Destination Weddings: How do I choose a date?

One of the biggest parts of planning a Destination Wedding is setting a date. Newly engaged couples face an overwhelming task when choosing a wedding timeline… After all, many of them are trying to balance their own excitement (let’s get married NOW!) alongside the reality of their guests’ schedules.

When I have a consultation call with a potential new couple, one of the most common questions asked is “How soon is too soon?” or “How much notice should we give our guests?”

The short answer? It depends. There’s a lot of factors to consider:

• Resort Availability: There are only 52 Saturdays in a year and most resorts have weddings every weekend (with the exception of the Festive holidays). If a weekend wedding is important to you,booking early is KEY! An important part of the “When should we do this?” question is making sure that a resort is actually available.
• Venue Availability: Secret gardens, picturesque rooftops, green terraces, white sand.. every resort has something unique to offer for the actual ceremony and reception venue. Some couples fall in love with a specific location within a hotel (for example, a dreamy rooftop!). However, popular venues are popular for a reason. Unique spaces like gardens and rooftops are usually the first to be booked. For resorts that do more than 1 wedding a day, the competition can be fierce!
• Weather & Seasonality: Hurricane season – need I say more? Outside of storm season, tropical locales have specific weather patterns. Some locations are plagued with seaweed at certain times of the year. Resorts may also blackout dates for certain local holidays.
• Group Contract terms: Wedding couples can benefit from fantastic perks like group rates, included transportation, discounted wedding packages, free rooms, upgrades and more. Those perks are detailed in the room block contract, which is an important document for every Destination Wedding group. In these contracts, resorts will typically require guests to RSVP around 6 months prior to the event. For all inclusive resorts, guests typically must pay their full trip balance around 120 days prior to travel. For someone planning a last minute event, these terms can be tricky!

Of course, all of these factors are on TOP of the couple’s own schedule conflicts. Busy seasons at work, friends & family events, planned vacations… all of these things can compete with setting a date.

So you may be asking, Ashley, when should I book my destination wedding? My answer is always: as soon as you feel comfortable doing so! The most popular resorts and venues can book as early as two years in advance. A more typical timeline is 12-16 months.

While shorter timelines are possible, you can expect a smaller selection of resorts and tighter turnarounds for guest bookings. For 2025 couples, time is of the essence! Resorts do still have a few dates available, but they are booking quickly. In order to give you (and your guests!) time to budget, plan and prepare, don’t delay. If you’re eyeing a fall 2025 date, set up your consultation with me NOW so we can get started!