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You've decided on the location and now it's time to get things together. A few helpful tips to ensure your wedding away goes according to plan.

If you’re planning a wedding away, take this advice from destination wedding planners Kathryn A. Collins, of Special Events International, in Castle Rock, Colorado, and Lisa Light, of destinationbride.com, in Chatham, New York.

• Set a budget and decide how far you want to travel. Determine how many guests to invite—remember, the higher the number, the bigger your expenses.
• Thoroughly research your chosen location’s marriage requirements, like the amount of time you must be in the country before you can tie the knot. Check with the consulate, embassy or tourism board.
• Are the marriage requirements too much trouble? Sidestep legal concerns by planning a ceremony at your destination, but being wed legally in a civil ceremony at home, either before or just after your trip.
• Send “save-the-date” cards to wedding guests as soon as your plans are set—six months to a year is ideal—in order to give them plenty of time to make travel arrangements.
• Book your site early (at least a year in advance is recommended) because popular spots fill up fast.
• If possible, visit your location before the wedding, so you can finalize vendor selections and other details. Ask pros to meet youat your hotel so you don’t have to spend precious time trying to findtheir offices, suggests recent bride Courtney Donohoe Bromley. And, arrive a few days before your guests to take care of last-minute details.
• Consider hiring a wedding coordinator—one who is based atyour wedding location, or one in the U.S. who’s experienced in planning destination weddings. Check out Weddings Beautiful (weddingsbeautiful.com; 804-288-1220) or June Wedding, Inc.(junewedding.com; 415-279-7423). Or locate a reputable company through the Association of Bridal Consultants (bridalassn.com; 860-335-0464) or the Association for Wedding Professionals International (afwpi.com;800-242-4461).
• Be flexible about the wedding details, and keep in mind that other countries might work at a slower pace than we do in the U.S. Also, formal contracts between brides and vendors aren’t always derigueur in other countries; gently insist on getting your agreements in writing. And try not to stress too much over these cultural differences. After all, they’re part of the reason you’re choosing to marry abroad.