Listening to advice from veteran travel advisors is one of the best ways to grow your business. They’ve been through the ups and downs of the job year after year, compiling tips and tricks along the way.
When it comes to booking destination weddings, there’s a lot to know. We recently heard from two expert wedding planners: Kelli Bertram, Travel Advisor with Come and See Travel, and Shonte Tepper Alce, CPA, THE Destination Wedding GURU at Just Book It Travel Destination Weddings, a NEST affiliate. Read on to check out their top tips, see how they stay organized and discover their favorite places for destination weddings.
What is your top tip for travel advisors planning a destination wedding?
Kelli: My top tip is to stay organized. Print out the contract, highlight all the important dates. Create a spreadsheet where you can keep track of all the bookings and share that with your client so they can stay in the know. Just be super organized because there are a lot of moving parts. Oh one more thing, pad the dates by at least a couple weeks! Wedding guests are always late with deadlines so plan ahead for people to book last minute, forget to submit final payments, etc.
Shonte: My top tip for travel advisors planning a destination wedding is to go beyond just being a travel advisor — become a true problem solver for your couples. It’s essential to provide solutions for every potential obstacle they may face, even if it extends beyond travel itself. Destination wedding planning is a unique niche, and couples need to feel confident that you can handle all aspects of their journey. Having first-hand experience with venues, vendors and logistics not only strengthens your recommendations but also allows you to step in with expertise whenever challenges arise. Even if an issue falls outside your typical scope, being equipped to offer guidance and solutions will earn their trust and make the planning process smoother for everyone involved.
How can advisors stay organized when managing multiple destination weddings throughout the year?
Kelli: This is something I am constantly working on because it’s very difficult. Like I said before, staying organized with all the things is important and creating systems for each wedding can help with this. I make sure to label everything. Any emails, files, folders, etc are labeled with the bride and groom’s names and I have multiple folders on my computer that houses each individual wedding.
Shonte: Ha! Great question. I'm currently planning 80 weddings at once — yes, 80! The key to staying organized is using a streamlined system that keeps everything in one place. We provide each couple with a personalized project management board that simplifies our 5-step destination wedding planning process. This board serves as the central hub for all written communication between the couple and our team, with discussions organized into topic-specific sections. By using this system, we eliminate the need to dig through endless emails, ensuring that everything is easily accessible throughout the 9-16 months that couples typically spend planning their destination wedding. It’s been a game-changer in managing high volumes of weddings efficiently while keeping both our team and the couples on the same page.
Do you have a favorite venue, resort or destination for weddings?
Kelli: Secrets Moxche, Secrets Playa Blanca and Secrets Akumal are my favorites. I have attended multiple events at Moxche. I am getting married at Playa Blanca next summer. And I have planned multiple weddings at Akumal so far. I also have planned multiple Dreams weddings as well. I think the HIC brand has the best wedding packages and working with ALGV to do the room contracts is very smooth.
Shonte: Yes! My favorite venue is Dreams Playa Mujeres, and it holds an especially meaningful place in my heart. It’s where my husband and I celebrated our own wedding, a moment that marked a huge turning point in my life. I left my career as a CPA to pursue my passion for wedding planning full-time immediately after our big day. Dreams Playa Mujeres is an outstanding choice for destination weddings because it truly has it all. From exceptional food and service to world-class entertainment and a stunning, swimmable beach, it offers everything couples could want. Plus, the resort’s ability to accommodate large groups makes it perfect for grand celebrations. Its versatility, beauty and charm make it a top recommendation for couples seeking an unforgettable experience.
Fast forward a few years, and my husband Eddy (also a CPA) left his career to join my full-time team, where we work together to make destination wedding dreams a reality. We visit Dreams Playa Mujeres often and have built a strong community around it, including hosting a Facebook group for couples to ask questions. I’ve even written a blog about our experience there, and years later, this resort continues to exceed expectations. I recently launched a podcast where I share our journey, including a special episode featuring a bride who got married at Dreams Playa Mujeres, sharing her own story of working with us. This venue never lets us — or our couples — down.
More Tips From Advisors
In a recent poll on VAX VacationAccess, we asked advisors “What tip(s) would you share with an advisor who is new to booking weddings?” Here are some of the top responses:
- Be patient
- Make a checklist
- Learn Groups by ALGV
- Find a mentor
- Document Everything
- Make a budget
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