The day after his first date with his now-wife Emily Austin, in 2019, Robert Lipman set off for a trip to the Maldives. “I tried to text her throughout in the hope that she was still interested in me,” says Robert, who works in growth marketing for a credit-card company. “But I made a promise, because I already knew she was the one: I’m taking her back here someday.”
Six and a half years later, he made good on that promise—the Seattle-based couple flew together to the stunning archipelago in January 2026 to get married. Their beachside elopement in the South Asian paradise was handled by resort staff and bounced off a typical event package, but that’s where any sense of convention ends: Robert and Emily plotted and paid for their wedding and four-country, three-week-long honeymoon (not counting meals and activities) by using credit cards points. Ahead, the newlyweds explain why such a celebration was the right fit for them, what type of research and planning it required, and how other couples can pull off such a feat.
Decide ahead on the travel plan
Robert proposed at the acclaimed northern California restaurant Harbor House Inn in 2024. Within weeks of their engagement, they agreed that a traditional celebration wasn’t quite right for them. “Honestly, the thought of planning a big wedding with all of our friends and family, with me as the center of attention, seemed a bit daunting,” says Emily. “Early on, I brought up the idea of just the two of us getting married somewhere beautiful, with less pressure.”
Robert had spent the last few years accruing credit card points—more on that below—in the hopes of planning a blowout honeymoon experience for the wanderlusting couple, who had previously traveled together to romantic destinations like Japan and the south of France. They knew they wanted part of that trip to involve a good stretch in the Maldives, fulfilling Robert’s early vision, but amid their wedding venue research, he says, “There was just this light bulb moment of, What if we just did it there? I reached out to the resorts and asked, ‘Is this something you do?’”
The response blew his mind. The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands sent over their event packages, and the couple couldn’t believe their eyes. The ceremony, officiant, dinner, production on the beach or a resort location of their choosing, flowers, cake, champagne, and photography were all included for less than what economy flights themselves might cost (just $3,500 to start). “There was this moment of, Wait, what? You’re telling me you can do all this for that amount of money in one of the most spectacular places on earth?” Robert says. After assurance that they could of course personalize the package to their personalities—and that their loved ones were cool with the plan, as long as another party would happen at home one day—the couple was all in.