Destination weddings?!?

The hardest part for us was finding a place to have a ceremony. After that it was all pretty easy and way less money. We planned on having at least 50 people as well but it really depends on what the location is and if there is a cost per person after a certain amount. FH and I live in Las Vegas and are having our ceremony in San Diego.

We're going through a company called Simply Eloped that has different packages and their prices include up to 20 guests. They offer a variety of locations so it just depends if they have one close enough to you or one that you're really interested in traveling to. Our package for up to 20 people is only $750 and it's $20 per person after that.

You can still customize your ceremony to however you would like. Have to find decor and such from outside vendors but it's still not even that bad. Obviously you miss out on the whole reception part unless you find a venue for that afterwards to hold it or do a lunch/dinner reservation. There's definitely a lot of options to explore if you're really thinking about changing your plans.

I am planning a DW in Savannha GA right now. For me, it’s been a lot more stressful for my budget. I didn’t realize how much money goes into a DW. Or I just didn’t know since my 1st wedding my parents paid for and I was just given a card to swipe. This one here my fiancé and I are paying for the entire thing. But I wouldn’t change it for the world because I know at the end of it all, I’ll be marrying the love of my life, my best friend. Even he says that after all the decisions I consult him with. I’m not going all out on this one except for my dress. Everything else is laid back and we are content with that.

We had a destination wedding with 50 guests and it was honestly perfect.
We had ours at a hotel in Orlando—I wanted the ceremony and reception in the same place and to work with as few vendors as possible. Plus, the resort was absolutely gorgeous and had tons of onsite activities and beautiful spots for photos, the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. All of our guests raved about the location.
Budget-wise, it was very affordable—around $10k for the ceremony site fee, service charges and food and booze for the cocktail hour and reception. Food was absolutely incredible.
We picked Orlando because it’s one of my favorite places, but also because it’s very affordable to fly to and stay in—tons of hotel options. That was very important to us.
The only things I’d change are 1. Hiring a day of coordinator. I’m super Type A and like to be in control, but I realized on my wedding day I wanted someone else to make all the decisions and just tell everyone where to go when. 2. Inviting just a few more people. The size of our wedding really was perfect, but there were a couple of people that I know would have loved to be there that I feel bad about not including. Originally we were going to have a casual at home reception and include everyone who wasn’t invited to Florida, but that’s not looking likely, so I feel pretty bad about that.

Hi there Tifanny!

Some wonderful insights and advice from the previous posters here

There are a ton of articles on the WeddingWire ideas section about destination weddings, including planning and costs. I've linked a few below for you to browse and help you make your decision!

What is a Destination Wedding in 2019?

Exactly How to Plan a Wedding From a Distance

How to Plan a Destination Wedding on a Budget

The 20 Best Destination Wedding Locations, Hands Down

Where are you with the decision now? Do you think you will go ahead with a DW?

Hi!

I live and work in Italy, which is a wonderful place for a destination wedding.

There are many options for every kind of taste and budget: from rustic venues to charming ancient villas, from countryside to lake view options, and so on.

Northern Italy is also very well connected with the world, with Malpensa, Linate and Orio al Serio airports, which are all at a short distance from lovely venues suitable for intimate weddings.

They are located in Lombardy region, where you can find the famous Lake Como, where many vips have their own villas (like George Clooney). But if you are looking for something simpler and less popular, you can opt for an area like Franciacorta and Iseo Lake with its vineyards and delicious wine, or the area of Varese nearby Lake Maggiore. Or simply the countryside around Milan, where you and your guests can spend some time going shopping and visiting the town.

So... plenty of options just in one region

I hope this can help. Contact me if you need more information about my beautiful Italy

I’m doing a destination wedding in JA you can google destination wedding and even get prices on lines. Some place offer free weddings, cakes, flowers for you and your guest as long as you are staying there for 3 nights

I was in your boat, and now we are doing destination wedding. We haven't booked it but we cancelled the date with the original venue and even lost our deposit. It wasn't worth the stress of having to plan it all myself and have everyone's opinions from his family getting me all stressed out. He also has a large family and I have barely any (and my family and bridesmaids will all need to fly anyway, so might as well make it a fun trip for them!).