Saying “I do” overseas is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. It’s also a fair bit of organising. Here are ten tips to keep the lead-up feeling like the adventure it should be.
There’s no denying it: planning a wedding can be a bit of a challenge, and deciding to say “I do” overseas adds a whole extra layer of flights, foreign paperwork and logistics into the mix. Trust us, though, it is absolutely worth it. Want to keep the stress to a minimum in the lead-up to the big day? We’ve gathered ten go-to tips for a smooth and happy destination wedding, so you can spend less time worrying and a lot more time getting excited.
Prefer to tick things off on paper? Grab our printable countdown checklist at the bottom of the page.
1. Set expectations early, with everyone
You want everyone you love in that room, and the good news is most of them will want to be there too. Just remember that overseas travel costs money and precious annual leave, so give your guests as much notice as you possibly can. Get your save the dates out a good twelve months ahead and you’ll be amazed how many more people can make it work, booking flights while they’re cheap and squaring away time off before the roster fills up.
And if a few can’t come? Try not to take it to heart. Work, family and budgets get in the way for all sorts of reasons that have nothing to do with you. Tell them you completely understand, and promise them a proper catch-up when you’re back home.
2. Think about your bridal party
Being asked to stand up at your wedding is a real honour, but let’s be honest, it comes with a price tag too. So before anyone says yes, have a frank little chat about what’s involved: the outfit, the shoes, hair and makeup, and the cost of getting themselves there and back. Be upfront about what you’re covering and what you’re not. Nobody wants to say yes in a rush of excitement and then lie awake doing sums at 2am. A quick, honest conversation now saves a very awkward one later.
3. Scout the destination if you can
If you can possibly stretch to a pre-wedding visit, do it. And yes, that is a brilliant excuse for a holiday, if you ask us. As handy as websites and reviews are, nothing beats standing on the terrace yourself, tasting the food, and shaking hands with the person who’ll run your day. You’ll notice all the little things the photos never show you, and you’ll book feeling far more sure of your choice.
4. Let the resort’s coordinator do the heavy lifting
Here’s a lovely surprise about getting married abroad: you often don’t need to hire a separate planner at all. Book a good resort and one comes built in. Their on-site wedding coordinator runs weddings there week in, week out, knows the local florist, celebrant and chef by name, and has all those relationships humming along long before you land. Dealing with them directly, rather than adding another person into the mix, tends to mean fewer wires crossed and a much clearer idea of exactly what your package includes.
So before you book, get to know who that person is. Honestly, the coordinator matters just as much as the view.
5. Read the package properly
An all-inclusive package is an absolute gift to your sanity, rolling the ceremony, reception and often your guests’ rooms into one tidy booking. Just do yourself a favour and read the fine print. Check which vendors are actually included for the catering, the flowers and everything else, and have a good look at their previous work before you commit to anything. A package is only a bargain if those are suppliers you’d have happily picked yourself anyway.
6. Arrive early
Give yourself at least three days on the ground before the wedding. Trust us on this one. That’s enough time to shake off the flight, sort out any local paperwork, and actually meet the lovely team looking after you. Some places need you to turn up in person to collect your marriage licence a few days beforehand, so check the legal timeline before you lock in your flights. Those extra days are also a total lifesaver for the little last-minute tweaks that always seem to pop up.
7. Get the legal side right
Right, the boring but crucial bit. Every country has its own rules, and in some places the residency requirements make a fully legal ceremony there more trouble than it’s worth. Plenty of Aussie couples get around this by marrying legally at home first, with a celebrant and the paperwork all sorted before they fly, then holding a symbolic ceremony abroad that has all of the emotion and none of the red tape. Others do it for real on the day. Whichever way you go, decide early, because it shapes a lot of what comes next.
Whatever you choose, double-check your passports have plenty of validity left on them (loads of countries want at least six months), and find out whether you’ll need a visa. Australia’s Smartraveller site and the destination’s own tourism board are great places to start, and your coordinator will know the local ins and outs back to front.
8. Plan how to dress and the details of travel
Pick your outfit with the weather in mind: heavy fabrics and tropical humidity really do not get along, and somewhere cooler you’ll want layers you can still move in. Then have a think about how it all actually gets there. Most bridal boutiques can fold a gown into a clever, compact travel bag, and cabin crew will often hang it up for you or lay it across a spare seat if you ask nicely. Your rings, your documents and anything you couldn’t bear to lose go in your carry-on, never the hold.
For the bulkier stuff, welcome bags, favours, decorations and so on, it’s often cheaper and safer to post a box ahead to your coordinator than to lug an extra suitcase through the airport. Send it tracked, insured, and in plenty of time.
9. Use your trial days
You’ve arrived nice and early, so make the most of it! Book in your hair and makeup trial, take along a stack of reference photos, and get the look exactly right before the morning of. Wander the ceremony space, meet your vendors face to face, and talk through the running order with your coordinator. Every little thing you tick off now is one less thing rattling around your head on the day.
10. Then actually enjoy it
Here’s the most important tip of all: after every last bit of planning, remember what the day is actually about. It’s the two of you, and the people who’ve travelled across the world to be there. Let your coordinator fuss over the timeline. Do the rounds, thank everyone for making the trip, and take a quiet moment to let it sink in that this is really, finally happening. We promise you, the tiny things you stressed over will not be what you remember.
Prefer a checklist you can actually tick off?
Planning a wedding overseas comes with plenty to remember, from passports and paperwork to guest logistics and those all-important final details. Download our printable destination wedding checklist and keep track of the key things to organise before, during and after your trip.
Save it, print it, and tick things off as you go.