Destination wedding cost vs home state

Compared to Jersey weddings, yes lol. A lot of tropical all-inclusive resorts give you a free wedding for guaranteeing a certain number of guests, and you usually just pay for your stay at the resort.

Also, I don't know where in Jersey you're at, but PA venues are a lot cheaper too (outside of Philly). I considered those when I was looking at venues. But yeah, the sticker shock was real when we started looking around.

Destination weddings are not necessarily cheaper per person. If anything, they tend to be more expensive, because you have to pay other people to perform planning services that you could perform yourself in a local wedding.

The "free" weddings typically apply only if all your guests stay at the resort where it is held, and thus have already paid for their meal, so in effect they are paying for your wedding. And asking your guests to pay for your wedding is rude.

The way destination weddings tend to be less expensive is that fewer people can afford to attend. If you're paying for fewer guests, then the wedding tends to be less expensive, even if the cost per guest is higher.

On the other hand, you could always just invite fewer people at home. The down side of destination weddings is that you have much less control over who shows up. At a destination wedding maybe your sister, with whom you are very close, can't afford to travel, while Cousin Harry, whom you barely know, will be there. By contrast, if you just limit your guest list at home, you can choose to invite your sister and not Cousin Harry.

Part of this depends on the answer to the question, "cheaper" for whom? Yes, it might cost YOU less, but with travel costs it could end of costing your friends/family a LOT. One way to look at the cost of a DW is to consider all the costs (yours and your guests) and compare that total to the cost of a local wedding. But, then you need to think about if you want to ask your guests to absorb that much of the cost of your wedding. Would you invite them to a local wedding, but expect them to pay to attend? Most wouldn't do that. However, some might consider a DW kind of similar to that scenario. Whether a DW is right depends a lot on your guest list and how willing/reasonable it is for them to travel, and how much it matters to you who attends your wedding. If you're happy with a small/whoever comes, comes DW, and the people who matter most to you are willing and able to travel to whatever destination you're considering, it might be awesome. But, if you want to share you day with a large group of guests who aren't likely to be able to afford substantial travel, then it might not be a good idea. Good luck with your decision!

Venues are crazy expensive! Could you consider a weekend brunch or Sun-Thur evening wedding? Typically cheaper! You can also ask if those venues have off-season rates, or small wedding rates (typically for fewer than 20 guests).

It depends what your goal is. If you still want a highly hosted event and are having a "normal" guest list (ie more than 30 people) you're probably looking at a similar cost to home.
I'm from DC and my 80 person DW was just as pricey as if I did it at home.
Now if you want to slash your guest list and do one of those "free" DW packages that just pass the cost onto your guests, then yes, you can do it cheaper.

Agreed with the previous poster that if you are in mid/southern Jersey you could get a way better deal just crossing the river into PA.

Destination weddings can definitely be cheaper, but often because your essentially pushing costs onto your guests. Which to me personally is really crappy and I wouldn't do it. But lots of people do. I would just expect that the more people have to travel and the farther they have to go, the fewer people you will actually have attending.

Well I’m doing a destination in JA and I’m having 80+ people. Yes my guest are paying for their own way and stay. I did get a great deal through my airline in which I work for for flights If I have 40 people travel on same flight. I’m covering transportation to and from airport. The hotel is all inclusive I am doing a welcome party on Thursday (I’m paying extra for this I’m found an excursion for the group on fri morning the rehearsal dinner Friday night and Saturday is the wedding. Because we got such a great deal on the hotel rates 50% of my guest have put deposits on the hotel and are staying 1-2 extra days to enjoy JAMAICA.

Overall its still cheaper thab than getting married in NY where I would’ve had to invite 200+ people.