Here’s a TRUE wedding story: This wedding took place at Dreams Huatulco Resort & Spa, along the coast of Oaxaca. It’s beautiful, peaceful, and a little bit off the beaten path, which makes it incredible for a destination wedding… but also means travel is not always simple.

Most of the guests were flying in from Wyoming. Multiple flights. Long travel days. Tight connections. The kind of travel where if one thing goes wrong, everything can unravel quickly.

Overall, the week had gone smoothly.

Until the day before the wedding.

I got a call from the bride’s mom.

She had missed her flight.

She was supposed to arrive the day before the wedding, and instead she was sitting in the airport, upset, convinced she was going to miss her daughter’s wedding.

This is the part couples don’t think about when they book direct.

They don’t think about who answers that call.

I immediately started looking at options. The only flight available would get her into Huatulco on the actual day of the wedding.

I got her rebooked.

Then I called the transportation company to change her transfer from the original arrival date to the new one. I explained what was happening and asked them to be ready for her as soon as she landed.

Next, I called the resort.

Typically, when a guest misses the first night of their stay, that night is forfeited. No refund. No flexibility.

But because I knew who to contact and how to advocate for her, I was able to have the reservation adjusted so she could add an extra night at the end of her stay to make up for the night she lost.

When she landed, the transportation rushed her to the resort.

She got dressed.

And she walked into her daughter’s wedding on time.

The bride never knew any of this was happening in the background.

After the wedding, I received this message from her:

“I just want to thank you again for helping us coordinate our big day. We truly couldn’t have done it without you. You are such a blessing, and I truly believe that our day wouldn’t have been amazing without you.”

When people ask why you would hire a destination wedding travel coordinator instead of booking everything directly with the resort, this is the example I think of.

Not because something went wrong.

But because when it did, someone was there who knew exactly what to do.

Anyone can book a room.

Not everyone can protect the moments that matter most.