The girls sparkled at every turn with their custom earrings in support of their beautiful bride.

10 TO 12 MONTHS OUT

RESEARCH MARRIAGE LICENSE REQUIREMENTS AND DOCUMENTATION

[This is something to work on with your travel agent or destination wedding planner]. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT wait until the last minute to do your homework when it comes to marriage license requirements, travel visas and passports. For example, did you know that for a legal ceremony to occur in Mexico, you have take a blood test that you can only pay for in cash? Do you know when your passport expires? These are real questions that people leave to the last minute–don’t be one of them!

START LOOKING FOR SAVE THE DATES AND INVITATIONS

You may know exactly what you want, you may have no idea. There are many online marketplaces which offer the full spectrum for your invitations. Working closely with a graphic designer that you love can make it a very enjoyable process–choose one you love. Asking former destination brides what they did in different hotel groups is also a great way to get inspired. Think about incorporating the travel theme. Our save the dates were a boarding pass that our guests ripped off with their reply. Our invitations were mock passports with an itinerary for the week included.

WEDDING WEBSITE LAUNCH

Whether you’re setting up a website from scratch with a web designer or choosing a website off of the many free sites, now is a good time to get started. This will give you time to prep it before sending out your save the dates. A wedding website is a great way to entice your guests to book their trip sooner than later with photos of what the resort will look like and of course, all of the details about your story as a couple. EWedding.com, The Knot and MyWedding.com all have free website templates.

PLAN YOUR GROUP’S TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS WITH YOUR DESTINATION WEDDING TRAVEL AGENT

Travel agents will do the legwork to find out if there are group rates available, including breaks on flights if you have a group traveling out of a certain city. Leverage their ability to find discounts for travel and accommodations. If you’re having your wedding at a boutique hotel, your travel agent may be able to negotiate special arrangements for your group.

RESEARCH VENDORS

You might think that 10-12 months out from your wedding date seems like a long ways away. In wedding terms, you should be looking at vendors to make sure there’s availability in their schedules to accomodate your wedding. It’s very upsetting to find out after you’ve finally decided on vendors, that they’re booked for the day –do your work in advance. Research photographers, videographers, florists, wedding planners, and even jewelry (ahem) to make sure your requests can be accommodated!

CREATE YOUR REGISTRY…OR DON’T

This can be a bit of a sticky subject since a destination wedding is a bit out of the box for guests (usually). It’s really a personal choice to create one. Another option that goes with the theme of a destination wedding is creating a Honeyfund. This is a fun that is either set up in conjunction with or in place of a traditional china-filled registry. Does zip-lining in the jungle fit you more as a couple than a gravy boat? Something to consider…

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR OWN PRINTABLE WEDDING IN PARADISE CHECKLIST WITH AN AREA TO TAKE NOTES!

CBJ TRAVEL GEM:

Start a binder where you keep these worksheets so you can reference them throughout your wedding planning.

I’M A BIG BELIEVER IN TOO MUCH INFORMATION CAN BE DAUNTING AND OVERWHELMING, SO GIVE YOURSELF UNTIL NEXT WEEK TO ACT ON THE ABOVE PLANS. STAY TUNED FOR NEXT WEEK’S 6-8 MONTH OUT PLANNING LIST. 

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