What does a destination wedding cost?

The question of all questions: what does a wedding cost? It is the most frequently asked question that my bridal couples always ask me. Comprehensible, because it is very exciting to organize your wedding for the first time and most people have never really thought about weddings and the costs before. Until now. Because now you are engaged and want to know which average costs you should expect and budget. My answer to that question is always a counter question: What is your personal budget and what do you want to spend?

Frankly: asking for the average price of a wedding is like asking for an average price for a car, any car. The costs for a wedding can range between a few hundred and several thousands of euros and will always depend on your wishes and budget. Do you want a compact car or a big limousine?

In the internet you will find many different predictions on the average costs of your wedding. However, there is not the single right answer and the price will be very different if you want to have a celebration with 200 guests in a fancy hotel or with 20 invitees at the beach. All will be a question of your desires and budget. So please make the calculation and see what you are able to spend. That way you will build a frame for the costs and the planning. 

Important questions for the budget planning of your wedding

The two of you should take the time before starting to plan the wedding and answer a few questions for yourselves:

• Do you want to get married just the two of you or do you want to invite your family and friends?
• How many people do you absolutely want to have at the wedding?
• Do you want a big celebration or a small reception?
• Do you want to buy a new wedding dress or get one second hand?
• Do you want to organize everything yourselves or do you want to give the whole planning to someone else?

With the answers to each of those questions you will see clearer how big and elaborate your wedding should be. This will make it easier for you to calculate the potential costs. 

Now you are still wondering what your wedding might cost? Of course, there are a few must-haves that make the difference between a party and a wedding. Those are:

• A ceremony with an officiant or priest (that depends if you want an official ceremony or not)
• A wedding dress
• Wedding rings
• A dinner with several courses
• A DJ or sound system for your music

For a destination wedding you would certainly also need the transport to the location. 

To get a small idea of what is possible and for you to test around we prepared a handy example budget plan for you. Surely the sky’s the limit and the more fancy details you add the more expensive it will get. 

Download the example budget plan here. 

CONCLUSION: The costs for your wedding depend on a lot of factors like your budget and your must haves for the celebration. However, our advice is that you should never get into debt to celebrate your wedding. 

Best
Your Ambrosia Wedding Team