Smoothly Manage Your Destination Wedding With This Comprehensive Checklist
Earlier this year, my wife and I had our dream destination wedding in the South of France, and wow, did we learn a lot along the way! From navigating the ins and outs of planning from afar to managing all the little details, we quickly realized just how much goes into making a destination wedding perfect. That’s why we put together this comprehensive destination wedding checklist – to share everything we learned and help other couples embarking on this exciting journey.
Download it for free and get ready to plan your perfect day with confidence!
Download the Destination Wedding Planning Checklist
Our destination wedding planning checklist comes as a printable and simple-to-use Excel spreadsheet. It covers every step of the destination wedding planning process.
Free Download: Destination Wedding Checklist [Spreadsheet]
Note: Our destination wedding checklist is available on Google Sheets as a downloadable spreadsheet.
How to Access This Checklist
To access the destination wedding checklist, click here. This link takes you to Google Sheets. Click on Request Access and our team will send an editable copy of the checklist to you right away. ✅
Here’s Why You Need a Destination Wedding Checklist
Are you feeling a little overwhelmed with planning your destination wedding? Don’t worry: it is perfectly normal not to enjoy every aspect of planning your wedding. It is easy to lose sight of all the details that go into making your big day unforgettable. That’s why we compiled this destination wedding planning checklist: to help you stay organized and ensure no detail is overlooked.
Our destination wedding checklist is designed to help you stay on top of the most important decisions. It was developed with insights from real brides and grooms and contains their best tips for planning a smooth and stress-free destination wedding.
Whether you are just starting to brainstorm ideas or finalizing the day-of schedule, our checklist covers all the essential steps to make your dream wedding a reality. Consisting of 7 easy-to-use worksheets, this free spreadsheet template covers every step of the wedding planning process.
It is easy to use, simple to navigate, and takes you through the entire destination wedding journey step-by-step, from start to finish. You can also easily print it as a PDF if you prefer working with a hard-copy version of it.
Destination Wedding Checklist: What’s Included?
12 to 24 Months Out
It’s best to start planning your wedding well in advance. This gives you plenty of time to plan everything and make your dream wedding come true.
Here are some tasks to take care of 12 to 24 months from your wedding day:
1. Destination or local wedding? Decide where you want to say “I do”. Planning a wedding is more than just numbers and money. First and foremost, it is one of, if not the most important milestones in one’s life. To make your wedding an unforgettable experience for you and your family and friends first decide where to celebrate.
2. Compile your preliminary guest list. Your guest count determines your wedding cost. Having a preliminary guest count is essential in the early stages of destination wedding planning.
3. Determine your budget. Set a realistic budget in terms of how much you can afford, and how much you need given your guest count.
4. Find a wedding venue and reserve a date. Wedding venues get booked quickly. Start researching and contacting venues.
5. Consider hiring a wedding planner. If you choose to work with a wedding planner, start speaking to several planners now. Check referrals and speak to past clients until you find the right planner.
6. Send out Save-the-Dates: inform your guests early, especially if you expect them to travel internationally for your destination wedding.
6 to 9 Months Out
Now that you have found your venue, set your budget and created a guest list, it is time to start planning details.
Here are some tasks to take care of 6 to 9 months from your wedding day:
1. Find vendors: Planning a wedding means finding vendors: caterers, photographers, videographers, and officiants. To make your dream wedding come to life, it is worth contacting and comparing multiple vendors. Do they understand the vision of the wedding? Do you like their style? How much do they charge? If you struggle to find vendors, use this handy trick!
2. Create your gift registry (if you choose to have one): Don’t leave thinking about your registry until the last minute. As much as you are excited to have your guests attend your wedding, your guests are excited to give back to you! A bridal or wedding registry lets you communicate gift preferences to your guests and is an essential document at any wedding.
3. Buy wedding bands and a wedding dress: few things are more stressful than finding the right wedding dress. Start looking for wedding dresses early and aim to purchase your dress (or have a shortlist of dresses) six to nine months out.
4. Arrange hotel room blocks: now that you have received your first batch of responses to your Save-the-Dates, it’s time to arrange hotel rooms. Reach out to hotels early to get the best deals.
3 to 6 Months Out
Your wedding day is approaching quickly and your checklist should have a lot of tick marks on it by now.
3 to 6 months from your wedding day you should consider ticking off these to-do’s:
1. Renew your passports: if you fly into your wedding destination, make sure your passports are valid, contain enough empty pages, and arrange visas!
2. Order wedding favors for your guests: say thank you to your guests by gifting small wedding favors.
3. Work on the timeline of your wedding day: you still have plenty of time to finalize your timeline, but it’s good to start early on this. Having a timeline gives your wedding day structure, and you can quickly identify gaps.
4. Send wedding invites: What would be a wedding without guests? Start sending out invites and keep track of dietary preferences, plus ones and RSVPs.
1 to 2 Months Out
Here are some of the things you should take care of one to months out from your wedding day:
1. Touch base with your vendors: it has probably been a while since you last spoke to many of your wedding vendors. Now is a good time to contact them and confirm dates, deposits, and details.
2. Create a day-of schedule: Having a detailed schedule for the wedding day, from the bride’s hair and makeup to the ceremony and reception, ensures a smooth flow and helps coordinate with vendors and the wedding party.
3. SIM cards: before things get too hectic, look into ordering SIM cards for your wedding destination.
4 Weeks to the Night Before Your Wedding Day
In the last 4 weeks, the most important thing that you can do is take care of yourself. Make sure not to get sick or avoid dangerous activities that could lead to injuries.
Additionally, think about the following:
1. Get your seating chart ready: who sits where? Discuss the seating chart with your partner and/or family and friends to find the right seating for your venue.
2. Have your final fitting: Don’t forget to bring your shoes and accessories for the full impact.
3. Write your vows: find time to think about and write down your wedding vows.
4. Treat yourself to a manicure and/or pedicure.
General Advice: Keep Track of Payments
As soon as you start booking a wedding venue and vendors, money starts to change hands. Always keep a digital copy of every contract and a record of every payment that you make.
From the initial deposit to the final payment post-wedding, store all important documents in a shared drive, such as Google Drive or Dropbox. This helps with managing your budget and avoiding overspending!
Destination Wedding Dress Packing Tips
For tips on finding, packing, and transporting your wedding dress, read our blog post on “Finding and Packing Your Destination Wedding Dress: Essential Tips” here!
Get The Checklist to Create the Celebration Of Your Dreams
Our comprehensive destination wedding checklist guides you through every stage of wedding planning, helping you create an unforgettable celebration. It covers (almost) everything you need to think of in advance of your wedding.
Remember, staying organized and starting early are key to a stress-free wedding experience.
Happy planning!
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