Destination Weddings: 5 Ways to Make it Possible

My name is Clara Bennet and I’m a destination wedding planner. I love what I do because it brings together my two great passions: ceremonies and travel. But beyond getting to know so many incredible places, it also let me be the quiet, neutral witness to the most important moment in the lives of hundreds of people. And that’s what I want to write about today.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in these six years, it’s that planning a wedding and planning a trip have a lot in common. At their core, both are the first step in turning a dream into reality, which makes them as exciting as they are overwhelming.

So I decided to put together a few tips to help you if you’re planning a destination wedding. From choosing the place and setting up the wedding room blocks that give guests a clear place to stay, to advice on how not to overspend, these are some of the most important lessons I’ve picked up over the years.

Destination Wedding: 5 Ways to Make it Possible

photo by  Raw Shoots Photography – full wedding here

1. Choose a place people can realistically reach

It’s so easy to fall for the destination before you think about the journey. But I could tell you about plenty of weddings in gorgeous places where guests showed up exhausted. If only I could show you those faces in the first day’s photos!

That’s why, before you decide, I’d suggest you really think about how reachable it is: the flight, the connections, the transfer from the airport. Getting married in the Florida Keys or Las Vegas, with an airport close by and direct flights from half the country, is not the same as a villa tucked away in Tuscany. They’re all valid choices, but it’s worth making that choice with your eyes open. And when a place is hard to reach, it really helps to have everyone in one spot near the venue, so the trip feels easy the moment they land.

photo by Claudio Fasci – full wedding here

2. Plan the part of the trip your guests are worried about

This one’s key. Like in any kind of ceremony, the guests are the real stars. They’re the people you choose to share this important moment with, and they deserve for you to think about them.

Something that helps a lot is sorting out where everyone stays. A wedding room block gives couples a single place to put all their guests, at a group rate and keeping everyone close to the venue.

photo by Aubrey Oothout – full wedding here

3. Spend on what people will actually remember

Destination weddings can become expensive quickly if every beautiful idea turns into an upgrade. The easiest way to stay grounded is to decide early what matters most: food, music, guest comfort, and of course, wedding planning. I’m joking (am I?)

Decor matters, but the destination is already part of the design. The sea, the garden, the architecture, a sunset or a long table under the trees can create more atmosphere than a suitcase full of extra details. Before adding another upgrade, ask yourself if it will actually change how the day feels.

photo by Amy Jordison Photography – full wedding here

4. Don’t pack a whole wedding into your suitcase

Everything you bring to a destination wedding has to travel. That sounds obvious until you start thinking about all the small things that suddenly feel essential and weigh a ton.

Here’s my advice as a traveler: keep it simple. Pack what travels flat (fabric banners, string lights, paper lanterns that stack, table runners), and leave the rest. Only bring what feels personal and let the venue, florist, planner or local team handle the rest.

photo by Nicole Chan Photo & Video.– full wedding here

5. You can’t be everywhere, so trust someone who is

You can’t be in two places at once, and most couples can’t fly back and forth to a venue halfway across the country. That’s exactly why the people on the ground matter so much.

If you can visit before the wedding, do it, and treat it like a working trip. Walk through the ceremony space, taste the food if you can, meet the coordinator, look at the light and notice how guests will move through the day.

photo by  Eros Dangelo – full wedding here 

One last thing

My final piece of advice, as a traveler and as a professional, is the same: enjoy every moment. Planning is a magical time, like I already said, where the dream starts becoming real.

It does matter to sort things out early and to plan the experience, but keep in mind that, and I’ll say this quietly, like I’m telling you a secret, the best things are the ones that happen when whatever we planned didn’t quite go to plan.

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