Before You Choose a Destination Wedding Location, Answer These 3 Questions
You can fall in love with a resort in 30 seconds.
The photos are gorgeous, the ceremony setup looks perfect, and suddenly you’re picturing yourself walking down the aisle with the ocean behind you.
Then reality hits.
How do we choose a destination? What about our guests? What’s actually included? How does this even work?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not doing anything wrong. Destination weddings have more moving parts than most couples realize, and the biggest mistake I see is couples choosing a location before they’re clear on what they actually need.
If you’re considering an all-inclusive destination wedding in Mexico or the Caribbean, there’s a better place to start.
Before you pick a destination, answer these three questions. This will save you time, stress, and a whole lot of backtracking later.
Who are you really planning this for?
This is the heart of destination wedding planning, and it impacts everything.
Are you planning an intimate wedding that feels private and romantic, where a smaller guest list is a feature, not a problem?
Are you planning a bigger celebration where having a full group there matters to you and you want shared experiences all week long?
Are you trying to keep things simple for guests, or are your people the kind who will happily travel farther for something unforgettable?
There’s no wrong answer. But if you and your partner aren’t aligned on this, the destination search becomes stressful fast.
The right fit for a twenty-person wedding can be completely wrong for an eighty-person celebration. The destination is not just a backdrop. It shapes the entire experience for everyone.
What is your non-negotiable priority?
Most couples have one thing that matters most, even if they haven’t said it out loud yet.
For some, it’s guest affordability and making it easy for people to attend.
For others, it’s the look and feel of the wedding. The ceremony setup. The photography. The overall vibe.
Some couples care most about privacy and luxury. Others care most about fun, entertainment, and an energy-filled week.
This matters because every destination wedding comes with trade-offs. When you’re clear on your top priority, decisions get easier. You stop getting pulled in five different directions by social media, family opinions, and too many resort options.
What kind of all-inclusive resort experience do you want?
If you’re getting married at an all-inclusive in Mexico or the Caribbean, this question is huge.
Because you’re not just choosing where you’ll have a ceremony. You’re choosing where everyone will sleep, eat, relax, and spend their entire wedding week.
Two resorts can look equally gorgeous online and still create completely different experiences in real life.
So ask yourself:
Do you want an adults-only resort with a romantic, elevated vibe, where the week feels like a stylish getaway?
Or do you want something high-energy and social, with plenty happening day and night, where the wedding week feels more like a celebration?
Do you need family-friendly and multi-generational, where kids and teens are not just allowed but genuinely have a great time too?
Do you want the simplest, most streamlined planning experience with clear wedding packages and a predictable process?
Or do you want customization and special touches, even if that means more decisions, more add-ons, and more moving parts?
When you’re clear on the kind of resort experience you want, narrowing down the right destination becomes much easier. Instead of looking at every resort in Cancun, Punta Cana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, or anywhere else in the Caribbean, we focus quickly on the places that actually fit your vision and your guest list.
Why these questions come before the destination
A destination is not the plan. It’s the setting.
When couples start with a location, they often end up choosing a place that looks perfect but creates stress around guests, budget, logistics, or planning expectations.
When couples start with clarity, choosing the destination becomes easier. It also becomes far more likely that the wedding feels aligned instead of overwhelming.
If you’re already scheduled for a destination wedding planning call with me, bring your answers to these questions. We’ll use them to narrow in on destinations and resorts that truly fit you, not just the ones that photograph well.
If you haven’t booked your call yet, this is exactly what I help with. I guide you through the decisions, help you compare resorts the right way, and manage the moving parts so you’re not carrying the guest logistics, the resort communication, and the “what do we do next” spiral on your own.
And if you decide a destination wedding isn’t the right fit after all, that’s okay too. I can still help you plan a honeymoon that feels just as meaningful.
Ready to narrow this down and choose the right fit?
Bring your answers to your planning call, or start here if you are still deciding. I’ll help you compare resorts the right way, manage the moving parts, and make the whole process feel clear instead of overwhelming.
Start Planning