Destination Weddings- What are your thoughts, Are they easier?

Also my fiancé and I have never been out of the U.S, well actually he went to the Bahamas on a cruise, lol but that was it. So I think this would be a great time, also the honeymoon would be in a great setting as well. Are destination weddings a little easier to plan. I realize some can be costly depending on where you go, but do you ladies have any advice or recommendations? Thanks

I don't really have any advice on the cost differences of destination vs. local, but I found an amazing website that gives you super cheap air + all inclusive resorts for traveling! A lot of the resorts have wedding packages and I know if you book a certain number of rooms you get a discount! I've been using it for honeymoon purposes, but it has all of the islands you mentioned plus a ton more! cheapcaribbean.com! Good luck!

Thanks Camden. My friend said that website was great too. Thanks a bunch

I'd say that with the same number of people, a destination wedding is harder to plan. You can get local elopement packages that don't require a lot of planning.

Mostly, destination weddings seem to be attractive to people who think they have to invite everyone up to and including that person their second cousin twice removed once met, but don't want to end up with a huge wedding. The idea is that you can invite everyone, but that the cost will prevent most people from coming. The down side is that it may keep away even people you desperately want to have there. I'd check at least with your immediate families to make sure that they would be able to come without financial hardship.

I work in destination weddings so I thought I'd share a little knowledge. One thing you have to know about destination weddings is that anymore they can be just as expensive as a local wedding, depending on what you are looking to achieve. Especially if you start getting heavy into adding decor and additional events. When it comes to planning, in my opinion, a travel agent is extremely helpful because it takes a lot of the stress off of you as they become a contact for your guests when booking travel. Now that's not to say that it won't be stressful because we all know that any wedding will be. But if you go in with the mindset that communication is going to be different than here in the US and are little more flexible on response times, it will be a lot easier. Also note that a lot of resorts will offer a semi-private reception, so take note of whether a private reception event is going to cost you more, a package may seem like a deal up front, but make sure you know the basics of what your costs are going to entail for the type of event you are looking for.

Please don't be discouraged by this information, destination weddings are a great way to celebrate with those closest to you because you not only get one day, but a few to relax and have fun together. But I also agree that you should definitely discuss this with your essential guests to see if anyone has major financial objections.

The problem with destination weddings is that you kind of pass your savings onto guests, since less will be able to attend.

Flights for one person to lots of those locations are $500. So a family of 4 would spend $2000 in flights, probably have to take time away from work/school, and pay for the resort. Let's say, all inclusive that's $250 a night, for 4 nights. $1,000. Now, let's assume that's literally all they spend, $3,000 that's basically a lot of family's yearly vacation. The problem is they didn't really get to pick their location, maybe they would have liked California, or Hawaii, or Mexico, or Europe- but they had to go to whatever island you picked.

For this reason, only your nearest and dearest will be able to attend, which saves a lot of costs and obligations of inviting people who may have been invited, and attended a local ceremony.

We did a DW last 9/2014 in Cancun and I wouldn't change one thing about it. Everyone complained because we weren't having your typical wedding but that's not what we wanted. Those who want to be there will be there. It's your wedding and no one else's. If you are flexible with your dates go in the off season as its usually half the cost of that in peak season. Everyone that went with us spent less than $2k for one week at an all-inclusive including airfare.

I actually work with @Mcd in the destination wedding business. Some things about destination weddings to keep in mind is that the group will be smaller as many people may not be able to afford the trip. I've talked to couples who've done elopements but I've also seen weddings of 80,90+ people.

Some things to look into - group room rates for your guests. Like mcd said, a travel agent will be a great resource for this.

I've seen destination weddings range in price from $1000 to $40,000. It all depends on your vision.

Jamaica will probably be a little pricier. The Dominican Republic, at least in my experience, tends to be a little less expensive for guests. Also, the months of August, September, and October will be the least expensive travel months. This is the "rainy season" but I went to both Jamaica and Mexico in the month of September and had beautiful weather!

Be aware that response time will be slower than in the states.

Also look out for special offers, our resorts periodically offer special wedding discount

Honestly, I'd be having a destination wedding if I could. But my grandmother wouldn't be able to make it.

The only person who likes DW are the B&G. I attended a domestic DW in Vegas two weekends ago and loved it, only bc the bride did and great job (food, drinks, DJ, fun, etc was great) and Vegas was on my bucket list. Initially I was not planning on going, but during the course of our engagements and getting engaged less than a month apart we became closer and I wanted to be there (FH did not go). Per Person wise DW are more expensive. you have to be willing to accept some (VERY CLOSE) people will be unable to attend. there will be a large number of ppl who say they are coming but ultimately do not. YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR VIPs. (ask yourself has anyone else in our families had a DW? did ppl attend? have our parents ever went on vacations out of the country? how often? and where? bc you can't expect someone to do something different just bc your getting married. Like my FH's grandma doesn't fly. His aunt can't do water (Katrina), and his uncle is in a wheelchair. no way they would come to a beach wedding in the Carribean). My mentor got married in Jamaica last year. It was her, her husband, their two kids (from the same rship, they just waited to get married), her best friend, and her mom. Her dad, his parents, and his friends did NOT attend. To me thats not worth it. Essentially they had a wedding for the cost of their honeymoon. Family is way more important to us than beautiful scenery or saving money. So that kind of DW wouldn't work for us. but every couple is different, plenty of ppl do it.

We actually just got back from our honeymoon in Mexico and there were lots of DW. They had 11 on one day we were there! The pics look great and they did a nice job but it just didn't seem like it would be special to me. One wedding was done and then they redecorated and the next was going on in an hour. Also, this might just be the couple, but they used one of the restaurants everyone can go to as the location for their grooms dinner instead of paying for a separate room. It was irritating to other guests since they were toasting and asking people to be quiet. Sorry but I don't want to listen to your toast for someone I don't know while I am eating! haha

It just seemed logistically harder, brides hauling dresses through customs, you don't have many choices for hair and makeup (most resorts offer someone and you'll probably use them for convenience). Like @Emily said, it places the cost burden on your guests. Great if they can afford it but its a lot for most people.

Also, if you fly in on Wednesday, Friday wedding, and plan to honeymoon there after, any guests who stay will be there too. It's not as private. If you want that, great! But kind of hard to say "shoo!" to guests who spent money to come down there if you want them to leave you alone after wedding

I will also add FH's BM had a DW last year. He is African and they traditionally have two receptions anyway. So they had a traditional African reception (traditional attire, food, dancing, music) in a community center decorated to fit the traditional theme, but with over 200 guest but bc its not intended to be fancy and was a cheap venue they spent about $4,000 (food, DJ, decor, rentals). Then they had what looked to be a beautiful beach ceremony on what was there honeymoon. There is always that option as well.

I just had my DW in Mexico (Riviera Maya) last month. We loved it. It as really easy to plan and saved us a lot of money. Our guests loved it, too, because it gave them a reason to go on a vacation to a place they may not have considered otherwise. A couple of our guests wouldn't even have considered going on vacation at all if it weren't for us, and one of DH's friends just enrolled in college because of his experience on the trip (it made him want to strive for a better life for himself). So I disagree with what FFW says about only the bride and groom enjoying it.

You don't have to worry about finding a million vendors because everything is done through the resort. You don't have to worry about decor because the resorts are stunning. And you get several days to spend with your family and friends instead of three minutes with each of them at the reception.

Thanks for your feedback ladies. Sounds like a great idea that you mentioned @FFW. I was thinking maybe we could do a little something in NY for those that could not come, more of like a party and play clips of the dw and have food and drinks and let it be that. I realize everyone will not be able to come and I have embraced that. I never wanted a big drawn out fancy horse and carriage wedding to begin with. Just something beautiful and simple and to share with close family and friends. Even if those closest to me and my fiancé cant make it to the dw, we will understand. Thanks again guys.

@PK I just gave an example above of where I enjoyed traveling for a wedding. I said "likes" not enjoyed. If you go I am sure you will enjoy yourself. I surely enjoyed myself, it was the most fun I have ever had at a wedding. But I don't want to or like to have to keep planning my days off, and saving money to attend them.

@NowASeptMrs can I ask where you honeymooned? I think 11 weddings one day is extreme. That is so not the norm and I would caution choosing a location like that for a wedding. I have no doubt you had an amazing honeymoon but a place that would hold 11 weddings in one day would not make me feel special if I were there for my wedding.

ETA: Would just like to add that the brands that I work with host 2-3 weddings per day, so I think that 11 in one day is out of the ordinary. It is definitely wise to look at all of your options prior to booking and ask a lot of questions, you will be glad that you did.

@NowASeptMrs Wow! 11 weddings a day does seem extreme. Those poor coordinators that's a lot of stress! The most I've ever seen is 3 and there were at least a couple hours in between each wedding. That would definitely take away from the special feeling of the day.

@mcd2017 it is very common for larger resorts to hold upwards of 10 weddings a day. They typically do them every hour on the hour in different locations. Palace Resorts held 8 a day beginning at 10am and 6pm was the last one. They have plenty of locations where no wedding will overlap. With the amount of wedding coordinators most resorts have it is still a very personal day and you feel like you are the only wedding they are catering too.

ETA: added picture

Interesting to know @ Sarah, I didn't know it was possible to do.

@Sarah that is good to know. I guess that I personally would like the fact that not many people would be getting married the same day as me at the same resort. But the most important thing to me would be to feel special so if the resort has the staff to accomplish that then I think that is really what matters! I just wanted the OP to know that there are places that do less weddings per day and just to make sure she weighed all of her options. But it seems I was wrong when saying that many weddings was not the norm.

I personally love destination weddings and will always advocate for them, so i'm glad you really enjoyed yours!

Keep in mind that your guests will also need the time and money to get their passports -- if they don't already have them.