When I planned my very first Destination Wedding, admittedly, I had no idea what I was doing. (Don’t tell my sweet cousin, she trusted in me and thought I did a great job!!) You see, I treated her wedding as a group of 34 separate rooms all going to the same location. Sure, I worked to make sure that the guests were happy and the wedding coordinator was connected with the couple, but the truth of it is, it could have been even better!

What was I missing as a newer agent in the travel industry, with no one to mentor me? A ROOM BLOCK CONTRACT. This is the NUMBER ONE recommendation I have for EVERY SINGLE WEDDING any more. What the heck is a room block contract? And why do you need one? Great question – I would love to tell you 🙂

When you plan out a destination wedding – 14-18 months in advance, it looks like there are plenty of rooms. But as you get closer and closer to your date, that availability will change. As a Travel Advisor, by contracting rooms directly with the hotel, I can guarantee you, as the wedding couple will have those rooms held out of inventory, so no one else can book them. This gives you the best options for choosing exactly the room categories you want – and the price, will never change. It’s negotiated and then legally signed. So, if later those rooms become unavailable to the public, they are still yours!

The other biggest reason for a room block contract – is guaranteeing you perks, and money back after you travel! If you just tell the hotel that you have a bunch of people coming, thats great but they don’t actually care that much. They also don’t have it in writing that they need to give you back any type of rebate or bonus for bringing so many guests. But with – you guessed it, a room block contract, you can GUARANTEE those benefits to you as the couple. For some resorts, this means a free reception, an upgraded welcome party or bonuses towards your decor. It also usually means actual CASH BACK after your wedding, based on how many rooms you actually contracted. My couples have received, on average, over $6000 back after the wedding, as a check mailed to them, just for hosting with a contract!

But maybe you have heard – contracts can be scary. I’m not going to lie – they can be. They have many legal stipulations, attrition dates, penalties and special terms and conditions. Luckily, I am an actual expert when it comes to room block contracts. I have read, negotiated and signed DOZENS of these now – and I have made it my life’s work to help couples like yourself, understand the important details, be fully informed, and protected from any concerns, and host the most incredible destination wedding – without the stress!!!

If you think a Destination Wedding might be in your future – grab my free guide below to help you get an idea of what it could cost you!