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My future wife to be and I have discussed doing a destination wedding for a couple of reasons:
1) We live in the DC/MD/VA area and the prices for weddings are already astronomically high, read somewhere the average wedding is between 30-35K.
2) We don't want a 150 person wedding, maybe 50 people, the absolute max would be 75. These are people that we would invite, the number will be lowered if people didn't come which brings me to my next point...
3) We're thinking of doing some sort of survey where we ask the possibilities of people wanting to fly somewhere for a wedding. She brought up a good point when she asked "well what if no one came?" So we're definitely going to ask people about it, and send out a notification ahead of time (probably a year before the actual wedding) just so that people can save up.
4) Average cost of a destination wedding is around 5K, but you can get something really good for 8K. Budget will probably be 10K total.
I read a thread that's 2 years old and for the most part it sounds like destination weddings are for people who are pretentious. This isn't the case here, moreso the money and not wanting to start this off with debt.
Edit: Meant to be placed in the wedding section. Please move if at all possible.
I know they're popular, but I am not comfortable asking guests to attend my wedding and spend a couple of thousand dollars and use their vacation time for my 15 minute beach wedding.
I don't know what the average cost of a wedding is in my area, but ours was $1,600 and people are still talking about how lovely it was. There are a ton of alternatives to doing the standard wedding reception in a city, catered in a hotel banquet hall and hiring an expensive DJ/band.
I am totally fine with it. Frankly, I wish weddings were more about the couple marrying not the "wedding". I dont see why you have to please a bunch of ppl and not yourselves. (as long as your closest can go I would do it)
I eloped. Destination wedding would have been good too.
Do NOT send out a survey, because you will get a million different answers, and you won't be able to please everyone. Then you risk pissing off Aunt Ida if you choose the one location she did not want.
Ask your closest family if you want, then choose a place that fits you.
I will say that I would never ask friends and family to travel for a wedding, especially since it usually includes multiple events and lots of $$ and logistics. I had to miss a destination wedding last month when my oldest nephew and his fiancee chose to be married in Colorado when all of his family lives in TN.
We were the only ones who could not make it because of schedules and the cost of flying all 5 of us out there. I am still very sad about missing out on the special event.
I got married in Santorini at sunset. It was awesome. I hate thinking about it now that I'm divorced. But I highly recommend going to Santorini, Greece and doing that. Our hotel was the Heliotopos. Our wedding pictures are still on their website.
Personally, I think it's selfish to expect guests to fork over big bucks to travel for a wedding, especially if it's somewhere like Cancun or Aspen. Asking them to travel to your hometown, that's perfectly okay.
I know our wedding was under $1000 and renewal under $2000. Each had under 50 people attend. It can be done on a budget.
Im not sure about a destination wedding. I know i wouldnt be able to attend. Some possibilities to consider: Elope and have a small reception when you get back instead. Change your idea of a wedding and have something non traditional (at the beach, at the park, a barn, city building)
I got married in Santorini at sunset. It was awesome. I hate thinking about it now that I'm divorced. But I highly recommend going to Santorini, Greece and doing that. Our hotel was the Heliotopos. Our wedding pictures are still on their website.
!!!
I'm trying to plan a trip there for us next year! I used to look at the live webcam on the Heliotopos every day! But they kept having problems with it working. I just now checked and I think it may be up again.
Going to go check out the wedding pictures now. I'm really sorry it didn't work out, though, Atl.
I have always thought destination weddings were ill-advised and presumptious because they presume people can and will spend a small fortune and a chunk of their vacation time traveling to the destination. You said yourself, people would have to "save up." It also will likely exclude a certain percentage of people you want to be there. You're in DC, you should heed Carolyn Hax's advice on this matter.
It shouldn't be difficult to avoid spending $35,000 on a wedding for 50 people, even in the DC area. You just have to be smart about it and not do anything too fancy.
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I'm really sorry it didn't work out, though, Atl.
