how much planning is involved, etc. My fiancee and I are exploring all of our options, we're on a low budget so we're trying to see what's the cheapest and easiest way to go, but we still want to have a few close friends and family there. Any help would be appreciated.
2007-10-11 07:29:12 · 6 answers · asked by phatchick182004 4 in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
We're planning ours now. I will say, we haven't set any kind of budget for ourselves, so I don't know the exact cost, but just like any wedding, it could be very reasonably priced or super expensive.
We're having ours in St Thomas & flying 12 people & putting them up in hotels for 4 nights, plus hosting a welcome dinner for 28 total, after the wedding itself, we'll have champagne on the beach and a luncheon afterward. We hired a steel band to play. Once we return home, we're having a clambake reception for 200. I think all this, with dress, rings, honeymoon, etc will end up costing us about $25-30,000. The biggest part of our expense is the 12 plane tickets and hotel accomodations for everyone. You could always curtail that quite a bit. Also, you don't have to have the reception once you return home-that would save a few thousand.
Realistically, you could have a very nice destination wedding for a few thousand.
2007-10-11 07:39:05 · answer #1 · answered by melouofs 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is the great thing about a destination wedding. It can be ANYTHING.
For example you could have a 100,000 wedding in Fuji, with 100 waiters serving your guests and keeping them in native fruits and alcohol all night long. You could also have a $500 vegas wedding. The cost (just like the location) can be anything you have in mind.
Same with the planning. Several places have wedding planners that take care of everything. With Disney, they do hundreds of weddings each year and have a wedding planner assigned to you. You can put nearly everything in her hands and do very little yourself--just making the decisions once she's done the work. Or you can be that person planning every detail. Do you want a wedding planner or not? I think with a destination wedding that a local wedding planner is nearly a Must-Have. After all, they can go meet with everyone and set up appointments whenever.
You say you are on a low budget but that can be done easily. How do you envision your wedding? What do you want? After all, you can be simple--go to church and just have a punch and cake reception. Fly to Vegas and go to a 24 hr joint for around $200 (including flight). How many people do you want to come?
Figure out your budget and where you would like to have it. Then start calling. Where do you live? The closer the destination wedding is to home the cheaper it would be for friends and family to travel to it. The more expensive the flight the fewer people are going to come.
Weddings dont have to require much planning. After all, you could just call 10 people and tell them to meet you on this date in Vegas. Or a wedding can have a year of planning. In my experience though if your concern is mostly financial and staying within your budget--having a whole year to plan will allow you to find the sales and not be rushed in your negotiations.
Before you consult with wedding planners make sure you have some idea of what you want yourself and a strict idea of what your budget is. That will make it much easier to explain to a wedding planner exactly what you want--and easier to make sure you are happy on the day of.
2007-10-16 06:52:17 · answer #2 · answered by phantom_of_valkyrie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am planning my destination wedding in Las Vegas. It's not a typical Vegas wedding. If you look around there are so many unique ideas that are not "Vegas" because it's fairly inexpensive to get there and stay there you can do a lot of a little money. I am spending about $5,000 (for travel, hotel, and the wedding pkg.) But we got a unique location which cost us a little more $$ If you are considering Vegas just make sure you really look around before deciding because there is so much out there. If you have any questions you can e-mail me.
2007-10-11 15:58:58 · answer #3 · answered by Mel G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am actually planning a small destination wedding, at a B&B
( really it is a plantation from the 1700's and has a small resturant on site. the ground are beautiful and they give you a A/B plan in case it rains. we are doing a cocktail reception this means we are providing wine , and first toast , plus cake , and hand passed hor durves by suited up waiters we have the property for 5 -6 hours and total cost 1500.00
my wedding trinkets are actually going to be a stories that I have complied of the history of the plantation that we are going to be at for the wedding.
What is great is the guest from out of town can book a room right there at the site.
hope it helps
2007-10-11 11:26:37 · answer #4 · answered by la de da 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, first of all, what is your idea of a "destination wedding"... according to definition, its anywhere that you arent... I had a destination wedding in Charleston, SC... I lived in Maryland, my parents were in Georgia, and the groom's family was in Florida...
It was difficult to plan but everything went pretty smoothly. It was nice to have it still in the US because I was able to take a few trips down there to settled some plans (I went three times in 18 months)...
Total (including my dress and decorations and hotel and food, etc) I spent about $20,000
I also saved money by doing a lot of things on my own... i made my own centerpeices, made my own wedding favors, and purchased a lot of little things at craft stores rather than bridal shops (most craft stores have a wedding section)
I also saved by buying my own decorations and just having the florist use that (I bought the ribbon, the tulle, etc)... so the florist did the decorations but did not have to charge me for those supplies (which would have been more expensive to get from her than from the craft store)
I still had about 100 people at the ceremony and reception... so if you are going for smaller than that, it should be easier.
Today, most guests realize that travel accomodations are on them... we didnt pay for hotel stays, but we did make arragements with the hotel to offer a group rate that was about $100 cheaper a night than the original rate... of course if you offer to pay travel expenses, more people will come... but most people recognize that those expenses are on themselves...
Good luck! and Congrats!
2007-10-11 07:40:50 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cheapest and easiest destination weddings are in Vegas.
2007-10-11 07:49:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋