Organizing a wedding away from home: tips for planning and securing your special event
Planning a Dreamy Destination Wedding?
Here's a checklist to help you prepare, protect, and savor the fun part: saying "I do."
1. Get a Travel Insurance Buddy, It's Your Ultimate Wingman
Destination weddings are a dream, but travel snags can happen. That's where travel insurance steps in.
What it covers:
- Flight cancellations and delays
- Lost or delayed luggage
- Extreme weather setbacks
- Prepaid expenses like hotels, flights, and tours
What's the story? When Hurricane Fiona threatened Adam and Jeremy's Puerto Rico wedding, we stepped in and helped manage the fallout. The result? A memorable day worth celebrating.
Tips and Tricks: Look for insurance that includes trip delays, baggage issues, and non-refundable wedding costs. Your future self will thank you.
2. Find a Trustworthy Local Planner
Planning from afar? A local planner steps up as your secret ally.
What to look for:
- Specializes in destination weddings
- Thoroughly understands local customs and vendor networks
- Has solid venue or hotel partnerships
- Offers verified references
Why it matters: They tackle everything from legal paperwork to cultural norms, ensuring there are no surprise obstacles.
3. Get the Lowdown on Local Laws and Customs
Every country has its unique wedding rules. Ahead-of-time research keeps surprises to a minimum.
Key things to investigate:
- Marriage license requirements
- Any visa or residency regulations
- Location and ceremony restrictions
Need a Hand? A good planner walks you through this, or you can chat with our website's 24/7 support team in-app for destination-specific advice.
4. Give Guests a Heads-Up (with Important Details)
Help your guests help you by keeping them informed.
What to Share:
- SHARE Save the dates well ahead of time
- INFORM Visa/passport/travel requirement details
- FORECAST Weather projections and packing tips
- BLOCK Hotel reservations and local transportation
- UPDATE Group chats or apps (like Guestboard or TextMyGuests) for updates
Tip: Don't assume guests know how to prep for an international trip. A little guidance goes a long way. If they plan with our website, those visa requirements are at their fingertips in the app.
5. Secure Your Vendors (and Deposits)
Your vendors create the magic. Protect your plans and deposits by ensuring everyone has proper coverage.
Checklist for Vendor Protection:
- Confirm they're licensed and insured
- Include liability clauses in contracts
- Ask about backup plans (for extreme weather, illness, etc.)
- Have your planner double-check the details
Why it Matters: Prevent last-minute cancellations or legal headaches that could derail your day.
6. Prepare Yourself (and Your Guests) for Travel
Packing for a destination wedding is about more than clothes. Make sure you've covered these details before takeoff:
Your Love Story meets a Safety Net
You bring the romance. We bring the backup plan. Our website helps navigate the not-so-glamorous aspects of destination weddings—so the only surprise is how good the cake is.
Protect My Trip
Plan smart, and say "I do" with confidence. Happy wedding planning!
For additional insights, check out [Costa Rica] as a popular destination for its stunning beauty and ease of access. And don't forget to define your vision, budget, and guest list to keep your planning organized and enjoyable.
- Choose travel insurance as it safeguards your wedding expenses from flight cancellations, delays, lost luggage, extreme weather, and other travel complications.
- Enlist a local wedding planner with expertise in destination weddings, deep understanding of local customs, strong vendor networks, and verified references to manage all wedding-related details.
- Research the local laws and customs of your chosen destination, focusing on marriage license requirements, visa or residency regulations, and location restrictions to avoid any potential surprises.
- Notify your guests well in advance with save-the-date information, travel requirements, weather forecasts, hotel reservations, local transportation plans, and regular updates via group chats or apps.
- Secure your vendors by verifying their licensing, insurance, liability clauses, backup plans, and having your wedding planner double-check all the details to prevent any last-minute cancellations or legal issues.
- Pack for your destination wedding thoughtfully, considering clothes, important documents like your passport, checklist for personal items, travel essentials, and travel insurance documents to ensure a seamless travel experience.
