Marrying away from home means booking about six months earlier than marrying at home — here are the milestones that must be settled, in order.
Destination wedding planners agree on one figure: start 9 to 12 months ahead, considerably earlier than a wedding held in the city you live in. Not because there is more to do, but because the three heaviest items — the hall date, rooms for guests and airfares — all have to be locked at the same time, and all three sell out by season rather than by your progress.
A workable 12-month frame: at 12 months, choose the season and visit the venue in person (never decide from photographs); at 9 months, sign the hall contract, hold a room block for guests and confirm your photography crew; at 6 months, send save-the-dates so guests can buy fares at a good price and request leave; at 3 months, attend the tasting and confirm menu, outfits and ceremony script; at 1 month, confirm the exact guest count, seating plan and airport transfer schedule; the final week is for the rehearsal and rest, nothing else.
One detail is easy to place wrongly in this timeline: the paperwork. A certificate of marital status is valid for only six months from the date of issue, so requesting it at the 12-month mark is wasted effort — it expires before the wedding. Push the whole marriage registration to roughly three or four months before the day: early enough not to clash with anything, late enough that the documents are still valid.