Full-service destination wedding planning across Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe, run on the ground by our own team.
Effortless Luxury, Anywhere in the World
Be There. We Will Handle the Rest.
A destination wedding should feel like a getaway from the very first conversation. We design the celebration and the journey around it, so the distance is never yours to manage. All you have to do is be there.
From clifftops over the Sea of Cortez to castle hotels in the west of Ireland, we plan multi-day celebrations in full and run them on the ground with our own team. Travel, room blocks and guest itineraries are handled from the start, and as a Travel Advisor with Fora Travel, Christine brings your travel, accommodations and planning together in one place.
Because every celebration deserves her full attention, Christine intentionally accepts a limited number of destination weddings per year.
From the Pacific to the Caribbean Sea
Mexico & Caribbean
Clifftops over the Sea of Cortez, colonial plazas in the highlands and islands that each keep their own rhythm.
Mexico
Mexico Destination Weddings
Mexico is three different weddings, and choosing between them is half the joy. On the Caribbean coast, Cancún and the Riviera Maya pair Mexican culture with the sea, with cenote swims and the clifftop Mayan ruins at Tulum close at hand. On the Pacific, Los Cabos sets ceremonies on dramatic clifftops above the Sea of Cortez, and from December through April the whales arrive offshore. Farther south, Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita bring golden beaches, cobblestone streets and a town nestled between the mountains and the Pacific.
Inland, San Miguel de Allende trades the beach for baroque architecture, colorful streets and a thriving art scene, an intimate and cultured weekend in the colonial highlands, where the weather stays mild long after the coastal season ends. Around Mérida, historic haciendas are drawing couples who want something quieter still. Wherever you land, the celebration feels distinctly Mexican, from tequila and mezcal to the warmth of the welcome. December through April is the favorite season on both coasts.
Top Three
- Cancún and the Riviera Maya, Mexican culture on the Caribbean, with cenotes and Tulum close by
- Los Cabos, clifftop ceremonies above the Sea of Cortez
- Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita, golden beaches and cobblestone streets on the Pacific
El Arco, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Caribbean
Caribbean Destination Weddings
The Caribbean is not one destination. It is a string of islands, each with its own rhythm, and the right one depends on the weekend you picture. Punta Cana and Cap Cana, in the Dominican Republic, bring miles of Bávaro beach and resorts built to host a full wedding week, while the newer resorts of Miches offer somewhere your guests have not already been. Turks and Caicos is for couples who put the beach above everything else, with Grace Bay at its heart, and Jamaica brings its music, its culture and an island warmth all its own.
In Puerto Rico, the blue cobblestones and pastel façades of Old San Juan and the walls of El Morro set a historic stage, and US citizens travel without a passport, just as they do to the US Virgin Islands. Aruba sits below the main hurricane belt, which makes it a lovely choice for later dates, and the Pitons of Saint Lucia are one of the most photographed backdrops in the Caribbean. December through April is the classic season across the islands.
Top Three
- Punta Cana and Cap Cana, miles of beach and resorts built for a wedding week
- Puerto Rico, Old San Juan, El Morro and no passport for US citizens
- Jamaica, music, culture and island warmth
Coastlines, Castles and Countrysides
Europe
Caldera sunsets, lakeside villas, Andalusian palaces, Paris evenings and Alpine winters, each with its own season and its own story.
Greece
Greece Destination Weddings
Greece is light, sea and long summer evenings. Santorini sets ceremonies above the volcanic caldera at sunset, among the whitewashed walls and blue domes of Oia. Mykonos brings a cosmopolitan energy and villa celebrations, and the Athens Riviera keeps everything close to one airport, with elegant venues along the coast and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion at its southern tip.
Crete offers traditional celebrations with real cultural depth and room for a larger guest list, and Rhodes has the ancient acropolis of Lindos above its bay. For couples with Greek roots, the mainland and the Peloponnese, long a favorite of Greek couples themselves, offer a deeper sense of home, and Orthodox traditions such as the crowning, the common cup and the koumbaros have a natural place in the day. The season runs from April to late October, with late spring and early autumn the sweet spots.
Top Three
- Santorini, sunset ceremonies above the caldera
- The Athens Riviera, elegant coastal venues, one airport
- Mykonos, cosmopolitan villa celebrations
Santorini, Greece
Varenna, Lake Como, Italy
Italy
Italy Destination Weddings
Tuscany is where more American couples marry than anywhere else in Italy, among vineyards, cypress-lined roads and medieval hill towns, with the Chianti countryside the very picture of rural, authentic Italy. Lake Como is the name couples search most, refined and cinematic at the water’s edge, with villas and stone terraces stepping down to the lake. Along the Amalfi Coast, the pastel houses of Positano and the gardens of Ravello are stacked above the sea.
Sicily pairs Taormina with the drama of Etna, and Puglia’s masserie and whitewashed towns set a relaxed, sophisticated southern table. For couples tracing Italian roots, the south is often where the story begins. From Sicily and Puglia to Campania and Calabria, a wedding near an ancestral town can turn the day into a homecoming, and Italy itself now helps descendants reconnect with the places their families left. May, June, September and early October are the favorite months, and more couples are choosing the quieter shoulder dates.
Top Three
- Tuscany, vineyards, villas and medieval hill towns
- Lake Como, refined and cinematic at the water’s edge
- The Amalfi Coast, Positano and Ravello above the sea
Spain
Spain Destination Weddings
A wedding in Spain is a real party, not just a ceremony, with food, wine and cava at the heart of it. Andalusia is the Spain most guests picture, with haciendas, orange trees and Moorish palaces, from the courtyards and gardens of Seville to the Alhambra above Granada and the gorge-top town of Ronda.
Mallorca offers dramatic mountains, hidden coves and stone villages such as Deià, all reached through one easy airport. Barcelona brings Gaudí’s architecture and a cosmopolitan energy, with the Costa Brava close by, and Ibiza a bohemian, laid-back ease beneath the old town of Dalt Vila. Spring and early autumn are the sweet spots, with warm days and softer evenings.
Top Three
- Mallorca, mountains, hidden coves and one easy airport
- Andalusia, haciendas and palaces in Seville, Granada and Ronda
- Barcelona and the Costa Brava, architecture, energy and the coast
The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain
The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
France
France Destination Weddings
France offers a different wedding in every region. Provence brings lavender, olive groves and hilltop villages such as Gordes, with reliable outdoor weather from May to October. The Côte d’Azur adds the sea, the pastel façades of Nice and the glamour of the Riviera. Paris is the city wedding, with iconic backdrops at every turn and the rare ease of guests who never need a car.
Within reach of Paris, the Loire Valley offers Renaissance châteaux and formal gardens, and Bordeaux has grown into a destination of its own, with vineyard estates and a table built around its wine. June and September are the favorite months in the south, and the lavender is at its best for about ten days from late June into early July.
Top Three
- Provence, lavender, olive groves and hilltop villages
- Paris, the city wedding, with iconic backdrops
- The Côte d’Azur, the sea and the glamour of the Riviera
Austria
Austria Destination Weddings
Austria is music, palaces and mountains. Salzburg, with its baroque old town and the fortress above it, carries the story of The Sound of Music, and Schloss Leopoldskron, one of the film’s locations, now welcomes weddings. Nearby, the turquoise lakes of the Salzkammergut lead to Mondsee, home of the film’s wedding church, and to postcard villages such as Hallstatt.
Vienna offers imperial elegance, from Schönbrunn and the Belvedere to palace ballrooms and classical musicians, and Tyrol sets celebrations among Alpine peaks. Austria also offers something unusual, a true winter wedding, from Vienna’s Christmas markets to snow-covered Tyrol between late December and March. For Chicago families with Austrian roots, there is a closer tie still. Tens of thousands left Burgenland, in the east, for America in the early twentieth century, and many of them settled in Chicago.
Top Three
- Salzburg, baroque streets and The Sound of Music
- Vienna, imperial palaces, ballrooms and classical music
- The Salzkammergut lakes, Mondsee, Fuschl and turquoise water under the peaks
Hallstatt, Austria
Castles, Coastlines and Country Houses
Ireland & UK
Castle hotels in the west of Ireland, honey-stone villages in the Cotswolds and the drama of the Scottish Highlands.
Bunratty Castle, County Clare, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland Destination Weddings
Ireland is the castle wedding, often with your guests staying under the same roof. Dromoland Castle in County Clare, Ashford Castle on the shore of Lough Corrib and Adare Manor in County Limerick lead the way, with Ballyfin and Castle Leslie close behind, and most venues sit within a couple of hours of a major airport. Beyond the castle walls are the Cliffs of Moher, the Wild Atlantic Way and the quiet of Connemara.
For a lot of couples, an Irish castle wedding is not really about the castle. It is about connection. For Irish-American families, a Catholic wedding in an ancestral parish can bring that connection home, and Irish parishes publish guidance for couples marrying from abroad. In the north, Northern Ireland adds the Causeway Coast, the castles of County Antrim and the city venues of Belfast. The most loved castles book 18 to 24 months ahead, so an early start matters.
Top Three
- Dromoland Castle, County Clare, grand, warm and easy to reach from Shannon
- Ashford Castle, County Mayo, on the shore of Lough Corrib
- Adare Manor, County Limerick, Gothic manor and parkland
England, Scotland & Wales
England, Scotland and Wales Destination Weddings
England is the country-house wedding, with honey-stone villages, manor houses and gardens, and the Cotswolds a favorite with American couples. Think garden ceremonies, tented dinners under old oaks and candlelit halls. London offers grand hotel celebrations, and Hampshire and the Home Counties quieter country estates. For many couples there is a family tie as well, an American bride and a British groom bringing two families together.
Scotland brings castles for exclusive hire, Edinburgh’s old town and the Highlands, drama without excess. For couples with Scottish roots, handfasting with the family tartan, the quaich and the piper make the day unmistakably theirs. Wales offers the peaks and lakes of Eryri (Snowdonia), the Pembrokeshire coastline and the Italianate village of Portmeirion.
Top Three
- The Cotswolds, honey-stone villages and manor houses
- Brighton, by the sea on England’s south coast
- Edinburgh, castle estates within reach of the city
Longborough, the Cotswolds, England
How We Plan From Afar
Your Only Job? Show Up and Celebrate.
We carry the planning, the travel and the weekend itself, from the first venue visit to the farewell brunch.
Full-Service Planning and Design
From venue sourcing to production timelines and design execution, we take care of it all.
Custom Travel Coordination
Room blocks, private transfers, personalized guest itineraries, and flight coordination, integrated through Christine’s Fora Travel advisor role so the journey feels effortless from takeoff to touchdown.
Multi-Day Oversight
Welcome parties, excursions, rehearsal dinners and farewell brunches, all expertly planned and managed.
On-Site Weekend Team
A dedicated team travels with you to oversee setup, manage vendors, and ensure every moment runs smoothly.
Guest Concierge Support
Pre-arrival planning, travel questions, and wedding weekend logistics, so everyone feels like a VIP.
Celebrate There
Make It Official at Home
Many couples celebrate at their destination with a symbolic ceremony and make it official with a courthouse ceremony at home, before or after the trip. The paperwork stays simple, and the weekend away stays entirely about the two of you.
Planning a church ceremony abroad? The parish will have its own requirements and timing, and we plan the order of everything with you from the start.
Good to Know
Destination Wedding Questions
General Destination Wedding Questions
Is a symbolic ceremony abroad legally recognized in the US?
A symbolic ceremony is not a legal marriage on its own, and that is exactly why so many couples choose it. You make it official at home with a courthouse or civil ceremony, before or after the trip, and the ceremony at your destination is free to be entirely about the two of you. If you are planning a religious ceremony abroad, some countries ask for the legal marriage first, and we plan the order with you.
How far ahead should we plan a destination wedding?
Twelve to eighteen months is the sweet spot, and the most sought-after venues ask for more. Ireland’s best-known castles now book 18 to 24 months ahead, as do the top venues in Provence. An early start protects your first-choice venue and gives your guests time to plan their travel.
Do we need a planner for a destination wedding?
You are planning from far away, often with vendors you have never met and contracts written for a different market. We carry all of it, from venue sourcing and contract review to the full weekend schedule, and our own team travels with you to run it on the ground, so you arrive as a guest at your own celebration.
How do you handle travel and room blocks for our guests?
Room blocks, private transfers, personalized guest itineraries and flight coordination are part of the planning, not an extra. As a Travel Advisor with Fora Travel, Christine brings travel, accommodations and planning together, and our guest concierge support answers pre-arrival questions so everyone feels looked after.
Mexico & Caribbean
Which coast of Mexico is right for us?
It depends on the weekend you picture. The Caribbean coast, from Cancún through the Riviera Maya to Tulum, pairs the sea with cenotes and Mayan ruins. The Pacific coast, from Los Cabos to Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita, brings dramatic cliffs, golden beaches and whale season from December through April. The colonial highlands, led by San Miguel de Allende, offer an intimate, cultured celebration away from the beach.
When is the best time of year, and what about hurricane season?
December through April is the classic season across Mexico and the Caribbean. Hurricane season runs from June through November, so for later dates we look at places like Aruba, which sits below the main hurricane belt, or Mexico’s colonial highlands, which stay mild while the coasts are in their rainy season.
Do our guests need a passport for Puerto Rico?
US citizens do not need a passport for Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands, which makes both a favorite for couples with a long guest list. Mexico and the other islands do require one, so we flag it early in your guest communication.
Which island suits our guests best?
Each island keeps its own rhythm. Punta Cana offers the deepest choice of resorts for a full wedding week, Puerto Rico pairs history with passport-free travel, Jamaica brings its music and culture, Turks and Caicos its celebrated beaches, and Aruba reliable weather later in the year. We match the island to your guest list and the weekend you have in mind.
Europe (Italy, Spain, Greece, Austria, France)
Which region of Italy or France is right for us?
Start with the feeling you want. In Italy, Tuscany is vineyards and villas, Lake Como is refined and cinematic, and the Amalfi Coast is color stacked above the sea. In France, Provence is lavender and sunshine, Paris is the city wedding, and the Loire Valley and Bordeaux bring châteaux and vineyards. How your guests travel matters too, and we weigh both with you.
Is it too hot for a summer wedding in Southern Europe?
July and August can be very warm, especially inland in Spain, where Seville’s average July highs reach about 97°F (36°C). That is why late spring and early autumn are the favorite months across Greece, Italy, Spain and the south of France, with warm days, softer evenings and more venue availability.
Can we have a Catholic wedding in Italy or Spain?
Yes. A Catholic ceremony abroad takes extra paperwork through your home parish and the local diocese, including your sacramental certificates and a pre-marriage course, and it is sent ahead in good time. We build that timeline with you so nothing arrives late.
Can we marry at a Sound of Music location?
Yes. Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, a filming location for the movie, is now a hotel and wedding venue, and many couples still marry in Mondsee, home of the film’s wedding church.
Will there be snow for a December wedding in Austria?
Possibly, but it is not guaranteed. Snow in mid to late December can be hit or miss, and most ski resorts open only a few days before Christmas. For a snowy setting, Tyrol from late December through March is the safer choice, while Vienna’s Christmas markets bring the magic from late November.
Ireland & England
How far ahead do Irish castles book?
The most popular castles, including Ashford and Dromoland, now ask for 18 to 24 months for upcoming dates, so an early conversation protects your first choice.
Can our guests stay at the castle?
Often, yes. Ashford, Adare, Dromoland and The Merrion all have extensive rooms on site, and most of Ireland’s wedding venues sit within a couple of hours of a major airport, which keeps the weekend easy for everyone.
Can we include Scottish traditions such as handfasting?
Absolutely. Handfasting with clan tartan, the quaich, a piper and a ceilidh are all part of a Scottish celebration. If you are honoring a family clan, we help you research the name and the tartan first, so the tradition is truly yours.
Can we have a Catholic church wedding in Ireland?
Yes, and for many Irish-American families it is the heart of the day. The church asks for recent baptismal and confirmation certificates, a pre-nuptial enquiry completed with your home parish priest and a pre-marriage course, and Ireland’s civil registration process still applies alongside it. We help you line it all up in good time.
Planning a destination celebration?
In Good Company
Honors and Features
