If you’re considering a destination wedding and are wondering what this whole process entails and how long everything will take from start to finish, you are absolutely in the right place!! This destination wedding planning timeline is based on numerous experiences with different resorts’ destination wedding teams, and will help you enter the process with the right expectations!

Many of the brides I encounter online in destination wedding Facebook groups or subreddits are stressed out, anxious, and get progressively more ticked off when things don’t go according to their plan. It feels like a mountain of stress is absolutely crushing them, when they’re really only making one mistake: starting the process with expectations that don’t match the situation.

So, to try and help you set expectations that are reasonable, based in reality, and can be met, I wanted to clarify a few points about the typical destination wedding planning timeline! I’m going to share several questions I’ve either received or read in these groups, and share my insight as a destination wedding specialist travel agent. Let’s dive in!

When should we start planning our destination wedding?

Great question! In fact, this one is so important that I’ve written an entire other post about it, which you can read here. (In short, as soon as possible.. ish 😉 )

Why aren’t resorts answering my destination wedding emails?

This is a biggie. THIS is where most couples’ frustrations begin, especially if they try to plan a destination wedding on their own without the help of a destination wedding specialist travel agent!

Again, this is SUCH a hot topic, I wrote an entire post all about that, which you can read HERE.

The very short of it is this: you should try to direct your resort communications through your travel agent. We are way more likely to get a timely response, or in some cases, ANY response from the resorts than you are on your own.

When will the resort contact me about finalizing my destination wedding plans?

This is the second biggest question I hear from my couples, and see with other destination wedding couples online, and one that can also be solved by editing your expectations!

Once you lock in your wedding date, venue, and package by signing your wedding contract with the resort, this whole process becomes a giant waiting game.

NOTE: The rest of the advice in this post assumes that you have already signed a wedding contract.

Destination Weddings vs. Traditional Weddings

The most important thing to remember while setting your expectations for a destination wedding is that this process is quite different from planning a traditional, at-home wedding. Again, this is a detailed topic, and one I encourage you to read about HERE.

The gist of it is that traditional weddings are typically planned up-front, and just the numbers, such as guest count, are finalized close to the actual wedding date. But destination weddings are quite different; because they offer all-inclusive wedding packages that cover most everything, and handle most all of the vendors you’ll need, there’s really no need to do all the research and try to make all the decisions early on. 🎉 For the most part, your wedding will already be set once you choose a resort, and lock in a date, venue, and wedding package.

We’ll talk about more timing of the resort team soon!

When will the wedding team contact me? I want to start planning!

If you’re reading this, you’re probably pumped, or even anxious to get all of your wedding details squared away ASAP so you can simply stop thinking about it.. I get it.

Instead, I suggest that you stop thinking about it NOW – minus the occasional Pinterest spree or Insta scroll while you’re waiting for your next appointment, if that’s your thing. Go ahead and release the expectations you’ve got for yourself about getting this thing completely locked down RIGHT NOW, because.. well, I’ve got some news for you.

Most resort wedding teams do not contact you until somewhere between 2-6 months before your wedding date.

Yep, some resorts only really finalize your destination wedding details as late as TWO MONTHS prior to your trip and wedding.

But don’t worry, this is totally normal, even if it feels a little stressful to those of us who are Type-A planners!

Instead, spend this time relaxing with your fiance, enjoying your engagement, and getting excited for your big day!! There are plenty of productive things you can do, too, if that’s your jam, but honestly, as long as you’ve got wedding attire, rings, and eventually a marriage certificate, you’re going to be good to go for quite a while!

Now you may be ticked off or stressed out about this new development, so let me explain why resorts’ destination wedding planning timelines are structured in this way.

Why do resorts wait so long to finalize destination wedding plans?

First, it’s important to understand what’s happening with resorts’ wedding teams and their own destination wedding planning timeline, which you can read more about here. Essentially, there is at least one wedding (and sometimes as many as 3-5) per day at resorts.. every day of the year!!

Resorts’ Destination Wedding Planning Timeline

Now that you have a better understanding of the big picture, you know: most resorts host 1-3 or more destination weddings every single day. Therefore, they’re definitely operating under a cyclical system that they’ve deemed most efficient at executing each of those customized weddings perfectly!

So while you and your wedding are certainly important to them, your wedding decor preferences are not at the top of their priority list… at least not until much closer to your wedding date.

Destination Wedding Trends

Like most things in the wedding industry, destination wedding trends change over time! And since we know that it’s a great idea to *start* planning your destination wedding 12-18+ months in advance, the logic follows that trends will change during that time.

Maybe your personal tastes will change with the trends, maybe they won’t. But in the resort’s eyes, it’s likely, and in order to efficiently and effectively serve all of their couples, they try to only go through the ‘finalize the destination wedding details’ process ONCE per wedding.

Your Unique Destination Wedding

Again, since the window of time in which you’re planning a destination wedding is quite long, there’s every possibility that you’ll attend another wedding, or maybe several weddings, in the window of time between booking your resort, venue, wedding date, and wedding package, and when your wedding actually takes place.

So many of us go to weddings for our friends and family while we’re planning our own weddings, and secretly take stock of the details – the decor, the playlist, the food, the flowers, the colors, the seating chart, the whole nine yards. (I was in both of my best friends’ weddings in the year before mine, and BOY did I learn a lot!) Sometimes we find things we LOVE and want to incorporate into our big day, and sometimes we… learn from our friends’ choices, shall we say 😉

Either way, there will certainly be things you eventually realize that you do or do not want to include in your wedding plans, or simply things you don’t wish to copy, so that you have a unique wedding day that is totally your own! And again, resorts only want to plan your wedding ONE TIME; so to save everyone from repeating a process unnecessarily, they simply opt to wait until later to lock in your wedding details.

It’s All About The Money

Okay, so your wedding isn’t ALL about the money, but it’s at least partially about the money, right? If you’re here and reading this post, I’m guessing that you (like me!) don’t have a personal assistant and a zillion dollars to handle everything for you. So even if budget is not your main concern, everyone has a limit.

Due to the nature of most destination weddings, you won’t have a finalized, locked-in, absolutely-for-sure guest list early in the process. Your guests have to learn about the trip, take time off work or school, hire babysitters, save money, commit and make a deposit, pay for their room, and eventually book a flight to your international destination.

Maybe your family is special, but I don’t know ANYONE who can lock in literally all of their destination wedding guest list at once in a short period of time.

So if you’re human like the rest of us, it will take some time to get a true, final headcount for your wedding. Since at least some of the wedding details are based on your guest count, you won’t be able to calculate your destination wedding expenses until much later in the game, when your guests are booked and ready to travel!

Since resorts’ wedding teams are literally located on-site at resorts, they know well how the travel world works and understand this situation quite well.. and have adapted their destination wedding planning timeline accordingly!

Many of my couples are actually excited to wait until the end to make their decisions about wedding details, I’ve heard things like, “since only XX people are attending the wedding, we’ve got some more space in our budget for ____.” (nicer flowers, a live musician, extend the reception for another hour, etc.).

That’s the beauty of resorts’ destination wedding planning timeline! When you wait until closer to travel, you can go in as an informed consumer and make educated decisions about your wedding details. Whether your job situation has changed and you’re ready to upgrade and go all-out for your big day, or you want to save a little money now that a year has passed, you’ll have the ability to make those choices closer to ‘in the moment’ than you would if you’d locked everything in a year or more ago.

What does this mean for you?

Honestly, consider this post an educational piece of permission to take a giant chill pill (or as we prefer in Mexico, maybe have a nice margarita or espresso martini!) and stop stressing about locking your destination wedding details.

While there are many benefits to having a destination wedding, one of the biggest ones is that for the most part, everything is under control, and you don’t really have to lift a finger.

Forget the olden days of a DIY wedding, tying ribbons around every single jordan almond bag, and hunting down florists for quotes and photos, and embrace this particular perk of having a destination wedding; just relax. The process has worked for thousands of couples before you, and it will work for you, too.

So.. now that we’re all nice and relaxed, we still need to know what kind of timeline to expect when planning a destination wedding at an all-inclusive resort, so let’s get into it!

Destination Wedding Planning Timeline, Explained

Why do destination wedding guests have to pay in full ahead of time?

I’ve written a separate post about Room Block Contracts and what they do for you, but to reiterate some highlights, room blocks help you:

• Lock in inventory – rooms won’t sell out from under you, and your guests will have the rooms they need to be able to attend your wedding
  
• Lock in prices – once you sign a room block contract, room rates will not change for the rooms and dates you’ve saved. Goodbye price hunting, waiting, and hoping prices don’t go up!
  
• Give your guests perks & include them in your wedding festivities
  
• Give YOU and your fiancé some great perks, such as money back, free events, and more! (in addition to those in your wedding package)

When you sign a room block contract and receive all of those perks.. as well as a WIDE window in which your guests can book those rooms, you’re essentially making a good faith agreement with the resort that you will in fact use most of the rooms that you reserved, instead of leaving them up the creek without a paddle.

Remember, most resorts have at least one wedding every single day.. so can you imagine if at least one wedding group every day reserved a bunch of rooms, assumed their guests would show up and pay upon arrival.. and then not do it? Resorts are great for destination weddings!! But they’re still in the business of selling rooms and experiences, and they simply have to know their numbers.

What variables affect destination wedding planning timelines?

Below, I’ve broken down a standard 12-month destination wedding planning timeline, but it’s important to remember that there are a LOT of variables in this whole process, and a lot of moving parts. (that’s part of why you’d be wise to hire a destination wedding travel agent.. spinning chaotic plates is kind of my thing! 😉 )

When Did You Start Planning Your Destination Wedding?

The timeline is different for everyone! Depending on how far in advance you start planning, you will have different options available to you, as well as different contract terms, payment deadlines, and more.

For instance, I’m currently working with a group on a very, very last-minute destination wedding, only about 6 months out. How did this affect them? The room availability was significantly affected, but the biggest difference was the payment timeline. Their guests are having to pay a 50% deposit, rather than a $200 per person deposit, according to the room block contract terms we received, simply due to the time crunch.

As you can imagine with the timeline below, a 6-month destination wedding planning timeline looks quite different from the 12 month one that most couples opt for!

Which Resort or Resort Brand You Choose for Your Destination Wedding Matters

Of course, the resort you choose matters greatly, as they all have their own, individual wedding teams.

Some brands are HUGE and have dozens or hundreds of properties and operate with more of a corporate attitude and process, even in the weddings department. Others are stand-alone properties or operate within a small family brand, and therefore do things a bit differently.

Whatever their policies are, they will affect almost every aspect of the planning process, from the wedding contract and timeline to the room block contract terms, minimums, payments, and drop deadlines.

Fun fact: A (very) few resorts are particularly aware of your Type A tendencies 😉 and offer options for couples to pay a fee to be able to go ahead and lock in your wedding details immediately.. ask me for more info about this!

But as you can see, the resort you choose is the biggest variable for this process by FAR.

12-Month Destination Wedding Planning Timeline

I know this is what you came here for, but I firmly believe that context is key, and that knowing why the process works the way it does is an important step in de-stressing and believing in the process.

Now that you know what’s going on with all-inclusive resorts’ wedding teams, you’re ready!

Here’s a typical destination wedding planning timeline for a 12-month process:

• 12 Months Before Wedding Date
  • Hire a destination wedding specialist travel agent and share your destination wedding vision and dreams, resort preferences, budget, guest needs, etc.
    
• 11-12 Months Before Wedding Date
  • Lock in a wedding date with the resort your TA helped you pick. You’ll lock in your: wedding date and time, ceremony, cocktail and reception locations, and wedding package.
  • Lock in a room block contract with your TA. This will guarantee rooms, rates, and perks for you and your guests!
  • Publish your wedding website (I make these for my couples) detailing all the information your guests need about the destination, resort, room block, prices, and how to book their rooms.
  • Send out Save the Dates / Invitations / your preferred method of destination wedding invites, linking to your wedding website
    
• 10-11 Months Before Wedding Date
  • “RSVPs” … aka room reservations begin rolling in as your friends and family receive their invitations!
    
• 4-10 Months Before Wedding Date
  • I send your guests who have registered for a room monthly payment reminders, simply reminding them of their balance and the upcoming final due date. They can make payments of any amount at any time, using my Payments page, as long as they meet the final payment deadline.
    
• 6 Months Before Wedding Date
  • RSVPs / Room Deposits Due for your guests. Typically, this is just reserving a room in your block + paying a $200 per person or similar deposit
    
• 4 Months Before Wedding Date
  • Final payments due for room reservations. (I always pad the contractual final payment date a bit to make darn sure that you and your fiancé are protected, and don’t end up paying for any unused rooms, or covering for any procrastinators.. there’s always one!)
  • After final payments are turned in, we will drop any unused rooms, according to your contract’s attrition date. Again, this protects you from being on the hook for any unused rooms beyond your room block’s minimum (usually 10 minimum rooms for 3 nights, but it varies)
    
• 3-4 Months Before Wedding Date
  • Resort wedding team contacts you and you work together to finalize the details of your wedding. Read more about this here.
  • Guests’ flight confirmations will be due to me. They’ll simply forward their flight confirmations to me as they book their flights so I can arrange their included ground transportation, round trip between the airport and resort.
  • I begin sending travel tips, packing tips, important passport information, and information about the destination to your wedding guests, so everyone feels prepared and ready for travel!
    
• 2-3 Months Before Wedding Date
  • Wedding team and resort require us to send in our final rooming list so they can firm up all the details for your group.
    
• 1 Month Before Wedding Date
  • I send you and your guests final documents for your trip, to ensure you have all the information you need to travel safely, smoothly, and stress-free! This includes tips about packing, tipping, international cell phone use, international currency tips, information about the resort, the destination, and so. much. more. My goal here is to ensure that 100% of your guests feel 100% confident in traveling, and get to relax and enjoy their vacation and your big day!
    
• Wedding Week
  • I send a Bon Voyage message to you and your group, and remind you that I’m here for anything you need!
  • I remain available while your group travels and checks in to the resort, to help with any issues that may arise, such as cancelled flights, resort errors, etc. There are usually no issues, but I’m here as backup if there are!!
    
• 1 Month After Wedding Date
  • Around a month after your wedding is when couples usually receive their room block contract perks*, and when I check in to make sure everything went smoothly!

What Destination Wedding Tasks Can You Do While You Wait?

As you can see from the destination wedding planning timeline above, there’s quite a lot of down time in there, where either you don’t really have any tasks, or neither of us do!! So, the frequently asked question I get all the time and bet you’ll ask next is….

What productive wedding tasks can we do in the meantime?

As I said earlier, I hope you don’t feel like you NEED to be doing productive wedding tasks in all the gaps in that timeline. Destination weddings are a great thing for engaged couples, because it gives them their time back! No need to fill every weekend with wedding tasks! No need to research and choose between the hundreds of florists in the area! Most big puzzle pieces are in place, and you’ll just lock in the finer details later.

That being said, of course, there are a few things you’ll need, or maybe will want to do within those 12 months of waiting:

• Shop for and purchase wedding rings
• Shop for and purchase wedding attire
• Help your wedding party shop for, try-on, and order wedding attire
• Brainstorm your wedding preferences – will you have seating charts? Flowers on every table, or just yours? Live music or DJ? What flavor cake is your favorite? What kind of flowers do you love? What will you do with your hair? Etc.
• Book your flights (be sure to wait until your room is officially booked to do this one 😉)
• Figure out a travel plan for you AND your wedding attire
• Follow up with your guests to be sure everyone who wants and needs to be there gets everything turned in on time so they don’t miss out!
• Enjoy your time together as an engaged couple! Do adventures! Make plans! Hang out with those people most important in your lives as you form a new life together!

How do we start planning our destination wedding?

Now that you understand the bigger picture, have seen a typical one year timeline for planning a destination wedding and know what to expect, you’re ready to dive in to planning your own dream destination wedding!!

Where to begin?

You’re in luck! I’ve made it super easy for you to dive into the process without doing absolutely ANY research whatsoever. You don’t have to come in with a list of resorts you love, know your exact budget down to the penny, or even need to know precisely where or when your wedding will be. I’ve got your back!

As a destination wedding expert, I know all the right questions to ask to get to the heart of what you’re looking for, even if you don’t know what that is quite yet. (I’m a little bit magical that way!). Understanding what you’re looking for will help me direct you do the perfect destination and resort, if you don’t already have one in mind.

All you need to do is sign up for a totally free consultation call at a time that’s convenient for you! We will chat either via phone or video call (dealer’s choice!), and go from there!

I simply cannot wait to talk with you and your fiancé about your dream destination wedding, and work together to make it a reality for you and your guests!!

Thanks for being here! Talk soon.

~ Allison Slater