Most wedding checklists run past a hundred boxes and were written for a ballroom ten miles from home. Ours has 10 steps. Each step holds two to five small jobs, and each job says why it matters. It is the plan our team runs for every couple we work with, from the first call to the last line of the resort’s bill.
Here it is, in the order it happens.
Step 1: Meet us and pay your deposit
- Book a call with us. We hear what you picture, so we only suggest resorts that fit. Pick a time here.
- Share your wedding details. Your dates, guest count, budget and favorite resorts tell us which resorts can actually host you.
- Pay your $500 deposit. It holds our team for you and is applied to your wedding booking at the resort you choose. Here is exactly how we are paid.
Step 2: Choose your resort and sign the room block
- See pricing from the resorts you like. Every resort prices differently, so you compare their real numbers side by side, not brochure ranges.
- Choose your resort. Once you choose, we ask the resort to hold your dates and spaces in writing.
- Sign your room block contract. It holds rooms for your guests at your group rate.
Step 3: Invite your guests
- Set up your RSVP site. One link gives every guest your events, what to wear and where to book a room. How our RSVP Studio works.
- Send your invitations with your booking link. Guests who book through your link stay in your room block, at your group rate.
- Turn on your guest photo album. Guests add their photos of you two before, during and after every event, all in one place. How the album works.
Step 4: Lock in your venues and meet your resort planner
- Meet your resort planner. The resort assigns one after your room block is signed, and we introduce you. They run your events at the resort and work with us on every detail.
- Choose a space for every event. Popular spaces go first, so we lock yours in early.
- Confirm your event schedule. A set day and time for each event lets the resort plan food, staff and setup. We send the resort your schedule and get it confirmed.
- Sign your events contract, if the resort sends one. Some resorts put your event spaces and packages in a contract of their own.
Step 5: Finalize your decor and menus
- Your planning call with the resort. One call to walk through decor, food and the flow of every event. We set it up.
- Choose your decor. Mandap, flowers, lighting and tables, decided once so the resort can price it.
- Pick your menus and bar. Every event gets its own. If you asked guests about allergies in your RSVPs, that list goes to your resort planner too.
Step 6: Book your vendors
- List your vendors. Every vendor and their contract in one list you can come back to. Finding them is easier on our vendor marketplace.
- Register your vendors with the resort. Resorts only let in outside vendors they have on file, and some charge a fee for each one. Find out before you sign, not after.
- Your personalized coconuts. Fresh coconuts printed with your names and wedding date: a photo moment at your ceremony that keeps guests cool.
Step 7: Keep your payments in one place
- Your payments and receipts. Upload each receipt as you pay, so nothing gets lost.
- Pay the resort’s first deposit.
- See your $500 on your resort bill. Your WeddingPlan360 deposit is applied to your wedding booking at the resort, and we check that it shows.
Step 8: The final countdown
- Send your final head count. The resort sets food, chairs and staff from this number.
- Pay the resort’s final balance.
- Ask the resort about free rooms and upgrades. Upgrades depend on what the resort has free, so ask early and get the answer in writing.
- Build your shot list. Our Shot List tool loads your guest list from your RSVPs, so your photographer gets every family photo you want, with names, in order.
- Plan your seating. Our Seating tool starts with everyone who said yes. Seat guests event by event and hand the resort a clean table list.
Step 9: Wedding week
- Pack for every event. Outfits and shoes for each event, jewelry, puja items if you need them, favors, signs, any decor you are bringing, chargers and medicines. Check it twice.
- Carry it, don’t ship it. Boxes shipped to resorts can get lost or arrive after you do. Anything you need at the wedding goes in your suitcases.
Step 10: After the wedding
- Your guest photo album. Everything your guests shot, in one place.
- Your photos and videos, collected. Your photographer’s and videographer’s files, gathered and kept together for you.
- A feedback call with our team.
- Final bill review. We check the resort’s final bill line by line, so every free room, upgrade and credit you earned is on it.
Why does a destination wedding need its own checklist?
Because the order is different. At home you book a venue, then think about guests. At a resort your guests’ rooms come first: the room block sets their group rate, and at many resorts it also decides which perks you earn. Your invitations carry the booking link. Your event spaces come after the block. And the last job is one a hometown wedding never has: checking the resort’s bill against everything you were promised.
How do you know where you stand?
Our team runs every wedding on this checklist inside our planning system, and many of the small jobs tick themselves off the moment the work lands: your deposit arriving, your RSVP households loading, invitations going out, your album going live. Ask your planner at any point and we will show you exactly which step you are on and what comes next.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should we start?
Earlier gets you better vendor pricing and first pick of event spaces, but we have planned real weddings with two to three months’ notice. Start with step 1 whenever you are ready.
Is the $500 deposit a fee?
No. It holds our team for you and is applied to your wedding booking at the resort you choose.
Do we have to use every tool on the list?
No. The RSVP site, the photo album, Shot List and Seating are there to save you time. Use the ones that help.
Why should we not ship decor to the resort?
Boxes shipped to resorts can get lost or arrive after you do. Pack what you need in your suitcases, and ask us before you send anything ahead.
Who we are
WeddingPlan360 helps you plan a destination wedding from A-Z. We care to truly advocate for our couples every step of the way.
This checklist is how we do it. Book a free call and tell us what you picture. You will leave it with real numbers either way.
