All Inclusive Destination Weddings: Plan a Resort Wedding

Getting tired of wedding planning? It’s not that it’s hard - there’s just so much to do! Maybe you’re in the mood to run away. Or maybe you’ve wanted an easy, breezy beach wedding all along.

Believe it or not, the easiest weddings to plan can be destination weddings. If you decide to get married at an all inclusive resort, you just need to book a trip and a wedding package. You’ll invite your family and friends, buy a dress and hop on a plane. Your travel agent and resort wedding planner can take care of the details for you.

Afraid of how much it’ll cost? If you choose a popular location it could cost even less than at-home weddings. Whether you’ve got a small, medium or large budget, you can find great resorts that’ll suit you and your guests. If you want to start planning an all inclusive destination wedding, the first thing to do is decide how much you want to spend.

How to Plan a Destination Wedding at an All Inclusive Resort

1. Set The Budget For Your Resort Wedding

Start by deciding how much you want to spend. You’ll need at least a few thousand to pay for the trip and your wedding package. Plus other expenses, like invitations, rings and clothes. It’s ok if you’re not sure how much everything costs for destination weddings. Pick a number you’re comfortable with, for now. Once you start looking at real prices, you can always adjust your numbers.

Please note: this article contains affiliate links. That means that I may earn a commission if you decide to buy something.

Ready to start planning? The Destinations Wedding Planner includes information sheets, worksheets and checklists for everything from choosing a wedding package to packing your suitcases. Check it out on Amazon The Destination Wedding Planner: How to Plan Your Beach Wedding at an All Inclusive Resort

2. Decide On Your Location

Different locations will be better for certain budgets. If you’re on a tight budget, the most popular locations will have a variety of resorts in every price range. Places like Mexico, Jamaica and Dominican Republic have tons of amazing beaches, resorts and activities, even if you’re on a budget. If you’ve got a bigger budget, you can look at more expensive locations, like Aruba, St. Thomas and St. Lucia.

The next thing to consider is your travel time. First, think about how far you are from your home airport. How long is the drive? Next, think about how long the flight will be. If you’re flying from New York, Cancun is only a 3 hour flight. But if you’re flying from San Francisco, you could be on a plane for 8 hours or more. Decide how long you want to spend on a flight, then look for locations within that distance.

The last thing to consider is how far the resorts will be once you land. Some resorts are a half hour or less, while other resorts will be an hour or two on a bus. Try to balance it out so you and your guests won’t need to spend too much time traveling to get to the resorts.

3. Choose Your Wedding Date

If it’s important for you to have certain people at your wedding, check with them to make sure they’re available to travel on the dates you’ve chosen.

Make sure to check your travel date along with your wedding date. If you’re having your legal wedding at the destination, you’ll need to arrive in time to meet the paperwork requirements. In Mexico and Dominican Republic, you need to be in the country for 3 days before the wedding. In Jamaica, you need to arrive 24 hours ahead of time.

If you decide to have a symbolic ceremony at your destination wedding, most resorts ask you to arrive a day or two ahead of time. That gives you time to meet the planner and finalize your details. Check with the resorts planner to make sure you’ve got enough time between your arrival and your wedding date.

4. Book Your Travel For Your Destination Wedding

If you’ve been checking prices for an all-inclusive online, you might want to tell people to book the cheapest trip they can find. Don’t do that! In order to have your destination wedding at a resort, a certain percentage of your guests must be staying there. And they need to be included in your group booking. If they aren’t, you’ll be charged a per person fee for every wedding event you want them to attend.

Usually, the prices you see online won’t translate into the trip they need to be on. The dates, flights or room categories will be different from your trip. Or the hotel could run out of rooms. When you see cheap rooms on websites, it’s usually a leftover, first come, first served booking. When they run out, that’s it. If you haven’t arranged a room block, they might not be able to get a room at all.

If you plan a group booking, everyone will get benefits from it. When you travel together as a group you’ll get perks and bonuses. Some resorts will offer free weddings, free room upgrades, VIP transportation and more. Talking to a travel agent will help you get a contract that includes everything you need. A travel agent will make sure you get the best prices and the best perks. If you don’t travel a lot, they can even help you choose the best location and resort for your wedding.

Most agents get paid by commission when you book your trip, so it shouldn’t cost extra to use a travel agent. They want you to have a great trip, so they’ll do their best to find the perfect wedding destination for you.

5. Book a Weddings Package at Your All Inclusive Resort

Once you’ve booked your trip with a travel agent, you’ll need to book your wedding package with the hotel. Resorts include a wedding planner with all their packages. Your plans and details will have to go through that person. As well, you’ll pay for your wedding directly to the resort.

Some travel agents offer extra services, and they’ll email the hotel to book your wedding date. If you use a no fee travel agent, you’ll book the date with the hotel yourself. Either way, your details and payments will go to the planner at the resorts. Once you make a payment, most resorts will guarantee your wedding date. But you won’t need to finalize your package until closer to your trip.

Not sure what to look for in a package? Read this next: Choosing an All Inclusive Destination Wedding Package.

6. Invite Your Wedding Guests

You want to give your family and friends enough notice to book time off and save up some money. But not so much time that they forget about it! Ideally, you’ll send a save the date invitation a year ahead of your trip date. Your save the date should include the resorts name and travel dates.

The actual invitations should be sent 3 to 4 months ahead of time. That gives people time to firm up their plans and start making deposits.

Your RSVP date will depend on your trip booking. It’s usually 6 to 8 weeks before your travel date. Talk to your travel agent to make sure all the dates are clear.

Ignore anyone who says “yes, I’m coming!” If you’ve ever planned a group trip, you know that everyone says yes. But not everyone actually goes through with it. The only people who are really coming are the ones who put down the money. Stay in touch with your travel agent, so you know who’s made their deposits. Then plan your guest list accordingly.

7. Decide If You’ll Have a Legal Ceremony or a Symbolic Ceremony

A legal marriage done in most countries will be recognized in the US and Canada. Depending on your destination, you might need blood tests or documents translated ahead of time. Your ceremony has to be performed in the official language of that country. For example, to be legally married in Mexico, your ceremony needs to be performed in Spanish.

Most couples decide to get legally married at home, ahead of time. It’s the easiest and most inexpensive option. Plus you can avoid any language barriers. If you and your guests don’t speak the official language, a legal ceremony might be less meaningful than a symbolic ceremony. If you choose to celebrate with a symbolic ceremony, it can be performed in English. And you can add any readings, music or unity ceremonies that you like.

Before you leave for your destination, you can go to city hall and have a civil service performed with just the two of you. Then plan your symbolic ceremony at your destination wedding.

If you decide to have your legal marriage at your location, the resort planner will walk you through the steps.

8. Buy Your Wedding Clothes, Accessories and Extras

If you’re happy with the resorts all-inclusive wedding packages, you can just show up with your rings and your wedding dresses or suits. The hotel will provide everything from the flowers to the cake. You can relax and enjoy the day.

If you’d like to personalize things, the resort planner will be happy to work with you. Some couples like to bring their own bouquets, cake toppers or decorations. If you’d rather not bring things from home, your planner can organize any extras that you’d like. Most resorts have a catalogue of extras, from upgraded cakes to special shows, like fireworks or dancers.

9. Pack Your Bags and Hop On the Plane

Once you’ve decided what you’re bringing, you’ll need to fit everything into your suitcases! If you’re bringing a lot, read this next for tips on traveling with wedding extras: How to Pack For Your Destination Wedding.

After you arrive at the resort you’ll have a meeting with the resort wedding planner. They’ll go over your details and make sure everything is scheduled. If you haven’t already chosen your flowers and cake, they’ll go through the different options with you.

You can also give them your cake toppers or any other accessories that you’ve brought. Once you’re done with the meeting, it’s time to relax and enjoy your wedding week.

After the hard work of planning, it’ll be fantastic to be on vacation. You can spend time with your family and friends and enjoy the activities you’ve planned.

The resort will take care of every detail for you. They’ll make sure everything is perfect - not just on your wedding day, but every day of your vacation. You and your guests will have a wedding you’ll love. And memories that will last forever.

Destination Wedding Planner Book

Planning an all-inclusive wedding? The Destination Wedding Planner makes it easy. The book is packed with information and comparison sheets to help you choose the best resort for you and your guests. Plus checklists, worksheets, tips and tricks for everything from choosing your weddings package to planning your ceremony: