Destination Wedding Checklist — Month by Month

Nine to twelve months before the wedding — much earlier than a home wedding — because guests must book flights, rooms and time off, and may need to renew a passport. Formal invitations follow at four to six months out, with an RSVP deadline earlier than the usual three to four weeks.

Twelve to sixteen months is the comfortable window for popular resorts and ceremony slots: budget and destination first, then venue and room block, then the vendors who can only do one wedding a day. It can be done in six months, with compromises on dates and rooms.

A room block is a set of rooms held at a group rate for your guests. It matters twice over: guests cannot book until it exists, and resorts typically reward the couple with perks — free nights, upgrades or credits — when the block reaches a minimum number of room nights.

A legal ceremony at the destination makes you married under that country's law, which can require documents, translations, blood tests or residency days depending on the country. Many couples marry legally at home and hold a symbolic ceremony at the destination — identical for guests, far less paperwork. Decide early; it affects documents and timelines.

A weekend itinerary card, sunscreen and after-sun, a local snack, something for headaches, a map or list of resort facilities, and a thank-you note. Keep it light — guests have luggage limits, and so do you if you are carrying 40 of them in a suitcase.