Thanks to our friend Martin Commins from Bespoke Diamonds, with his infographic on “Organizing your Dream Destination Wedding”, we got the inside scoop on how destination weddings are a rising trend and it’s here to stay. In this blog, I’ll be dissecting this graphic to give you more insight on their statistics.
Destination Wedding Statistics
Most people think that having a wedding abroad would be more the expensive choice, but on average the cost of a destination wedding is $8,800 compared to the latter of domestic weddings, which are $30,000. Just like domestic weddings, there are peak months for couples to get married. For weddings abroad, the most popular month would be May (which in most places would have very beautiful weather) following by June and July. Typically, after you get married you start your honeymoon/vacation, but with destination weddings, once you get on that plane to get to your location, the vacation begins! With that being said, on average the couple will stay at their destination for 7 days, with their guests staying 4 days.
Fun fact: Destination weddings now account for 24% of the wedding market.
Typical Locations for Destination Weddings
A few out of the many reasons couples choose to do destination weddings are beautiful scenery, it’s hugely romantic, gorgeous weather and the culture. As the list grows each year, several countries that have peaked a lot of couples interest for their weddings are:
- Argentina
- Canada
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Fiji
- Iceland
- Italy
- Mauritius
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
Why do People Get Married Abroad
If you ever needed more convincing, here are more reasons why people get married abroad:
- You’d be saving quite a bit of money due to the fact that destination weddings typically cost significantly less.
- It’s often easier simply because almost always there will be the need of a wedding planner.
- Due to your location, you’d end up with amazing photographs
- Usually it’s just one special day, but instead, the celebration can be extended across several days
- On average, the guest count is around 28-35 ppl, which makes it easier to not invite unwanted guests who would expect or require an invite to a wedding held domestically.
- Makes for a unique wedding that will never be forgotten by anyone
Steps in Organizing a Destination Wedding
- Come up with a wide-ranging list of possible locations
- Get it down to a short list of pros & cons on each location
- Choose your destination and enlist the help of a wedding planner
- Figure out your guest list – once you have final numbers, organize travel arrangements
- Select a theme
- Get yourself and the wedding party all sized and suited up for everything that will be worn on the wedding day
- With the help of your wedding planner, complete any administrative tasks relating to the wedding
- Organize the food
- Complete the finishing touches; music, cake, makeup and photography
- Enjoy every minute of your destination wedding!
Tips for Organizing Destination Weddings
- Hire a wedding planner
- Find out the legalities of getting married at the destination you chose
- Consider what travel plans would be most convenient for your guests
- Consider taking out wedding insurance
- Confirm the dates and notify your guests asap
- Visit your proposed destination, to make sure it’s suitable for your wedding
- Ensure you have arranged any essential documents
- Arrive at your destination at least 4 days prior to the wedding to give yourself time to get settled in
About the Author
Deneita is a George Brown College Graduate of the Special Events Planning Program. She has always known the event planning industry was the path she was meant to take. From volunteering and working at countless big events such as Toronto Fashion Week, Canadian Screen Awards , University of Toronto’s Spring Alumni Reunion Event, TIFF Bell Lightbox’s Next Wave Film Festival and much more, her knowledge only grew fonder and her love for the industry only got much larger. She has stepped into the world of weddings and she couldn’t be happier. With her coordination skills along with her keen eye for details and not to mention creativity and organization, these attributes will only help her on this path to love.
