Your Destination Wedding Budget – 16 Must Have Budget Items

Creating your destination wedding budget can seem like a daunting task when you’re just starting to plan. How are you supposed to know how much to spend when you don’t know how much the resort, flights, and accommodations will be? There are a lot of resources for budgeting a traditional wedding, but navigation a budget for a destination wedding can be a little tricky at first. This destination wedding budget will help.

The reason having a budget is so important is because it will help you decide what the must-have’s and not-so-important items are for your wedding. If you can’t imagine your wedding without beautiful invitations, or are willing to spend whatever it takes to find that perfect wedding dress, your budget will keep you on track.

On the other hand, if you can’t decide between two resorts, and one is a little cheaper, your budget will help make your decision based on how much wiggle room you have. Don’t feel guilty for splurging on some things and keeping it affordable for others.

Here are some of the most common budget items you’ll see for a destination wedding. Make sure to allocate a certain amount of money for forgotten or unplanned budget items, as those will certainly appear as your planning begins.

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1. Resort’s wedding package

Some resorts like Sandals, Beaches, and Dreams will offer free wedding packages. This can be a good option for people who know they’re going to have a small number of guests and aren’t looking for anything extravagant. On the other hand, you may want the most deluxe package if it meets your dream destination wedding goals.

Most resorts will list their wedding package pricing on their website. Make sure to look for how many number of guests it’s included for (some will say for only up to 50 guests which means you’ll be paying extra for any guests above that number.) Also, keep in mind that even if you get the most expensive package it may not include every little thing you want included in your wedding.

2. You and your fiance’s flights and accommodations

Start looking at flights for certain days of the week to get a good sense of how much that will run you. Certain days of the week will be cheaper to fly out than others.

Resorts will list their nightly rate online, but it can vary greatly depending on the time of year and what kind of discounted rate your travel agent can get you. Just have a ballpark idea of how much you want to spend to stay at the resort and for how long.

3. Photographer (if you don’t want to use the one the resort provides or they don’t have one)

If you plan on hiring an outside photographer for your wedding make sure to accommodate for their travel expenses as well. Most destination photographers charge for their travels.

4. Wedding dress

5. Bridal accessories (veil, lingerie, hair piece) 

6. Groom’s attire

Not sure where to get the groom’s attire or what he should wear? Check out our post, “Men’s Beach Wedding Attire Ideas (And Best Places to Shop).”

7. Jewelry and shoes

8. Save the dates

A lot of brides wonder if it’s worth it to spend the money on save the dates and invitations when they know most of the guests invited will not be attending. Check out our guide “The Ultimate Save-the-Date and Invite Guide for Your Destination Wedding” to help determine how you should send them.

9. Invitations

Not sure where to order save the dates or invites? If you plan on sending in the mail I think the best option is Minted. If planning through email consider Greenvelope.

10. Hair and makeup

This may be included with your wedding package. If not, some brides like to hire an outside vendor near the resort to come and do their hair and makeup.

11. Spa treatment (nails, hair, tanning, waxing, etc.)

About a week or 2 before the wedding you’ll want to get a lot of pampering done. Make sure to leave room in your budget for hair cut and color, manicure and pedicure, tanning, waxing, or any other spa treatments you know you’ll want to have done.

Pro tip: Consider saving your mani and pedi until after you’ve arrived at the resort. If you’re getting there quite a few days before your wedding you may want to wait on getting your nails done so they’re nice and fresh for your wedding day.

12. Flowers (if the resort isn’t providing)

Some resorts only provide a bouquet for the bride as part of their package and then charge a separate fee for the bridesmaid’s flowers. You may be okay with that, but you may also want to consider having the flowers done by someone like this Etsy shop. Then your bridesmaids can bring their own flowers themselves and you can save on luggage and money.

13. Decorations

A lot of wedding packages through the resort don’t include much for decorations. Consider add on charges for things like string lights, centerpieces, and chair covers. Check out our post “Should You Bring your Own Decor to your Destination Wedding?” for more tips on how to navigate décor for your wedding.

14. Gifts for family members

If you’re considering getting a gift for your parents, grandparents, husband, or another special loved one make sure you set room aside for all of those gifts. Also check out our Gift Ideas page if you need ideas!

15. Party favors

Whether it’s personalized sunglasses, seashells, or welcome bags, a lot of destination wedding brides consider party favors for their wedding. Personally, we didn’t include them in ours and we don’t regret it. It saved us luggage space and money, but some brides really want their guests to have something to remember their wedding by.

16. Tipping services

You may or may not have started thinking about tipping for your destination wedding. Is it necessary? How much money should you sent aside in your budget? Check out our post “Tipping Guide for Your Destination Wedding” for more help.

As a general rule of thumb, tipping will include the following:

Vendor/employee working for themselves – no tip

Vendor/employee working for the resort – tip

For vendors/employees like hair and makeup artists, DJ, or photographer a percentage might be an easier way to go. The reason for that is because you know exactly what they’re charging you, so you can choose a 10% or 15% gratuity to tip them. For example, if the extra service fee for your DJ was $500.00 then you’ll know what’s appropriate if you’d like to tip them at the end of the night for a job well done.

For employees like bartenders, servers, and housekeeping it will be easier to tip a flat fee. A few dollars goes a long way for these employees. Typically, you’ll hear that if you’re tipping bartenders a few dollars throughout the day they remember you, appreciate you, and make sure to get your drinks faster. They will happily accept the US dollar as well, so you shouldn’t have to worry about a currency exchange.

There you have it. It may seem overwhelming at first, but once you go through the above items individually you’ll have a much better idea on where you’re at financially in planning and budgeting your destination wedding.

Need more help with planning your destination wedding? Check out our Destination Wedding Planner to navigate you through the entire process.

Was this destination wedding budget helpful? Am I missing any big items that you’ve included in your budget? Comment below or contact me here!