4 Ways to Cut Down on Destination Wedding Costs

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A wedding is an important moment in a couple’s life, and lot of preparation goes into making it a flawless event. This is why destination weddings have been a very popular option among couples looking to make their wedding extra special. The average baseline cost of a destination wedding is estimated at around $35,000, according to a report on Brides.

You might be worrying about the financial strain a destination wedding could have on your budget, but there are a myriad of ways to reduce costs while making sure your wedding is equal parts memorable and stunning.

That said, here are four ways to cut down on destination wedding costs:

1. Keep it intimate

A large number of guests isn’t the best recourse for a destination wedding. Rather than attending to the pressure of social obligations, and stacking up wedding fees in the process, it’s better to focus on inviting your family and your closest friends. This makes your wedding more personal and intimate on top of being more economical.

Writer Janell Hickman-Kirby claims that by trimming your guest list, most venues that normally cost over $20,000 end up giving you the venue for a fraction of the cost. With this saving, you can allocate the extra funds to other wedding services like catering, flowers, and photography. This way, you’re able to indulge in a gorgeous place that everyone will remember for years to come.

2. Book during off-seasons

Like most important events, weddings have categorical seasons. This means that there are periods within the year where wedding costs spike and decline.

Peak seasons can result in higher prices for the reception and other wedding expenses such as accommodations and travel fees. However, destination weddings can become burdensome on your guests’ budgets as well. In fact, Rachel Chapman states a destination wedding attendee spends an average of $840 on airfare alone. This is why couples should consider their guests and provide plenty of notice that will make it easy to find and book affordable travel. For reference, the ideal booking window for domestic flights is a month in advance, while international flights should be approximately three to eight months prior to the date.

3. Look for bulk transportation and logistics

Weddings are detail-intensive. There’s always an endless list of things to book and move, and no couple wants to worry over transferring delicate centerpieces and other wedding necessities safely and quickly.

Most find truck rentals like U-Haul’s the most effective and practical solution. Depending on the bulk and weight of each wedding item, you can choose to rent a cargo van, a pick-up truck, or even a moving truck. Additionally, the U-Haul rental pricing guide on AskMoney is based on how many miles you drive. With the base rental at $20, and an added $0.79 per mile, you can aim to make as few trips as possible moving clothes, decorations, flowers, and tables to keep your bill low. Additionally, if you have items like the ones featured in our article on ‘How to Slay a Bridal Shower with 10 Epic DIY Ideas’, you could store them and reuse them at the wedding, transporting them in bulk. As you may coordinate with various local vendors for a destination wedding, we suggest renting a bigger truck to cut down on mileage fees.

4. Use local vendors

Finding the right team of vendors may prove overwhelming as you plan your wedding from afar. Fortunately, most venues will likely carry a list of local vendors they work with exclusively for weddings, with a variety of packages you can choose from depending on your budget. If this isn’t enough, you can conduct your own research too, as most local vendors are on social media and have reviews from other couples.

However, you need to remember that currencies fluctuate. In this case, you need to get an early start in securing local vendors, or booking them when the currency has a lower rate. This way, you can avoid incurring a conversion fee while ensuring you have a flexible time frame to communicate which options you want for your wedding.

Written by Alize Michelle Craven
Exclusive for mysweetengagement.com

Time to start planning your destination wedding! Where’s it gonna be?

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