Ideally, wedding planning begins one year before the wedding date, which gives you time to secure the venue you like, your preferred vendors and organise every detail calmly. This is even more necessary for a destination wedding, for which the planning is extremely more detailed and complex. However, as a wedding planner, I often start planning 6 months before or even with very short notice, sometimes just 45 days (which is my own personal record). Consequently, the following timeline reflects the ideal flow for a destination wedding, but can be adapted to tighter schedules.
I wish to remind that for a destination wedding, having a solid, experienced and competent wedding planner is absolutely essential.
Because it determines the date, capacity, atmosphere, guest logistics and vendor availability, the venue choice is the most crucial early decision. For a destination wedding, the venue determines the country and area you love for your celebration. Please don’t book ANY other vendor if the venue has not been priorly secured. Once the venue is confirmed, all other planning steps can follow naturally.
12 Months Before : Let’s Establish the Foundation
- Define the wedding vision, inspirations, style, and priorities.
- Draft the initial guest list.
- Choose your preferred wedding date or date range.
- Book the venue: this drives the entire timeline.
- Hire a wedding planner (me!).
- For destination weddings: begin researching the location’s culture, climate, logistics, and accessibility.
11 Months Before : Let’s start the planning
- Book essential vendors: caterer, band/DJ.
- Begin shopping for wedding attire.
- Reserve accommodation blocks for out-of-town guests.
- Set up the wedding registry or honeymoon fund.
- Set up legal paperwork
- For destination weddings:
– Research on-site activities
– Connect with local guides
– Consider welcome and farewell events
10 Months Before : Let’s start the bookings
- Prepare a budget worksheet for projected vs actual costs.
- Prepare a monthly payment worksheet for deposits and due dates.
- Discuss and choose the types of gifts you would like to receive (registry, honeymoon fund, experiences, monetary envelopes).
- Book some other essential vendors : photographers, videographers, celebrants for your ceremony, the stationery provider.
- Start to design your wedding with me before selecting a florist/decorator. Colours, flowers, furniture, dinnerware, table clothing, ceremony.
9 Months Before
- Selection of the decoration, flowers and furniture provider.
- Select your wedding party.
- Final choice of the guests list.
- Send save-the-dates.
- Create your wedding website.
- For destination weddings:
– Begin planning cultural visits, food tours, excursions
– Build a preliminary guest itinerary
– Assess transportation needs
8 Months Before
- Book cake designer, hair & makeup.
- Research or book key honeymoon elements.
- Start exploring guest gifts/favors.
- Book hostesses and security for the Wedding Day.
- For a destination wedding, start to look at the second event’s venue and style for your welcome dinner and /or farewell brunch.
- Exploring styles and colours for the bridesmaids/groomsmen attires.
7 Months Before
- Starting to study your processional
- Finalise attire.
- Book the honeymoon trip (flights, hotels, experiences).
- Order invitations
- For destination weddings:
– Reserve local guides and experiences
– Organize welcome bags
– Confirm transfers or shuttles
6 Months Before
- Finalise your ceremony structure.
- Narrow guest favor choices.
- Organise the tasting with the caterer
- Select your dance teacher for your lessons
- For a destination wedding, send invitations.
5 Months Before
- Finalize menu and cake
- Arrange wedding-day transportation
- Organize fittings.
- Select and order guest gifts.
- For destination weddings:
– Finalize all group activities
– Confirm tickets, guides, transfers
– Prepare bilingual information if needed
4 Months Before
- Finalize stationery
- Finalize dinner area layouts
- Inform the caterer about the meals for the vendors
- Finalising playlists
- Selection of the key-songs
3 Months Before
- Send invitations.
- Begin legal paperwork.
- Confirm vendor details.
- Prepare the wedding-day timeline.
- For destination weddings:
– Finalize guest itinerary
– Send travel guidance
2 Months Before
- Hair and makeup trial.
- Finalising seating plan.
- Order rings.
- Write vows.
- Update final budget.
- For destination weddings:
– Confirm headcounts for activities
– Prepare welcome bags
– Coordinate with local partners
1 Month Before
- Final dress fitting.
- Provide final numbers to caterers (vegans, allergics and vegetarians).
- Prepare payments.
- Print stationery.
- Confirm honeymoon details.
- For destination weddings:
– Send final itineraries
– Reconfirm guides and reservations
– Prepare guest communication channels
2 Weeks Before
- Confirm logistics with all vendors.
- Pack for your wedding and honeymoon.
- Organize gifts/favors.
- Prepare emergency kit
- For destination weddings:
– Reconfirm airport transfers
– Prepare transportation for excursions
– Set up on-site coordination system
One Week Before the D-Day
- Bride’s beauty.
- Bride’s dress ready
- For a destination wedding, your arrival on the country should be scheduled 5 days before the D-Day.
Day Before
- Rehearsal & dinner
- Prepare wedding attire
- Welcome guests.
- For destination weddings:
– Host a welcome event
– Distribute welcome bags
Wedding Day
- Enjoy getting ready.
- Celebrate.
- Let your planner handle everything behind the scenes.
Monica G. Events ensures a flawless execution from start to finish, whether at home or across the world. Monica G. Events manages international logistics, guest coordination, cultural experiences, and on-site operations seamlessly.
✨ With my agency, every one of the steps of your destination wedding planning will be handled with precision and care. Whether the timeline is 12 months or 45 days, I personally ensure that no detail is missed and your experience remains stress-free.
