# Destination wedding checklist > A destination wedding checklist with the timeline, legal checks, guest travel details and packing steps you need to plan a wedding abroad calmly, from home. Source: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/destination-wedding Publisher: ReadyToWeddy (https://readytoweddy.com) · Last updated: 2026-09-17 A destination wedding uses the same core checklist as any wedding, with extra steps for legal requirements, guest travel and planning from a distance. This version highlights the tasks that matter most when you and your guests are traveling, and adds practical notes for each one. ## How do you plan a destination wedding? Plan a destination wedding by starting 12–18 months ahead: choose the location, check its [legal requirements](https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/12-months#check-destination-requirements) and your passports, then book a venue and a local planner or coordinator. [Send save-the-dates](https://readytoweddy.com/guides/send-save-the-dates) 8–12 months out with travel details, reserve guest accommodation, and send invitations 8–12 weeks before the wedding with an early RSVP deadline. ## What’s different about a destination wedding - **Legal route first:** Decide early whether you’ll marry legally abroad or at home with a symbolic ceremony at the destination. - **Longer guest notice:** Save-the-dates go out 8–12 months ahead and invitations 8–12 weeks ahead. - **Travel is part of the plan:** Passports, entry requirements, transfers and accommodation become core tasks, not extras. - **Planning from a distance:** A local planner or venue coordinator and one well-planned scouting trip replace many in-person visits. - **Contracts abroad:** Currency, governing law and travel disruption deserve a closer read in every vendor contract. - **Everything in the cabin:** Rings, documents and outfits travel with you, never in checked luggage. ## Getting Started Just engaged? Enjoy it first. The planning can start slowly. - [ ] **Agree on your top wedding priorities** (Essential) — Agree on three to five shared wedding priorities before you book anything, so every later decision about budget, venue and vendors has a clear tiebreaker. - [ ] **Set your working budget** (Essential) — Set a working wedding budget before you contact venues or vendors: agree on a total, decide who contributes, keep a contingency, and split the rest by your priorities. - [ ] **Talk about family contributions** (Recommended) — Talk openly with family about any financial contributions early in planning, including how much, when it arrives, and whether it comes with expectations about guests or decisions. - [ ] **Estimate your guest count** (Essential) — Estimate your guest count before shortlisting venues, because the number of people you invite drives venue capacity, catering costs and most of your budget. *For a destination wedding:* Expect a smaller share of invited guests to travel than would attend a local wedding, and don’t plan around a fixed acceptance rate. Ask your must-have guests informally whether the trip is realistic for them. - [ ] **Draft your guest list in three tiers** (Essential) — Draft your guest list in three tiers, must invite, would like to invite and invite if space allows, so you can adjust numbers calmly once your venue and budget are set. - [ ] **Choose a season or date range** (Essential) — Choose a season or a range of possible dates early in planning, rather than one fixed day, so you have flexibility when checking venue and vendor availability. *For a destination wedding:* Check the destination’s rainy, storm and peak-heat seasons, local public holidays and school vacation periods at home, since all of them affect weather, flight prices and how many guests can join you. - [ ] **Choose your destination** (Essential) — Choose your destination early, weighing travel costs for guests, local legal requirements, weather in your season and how easily you can plan and visit from home. - [ ] **Decide what kind of ceremony you want** (Essential) — Decide early whether you want a civil, religious or symbolic ceremony, and whether the legal marriage will happen separately, since this shapes your venue, officiant and paperwork. - [ ] **Decide whether you need a planner** (Recommended) — Decide early whether you want a full-service planner, a partial planner or a wedding-day coordinator, based on your time, budget and how complex your wedding will be. *For a destination wedding:* A planner or venue coordinator based at the destination is often worth more than usual: they know local vendors, speak the language, handle permits and can check things in person while you’re at home. - [ ] **Set up a shared planning system** (Recommended) — Set up one shared place for your wedding budget, guest list, vendor contacts, contracts and tasks at the start of planning, so both of you can see what’s happening. - [ ] **Insure your engagement ring** (Optional) — Consider insuring your engagement ring soon after the engagement, either through a specialist policy or your existing home or contents insurance, so loss or damage is covered. - [ ] **Share your news the way you want to** (Optional) — Share your engagement news in whatever way feels right, ideally telling close family and friends personally before posting online, and without committing to wedding details yet. ## 12+ Months Before Plenty of time. Start with the foundations. - [ ] **Research and shortlist venues** (Essential) — Research and shortlist three to five wedding venues about 12–18 months before the wedding, filtering by guest capacity, budget, location and your preferred dates. - [ ] **Visit your shortlisted venues** (Essential) — Visit your shortlisted venues in person, ideally at the same time of day as your wedding, with a list of questions about capacity, rules, costs and backup plans. *For a destination wedding:* If you can only travel once, plan one scouting trip that covers your top venues, a tasting and key vendor meetings. For venues you can’t visit, ask for a live video walkthrough at your wedding time of day. - [ ] **Book your venue** (Essential) — Book your wedding venue 12–18 months before the wedding, and earlier for popular dates, once you’ve compared quotes, read the contract carefully and confirmed your date. *For a destination wedding:* Ask whether packages include ceremony setup, coordination and a backup space, whether another wedding can take place the same day, which currency you’ll pay in and how exchange-rate changes are handled. - [ ] **Secure your ceremony location** (Essential) — If your ceremony will be somewhere other than your reception, such as a place of worship or registry office, secure that location around the same time as your venue. - [ ] **Confirm your date and tell key people** (Essential) — Confirm your wedding date once the venue contract is signed and ceremony arrangements are secure, then share it with close family, your wedding party and priority vendors. - [ ] **Book your wedding photographer** (Recommended) — Book your photographer 9–12 months before the wedding, after your venue and date are confirmed, or up to 18 months ahead for popular peak-season dates. *For a destination wedding:* Compare a local photographer with flying one in: ask what travel fees, flights, accommodation and meals are included, whether permits are needed for beach or landmark shoots, and who pays if travel is disrupted. - [ ] **Decide on a videographer** (Optional) — Decide whether you want a wedding videographer around the time you book your photographer, and if so, book one whose style and deliverables fit your budget. - [ ] **Book your caterer** (Essential) — Book your caterer 9–12 months before the wedding, after your venue and date are confirmed, comparing complete quotes that include staff, equipment and service charges. - [ ] **Book your officiant** (Essential) — Book your officiant 9–12 months before the wedding, making sure they’re able to perform the kind of ceremony you want and, if needed, the legal part of your marriage. *For a destination wedding:* If the legal marriage happens at home, you’re free to choose any officiant for the symbolic ceremony. If it’s legal at the destination, confirm the officiant is authorized there and can lead the ceremony in your language. - [ ] **Book your band or DJ** (Recommended) — Book your wedding DJ or band 9–12 months before the wedding, after checking your venue’s noise and power rules, and compare set times, equipment and contract terms. - [ ] **Know what to check in every vendor contract** (Essential) — Before you sign any vendor contract, check what’s included, the payment schedule, cancellation and postponement terms, substitutions and, for photos and video, usage rights. *For a destination wedding:* For vendors abroad, check the contract language, which country’s law applies, the payment currency and fees, and what happens if flights are disrupted or borders close. Ask for an English version if you need one. - [ ] **Consider wedding insurance** (Recommended) — Consider wedding insurance soon after booking your venue, checking what’s covered and excluded, and whether your venue requires liability coverage for you or your vendors. *For a destination wedding:* Check that any wedding policy covers events held abroad, and treat travel insurance as a separate policy for each of you. Ask guests to arrange their own travel cover too. - [ ] **Start researching wedding outfits** (Recommended) — Start researching your wedding outfits 12 months or more before the wedding, setting a budget, checking production lead times and booking first appointments if needed. - [ ] **Check destination wedding requirements** (Essential) — Check the legal and practical requirements for your destination wedding early, including residency, documents, translation and whether a legal or symbolic ceremony is best. *For a destination wedding:* Decide early whether to marry legally abroad or legally at home with a symbolic ceremony at the destination. The second route avoids foreign residency and document requirements, which is why many couples choose it. - [ ] **Check passport validity for both of you** (Essential) — Check both passports well before a destination wedding or honeymoon, since many countries require validity for several months beyond your travel dates and renewals can take time. *For a destination wedding:* Check both passports against the entry rules for your destination and any countries you pass through, and make sure the names match your flight bookings. Renewals can take longer than expected in busy seasons. - [ ] **Choose your wedding party** (Optional) — Choose your wedding party, if you want one, about a year before the wedding, and ask each person personally with a clear idea of the time and costs involved. ## 9–12 Months Before Your big pieces are in place. Now for the people and the plans around them. - [ ] **Book your florist** (Recommended) — Book your florist 9–12 months before the wedding, once your venue and color ideas are settled, so you can secure their date and plan around seasonal flowers. - [ ] **Book hair and makeup** (Optional) — Book hair and makeup artists 9–12 months before the wedding if you plan to use them, since good artists take limited bookings on busy weekends. - [ ] **Book rentals and equipment** (Recommended) — Book rentals such as furniture, linens, tents, generators and restrooms 9–12 months before the wedding, especially for outdoor or blank-canvas venues where little is provided. - [ ] **Check permits for a private or outdoor venue** (Recommended) — If you’re marrying at a home, park, beach or farm, ask the local authority and landowner 9–10 months ahead which permits, insurance and rules apply to your event. - [ ] **Create your wedding website** (Recommended) — Create your wedding website 9–12 months before the wedding, before save-the-dates go out, with the date, location, travel and accommodation details guests need to plan. *For a destination wedding:* Make travel the heart of your website: nearest airports, transfer times, where to stay, entry requirements, currency, weather, dress code for the climate and a rough cost guide so guests can budget early. - [ ] **Collect guest addresses and contact details** (Essential) — Collect mailing addresses, emails and phone numbers for every household on your guest list 8–11 months ahead, in one shared spreadsheet, before save-the-dates or invitations go out. *For a destination wedding:* Collect email addresses and phone numbers for everyone, since travel updates are easier to send digitally. International postal addresses need the right format and extra postage. - [ ] **Reserve accommodation for guests** (Recommended) — Reserve guest accommodation, such as a hotel room block, 9–12 months before the wedding so traveling guests have convenient options at a known rate before rooms sell out. *For a destination wedding:* Read room-block terms closely: minimum night stays, attrition clauses, deposit rules and the release date for unbooked rooms. Offer at least one lower-cost option nearby so the trip works for more budgets. - [ ] **Book your getting-ready space and wedding-night stay** (Recommended) — Book your getting-ready space and wedding-night room about 9 months ahead, choosing somewhere near the venue with good light and room for hair, makeup and photos. *For a destination wedding:* Ask whether your resort or venue includes a getting-ready suite or wedding-night room, and plan for luggage if you’re moving on to a honeymoon straight afterward. - [ ] **Plan how guests will get around** (Recommended) — Plan guest transport around 9–12 months before the wedding, covering the trip to the ceremony, travel between venues, and how everyone gets home at the end of the night. *For a destination wedding:* Plan airport transfers as well as wedding-day shuttles, and share pickup points and times in writing. Guests unfamiliar with local roads and taxis will appreciate knowing exactly how to get everywhere. - [ ] **Set up your registry** (Optional) — Set up a registry around 9–12 months before the wedding if you want one, so guests invited to early celebrations have options. Include items, experiences or funds that suit you. - [ ] **Order your wedding outfits** (Essential) — Order your wedding outfits 9–12 months before the wedding, since made-to-order pieces can take several months to arrive and alterations need time afterward. *For a destination wedding:* Choose fabrics that suit the climate and travel well, and finish alterations before you fly. Ask your airline whether an outfit can travel as cabin baggage and plan to have it steamed on arrival. - [ ] **Book your cake or dessert supplier** (Optional) — Book a cake or dessert supplier about 9 months before the wedding if you want one, after confirming what your venue or caterer already includes and allows. - [ ] **Share travel details with destination guests** (Recommended) — Share travel details with destination wedding guests 9–12 months ahead, including flights, accommodation, entry requirements and costs, so they can budget and request time off. - [ ] **Research marriage license requirements** (Essential) — Research marriage license requirements around 9 months before the wedding with the official authority where your legal ceremony takes place, so you know when to apply and what to bring. ## 6–9 Months Before You’re building the details now. - [ ] **Send save-the-dates** (Recommended) — Send save-the-dates 6–8 months before the wedding, or 8–12 months ahead for destination or holiday weddings, with your names, date, location and website. *For a destination wedding:* Send save-the-dates 8–12 months ahead so guests can book time off, save and find good flights. Include the destination, dates and your website link with travel details. - [ ] **Book the remaining vendors** (Recommended) — Book any remaining vendors around 6 months before the wedding, choosing only the services that support the priorities the two of you agreed on at the start. - [ ] **Review your budget against real quotes** (Recommended) — Once your main vendors are booked, compare your original estimates with real quotes and deposits paid, add hidden extras, and decide where to trim before the final months. - [ ] **Plan the ceremony structure** (Essential) — Plan your ceremony structure around 6 months before the wedding with your officiant, including the order, readings, music, processional and roughly how long it will last. - [ ] **Plan your honeymoon** (Optional) — Plan your honeymoon around 6 months before the wedding if you’re taking one soon after, so you can book flights and stays and check passport and entry requirements in time. - [ ] **Request time off work** (Recommended) — Request time off work about 6–7 months ahead, covering the final days of preparation, the wedding, a day or two to recover and any honeymoon travel. *For a destination wedding:* Book extra days for travel on each side of the wedding, and allow for recovering from a long flight before the busy final days. - [ ] **Review accessibility and guest needs** (Recommended) — Review accessibility and guest needs around 6 months before the wedding, checking step-free access, seating, hearing support and a quiet space, so every guest can take part comfortably. - [ ] **Choose wedding party outfits** (Optional) — Choose wedding party outfits around 6 months before the wedding, leaving time for ordering and alterations, and agree early on who pays for what. - [ ] **Plan a rehearsal or welcome dinner** (Optional) — Plan a rehearsal or welcome dinner around 6 months before the wedding if you want one, deciding who’s invited, who’s hosting and where it will be held. *For a destination wedding:* Many destination couples turn the rehearsal dinner into a welcome gathering for everyone who traveled. It’s a relaxed way to greet guests before the wedding day. - [ ] **Book transport for the two of you** (Recommended) — Book transport for the two of you around 6 months before the wedding, covering getting to the ceremony, moving between venues and leaving at the end of the night. - [ ] **Decide on plus-ones and children** (Recommended) — Agree on a clear plus-one policy and whether children are invited before save-the-dates or invitations go out, then show it through how you address each invitation. - [ ] **Decide your dress code** (Recommended) — Decide your dress code about 6–7 months ahead, choosing a clear term that fits your venue and season, and share it on your website and invitations with a short, friendly explanation. - [ ] **Sketch the reception flow** (Recommended) — Sketch your reception flow around 6 months before the wedding, deciding roughly when the entrance, meal, speeches, first dance and dancing will happen. - [ ] **Check venue rules for vendors and décor** (Recommended) — Check your venue’s rules for vendors and décor around 6 months before the wedding, including noise curfews, candles, confetti, preferred suppliers and insurance requirements. ## 3–6 Months Before Things are coming together. - [ ] **Design and order your invitations** (Essential) — Design and order your wedding invitations about 3–4 months before the wedding, agreeing the wording and RSVP method, so there’s time to proof, print and send them 6–8 weeks before the day. - [ ] **Finalize your menu and tasting** (Essential) — Finalize your wedding menu about three months before the wedding, ideally after a tasting, including dietary alternatives, children’s meals and any late-night food. - [ ] **Plan the bar and drinks** (Recommended) — Plan your wedding bar about three months ahead: choose a drinks package or supplier, add good alcohol-free options, and confirm licensing and service rules with your venue. - [ ] **Finalize flowers and décor** (Recommended) — Finalize your wedding flowers and décor about three months before the wedding, confirming quantities, setup, cleanup and whether any arrangements will move between spaces. - [ ] **Confirm transportation details** (Recommended) — Confirm wedding transportation details about three months ahead, giving the company every address, pickup time, passenger estimate and a wedding-day contact who isn’t you. - [ ] **Buy your wedding rings** (Essential) — Start shopping for your wedding rings about 3–4 months before the wedding to leave time for sizing, engraving and insurance. Allow 4–6 months for custom designs or engraving-heavy orders. - [ ] **Plan signage and on-the-day stationery** (Optional) — Plan wedding signage and on-the-day stationery about three months ahead, deciding which signs guests actually need, such as a welcome sign, directions, menus and table numbers. - [ ] **Decide how guests will share photos** (Recommended) — Decide how guests will share wedding photos about three months before the wedding, choosing one simple method, such as a shared album or QR-code upload, so candid shots end up in one place. - [ ] **Decide on an unplugged ceremony** (Optional) — Decide whether you want an unplugged ceremony, where guests put phones away, about three months ahead so you can tell guests kindly and plan where photos will come from. - [ ] **Choose your key music moments** (Recommended) — Choose the music for your key wedding moments about three months ahead, including the processional, recessional, first dance and last song, so musicians have time to prepare. - [ ] **Schedule hair and makeup trials** (Optional) — Schedule hair and makeup trials about 2–3 months before the wedding, ideally after choosing your outfits, so you can test the look and adjust it in good time. - [ ] **Choose a guest book or keepsake** (Optional) — If you’d like a keepsake of guests’ messages, choose a guest book or alternative about 3 months ahead and decide who looks after it on the day. - [ ] **Write your vows** (Optional) — Start writing your wedding vows about 2–3 months before the wedding, after checking what your officiant allows, so you have time to draft, rest and revise without pressure. - [ ] **Decide who will give speeches** (Optional) — Decide who will give wedding speeches about three months ahead, and let each speaker know their slot, order and a suggested length of a few minutes. - [ ] **Buy shoes and accessories** (Recommended) — Buy wedding shoes and accessories about three months before the wedding, so you can bring them to your first fitting and your outfit is altered to the right length. - [ ] **Plan bachelor and bachelorette parties** (Optional) — Plan bachelor and bachelorette parties about 2–3 months ahead, scheduled at least a few weeks before the wedding so everyone has time to rest and recover. - [ ] **Agree on a wet-weather plan** (Essential) — Agree on a wet-weather plan about three months ahead, confirming an indoor or covered backup, any tent or heating costs, and how guests will stay comfortable in rain, wind or heat. *For a destination wedding:* Ask the venue what weather is normal for your date and what the covered backup looks like in practice. Heat, wind and sudden tropical rain need different plans. ## 1–3 Months Before RSVPs are arriving. The plan is getting real, one reply at a time. - [ ] **Send your wedding invitations** (Essential) — Send wedding invitations about 6–8 weeks before the wedding, or 8–12 weeks ahead for destination weddings or when many guests travel, with an RSVP deadline about 3–4 weeks before the day. *For a destination wedding:* Send invitations 8–12 weeks before the wedding and set an earlier RSVP deadline than for a local wedding, since resorts and caterers often need final numbers sooner. - [ ] **Track RSVPs as they arrive** (Essential) — Track wedding RSVPs in one list as they arrive, recording attendance, meal choices, dietary needs and access requirements, so final numbers are ready when vendors need them. - [ ] **Follow up on missing RSVPs** (Essential) — Follow up kindly with guests who haven’t replied soon after your RSVP deadline, usually about 3–4 weeks before the wedding, so you can confirm final numbers and finish the seating plan on time. - [ ] **Create your seating plan** (Recommended) — Create your wedding seating plan once most RSVPs are in, usually 3–5 weeks before the wedding, grouping guests thoughtfully and allowing for access needs and family dynamics. - [ ] **Apply for your marriage license** (Essential) — When to apply for your marriage license depends on where you marry. Check the official authority for the application window, any waiting period and the expiry date, then apply within that window. - [ ] **Confirm your officiant can legally marry you** (Essential) — About 2–3 months before the wedding, check with the official authority where you’re marrying that your officiant is authorized there, and what they must sign and submit afterward. *For a destination wedding:* If you’re marrying legally at the destination, check with the official authority there that your officiant is recognized, and who submits the paperwork after you leave. - [ ] **Attend your outfit fittings** (Essential) — Attend your wedding outfit fittings starting about 2–3 months before the wedding, bringing your shoes, undergarments and accessories so alterations match exactly what you’ll wear. - [ ] **Finalize ceremony details** (Essential) — Finalize your ceremony details about 6–8 weeks before the wedding with your officiant: readings, participants, music cues, processional order, microphones and any legally required wording. - [ ] **Create your wedding-day timeline** (Essential) — Create your wedding-day timeline about 6–8 weeks before the wedding, building it around fixed moments like the ceremony, meal service and venue close, then adding buffer time. - [ ] **Set up guest photo sharing** (Recommended) — Set up your guest photo-sharing method about 6–8 weeks before the wedding, test it on several phones, and add the link or QR code to your website and signs. - [ ] **List every final payment** (Essential) — List every final wedding payment about two months ahead, including vendor, amount, due date, payment method, who pays and whether gratuity is already included. - [ ] **Share a must-have photo list** (Recommended) — Share a short must-have photo list with your photographer about 4–8 weeks before the wedding, focusing on family groupings and key people they might not recognize. - [ ] **Arrange vendor meals** (Recommended) — Arrange meals for vendors working through the wedding about 4–8 weeks ahead, checking contracts for meal requirements and including them in your caterer’s final numbers. - [ ] **Prepare welcome bags or notes** (Optional) — Prepare welcome bags or notes about 4–8 weeks ahead if you’d like to greet traveling guests, with useful items like water, snacks, a local map and the weekend schedule. *For a destination wedding:* Welcome bags make particular sense here: water, sunscreen or local snacks, a printed weekend schedule, transfer times and an emergency contact. Check whether the hotel charges a fee to hand them out. - [ ] **Buy gifts for your wedding party and parents** (Optional) — Buy thank-you gifts for your wedding party, parents and key helpers about 4–8 weeks ahead, leaving time for personalization and deciding when you’ll give them. - [ ] **Set the exact weather decision point** (Recommended) — Agree who will make the final weather call and by when, often the day before or morning of the wedding, so vendors know when your backup plan becomes the plan. ## 1 Month Before Time to turn plans into confirmations. - [ ] **Confirm your final guest count** (Essential) — Confirm your final guest count about 3 weeks before the wedding, once your RSVP deadline has passed, so your caterer, venue and rental suppliers can plan accurately. - [ ] **Send final numbers to vendors** (Essential) — Send your final guest numbers, meal choices and dietary needs to your caterer, venue and rental suppliers by their contract deadlines, usually 1–3 weeks before the wedding. - [ ] **Do a final venue walkthrough** (Essential) — Do a final walkthrough of your venue with your coordinator about a month before the wedding to check layout, power, access, storage and timings. - [ ] **Confirm vendor arrival and access times** (Essential) — Confirm when each vendor can access the venue, where they load in and park, and the setup and cleanup windows, about a month before the wedding. - [ ] **Finalize the ceremony and reception layout** (Recommended) — Finalize your ceremony and reception floor plans about 2–4 weeks before the wedding, after your seating plan is drafted, so the venue and rental suppliers can set up correctly. - [ ] **Approve signs and printed materials** (Recommended) — Approve the final proofs for signs, menus, programs and table numbers about 3–4 weeks before the wedding, checking every name, date and time carefully. - [ ] **Test your printed QR codes** (Recommended) — Test every printed QR code on several different phones about 2–3 weeks before the wedding, so guests can open your photo-sharing page or website without trouble. - [ ] **Assign wedding-day responsibilities** (Essential) — Assign wedding-day responsibilities about a month before the wedding, naming one trusted person for the rings, documents, gifts, vendor questions, rentals and end-of-night tasks. - [ ] **Decide who looks after gifts and cards** (Recommended) — Decide who will look after gifts and cards at your wedding about a month ahead, and plan a lockable box, a supervised spot and a safe way to take them home. - [ ] **Prepare your own thank-you words** (Optional) — Prepare a short thank-you, usually 2–4 minutes, a few weeks before the wedding if the two of you plan to speak, covering guests, family and anyone who helped. - [ ] **Confirm guest accommodation details** (Recommended) — Confirm guest accommodation about a month before the wedding by checking room-block bookings, release dates and any shuttle or check-in arrangements with the hotel. - [ ] **Choose your wedding-day point of contact** (Essential) — Choose one wedding-day point of contact, a planner, coordinator or trusted friend who isn’t either of you, about a month before the wedding, and share their details with every vendor. - [ ] **Check mobile signal and Wi-Fi at the venue** (Recommended) — Check mobile signal and Wi-Fi in every part of your venue about a month before the wedding, since weak coverage affects vendor payments, guest photo uploads and coordination. ## 2 Weeks Before Final checks now. The hard work is already behind you. - [ ] **Send the final timeline to vendors** (Essential) — Send your final wedding-day timeline to every vendor and key helper about two weeks before the wedding, with arrival times, addresses and your day-of contact’s details. - [ ] **Reconfirm every vendor** (Essential) — Reconfirm every vendor about two weeks before the wedding, checking the date, arrival time, address, services included and who their on-site contact will be. - [ ] **Prepare final payments and tips** (Essential) — Prepare final vendor payments and any tips about two weeks before the wedding, paying balances that are due and putting day-of amounts in clearly labeled envelopes. - [ ] **Start packing for the wedding and honeymoon** (Recommended) — Start packing for the wedding and honeymoon about two weeks ahead, separating wedding-day items, overnight bags and travel essentials, and finish the honeymoon bag in the final week. *For a destination wedding:* Pack rings, documents, outfits and anything irreplaceable in your cabin bags. Keep a list of what was packed where, and split key items between the two of you. - [ ] **Review your backup plans** (Recommended) — Review your backup plans about two weeks before the wedding, covering weather, power, transport and illness, and make sure your day-of contact knows each one. - [ ] **Attend your final fitting** (Essential) — Attend your final outfit fitting about 1–2 weeks before the wedding, wearing your wedding shoes and undergarments, and arrange when and how you’ll collect the outfit. - [ ] **Book pre-wedding grooming** (Optional) — Book haircuts, nails and other grooming for the week before the wedding, sticking to treatments you’ve had before so there are no surprise reactions. - [ ] **Confirm rental and décor deliveries** (Recommended) — Confirm rental, flower and décor deliveries about two weeks before the wedding, checking quantities, delivery times, the drop-off point and when items will be collected. - [ ] **Send music requests and a do-not-play list** (Recommended) — Send your DJ or band your key songs, a short request list and a do-not-play list about two weeks before the wedding, including timings for each music moment. - [ ] **Send guests the final details** (Recommended) — Send guests the final details about 1–2 weeks before the wedding: timings, addresses, parking, dress code, weather advice, transport and your photo-sharing link. ## Wedding Week Most decisions are done. Focus on handoffs and essentials. - [ ] **Gather your marriage documents** (Essential) — Gather your marriage license and required identification about a week before the wedding, check the details and validity dates, and decide who will bring them to the ceremony. *For a destination wedding:* Carry original documents plus any certified translations or official certifications the destination requires, keep copies in a separate bag, and never pack marriage paperwork in checked luggage. - [ ] **Check the rings are ready** (Essential) — Check your wedding rings about a week before the wedding: try them on, confirm the engraving is correct, and decide who will hold them until the ceremony. - [ ] **Hold your ceremony rehearsal** (Recommended) — Hold a short ceremony rehearsal in the final days before the wedding, usually 1–2 days ahead, so everyone knows where to stand, when to walk and what to do. - [ ] **Steam and prepare your outfits** (Recommended) — Steam or press your wedding outfits a few days before the wedding, then hang them with shoes, accessories and undergarments so everything is ready in one place. - [ ] **Pack a wedding-day emergency kit** (Recommended) — Pack a wedding-day emergency kit in the final week with sewing supplies, stain remover, pain relief you already use, bandages, chargers and snacks, and give it to a trusted helper. - [ ] **Charge devices and power banks** (Recommended) — Charge phones, power banks, speakers, cameras and any other devices in the last few days before the wedding, and pack the chargers and cables you’ll need on the day. - [ ] **Save vendor contacts offline** (Recommended) — Save every vendor’s name, on-site contact and phone number offline in the final week, and give a printed contact sheet to your coordinator or day-of contact. - [ ] **Reconfirm pickup times and routes** (Essential) — Reconfirm transport pickup times, addresses and routes in the final week for the two of you and any guest shuttles, allowing for traffic, road closures and parking. - [ ] **Plan food and water for getting ready** (Recommended) — Plan simple food and water for the getting-ready hours in the final week, so you and your helpers eat properly before a long day with little time to stop. - [ ] **Hand over vendor communication** (Essential) — Hand over vendor communication to your coordinator or day-of contact in the final week, and tell vendors to contact that person, not the two of you, from now on. - [ ] **Stop making big changes** (Recommended) — In the final week, stop making big changes to the plan and only adjust what genuinely needs fixing. What you have now is ready. ## The Day Before You’ve planned this. Let your people take it from here. - [ ] **Check in with your coordinator** (Recommended) — Check in with your coordinator or day-of contact the day before the wedding to run through the timeline, deliveries, open questions and who handles what tomorrow. - [ ] **Put rings, documents and outfits in one place** (Essential) — The day before the wedding, gather your rings, marriage documents, ID and complete outfits in one place, so nothing important has to be found on the morning itself. - [ ] **Hand over payment envelopes** (Recommended) — Give labeled final payments and any tips to your coordinator or a trusted person the day before the wedding, so vendors are paid on time without you handling money. - [ ] **Eat properly, drink water and rest** (Recommended) — The day before the wedding, eat regular meals, drink plenty of water and plan an early, quiet evening so you start the wedding day rested and steady. - [ ] **Set alarms and confirm the morning plan** (Recommended) — The night before the wedding, set two alarms and confirm the morning plan: wake-up time, hair and makeup order, breakfast, transport pickups and who arrives when. - [ ] **Write a note for your partner** (Optional) — If you’d like to, write a short note or letter for your partner the day before the wedding and ask someone to deliver it on the morning. ## Wedding Day Nothing else to plan. Go get married. ♡ - [ ] **Keep your essentials with one trusted person** (Essential) — On the wedding day, give one trusted person your rings, marriage documents, vows, ID, phone, medication and room key, so the important things are always accounted for. - [ ] **Sign your marriage documents** (Essential) — Sign your marriage documents on the wedding day with your officiant and any required witnesses, and confirm who will return or register them afterward. - [ ] **Make sure you eat your meal** (Recommended) — On the wedding day, sit down and eat your meal before greeting guests, and ask your caterer to set aside a plate of anything you miss. - [ ] **Take a quiet moment together** (Optional) — On the wedding day, plan five to ten minutes alone together, often right after the ceremony, to take in the moment before rejoining your guests. - [ ] **Enjoy the wedding** (Recommended) — On the wedding day, let the plan work: the preparation is done, the people you trust have it handled, and the only task left is to enjoy it. Nothing else to plan. Go get married. ♡ ## First 48 Hours After Rest first. Then a few small things before they slip away. - [ ] **Collect and secure gifts and cards** (Essential) — Within a day of the wedding, collect all gifts and cards from the venue or your trusted person and store them somewhere secure until you can open them. - [ ] **Return rentals and borrowed items** (Essential) — Return rented outfits, décor and equipment by the date in each contract, usually within a day or two of the wedding, to avoid late fees and keep your deposits. - [ ] **Collect décor and personal belongings** (Recommended) — Collect your own décor, signs, guest book and personal belongings from the venue within the agreed pickup window, usually the night of or the day after the wedding. - [ ] **Check getting-ready and hotel rooms** (Recommended) — Before checking out after the wedding, check the getting-ready rooms and hotel rooms carefully for chargers, jewelry, outfit pieces, documents and gifts. - [ ] **Store your wedding outfits safely** (Recommended) — Within a day or two of the wedding, hang or lay your wedding outfits somewhere clean and dry, and note any stains before arranging cleaning or preservation. - [ ] **Download guest photos and videos** (Recommended) — Within a couple of days of the wedding, download the photos and videos guests shared, and send a gentle reminder to anyone who still has pictures to upload. - [ ] **Back up your photos and videos** (Recommended) — Back up your wedding photos and videos soon after the wedding by keeping at least two copies in different places, such as cloud storage and an external drive. - [ ] **Confirm who has the marriage documents** (Essential) — Within a day or two of the wedding, confirm who holds the signed marriage documents and whether they have been returned or registered with the official authority. *For a destination wedding:* If you married legally abroad, check with the official authority at home whether your foreign marriage certificate needs registering, translating or certifying before it’s recognized there. ## First Month After A few final things, then you’re officially done. - [ ] **Send thank-you notes** (Recommended) — Send wedding thank-you notes within a few weeks of the wedding if you can, aiming to finish within about three months, naming each gift or kindness and adding a personal line for every guest. - [ ] **Leave reviews for your vendors** (Optional) — In the weeks after the wedding, leave honest reviews for the vendors who helped, mentioning specific details that will be useful to future couples. - [ ] **Follow up on photos, video and other deliverables** (Recommended) — After the wedding, track the delivery dates in your contracts for photos, video, albums and other items, and follow up kindly if anything is running late. - [ ] **Clean or preserve your outfits** (Optional) — In the weeks after the wedding, take your wedding outfits to a specialist cleaner, then decide whether to preserve, alter, sell, donate or simply store them. - [ ] **Update your name, if you’re changing it** (Optional) — If either of you is changing your name, start once you have your official marriage certificate, updating core identity documents first and then accounts, following the official authority’s guidance. *For a destination wedding:* A marriage certificate issued abroad may need a certified translation or official certification before offices at home will accept it for a name change. Check before you start the process. - [ ] **Order certified copies of your marriage certificate** (Recommended) — Once your marriage is registered, order several certified copies of your marriage certificate from the official authority, and check every detail for errors as soon as they arrive. *For a destination wedding:* Ask the authority where you married how to order copies from home, how long delivery takes, and whether you’ll need an apostille or certified translation. - [ ] **Update finances, insurance and beneficiaries** (Optional) — In the months after the wedding, review your accounts, insurance, beneficiaries and emergency contacts together, and ask a qualified professional about anything that affects your taxes or legal situation. - [ ] **Settle final charges and deposits** (Essential) — In the weeks after the wedding, pay any approved final charges, check invoices against your contracts and make sure damage or security deposits are returned. - [ ] **Organize gifts and close your registry** (Optional) — In the weeks after the wedding, organize your gifts, handle any returns or exchanges, use remaining registry perks and close or update your registry. - [ ] **Share photos with your guests** (Optional) — Once you’ve collected guest and professional photos, share a selection with your guests through a gallery link, album or message, respecting your photographer’s usage terms. - [ ] **Choose photos for prints or an album** (Optional) — Once your full gallery arrives, shortlist favorite photos for prints, frames or an album, and check any album selection deadline in your photographer’s contract. - [ ] **Update or close your wedding website** (Optional) — After the wedding, update your wedding website with a thank-you message and photos, or close it once you no longer need it. ## What you can probably skip - Decide on wedding favors - Drop off décor at the venue - Book an engagement photo session - Print place cards and the seating chart ## FAQ ### How far in advance should you plan a destination wedding? Start about 12–18 months ahead. That leaves time to check legal requirements, visit or video-tour venues, book vendors abroad and give guests 8–12 months’ notice to arrange time off, flights and accommodation. ### Who pays for guests’ travel at a destination wedding? Guests usually pay for their own flights and accommodation, while the couple covers the wedding itself. Some couples help with transfers, a welcome event or costs for close family. Whatever you decide, say it clearly on [your wedding website](https://readytoweddy.com/guides/create-wedding-website). ### Is it rude to have a destination wedding? No. It’s a valid choice as long as you give plenty of notice, share realistic costs early and accept graciously that some people can’t come. Many couples also host a relaxed celebration at home afterward. ### Do you need a wedding planner for a destination wedding? Not always, but local help is valuable. A [destination planner](https://readytoweddy.com/guides/decide-on-planner) or the venue’s own coordinator can handle vendors, permits and in-person checks you can’t easily do from home. Some resorts include coordination in their packages. ### When should destination wedding guests RSVP? Ask for replies earlier than for a local wedding, often around 6–8 weeks before the date, since resorts, caterers and transfer companies may need numbers sooner. Check your contracts and set the deadline to meet them. ### How do you bring your wedding outfit on a plane? Ask your airline whether a garment bag can travel in the cabin, and carry it rather than checking it. [Finish alterations](https://readytoweddy.com/guides/order-wedding-outfits) before you travel, pack accessories alongside, and arrange steaming at your hotel on arrival.