We interviewed Gainesville, FL-based DJ Gary McClain (a.k.a. DJ Ruckus, wedding DJ extraordinaire) about how to plan a kickass destination wedding that will have your guests dancing from dusk till dawn.

As a former Destination Wedding Bride myself, I have been where you are: happily engaged and ready to make it Facebook official — but wait where do I start, what is a destination wedding exactly and what all do I need to know to kick this thing off without a hitch? I answer all of those questions below!

For those of you who haven’t even thought about the name change yet, let’s avoid some future headache and get moving on that paperwork! I know how excited you are about legally getting all your docs in order, but this process can be so confusing. Let’s take it one step at a time.

I’m always excited to share with you amazing examples of couples creating their perfect day in the perfect location — and the story behind how they got there!

Checkout Patricia and Tommy's story to see their special day come true:

Florist extraordinaire Ashley—of Garden and Grace Florals—shares some quick, useful tips on picking the right decor for your destination wedding (and your budget!).

You need a Travel Agent.

The fact is travel agents are a crucial part of the destination wedding planning process. Let’s talk a little bit about what we mean.

People joke about whether something even happened if it’s not up on Facebook or Instagram, but there’s a real undercurrent of truth to the joke. We put together a quick guide explaining how you can leverage the power of social media to make wedding planning a breeze—while keeping it from taking over your big day completely.

What do you do when you’re at the very beginning of the destination wedding planning process? Where do you start, and what should you be thinking about? Let me try to help you!

Although there’s no way to guarantee bad weather won’t hit on your big day (Mother Nature is unpredictable, after all), there are definitely steps you can take protect your wedding from stormy surprises. The key is to be flexible, buy insurance, and be prepared for anything.

Planning a destination wedding is hard work but it doesn’t have to be a headache! These 10 essential tools will guarantee smooth sailing from proposal to piña coladas on the beach.

Now that you two are ready to start planning the best day of your life, have you thought about how you’re gonna make sure it’s one your friends and family remember? I know you guys are the rockstars of this whole adventure, but your guests deserve a little TLC, too, right?

If you’re looking for ideas on how to show your love and appreciation for the friends and fam who’ve shown up to celebrate, try giving some of these tips a whirl.

I’ve compiled everything you need to convince your new fiancé that a destination wedding is the perfect choice for your big day! I will boil it down to the 4 key things you need to focus on to make a convincing case: Destination weddings cost less money, require fewer people, and are overall more fun!