Amy Cate
Destination weddings and group travel — based in Houston, working everywhere warm.
Hi, I’m Amy Cate. I plan destination weddings, milestone celebrations, group getaways, honeymoons and family vacations — and after years of doing it, what I’ve learned is that the planning itself is what makes or breaks the trip. Get that right, and everything else takes care of itself.
A little more
Choosing the right resort and venue. Guest accommodations and reservations. Group rates, payment deadlines, transportation, and the hundred small things that come up along the way. I work closely with you on the decisions that matter, and handle the rest quietly in the background.
What I care most about is that you actually get to enjoy this. Not just the trip — the whole run-up to it. There’s no reason planning something wonderful should feel like a second job.
Away from work, I live in a suburb of Houston with my husband Brian and our two-year-old Great Dane. I’m mom to two grown kids, and “Lolli” to Jackson, who is six and full of opinions, and Emma June, who arrived in July 2026.
“I’ve got it handled — you just enjoy your wedding.”
What I told Aishwarya & Prajesh when the stress hit. They quoted it back to me in their review.Recognition
Andrea Markus O’Grady Award, 2024
Given to the specialist who is most caring and goes beyond the role.
Two ways I work
The process below is the same either way. The difference is what we build it around, and which of my two brands your booking sits under.
Ceremony and reception venues, wedding packages, an onsite coordinator, and a wedding website your guests book through. Everything from the first resort shortlist to the last guest getting home.
Destination Weddings Travel Group
Milestone birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions, friends travelling together. No ceremony and no wedding package — just the right resort, honest group pricing, and every booking handled for you.
Celebration Travel
That is fine, and it does not change anything. Tell me what you are picturing and I will tell you which side it falls on and what it would take.
Start to finish
The same six steps whether it is a wedding or a group trip. My services are completely free to you — my time comes out of the resort’s side, so you get a dedicated advisor, group rates, and someone in your corner at no added cost.
A relaxed conversation about your vision, must-haves and questions. Phone, text or email — whatever’s easiest for you.
Curated resorts with room pricing, guest rates, current promotions and full wedding package details so you can compare with confidence.
We check availability for your date, gather group pricing and promotions, and review exactly what’s required to hold it.
Once you’ve settled on a resort, we hold your rooms and lock in the best rate available to you — a formal block if the group is big enough, individual holds if not, and your wedding date reserved if there is one.
A custom site with your details and booking info — a full wedding website, or a simpler booking page for a group trip. Either way I become your guests’ main contact, so the questions come to me, not you.
For weddings I stay in touch with your on-site planner, with full planning starting 5–6 months out. For every trip I handle each guest booking, watch the payment deadlines, and coordinate ground transport right up to travel day.
Everything before that is information gathering, and it costs you nothing. Asking for group rates is not booking, not signing, and not committing to anything.
The part everyone asks about
How rooms work for a group, whatever size yours turns out to be. Around ten rooms is where a formal block and a contract start to make sense — below that there is nothing to sign, and I look after everyone exactly the same way.
Only at around ten rooms or more. Below that there is no block and nothing to sign — everyone books individually, I hold each reservation, and you still get one point of contact and the same attention. Most of what follows applies either way.
A set of rooms and dates held at a group rate for your trip. Guests book into it through me, so everyone gets consistent pricing, perks and guaranteed availability. It is a starting point — categories and dates can be swapped as people book.
Your rate is held against increases, guests are guaranteed rooms in your category, and most resorts give complimentary rooms or credits back once enough have booked. Under ten rooms you lose the rate hold, not the service.
No. Every guest pays for their own reservation. If you do have a block, you are only responsible for meeting the minimum — usually around ten rooms.
Only applies if you take a block. It secures the rooms with the resort, separate from guest payments, and is typically due within thirty days — any guest bookings made in that window reduce what you owe.
Through a dedicated link I set up with your rates, block or no block. Guests pay a deposit per person at booking, then get a live invoice they can pay toward any time. Deadlines are spelled out up front.
They always do. Room types can be swapped, and with a block, unbooked rooms are released back on a set date rather than left hanging over you. I watch those dates so you don’t have to.
Then it is a small trip rather than a group, and that is completely fine. Nothing about how I work changes — I just stop talking about blocks and book everyone individually.
Straight answers
Cost, timing, payments, and what I actually do for you.
Usually, yes — especially at an all-inclusive. Many couples marrying in Mexico or the Caribbean come in under $10,000, and that often covers accommodations, meals, drinks, the wedding package and estimated airfare. Fill out the questionnaire and I’ll send you real numbers for your date, not averages.
No. You and your guests use Easy Payments — a schedule we set up together that fits your budget, with deadlines laid out in advance. Affirm is also available if you need to extend payments beyond the final due date.
Yes, and you’ll have two people. I handle the resort, venue, wedding package and all travel for you and your guests. Your onsite coordinator — included in your package at an all-inclusive — handles everything on property: décor, day-of timeline, hair and makeup, check-in. I’m still here for anything you need along the way.
Nothing. Planning is 100% complimentary — no service fees, ever. The resorts pay me, so my time comes out of their side. You cover your accommodations, airfare and, for a wedding, your package — and nothing more.
I’d aim for 10–12 months. Some couples start 18–20 months out; others pull off beautiful weddings in 6–8. Planning early also helps your guests, who get more time to save and pay for their rooms.
Airfare is quoted separately from your group room rates, and it isn’t booked until your room is confirmed. Once it is, I watch fares for you and your guests and book when the timing is right, so nobody overpays or gets left behind.
Ask me. There’s no such thing as a silly question here, and I’d rather answer it now than have you guess.
Half the fun is exploring
These are the places I know best — and the ones I visit, so my recommendations come from having actually been there rather than from a brochure.
Easy flights, every resort tier, and the most choice.
Long beaches, strong group pricing, great value.
Mountains meeting the ocean, and a walkable old town.
Lush, lively, and full of personality.
Dramatic desert coastline and a grown-up feel.
Reliable weather, outside the hurricane belt.
Rainforest, waterfalls, and adventure between the downtime.
Tell me what you have in mind and I’ll find the place.
Award-winning all-inclusives across Mexico and the Caribbean, chosen because they specialise in groups and celebrations — they do this every week, not once in a while. AMR Collection (Dreams, Secrets, Breathless) ✦ Hyatt Inclusive Collection (Zilara, Ziva) ✦ Hard Rock Hotels ✦ Majestic Resorts ✦ Sandals & Beaches ✦ Riu ✦ Barceló ✦ Royalton
Amy Cate
Tell me roughly when, roughly where and roughly how many — and whether there is a wedding in it. That’s enough to get going; the rest we work out together.
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