How to Plan a Destination Wedding

Congratulations! You’re engaged, and the wedding bells are chiming in the distance. How far? As far as you can see on the map.

Couples who want to incorporate their love for travel into their big day can plan a destination wedding. This works well if many of your guests live in different places and must travel anyway. Why not pick an exciting location and gather everyone in one unique place?

Though, it's not without its downsides. Planning a traditional wedding can be overwhelming enough, and planning a destination wedding is further complicated by the logistics, possible language barriers and travel costs.

However, having your dream wedding in an idyllic location can be less challenging than you anticipated. Here’s what you should know about how to plan a destination wedding, plus some tips.

Steps to destination wedding planning

1. Pick a location

The destination is what makes your wedding a destination wedding, so start there.

Although it’s your nuptials and ultimately your choice, it’s important to consider how far your guests will be compelled to follow you to witness your big day. The farther the destination, the shorter the guest list will likely be.

You might consider picking a spot where you’ll want to stay longer for your honeymoon. A place where you both have a personal connection also can make for a great travel wedding location.

Or, choose somewhere new to you entirely: Do you see yourself saying “I do” against a mountain backdrop, in the sands of a desert or on the edge of a sea cliff? Once you have a vision, search where on earth you can find the desired scenery and narrow down your hunt to one destination.

2. Set your budget

The average cost of a wedding in the U.S. in 2023 was $35,000, according to The Knot, a wedding planning website. You may be able to decrease your costs by having your wedding in a cheaper destination with a lower cost of living.

When crafting the first draft of your destination wedding budget, think about what’s important to you (good food, open bar or a photographer?) and what you can do without (flowers, printed invitations or a DJ?).

Then, get some hard numbers. Research potential venues in your destination and scour catering menus to learn more about an estimated cost per guest. Get some quotes for services in your "can't-live-without" list. These can help you formalize your budget more concretely.

3. Research the legal marriage requirements

Once you pick the destination wedding location, research what it takes to get married there legally.

If you're choosing a foreign country, it’s possible that as foreigners, you and your partner don’t qualify for a legally recognized ceremony.

For example, if you’re looking to tie the knot in Spain, you or your mate must be a legal resident of Spain for at least two consecutive years. Otherwise, your union can’t be legalized and therefore won’t be recognized anywhere.

Even U.S. states have different laws for legal marriage. For instance, in Colorado, a couple can "marry themselves" without an officiant.

4. Send save-the-dates ahead of time

When it comes to destination wedding planning, the sooner you announce the date and the destination, the more guests will likely travel for the occasion.

Your guests will need to ask for vacation from work, arrange baby and pet sitters, and maybe even apply for their first passports, so the earlier you plan your wedding, the better.

If you’re eliminating traditional save-the-dates from your budget, you still need to let your guests know the details somehow. Perhaps create a wedding page online, a group chat or a social media group to keep everyone in the loop.

Destination wedding tips

Pick an easy-to-reach location

When planning a destination wedding, try to pick a location that will appeal to your guests and isn’t too difficult to reach.

A remote wedding location might be a hard no for your older relatives, pregnant attendees or guests with limited mobility.

If you and your significant other are from different countries, perhaps pick a country in the middle to equalize the journey for those invited.

Consider shoulder season for your destination wedding

Traveling anywhere in peak season is going to be costly, which can further deter those already on the fence about attending your nuptials overseas.

To compromise, consider setting the date for shoulder season to lower travel costs for the wedding party and increase their chance of attending.

Even though you’re not expected to cover your guests’ travel costs, you can at least help your friends and family ease the financial burden by avoiding peak travel season for your destination wedding.

Plan fun events

If you’re planning a wedding overseas, we recommend including fun things on the agenda you and your guests can do as a group before or after the celebration. You know how hard it was to get everyone together — you might as well make memories with your closest friends in a beautiful locale.

A boat trip around the bay, a visit to a local vineyard or a picnic on the beach should make for a fun activity for your friends and family to enjoy far away from home.

Let your guests know ahead of time to plan an extra day or two for the activities, and perhaps consider covering the bill as a thank-you for traveling to your wedding.

Turn to social media for vendors

Unless you hire a local coordinator who can do all the destination wedding planning for you, consider using social media to locate vendors such as florists, caterers, makeup artists, hairstylists and DJs. Reach out directly to start coordinating services.

Best credit cards for your wedding expenses

An upcoming wedding is a great excuse to open a rewards credit card (or two). You can meet a minimum spending requirement in one go by covering reception costs or perhaps putting an excursion for all your guests on your tab. Just remember to pay off your balance in full by the due date and avoid the hefty interest charges. You don’t want to start your marriage with credit card debt.

Additionally, if you paid for your wedding trip or a honeymoon with a credit card that offers trip protections in its benefits package and something goes wrong with the flight, that’s one less thing to put on your wedding planning checklist.

Here are some of the best credit cards for wedding expenses.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® earns 3 points per dollar spent on travel and dining, meaning you’ll earn triple points on your spending if your reception venue codes as a hotel or a restaurant.

Additionally, the card comes with Priority Pass Select membership that includes access for you and your spouse-to-be at more than 1,400 airport lounges and experiences, including Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club locations. Note that Priority Pass restaurants are no longer an included benefit.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® charges no foreign transaction fees and includes travel protection benefits, such as auto rental collision damage waiver, trip cancellation and interruption, trip delay, baggage delay and baggage loss insurance in case your honeymoon isn’t as sweet as you hoped.

The card has an annual fee of $550 but reimburses up to $300 on travel purchases every year.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card earns 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, meaning it’ll earn twice the rewards no matter what merchant code your preferred venue uses.

The card also comes with Priority Pass Select membership and complimentary access to the Capital One Lounges for you and your honey. Additionally, you’ll pay no foreign transaction fees on purchases abroad, no matter what destination you pick for your wedding.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has an annual fee of $395, which can be offset with a $300 credit on Capital One Travel purchases and 10,000 anniversary miles.

» Learn more: The guide to the Capital One Travel portal

Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card an unlimited 1.5 points per dollar spent on all purchases.

The card has a $0 annual fee, no foreign transaction fees and, more importantly, it offers an introductory annual percentage rate of 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 15 billing cycles (balance transfers must be made in the first 60 days).

Should you need to defer your wedding expenses, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card won’t charge you interest as long as you pay the balance in full within 15 billing cycles.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards

How to organize a destination wedding recapped

If you love to travel almost as much as you love your partner, then a destination wedding is a great way to combine your two loves into one event.

To make your destination wedding planning successful, remember to pick a location that’s easy to reach for your guests, try to travel in shoulder season to minimize travel costs, and let everyone know your plans far in advance.

Once it gets closer to the event, consider opening a credit card to maximize the rewards on your wedding expenses and earn rewards for the wedding trip itself, the honeymoon or the first wedding anniversary.