Do: Develop a timeline for each important person in your wedding, including your photographer. This ensures everyone knows where to be and when. 

Don’t: Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses. The nervousness and excitement can be quite overwhelming, so take a few minutes and take it all in. Relax and savor every moment.

Do: Get your guests’ room numbers and make a few a la carte dinner reservations for small groups such as family, the wedding party or perhaps one for the couple’s parents. A great idea for the last night is to book reservations for your guests in the same restaurant you had your wedding dinner – it makes for a lovely reunion!

Don’t: Don’t promise your guests discounts. Invite your guests with confidence in your choice of resort and that includes the cost. A reputable resort for weddings won’t be as cheap as you may think and your guests need to understand this. Don’t underpay for the most important day of your life. 

Do: Plan some bonding activities for your family and friends at or around the resort. Such as spa days, golf rounds and/or scuba diving excursions.

Don’t: Don’t expect or be disappointed if everyone doesn’t join in on every activity. After all, they are on vacation too.

Do: For a special added touch, create little wedding favors or welcome gift bags for your guests and place them in their rooms. Now Destinations can help arrange these particular gifts. Fruits baskets, gift bags, and useful products such as flip-flops, beach bags and sunscreen are always a good idea.

Don’t: If sending wedding favors ahead of time, be sure to remove all the “Made in China” sticks form the items. If not, and they are discovered at customs, you can be charged a hefty “anti-dumping duty”, a fee designed to allow countries to take action against goods that are sold at less than their normal value – that being defined as the price for ‘like goods’ sold in the exporter’s home market.

Do: Know where you want to get married. Having too many destinations in mind can be very overwhelming and may cause you to delay the overall planning of your wedding. Once your destination has been set in stone, then you can focus on finding the right resort that suits your needs and budget, of course. 

Don’t: Don’t assume that everyone you invite can attend your destination wedding. Make sure to give your most special guests a great deal of lead time so that no one misses out on your special day.