As a destination wedding planner with over a decade of experience planning celebrations in Europe, I often hear the assumption that a destination wedding costs less than a UK or US based wedding. I want to properly address the question ‘how much do destination weddings cost?’ by talking you through 7 factors that ultimately decide the outcome, allowing you to take these into consideration when choosing whether or not to have an overseas wedding.
How much do destination weddings cost? Which factors affect the cost the most?
If the sole objective of the desire to get married abroad is to have a cheaper wedding, I want to start by saying that is not necessarily going to be the case. It is highly dependent on the decisions you make along the way, and I’ve identified 7 factors that usually make destination weddings more or less expensive than those in your home country. These are:
- The size of your guest list
- Fluctuations in currency
- Your chosen country
- Styling and florals
- Number of events involved
- Suppliers chosen
- Miscellaneous items
One thing worth noting at this point is that working with a good destination wedding planner is not a one-way ticket to money-saving for your wedding, however it is the best way to ensure you maximise your budget – whatever that may be. Without further ado, let’s begin to answer the question of how much destination weddings cost.
Smaller Guest Lists = A Destination Wedding Is Cheaper Than At Home?
One of the first reasons why a destination wedding can be cheaper than in the UK or US is that your number of guests will usually end up being smaller. Even if you invite the exact same guest list that you would invite to a wedding at home, you can expect a higher rate of attrition when overseas travel is involved.
Typically we advise that for a wedding at home in the UK or US you can expect around 10% of your invited guests to drop out, assuming that everybody is relatively local to you. When we take a UK couple and their guests over to Europe for a wedding, we typically see a dropout rate of more like 20-30%. Working with US based couples who are asking their guests to fly transatlantically for a destination wedding in Europe, we may see even more guests declining or dropping out.
While this may sound like a negative thing on the face of it, some couples actually find this to be a huge positive. The result is a more intimate wedding, generally losing only those on the periphery of your life, and you’ll end up surrounded by your nearest and dearest and all those who are prepared to make that commitment to being there.
So, does this mean a destination wedding is cheaper? In some cases yes, although we still have 6 more elements to bring into play.
How much do destination weddings cost? The question of currency.
Something we always have to consider when thinking about how much destination weddings cost is the fluctuation of currencies. Back when we first started planning destination weddings, the exchange rate between the Pound and the Euro was around 1.3 – meaning you were getting a lot of Euros for your Pounds, which really helped to stretch budgets further.
Since then we have been through periods where the exchange rate was almost 1.1, making it comparatively more expensive than before to get married in Europe. Nowadays we are around 1.17, somewhere between the two.
Bear this in mind when considering a destination wedding, and check out the strength of your own currency relative to that of your chosen country’s before going ahead.
Are destination weddings in Italy cheaper than in the UK? Choose your country wisely!
The trouble with blanket statements like ‘destination weddings are cheaper’ or questions such as ‘how much does a destination wedding cost?’ is that it really varies depending on which country you choose. In some countries you can get more for the same budget, and this really does change through the years.
We’ve been planning weddings in Italy for many years, and popular Tuscany has become notably more expensive. Tourist destinations such as Lake Como or the Amalfi Coast also come with a higher price tag, so if you’re looking at your destination wedding from the perspective of saving some money, you need to look carefully at where you’re going to marry.
Over the past year or two we’ve noticed that Portugal is very much on the rise for destination weddings, and you typically get more for your money there. Other less popular (but very beautiful!) locations such as Malta, for example, are going to be more cost effective.
If you are flexible regarding which country you get married in, you may find you’re able to stretch your budget further. Be prepared to take your wedding planner’s advice and keep an open mind, and be assured that working with professionals means you can have an incredible, memorable wedding experience almost anywhere.
For Italy-specific advice, take a look at our blog: The Reality of Planning a Wedding in Italy from the UK
Coming soon – planning a wedding in Italy from the US!
Styling and Florals
When considering your budget for planning your destination wedding, the venue you choose will in part dictate how much you need to additionally budget for styling, decor and floral design. For example, if we take you to a naturally beautiful location in Italy or Majorca, say, with stunning surrounding views and well-maintained historic interiors, we won’t need to spend as much on styling. In this way, a destination wedding can be reduced in cost when compared to one in the UK or US.
When thinking about how much destination weddings cost, it may be that your floral and styling budget can be less than if you were to get married in, for example, a London ballroom. At venues like this at home, your big ‘wow’ factor often comes from your florals – many of your guests may have seen that space before and it may present as a blank canvas, therefore making it special requires creating beauty and magic using styling and decor.
Keeping this in mind when viewing venues is one big factor ultimately affecting the cost of a destination wedding.
How much do destination weddings cost? Additional events
If you are having a wedding at home, you’re typically only planning one day of events – your wedding day. On the contrary, most of our destination wedding couples host their guests for more than just one day, sometimes three or four! We always recommend hosting your guests for at least a welcome event, since they have invested time, effort and money into joining you overseas for your wedding.
Naturally, any savings you may make by not going overboard on your florals can quickly be compensated for by the fact that you’re hosting multiple events. When thinking about how much destination weddings cost, remember to account for the fact that it isn’t just ‘a wedding’.
We know a thing or two about fantastic welcome events at destination weddings – read our guide to Throwing a Wedding Welcome Party in Style.
Using local suppliers to decrease the cost of a destination wedding
The question of whether to use local suppliers or fly them in from overseas is age-old, and there are 3 factors we consider when making this choice:
- Cost
- Environmental issues
- Authenticity
Hiring your suppliers locally in your destination country is naturally more cost effective, environmentally friendly and authentic than flying in vendors from home, and you’re also giving back to the local economy.
However, there are certain instances and services that we struggle with in this aspect. Sometimes it is more difficult to find a specific supplier in a specific country – it doesn’t always exist at the level or standard that we require. A good example of this is when we are looking for entertainment for a Jewish wedding. We require a specific sort of band that will handle your chuppah music and hora, as well as entertainment and dancing sets throughout dinner – this just doesn’t exist in the same way in Europe. In this instance, we normally end up flying in a band which naturally costs more than even booking that same band for a wedding at home due to all of the additional expenses incurred.
Another service we sometimes fly in is hair and make up, as it is such a personal choice. If you aren’t happy with your hair and makeup on your wedding day, it can really spoil the fun. This makes working with someone you know or have experience with (in the form of multiple trials) absolutely vital. We are able to recommend fabulous hair and makeup artists local to your wedding venue abroad, and are able to have in-person trials on our planning visits. However, sometimes they just don’t feel right for you and you may feel that you’d rather bring someone you are able to have more touchpoints with from home.
Of course in these instances there are additional costs involved, including putting them up in a hotel and paying for their flights. When planning our couples’ destination weddings we really only do this if necessary, or if our couple feels strongly about working with certain suppliers. The long and short of it is that your suppliers can be a factor in how much destination weddings cost, and you shouldn’t assume that vendors will be cheaper in Europe – only that it will (in most cases) be more expensive to hire vendors from home and have them fly over.
Miscellaneous items that can make a destination wedding more expensive
Finally, I want to cover a few other items that can affect how much a destination wedding costs – these aren’t ‘musts’, but most of our couples do decide to include them to make the whole guest experience more enjoyable.
At destination weddings we often need to provide transportation for your guests. It may be that guests are staying at several hotels in a recommended area but your venue is more remote, and it isn’t possible to just call an Uber or local taxi firm and expect that all your guests will be able to get to and from your wedding that way. We usually provide transportation in the form of coaches, which needs to be built into your budget.
Other little elements such as welcome bags or gifts can also increase the cost of a destination wedding. Again, you don’t have to do it, but a lot of our couples do like to put together welcome bags for their guests. It serves as a little gift to acknowledge the fact that your guests have gone above and beyond to join you at your wedding, and while we’re not talking about huge amounts of money it does still need to be factored in.
We wrote a handy guide to creating great welcome bags for your guests which you can read HERE.
So, how much do destination weddings cost compared to UK or US celebrations?
You’ve probably noticed by now that the answer to ‘how much do destination weddings cost?’ is not simple, and they sometimes cost more and sometimes cost less than their UK or US equivalents. The 7 factors detailed here, along with the particular vendors in the particular area you choose, will affect how far your budget goes.
When beginning to work with your destination wedding planner, they should be able to give you an indication of what you can get for your budget and where – we always try to do this with our couples early on in the planning process. Remember to be open minded and know that your wedding planner has your best interests at heart, and that sometimes what you didn’t know you wanted can turn out to be even more beautiful and special than your original plan.
If you’re planning a destination wedding, we’d love to hear from you – contact us to get started on creating a magical experience in the destination of your dreams.
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