Planning a Destination Wedding? Here's Everything I Wish Every Couple Knew
05/03/2026 • 3 MIN READ
There’s something undeniably magical about choosing a place that already feels like an adventure.
Maybe it's a villa tucked into the Tuscan countryside, a quiet beach in Hawaii, a mountaintop in Washington, or a tiny town you've fallen in love with halfway across the world.
The location becomes part of your story.
But planning a destination wedding comes with a few things that most couples don't think about until they're already there.
After photographing weddings while traveling—and planning plenty of travel myself—these are the things I would tell every destination couple before they book anything.
1. Give Yourself More Time Than You Think You'll Need
Travel has a funny way of reminding us that we aren't in control.
Flights get delayed.
Rental cars disappear.
Luggage decides to vacation somewhere else.
One of the biggest gifts you can give yourselves is arriving a day or two early. Instead of stepping off a plane and immediately worrying about timelines, you get to settle in, explore together, and actually enjoy being there.
Some of my favorite photographs have happened the day before or the morning after the wedding—when everything finally slows down.
2. Your Photographer Should Arrive Before You Need Them
If your photographer lands the night before your wedding, everyone is crossing their fingers that nothing goes wrong.
Personally, I always build buffer time into destination travel.
That means arriving early enough to account for delayed flights, weather, transportation issues, and simply getting familiar with the location before your wedding day begins.
It's one less thing for you to worry about.
3. Build Time Into Your Timeline for the Place You Chose
You didn't fly across the country—or across the world—just to spend eight hours inside a reception hall.
Give yourselves permission to experience where you are.
Walk through the streets together.
Watch the sunset.
Have dinner overlooking the lake.
Take ten minutes after the ceremony to simply breathe.
Those quiet moments often become the photographs couples treasure most.
4. Think Beyond the Wedding Day
Some of my favorite destination galleries include more than just the ceremony.
A welcome dinner.
Coffee on the balcony.
Pizza the night before.
A swim the morning after.
Exploring the city in your wedding clothes.
Those moments help tell the full story—not just one chapter of it.
5. Consider the Light
Golden hour doesn't happen at the same time everywhere.
Mountains create shadows.
Ocean sunsets disappear quickly.
European streets can become dark much earlier than expected.
When we're planning your timeline together, one of the biggest things I look at is how the light moves through your venue so we can build portraits around the most beautiful part of the day.
6. Pack the Things That Matter
Your vows.
Your rings.
Your invitation suite.
Heirloom jewelry.
A handwritten letter.
Your grandmother's handkerchief.
These small details become part of your story, and they're often the first things photographed before the day truly begins.
Keeping them together in one place makes the morning so much easier.
7. Hire Vendors Who Know Destination Weddings
Destination weddings are different.
Your florist might need to source flowers locally.
Hair and makeup timelines may start earlier than you're used to.
Transportation often takes longer than Google Maps suggests.
Working with vendors who understand destination logistics makes everything feel much more relaxed.
8. Weather Is Part of the Story
One of the biggest misconceptions about destination weddings is that perfect locations always mean perfect weather.
Sometimes it rains.
Sometimes the wind shows up.
Sometimes the mountains disappear behind clouds.
None of those things ruin a wedding.
Some of my favorite images have happened because everyone embraced whatever the day decided to give us.
9. Don't Try to See Everything
If you're getting married in Italy, you don't need to squeeze Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Lake Como, Cinque Terre, and Tuscany into four days.
Choose fewer places.
Stay longer.
Actually experience them.
Your wedding deserves to feel like an adventure—not another itinerary.
10. Remember Why You Chose a Destination Wedding
It probably wasn't because you wanted perfect photographs.
It probably wasn't because the venue looked good on Pinterest.
It was because that place meant something.
Or because you wanted an experience that felt different from a traditional wedding.
Hold onto that.
Because years from now, you won't remember every timeline detail or travel hiccup.
You'll remember how it felt to stand together somewhere beautiful and begin your marriage.
And that's exactly the story I hope to preserve.
Planning a destination wedding?
Whether you're saying I do in the Texas Hill Country, Tuscany, Lake Como, Hawaii, Washington, or somewhere that's still just a pin on your map, I'd love to help you tell that story.