It’s no secret that weddings are expensive. If you’re looking for something a bit different though, it is possible to have a fabulous destination wedding for cheaper than you’d think! The secret is all in the planning. If you know what you’re looking for, you can have the wedding of your dreams, without the huge bill afterwards. Here’s how.
Choose Your Destination
There’s all kinds of wedding packages out there because competition is so stiff. Keep this in mind, and shop around. You’re looking for cheaper travel, accommodation, and wedding packages. Hawaii, Jamaica and Mexico are all good choices. If you’re really savvy, you can combine your wedding with your honeymoon, saving even more costs.
Trim the Guest List
Possibly the best thing about a destination wedding is that you can weed out anyone that you don’t really want to invite. This means no third cousins or church friends of your parents. You’ll save cash, and get to spend your wedding day with the people who are really important to you.
Minimal Decor Shopping
One way of saving on your wedding is by keeping decor buying to a minimum. Your destination wedding will be beautiful enough on its own, so you’ll hardly need all the candles, lights, and other paraphernalia that you’d have to have at home.
Pick Your Time Carefully
Another way of saving cash on your destination wedding is to pick the time you go carefully. Look for the off peak season in your chosen location, and book around that. For example, if you’re looking to get hitched in the Caribbean, their off peak season coincides with hurricane season. Obviously, you don’t want to get married then, but if you book a week before or after, you can still save big bucks.
Take Advantage of Group Discounts
Holiday operators love weddings, as it offers them big business. After all, if they can fill multiple airline seats, hotel rooms, or otherwise in one go, they’re going to love it when you book. Take advantage of this and get discounts when you book. Ask when you’re in touch with the operator, and you can big discounts on all sorts of things. Remember, if you don’t ask you don’t get.
Now you have some ideas on how to save cash on your destination wedding, here’s some ideas of where to go. There’s all kinds of beautiful locations you can tie the knot in, so have a look and see if inspiration strikes.
7 Best Locations for a Destination Wedding on a Budget
It’s extremely difficult to try and organise cheap destination weddings. As most young couples pay for their own weddings, it’s very important to stick to a budget. Paying for a house, cars, and generally living can eat up a huge chunk of your pay check, so trying to save enough to pay for a dream destination wedding means that you need to be very savvy when it comes to your finances.
Fortunately, we’re here to let you know that cheap destination weddings do not have to be extravagantly expensive affairs, and the following locations can provide an amazing backdrop to the best day of your life, while remaining affordable. The following seven locations are classy, luxurious, and perfect for a wedding, but won’t blow your budget.
1. Austin, Texas
Not everyone wants a destination wedding on the beach, for some a quirky urban backdrop will also do. There are some great deals for hotels in this area, while food and drinks remain inexpensive but are tasty and unforgettable. This is perfect for a relaxed bohemian wedding, where you can eat BBQ and tacos from food trunks, toast with Deep Eddy Vodka, and have some really awesome backdrops to photographs.
Everyone has a lovely hotel to take their photos in, and you can find that in Austin, but you can also head to Graffiti Hill, Ladybird Lake, or the top of Mount Bonnell. You can also head to the fairy tale location at the peacock sanctuary in Mayfield Park if you want to have a mix of country and city locations for your wedding. More than anything this is a part town, so you’ll have a really easy time finding a band that’s ready to play all night and ensure you have a fabulous and fun wedding.
2. Belize
This may not sounds like it would be a cheap destination, but the flight prices are actually similar to what it would cost to get to Mexico. The difference is that there are actually very few fancy resorts, and a lot more private eco-lodges and smaller hotels that are just as beautiful. You may not have all of the same amenities, but it’s a small price to pay to be surrounded by gorgeous beaches and rainforest.
Plus, your guests will have a great time exploring the barrier reef. And this will not feel at all like a budget option, as lobster is a local food that costs a lot less here, so you can put on a really amazing dinner without spending a fortune.
3. Fiji
Depending on where you live, a flight to Fiji won’t necessarily break the bank. When you compare the costs of putting a wedding on a sandy beach with a mountain background, full of flowers and culture in Fiji to somewhere like Florida, it is worth paying for flights, as you’ll save so much in the long run. Plus, you get to enjoy Fijian culture through features like being escorted to your wedding by tattooed warriors.
4. Vermont
This is a perfect backdrop for anyone looking for a destination that is quanit, scenic, a little rustic, and intimate. The cute B&Bs and hotels that little the villages in Vermont are all cute and provide an amazing setting for anyone who wants to be close to their nearest and dearest, for a picture perfect wedding, close to nature.
If neither big cities nor beaches are for you, then Vermot should absolutely be considered as a wedding destination. It’s beautiful without being flashy, and perfect all year round, whether you want a snowy winter wedding or pink blossoms in the spring. If you’re not sure about a winter destination wedding, then you may be convinced after reading the posts on winter weddings.
5. Sedona, Arizona
This gorgeous location is a lot less expensive than beach-side resorts, but you have the benefits of desert and forest, which gives you awesome scenery for the backdrop of your wedding photos. It also means you can sum up your style as a couple if one is more of a beach bum, and the other more outdoorsy. The red rocks are beautiful, the vortexes can prove to be great entertainment for you guests, and the weather is amazing all year round.
6. Dominican Republic
This is a destination that is frequently featured, as while you may have to pay for some flights, once you arrive here it’s budget friendly and beautiful. There are several reasons this is great for couples on a budget – for one, the resort will often offer a reasonable package for your whole wedding, so you can end up saving money here. And second, wedding season in normally over summer, which is Dominican Republic’s off season, so you can get some awesome deals. This only really works for couples who don’t mind very hot and humid weather though!
7. Negril, Jamaica
Jamaica is one of the cheaper Caribbean islands, and the area of Negril is especially affordable as most of the accommodation is in the form of beach side cottages, and the food comes from local vendors. There are huge stretches of white sandy beaches, flawless weather, and amazing food, all making this an affordable but spectacular spot for any wedding.
Cheap destination weddings are possible, however you may need to open your mind a little and spend some of your budget on flights if you want to find your dream location that also fits your budget. Destination weddings mean you can keep guest numbers down, save on food and flowers, but have a luxurious, beautiful, and memorable day.
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