Destination Wedding Itinerary Guide

Destination weddings have many elements that need to be properly planned. Each piece needs to fit together just right for everyone to have a great time, and to make sure that happens, you need a detailed itinerary.

Even if your group consists of a small collection of friends and family enjoying a tropical vacation, a destination wedding itinerary will help keep things on track for guests, vendors, and most importantly, the bride and groom.

The specifics of your own destination wedding itinerary will depend on where you’re going, how long you plan to stay, what kind of celebrations you want, and so much more…

For an example of a plan done right, let’s look at Tina and Brian’s 4-day destination wedding in Mexico. Their itinerary is a great example that can serve as guidance for your own! Even if your destination wedding is a few days longer or in another place, Tina’s perfectly planned adventure hits the major points.

Planning a Destination Wedding Itinerary

Your itinerary may end up a bit different, but this is a great road map to keep your destination wedding on schedule!

Day 1: Arrival

In the early planning stages of their wedding, Brian made a point to have each of the guests provide their travel schedules, which was much easier knowing that a single travel agent, Sunset Travel & Cruise, made everyone’s reservations. After going over the information, the couple determined that everyone would arrive by 6pm (except one guest arriving closer to midnight).

To keep things flexible and low-pressure after a day of traveling, they planned a late lunch at the resort for guests arriving in the afternoon, and a 7-10pm dinner and cocktail hour with simple snacks and finger foods. This approach allowed their guests to kick-off the trip with some fun and socializing, with the opportunity to rest and settle in as needed.

While your welcome party may include a more involved activity (like a sunset boat ride, for example), it’s a good idea to keep things a bit loose on the first day. People may experience travel delays, and have varying levels of energy after their travels.

Day 2: Fun!

The second day of your destination wedding trip is all about enjoying each other’s company and preparing for the next day’s big events. Tina and Brian broke the day into three segments, with plans laid out for each.

In the morning, the group enjoyed an extended brunch in a specially reserved section of the resort’s main restaurant, then spent some time soaking up the sun poolside. The next portion of the day brought many of the guests to the on-site spa for massages, skin treatments, mani/pedi, and beyond. For a couple of guests who didn’t want the spa treatment, this part of the day was the perfect opportunity for them to try parasailing!

Whether you have a spa day, go on an adventure, or simply use this chunk of time to explore the area, the afternoon of day 2 is perfect for personalized activities.

The evening was dedicated to rehearsal dinner – a staple of most weddings. The guests all gathered in a private, reserved area on the beach for a delicious meal, champagne toasts, speeches, and conversation. To make sure everything ran smoothly, Tina made sure to select the meal in advance, and kept a loose agenda for appetizers, speeches, dinner, toasts, and a set time for wrapping up dinner so everyone could get a good night’s sleep!

Day 3: The Big Day

Your wedding day’s itinerary will likely be more detailed than the other parts of the trip – and with good reason!

Tina and Brian leaned on the resort’s destination wedding package for much of the planning, so they were provided a general schedule of events that covered ceremony arrival and start times, photos, and each key piece of the reception. The on-site wedding planner took care of scheduling vendors, making sure décor was in place, transportation, etc. – so Brian, Tina, and their guests just had to follow the timeline. Here’s why you should get help from a destination wedding planner.

After the couple said “I do,” they got right to dancing and celebrating their nuptials. The wedding planner kept the party on track, letting the newlyweds know when it was time for dinner, cake, special dances, and so on – but also did her best to stay out of the way and let the couple cut loose!

For your big day, let the planner do their job – but make sure you have a copy of the schedule handy so you can do your part to keep things on time.

Day 4: Goodbyes

After the big day, everyone will likely be rather tired. They’ll also be thinking about travel arrangements to head home. For this reason, you don’t want to plan too much for the last day of the trip.

Tina wanted to enjoy another brunch before everyone’s departure, but this time, they planned it picnic-style on the beach! They set a soft start time of 10am, with plans to be on the beach until about 2. Because Brian had everyone’s travel schedule, the couple knew that most of the guests were leaving in the late afternoon – and that they’d have plenty of time to relax with their toes in the sand before heading off to the airport.

If you can, try to plan something low key for the morning or early afternoon of your last day as a group. If a few people can’t make it because of their travel arrangements, they won’t be missing out on anything major, but for those who can stay, it’s a great way to wrap up a wonderful few days together.

Rely on Seasoned Travel Agents to Pull it All Together

Creating and maintaining an itinerary for your destination wedding will not only help things go smoothly, it will also help your guests know what to expect – and what’s expected of them. You can plan your activities to match your interests, and remember that a resort’s wedding planner is your best resource for developing a practical, low-stress schedule for the entire event.

To start planning your destination wedding, contact Sunset Travel & Cruise today!