If you’re planning a destination wedding, you may be wondering how to budget for your big day. The first step is to figure out how much you can afford to spend. If you’re taking out personal loan for wedding, you’ll need to factor in the interest rates and repayment terms. Once you have a clear idea of your budget, you can start looking at venues and vendors in your price range. It’s also important to set aside money for unexpected expenses, such as weather-related cancellations or last-minute changes to your guest list. By planning ahead and being mindful of your spending, you can ensure that your destination wedding is both beautiful and affordable. Here’s a list of steps to plan your budget for a destination wedding:
1. Decide How Many People to Invite
Create a budget around the number of people you want to invite. Don’t choose the destination before you do this. Booking sites and travel destinations will ask you for this number of guests before they’ll quote you a price. Estimate it as slightly higher than the number of people you expect to show up. Underestimating could leave you with not enough money in your budget.
2. Evaluate Destination Wedding Packages
You could put a package together yourself, but why reinvent the wheel? Destination weddings are popular, so many travel agencies and resort locations have their own packages that are already put together. Search for available options and weigh those against the size of your guest list. Then, create a shortlist of affordable packages.
3. Check Airfare and Transportation Prices
Most destination wedding packages don’t include airfare or transportation to the resort so you’ll need to check the pricing on those items and factor them into your budget. Most couples ask their guests to pay their own airfare, but they’ll spring for other transportation costs. You can hire an affordable limo service or buses that offer airport transportation for special occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and more.
4. Look Out for Hidden Costs
A package deal usually includes hotel accommodations, but it may not cover the cost of a reception room. Read the contract carefully to see what’s covered and what’s not covered. This is one of the most overlooked areas of budgeting. You don’t want to be surprised by “unexpected” bills presented to you on your wedding day.
5. Use Local Vendors
Anyone who has planned a wedding knows that there are countless items needed to make the event a success. These items include tablecloths, wedding favors, napkins, centerpieces, and decorations for the venue. You might find it cheaper to use local vendors for these items. Do some price comparison before placing any orders.
6. Add a Line Item for Incidentals
Once you’ve added up your price per person for the destination wedding package, airfare and transportation costs, hotel costs, and vendor costs, add another line item to your budget for “incidentals.” No matter how carefully you plan, there will always be an extra expense somewhere. Leave yourself some cushion in the budget and enjoy your day.