Get hitched in Thailand, where ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 is set

Thailand wants to become the hottest destination on planet Earth — it may already be.

Of course, that’s thanks in large part to HBO, which set the third season of their utterly popular show, “The White Lotus,” in the home of the white elephant.

If the first two seasons, which drew armies of jet-setting tourists to Maui and Sicily, are bankable precedents, the show’s latest setting, the Four Seasons resort on the isle of Koh Samui, is about to be booked out for years to come.

Between July and October, Thai bookings grew 34%; by January they were up 312% year-over-year, according to travel agency Fora. The Thai Tourism Authority is even hosting a website dedicated to “White Lotus”-inspired travel, and wedding planners and resorts report that Thailand is on the lips of every blushing bride and grinning groom (interest is also spiking since the Thai government legalized same-sex marriage in January).

But fret not, right now, if you hurry, a “White Lotus” wedding that will be the envy of your high school enemy is still possible.

“When Michael White walked in, he fell in love at first sight,” said JJ, the general manager of the Four Seasons Koh Samui of the show’s creator. “It’s tranquil, it’s very intimate. There is so much privacy and the lush landscaping. It’s a very romantic place.”

JJ says that he doesn’t expect the resort to sell out for weddings or to be booked out for honeymoons until after the season’s premiere on Sunday, Feb. 16. Until then, everything is on the table.

“It’s a really cinematic resort and people will want to come and create their own ‘White Lotus’ moments,” said JJ, of the resort on Thailand’s second largest island. “They’ll get married in the residence where a particular scene was shot and have a full moon party with their guests, like in the show.”

But first thing’s first, you’ll want the resort all to yourself. After all, it’s only 60 villas and 11 residences. What that costs depends on timing, but in the high-season think roughly $2,500 per night per villa, and $5,000 per night for the larger multibedroom residences.

What will that get you? Start with a Day 1 reception at the “White Lotus” bar, as JJ calls it (we’re assuming that some small-screen action must be set there). After a few cocktails, expect a special beach barbecue. The next morning your entire party will have a private breakfast at a secluded hideaway specifically designed for weddings, aptly called the Beach House — this is also where your ceremony will happen.

“Day 2 is a dinner at our Michelin-starred Thai restaurant — after that is our after-party,” says JJ, noting that the resort can add local flavor by bringing in a monk for a Thai blessing ceremony. Of course, more intimate (and affordable) “I do’s” are also possible.

Getting there is a cinch with direct flights from NYC to Singapore, which offers connections to Koh Samui. But JJ recommends starting your stay in Bangkok, instead, to create a Four Seasons “White Lotus” circuit.

“The beauty of ‘The White Lotus’ happening in Koh Samui is that the Four Seasons has a resort in Chiang Mai, a tented camp in Chiang Rai and a hotel in Bangkok for a metropolitan experience,” he said.

Add those to your Thai adventure and you’ll be very on-trend. Interest in Thailand’s ultrahigh-end hideaways is booming. Once a low-cost bastion for crusty backpackers and party animals, it’s become far more demure. Wellness is the word of the day and resorts are racing to upscale en masse in an attempt to lure a more cordial (and richer) guest. So when Koh Samui does inevitably book up, you’ll be spoiled for “White Lotus” dupes.

The most obvious of which is, of course, Phuket, ground zero for Thailand’s self-conscious rebrand. This lush, tropical island is loaded with “White Lotus” look-alikes (and the real thing: Filming took place at Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas).

But there is more to having a Thai wedding than securing a TV-glam venue.

“You can have a ceremony, but you need to go into the town and get it all validated,” said Andy Kunz, managing director at the 106-room COMO Point Yamu in Phuket. “So it’s mainly people who are married already who come for a symbolic ceremony.”

To truly, legally, wed in Thailand you’ll need to register the union with a local Amphur (Thai district office). It can take several days, according to the US embassy — and is not recommended.

Still, Kunz hosted 45 weddings last year and has 34 already booked for 2025 at the east coast resort overlooking the Andaman Sea. He has witnessed the nation’s largest island evolve into the hotbed of luxury that is drawing so many couples today.

“We are seeing restaurants open that are on another level than the plastic chairs and local Thai food we had in the past,” he said. “Now, there are art galleries and coffee shops; it’s much more interesting.”

A final point: Don’t get married to the idea of a wedding on the beach. Seek higher ground, where the views are more dynamic, memorable, and, ahem, cinematic.

“We’re slightly elevated,” said Kunz, “at the tip of the cape. We have 360-degree sea views. It’s like being on your own island.”