Loading Forever Farrah…
A side-by-side comparison of destination and traditional hometown weddings covering cost, guest list, planning, legal paperwork and the guest experience.
A destination wedding usually means fewer guests, a longer shared celebration and a smaller bill for the couple, but a bigger one for guests and more complicated planning from a distance. A traditional wedding near home is easier to plan and attend, so more of the people you invite come, but it's usually bigger and often costs the couple more. The right choice mostly depends on one question: how many of your people can realistically travel?
Destination vs traditional wedding: Guest count, Usually smaller; more declines, Usually larger; fewer declines; Cost to the couple, Often lower overall, higher per guest, Often higher overall; Cost to guests, Flights, several nights' lodging, time off, Mostly a gift, outfit and local travel; Planning, Remote; fewer site visits, In person; easy to visit vendors; Legal paperwork, Varies by country; can be complex, Local marriage license; Length, Often a weekend or more, Usually one day; Weather and season, Tied to the destination's climate, You know the local climate; Guests who struggle to travel, Older relatives, young families, tight budgets, Easier to include everyone.
A naturally shorter guest list. Travel filters the list for you. In a 2018 LendingTree survey, 51% of wedding attendees said they had turned down a destination wedding invitation. Some couples see this as a feature.
Guests carry much of the cost. The same LendingTree survey found attending cost guests an average of $1,422, or $2,514 outside the US, and 70% of those who'd declined said it was too expensive. By Emily Post etiquette, guests pay their own lodging unless they're in the wedding party.
Most of your guests can come, including those who can't fly. You can visit everything: taste the menu, see the room, meet the photographer. Familiar paperwork: a local marriage license and officiant. Guests spend less. No flights or long hotel stays for most people. Easier to include cultural and family traditions that need specific people, food or places. See how to plan a multicultural wedding.
Bigger guest lists. When everyone can come, the list grows, and most costs grow with it. Wedding budget by guest count shows how. One day, not a shared weekend, unless you plan extra events. Pressure to invite everyone: colleagues, parents' friends, distant cousins. How to cut your wedding guest list helps.
Ask yourselves four questions:
For the couple it often is, mostly because fewer people attend. For guests it's almost always more expensive. See how much does a destination wedding cost.
No, but it asks a lot of guests. Give plenty of notice, offer lodging options at different prices, and accept declines graciously. In the 2018 LendingTree survey, 55% of respondents said destination weddings were inconsiderate, so expect some mixed feelings.
Fewer than to a local one, but no reliable study measures the share. Plan for more declines than usual and adjust as RSVPs come in.
Yes. Many couples marry abroad with close family, then host a casual reception at home so everyone else can celebrate.
Loading Forever Farrah…