What to Bring? Destination Wedding Packing Tips

Bringing Your Wedding With You

By Crystal McCormick

So, you’ve chosen to have a destination wedding. Lucky you! Soon, you and your partner will be professing your love and devotion to each other in a breathtaking tropical setting. But while a destination wedding holds promises of romance and excitement, packing for your event can come with the wrong kind of baggage – overwhelming feelings of stress and confusion.

When your mind is racing with all the details for the big day, it is easy to forget important items as you pack for your dream destination nuptials.

Let’s face it, packing for any trip can be stressful. Add that to the fact that you’re also packing for what many consider to be the most important day of your life, and the result could be a full-blown panic attack. Fortunately, going in with a game plan about the important items to bring (and how to transport them) will ease the pressure of packing as well as lessen the weight of your luggage.

Here are tips to make packing and preparing for your destination wedding a little easier.

Checklists and Carry-Ons

Get Organized

With every wedding detail (big and small) weighing on your mind, it’s easy to forget critical items to pack for your destination I Do’s. Gradually start making a checklist of specific items to be packed months in advance of your destination wedding. Find a way to prepare your checklist that is practical for you and becomes routine, and don’t be afraid to get into detail about everything that goes into your luggage. Travel Channel’s expert travel guru Samantha Brown adds, "Lay out everything that you think you want to pack on your bed and take a good hard look."

If you have a wedding planner, this is also the right time to get their support. At Palace Resorts, you can talk to them before and after you arrive in Jamaica or Mexico to get their input in what you need to bring.

Carry-on Essentials

When it comes to your destination wedding luggage, keep this rule of thumb in mind - If you can’t afford to lose it, don’t check it. Carry-on must-haves include your wedding rings, any sentimental items, important paperwork (marriage license, vendor contracts, etc.), and most importantly, your wedding dress! Though most airlines do not guarantee safe stowing of personal items, you’ll likely have helpful flight attendants happy to help you safely store your gown.

Surviving and Thriving on Big Day

Bridal Survival Kit

When packing for your tropical nuptials, prepare for any hiccups that could arise. In any wedding setting, a number of things could go wrong - and the nature of exchanging vows on a tropical beach makes it tough to get necessities at the last minute. It can’t hurt to prepare yourself with a bridal “survival kit”. Put together a small bag to pack in your suitcase that includes safety pins, Tums, bobby pins, mini scissors, fashion tape, and anything else you may need last minute. Fortunately, if you are staying at Palace Resorts, the concierge is also more than willing to provide these items and more, with a quick phone call.

Ship Items in Advance

If your luggage set is packed to the brim (and you can’t bribe wedding guests to pack items for you!) - consider shipping some items to your destination wedding venue. Decorations, party favors, welcome bags and anything and everything décor-related should be shipped in advance. But be careful what you decide to send ahead of time, or risk a customs search of what is packed into those 100 little favor bags. To be safe, ask your Palace Resorts Wedding Specialist what shouldn’t be sent and to assist you with connecting to on-site staff that can be in charge of ensuring your items don’t get misplaced.

Beauty Must-Haves

You have to look your absolute best on your wedding day, but you can’t exactly bring your local beauty salon with you. That’s why you are going to want to book a destination wedding at an all-inclusive resort that has its own beauty salon like Moon Palace Cancun. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pack some of your essential skin and beauty products from home for last minute touch-ups. Whether it’s your favorite perfume, the perfect hue of blush nail polish or your “go-to” under eye concealer - having some tried and true products with you will come in hand on your big day.