5 things you should do when you get engaged

#1: Start thinking about the fashion

Your wedding day attire is one of the first things you should be thinking about, especially if you plan on getting married within the year. Most designer dresses can take up to nine months to make and if you’re going to be wearing a custom suit, you want to give yourself plenty of time for fittings and alterations. A common misconception if you’re planning a destination wedding is that fashion should fit a certain beachy theme – not so!

Just because you’re getting married in the tropics; it doesn’t mean that the ceremony has to be on the beach. Often resorts offer a choice of venues – from gazebos to oceanfront sky terraces. Wear whatever makes you feel beautiful on your big day. Many airlines – such as Sunwing – also provide special wedding attire compartments on board so you don’t need to be parted from your outfit for a moment during your journey.

#2: Discuss your wedding day vision together

It’s important that you plan your wedding together – no one wants to become a bride-zilla or a groom-zilla in the process. After celebrating your engagement, take some time to chat about what your dream wedding day looks like – whether you’ve always dreamed of saying “I do” on a cliffside gazebo overlooking the ocean, having a huge party on a white-sand beach or hosting a small elegant reception dinner in the tropics with your closest friends and family.

#3: Narrow down your guest list

While it may seem like it’s too soon, hashing out your guest list is an important step in the wedding planning process – and it will help you narrow down your wedding destination and resort. Consider whether or not you’ll be hosting an adults only wedding or a family-friendly affair, whether you’ll be inviting just a handful of your closest family or looking to have a huge bash.

Also consider where people are travelling from – if you have family coming from across the country – make sure your vacation destination is well served by flight connections. Make sure to send out save the dates with plenty of time for your guests to arrange their travel and book time off work, so figure out who you want to invite ASAP.

#4: Research, research, research

Whether you already have a destination in mind or a favourite resort chain that you love, you’ll want to do plenty of research on where to host your big day in paradise. You want to make sure your chosen destination and resort works for you as a couple and can make your wedding day vision come to life. Instagram and Pinterest are both great tools in picking out a location for your dream day; you could also have a look at our Real Weddings for inspiration and to see what other couples’ wedding days looked like.

#5: Contact your destination wedding consultant

One of the best parts of hosting a destination wedding is that you don’t have to deal with the stress of planning every single detail of your wedding day. Once you’ve nailed down your vision, figured out your guest list and narrowed down some destination and resort choices, contact your destination wedding consultant who will help you sort out the rest of the details for your big day! They’ll guide you through the stress-free destination wedding process so you can focus on enjoying your engagement to the fullest.