Planning a destination wedding? Here’s how to keep the costs under control

Reports coming in for today mention that A destination wedding can quickly become expensive. You aren't simply paying for a wedding venue and food. There may be hotel rooms, airport transfers, vendor travel, multiple functions and several days of meals to pay for as well.

But destination weddings don't necessarily have to run into crores. Current estimates vary widely, with costs depending heavily on the destination, hotel category, guest count and number of functions.

The trick is to decide what really matters to you and trimmed back on the things that don't.

Start with the guest list

This is probably the biggest decision you will make around the budget.

At a destination wedding, every additional guest can mean more than another plate of food. You may additionally be paying for their room, transfers, welcome meals and other functions.

A wedding for 100 people can as a result look very different financially from exactly the same celebration for 250.

Make the guest list before you start looking at venues. Otherwise, it is easy to decline in love with a property and then discover that accommodating everyone pushes the wedding well beyond your budget.

Don't automatically choose the most popular destination

Udaipur, Jaipur and Goa may be the obvious choices, but you are paying for the popularity as well as the location.

Look at places that are easier to reach from where most of your guests live. A beautiful resort within driving distance can save considerably on flights and airport transfers.

It can additionally make the journey much easier for elderly relatives and families travelling with young children.

Your wedding date can make a big difference

If you aren't attached to a particular date, ask venues for rates across several months and days of the week.

Peak wedding season and popular weekends can be considerably more expensive. Earlier industry estimates have found that negotiating during the off-season can reduce venue costs substantially.

A weekday or shoulder-season wedding may allow you to book a better property without increasing the overall budget.

Just don't choose an inconvenient season purely because it is cheaper. Heavy rain or extreme heat can create another set of expenses if outdoor functions suddenly need to be moved.

Use the destination as your décor

If you are paying to get married beside a beach, in the mountains or at a heritage property, you may not need to transform the venue completely.

Choose spaces that already look good and keep the décor around them relatively simple.

Elaborate floral installations, structures and sets can become particularly expensive at destination weddings because materials and workers may have to be transported and accommodated.

Use local vendors where it makes sense

Taking photographers, decorators, makeup artists, entertainers and other teams from your home city can mean paying for their flights, hotel rooms and local transport as well as their fees.

Ask the venue which local vendors regularly work there and compare their prices.

You may still want to take a few important vendors with you, but there is little reason to fly an entire team across the country if equally good services are available locally.

Be careful with the number of functions

A destination wedding can easily turn into three days of continuous events.

Every additional function brings another round of food, décor, entertainment, photography and venue expenses.

Instead of trying to fill every hour, decide which celebrations you genuinely want. Some functions can additionally be combined rather than organised as completely separate events.

Keep money aside for the expenses you didn't expect

Transfers, extra rooms, vendor meals, additional equipment, late check-outs and last-minute changes can all add to the final bill.

Don't spend your entire budget when making the initial bookings. Keep a separate buffer for costs that appear closer to the wedding.

Most importantly, decide your total budget before you start booking.

A destination wedding can still feel special without choosing the most expensive hotel, inviting hundreds of people or organising a different spectacle every night. Spend more on the two or three things that matter most to you, and keep the rest simple.