“How much does a destination wedding cost?”
It’s one of the first questions couples ask me, and unfortunately, there isn't one number that accurately answers it.
You may see destination weddings advertised online for surprisingly low prices. You may also see couples spending $30,000, $50,000 or significantly more.
Both can be true.
The cost of a destination wedding depends heavily on your guest count, resort, number of private events, wedding package, décor, florals, entertainment, photography, outside vendors and the overall experience you want to create.
After working with destination wedding couples and reviewing real wedding costs, I prefer to give couples a realistic planning range rather than an artificially low number.
A Realistic Destination Wedding Budget: $250–$450+ Per Guest
As a general starting point, I recommend couples plan for approximately $250–$450+ per guest for the wedding celebration itself.
That means a preliminary planning range might look something like:
30 guests: $7,500–$13,500+
50 guests: $12,500–$22,500+
75 guests: $18,750–$33,750+
100 guests: $25,000–$45,000+
These aren't quotes or guaranteed minimums or maximums. They're a starting point for having a much more realistic conversation about what you want to create.
A simple celebration that takes advantage of resort inclusions may fall toward the lower end. An elevated wedding with multiple events, upgraded décor and entertainment may fall toward the middle or upper end.
A highly customized wedding can easily exceed $450 per guest.
Why Destination Wedding Costs Vary So Much
Two couples can invite the same number of guests to the same destination and end up with completely different wedding costs.
That's because guest count is only one piece of the equation.
1. Your Resort
Resorts structure wedding pricing differently.
Some offer substantial inclusions through their wedding packages. Others charge separately for many of the details couples assume will be included.
Your room block may also earn wedding benefits or concessions that reduce certain costs.
This is one reason I don't recommend selecting a destination wedding resort based solely on the advertised wedding package price.
The least expensive package doesn't necessarily result in the least expensive wedding.
2. The Wedding Package Is Usually the Starting Point
This is one of the biggest misconceptions I see.
A resort may advertise a wedding package for a certain price, but that doesn't necessarily represent what your finished wedding will cost.
Once you begin customizing, you may add:
Upgraded florals and centerpieces
Specialty chairs, tables or linens
DJ or live entertainment
Photography and videography
Lighting and production
Specialty entertainment
Upgraded food and beverage
Additional private events
Outside vendors
Custom signage and stationery
Specialty ceremony or reception décor
The package gives us a foundation. Your final selections determine where the budget ultimately lands.
3. The Number of Hosted Events Matters
A destination wedding often becomes an entire wedding weekend.
Instead of hosting only a ceremony and reception, you may also want a welcome party, rehearsal dinner, cocktail event, pool party, farewell brunch or another private group experience.
Those events create an incredible guest experience—but they also need to be accounted for in the budget.
A 50-person wedding with two hosted events and a 50-person wedding with four hosted events shouldn't be expected to cost the same amount.
4. Décor and Florals Can Change the Budget Quickly
Pinterest and Instagram have dramatically changed what couples envision for destination weddings.
Statement ceremony installations, elaborate florals, custom dance floors, hanging installations, specialty lighting and highly styled reception tables can be beautiful.
They can also represent a significant portion of the wedding budget.
If design is one of your priorities, I would rather account for that from the beginning than select a resort based on an unrealistic budget and discover later that the wedding you envisioned isn't financially feasible.
5. Entertainment and Vendors Matter Too
A basic DJ and a wedding featuring a DJ, live musicians, dancers, cold sparks and specialty entertainment are two very different productions.
The same applies to photography, videography, hair and makeup, content creators and other vendors.
Some resorts also charge outside-vendor fees when you bring in professionals who aren't part of their preferred vendor network.
Those expenses need to be considered when evaluating the overall wedding budget.
What Does a $15,000 Destination Wedding Look Like?
This depends heavily on guest count.
For a smaller wedding, $15,000 may provide room for a beautiful celebration with thoughtful upgrades.
For a 75- or 100-person wedding, that same budget becomes significantly more restrictive.
You may need to prioritize fewer hosted events, simpler décor, resort-included options and fewer premium upgrades.
That's why I don't like evaluating a destination wedding budget without also discussing guest count.
What About a $25,000 Destination Wedding?
A $25,000 wedding budget can provide considerably more flexibility, particularly for a moderate guest count.
Depending on the resort and number of guests, it may allow for multiple hosted events, upgraded décor or florals, entertainment and additional customization.
But again, $25,000 for 40 guests is very different from $25,000 for 100 guests.
And a $40,000+ Destination Wedding?
At this level, couples generally have more flexibility to create an elevated or highly customized wedding experience.
That may mean more substantial florals, upgraded rentals, premium entertainment, multiple private events, specialty vendors and more elaborate production.
It still doesn't mean the budget is unlimited. Guest count and resort pricing remain important.
Don't Forget: The Wedding Budget and Travel Budget Are Different
When I discuss a destination wedding budget, I'm referring specifically to the wedding celebration and related events.
That is separate from costs such as:
Your hotel accommodations
Guest accommodations
Airfare
Airport transportation
Travel protection
Honeymoon expenses
Professional planning or service fees
Keeping those categories separate makes it much easier to understand what you're actually spending.
Try the Destination Wedding Budget Calculator
If you're at the beginning of the planning process and aren't sure what you should be budgeting, I created the Book with B Travel Destination Wedding Budget Calculator to give you a realistic starting point.
The calculator considers your:
Expected guest count
Number of hosted wedding events
Overall wedding vision
It then provides a preliminary planning range based on the type of celebration you're describing.
The purpose isn't to predict your wedding cost down to the dollar.
It's to answer a much more useful question:
Is the wedding I'm envisioning reasonably aligned with the budget I'm considering?
Start With the Budget—Then Find the Right Resort
One of the biggest mistakes couples can make is falling in love with a resort before understanding whether the property's wedding pricing actually aligns with their vision.
I prefer to work in the opposite direction.
First, we talk about your guest experience, priorities, approximate guest count and realistic wedding budget.
Then we look for destinations and resorts that make sense for those priorities.
That approach doesn't make destination wedding planning less exciting.
It makes the decisions that follow much more informed.
Ready to see what your destination wedding might require?
Use the Book with B Travel Destination Wedding Budget Calculator to establish your starting range.
And if the numbers align with what you have in mind, schedule a destination wedding consultation so we can talk about your vision, priorities and next steps.
