag it.

It varies. Jamaica: 24 hours. Mexico: typically 2–4 business days depending on the state. Dominican Republic: 1–2 days. Costa Rica: no residency requirement if using a Costa Rican attorney, otherwise varies. We coordinate this on your behalf.

Passports valid at least six months past the wedding date, birth certificates (often apostilled), and, if either party has been previously married, divorce decrees or death certificates. Most destinations also require witnesses. Your planner sends a complete checklist by destination.