Will a destination wedding save costs?

We are having the same issue! Can't wait to hear what people are saying. Weddings in the US are so ridiculously expensive. I did reach out to several places in Cabo and nothing is cheaper than $20-30k. Good luck!!

Thanks everyone! It's good to hear comments from both sides. And yes, I realize completely that many will not be able to attend, and that is OK. That is something that must be accepted before committing to the idea of a DW. I like the point though about making sure guests are well taken care of for the wedding dinner (if we can save a lot of money overall, then we will surely ball out for the reception dinner. Extra charges noted and maybe throwing in an extra event or two like a booze cruise for them. That's the kind of stuff that gets me excited about a DW! Spending time together!

This generally will save money for you, but it is going to cost a lot more money for your guests. Some guests don't mind that though because it gives them a chance to have a vacation too. However, other guests may struggle with it because they want to go, but they can not afford to, so be prepared for that and recognize that even if you invite 30 people, they may not show up. The other thing to think about is then all of those people you invited to your wedding are also going to be there for your honeymoon, which personally I would not like.

The good thing about having a wedding at home or near home is it increases the probability that everyone that you really want to be there will show up, but it will cost you more. It is possible to have a wedding under 30K, however, this does widely depend on where you are living.

In total my wedding is going to cost me about 18K and it includes everything that I want. A great venue, Videography, photography, catering, dessert bar, decorations, 150 guests.

I just had to do A LOT of research to find good quality vendors that were within my budget, and the biggest thing that I did was planned early. Over a year out I had all of vendors booked except for my hair and makeup artist which I recently just booked.

You can do a wedding either way, but think about the pros and cons of both. Think realistically how much can you afford to spend and then go from there.

The biggest way to cut costs is to cut the guest list. So you could also do a wedding close to home and then just cut the guest list to the people that are most important to you since that is what you would be doing anyway by having a DW.

We decided on a DW because it was always what we wanted but also because we knew in our situation we’d be saving money. We are only inviting 48 guests tops, which include our 12 person bridal party. The rest is just close family, but we’re thinking all of the family may not come. So realistically we’re looking st more around 30-40. Which is fine with us. We knew if we had stayed in Pittsburgh we would of had to invite the whole shibang of family and friends and close family friends. So this was a great alternative to help us save money. Then after we come back, later on that summer we are having a backyard barbecue type party for everyone who couldn’t make the wedding celebrate with us!

We are doing destination and for 30 ish people you will definitely save significantly. Find a travel agent who works with DW and give her your budget for your own travel and for the wedding package. Also let her know what you want guests to spend for a "small" package. For example, I asked my friends and family who have done DW before as guests (or brides) what a reasonable amount was to spend. I also asked my VIPs if they were comfortable with that price. So depending on flights (which vary day to day on pricing) my guests can go for 4 days/3 nights plus flights for $****. Most are going longer but I wanted a reasonable package for those on a budget. FH and I are staying 7 nights with first class flights for $4800. We are not staying extra or going to another resort for honeymoon but budget for that if you want extra time there. Most resorts do a free package with basics for 20-30 people and then you need to find out costs for extras prior to booking so you can make sure it all fits your budget. We have a complimentary basic package but will be paying around 5k for photography and DJ.. then whatever other extras we want to add will be on top of that (bigger cake, centerpieces, extra lighting/decor). I am comfortable with keeping it fairly simple so it won't cost much. My family is paying for most the wedding so we are out our travel plus any extra decor or add ons we decide closer to time. If we were paying for all of it ourselves, the total will be around 10-12k including ever detail (invitations, STDs, dress, his clothing, gifts for family, etc)

As long as you are comfortable with stuff coming up and people possibly not being there then go for it. We have friends who have unexpectedly gotten pregnant or had conflicts come up that weekend for their children that they cant avoid so some people who have said for years (we have always planned to do DW) that they would be there for sure will end up missing. It sucks but that is the trade off with a DW so be sure you are comfortable with any one of your guests having to miss out unexpectedly. We would have been fine to go alone and put zero pressure on our family and friends to attend. I have a few months to go but so far I am not regretting it one bit! Definitely cheaper and less stress than if I were planning it at home!

View Quoted Comment Would love to know a few more details of where you're going and such!

View Quoted Comment Hi! We got married in June 2018 at Moon Palace in Cancun. It was truly so amazing! Our family and friends had the BEST time and even though we had several different groups of friends and family, they all got to know each other and hung out as a whole group most of the time. We had around 60 guests.


we used a travel agent who specializes in DW so she coordinated travel for our group. That made it so easy on me bc i didn’t have to count RSVPs. She just send me spreadsheets with everyone’s info once they got a quote or booked!

Palace Resorts have a “room night” system so you get more free event hours with more room nights. We had plenty with this size group to cover the basic set up for our events: welcome dinner Saturday night, on Sunday we had a cocktail hour (full bar and appetizers), ceremony and reception. The basic set up for all of that was completely free! We upgraded the welcome dinner to a plated meal (buffet was free) but otherwise spend no extra on it. For the wedding, we left the cocktail hour as is and it was great for our guests to arrive leisurely before the ceremony and hang out together. So at ceremony time they just walked down to the beach to be seated. The ceremony: we paid for extra chairs (they give you 30) and a champagne toast at the end. For the reception, we upgraded the cake, paid for a band, and extra decorations. We also used an off site photographer and saved about $1000 on what the resorts options would have been.

Obviously our guests incurred a big expense to attend but most everyone truly enjoyed the trip and considered it a vacation. We were very mindful when choosing a resort of what work for everyone (kids, older adults, etc) so that everyone would enjoy their time.

If I had it to do over I truly would do it all the same!

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I'm sorry, but "all of that" wasn't "completely free." YOU didn't pay for it, but your GUESTS did because you got all those "free" things because they paid for "room nights." I'm glad it worked out for you and your guests, but for others considering this, PLEASE do not confuse shifting the cost to your guests with "FREE".... It is basically having your guests FUND at least parts of your wedding -- pretty much the same idea as having a local wedding but charging your guests to attend, which nearly everyone would recognize as very poor etiquette/hosting. Each couple is obviously free to do what they want, but as the guest of a destination wedding, I honestly did NOT appreciate spending a lot on a "vacation" that I would not have taken by my choice.

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You don't get "free things" because guest paid for room nights. I'm currently planning a DW, and the only incentive we got was a 10% discount on our room and our guests room. SO, with that being said, guests do not FUND parts of weddings. It is a financial commitment though which people should understand when making that decision. Attending a wedding is more about witnessing a special moment between two people. Either way, weddings are expensive and I personally have been to a couple of destination weddings, and it did not feel like poor etiquette at all. Maybe you just had a bad experience.

View Quoted Comment If people can't afford it, or aren't able to take time off, they don't have to agree to coming. I think in your situation, they were not understanding and rude. In general, I don't think wanting a destination wedding is rude as long as you understand that people will decline. A destination wedding is typically much smaller, and it goes without saying that people are not expected to come. Personally, I think it's kind of crazy to pay 30-40k at home to accommodate everyone that wants to come. It's not about everyone else, it's about the couple who's getting married. If a destination wedding works best, it's up to the guests to decide if they can afford it or not and no one should be mad about it or try to guilt anyone into coming. In my case, my friends and family want me to have a destination wedding. They like the idea of vacationing and don't want me going into debt to have a wedding. If I have a wedding home, it's hard to cut my list. I have a lot of close family and friends... it's actually easier to just have an open invite to anyone who wants to travel. For some this option just makes more sense. I'm sorry your experience wasn't pleasant. I promise to not make my guests feel that way.