Destination Weddings open up a world of possibilities for couples looking to get married on the beach, in other parts of their home country, or in exotic locations. Sometimes, destination weddings are preferred to help decrease a ballooning guest list. One of the most attractive ways destination weddings are favorable is because the cost can be dramatically less than a traditional local wedding. No matter your reason, you must be assured you are doing what’s best for you.
When you consider a destination wedding, you have infinite variables to consider when making a decision. One of the first decisions you must make is the time of year you desire to marry. Once you choose a preferred date, you must select where to host your wedding. Start as early as possible because many resorts book up fast, and you may need to be flexible with having your wedding on a weekday if you cannot secure a Saturday or Sunday.
Next, you need to consider where you want to host your wedding. When considering a tropical beach wedding, some prefer to escape the winter cold and fly to the Caribbean, Hawaii, or Mexico. For many, the bride, groom, or their parents are from a different country outside of the USA. They may have their primary wedding in that country to satisfy their family, then have another small local ceremony stateside for other friends and family. Usually, these weddings are covered by the family, requiring the wedding to be in another country.
Regardless of where you decide to go, the planning can be daunting but less stressful than planning a local wedding. Generally, the planner at the resort will take care of everything, and you just need to show up with your guests. The all-inclusiveness of it all attracts many couples to beach weddings at resorts, and it can be easy to travel to, depending on where you live.
Now you’ve picked where you want to have your wedding and when you want to have it. Having more control over how much your wedding will cost is refreshing, especially if you are paying for it and not your parents. Selecting a destination wedding will dramatically cut your guest list down. You’d be lucky to get 20 people to come, a far cry from the 150 to 200 you would’ve invited if you were home. The part you benefit from is that you don’t need to pay for your guests to eat or even worry about the ones that don’t show up at the last minute. Everyone wanting to be a part of your wedding is responsible for travel expenses and hotel. You’d be paying for your personal costs and the resort’s resources to host your wedding.
Even though destination weddings can be cheaper than local weddings, prices can skyrocket once you customize it. You have options on top of options to upgrade and add to whichever package you choose. Another variable depends on the resort. The more luxurious the resort is, the more expensive the overall cost.
After doing all the above, you must consider wedding vendors. When you consider photography and Videography specifically, resorts often try to tackle these services in-house. The only challenge is that they are local to the resort rather than local to you. Communication and follow-up can be challenging if you’re unhappy with the final product. Can you imagine being charged $1,500 or $2,000 for either of these services and you could’ve gotten better results from your friend or family member with their iPhone or galaxy S22 Ultra? If it were a vendor from the USA, you have options if anything comes up.
A benefit to hiring a photographer or videographer from the US is that you have access to them locally. Another would be that you have even more professional coverage leading up to your wedding. My destination wedding packages include 3 to 6 hours of coverage on the off days around your wedding. This makes it well worth it for the couple and the videographer, who is unavailable for other gigs because they are there with you. They can enjoy themselves at the resort while making themselves available to the couple each day.
Before hiring a vendor that you want to travel to your destination wedding, consider the costs to make it happen. Depending on the vendor, they’ll charge you a higher rate, including travel and accommodations. They may give you their rate and then keep those separate that you will have to pay. It’s normal for this to happen because you want someone you’re comfortable with taking photos of or filming your wedding. You may even bring your own makeup artist to ensure you’re able to have an exact look you envision for your big day. No matter what you decide, it will cost you.
An example would be that I could charge you $2,000 for booking me for three days and four nights. Then If I said that I would be responsible for transportation and hotel, I might charge you an additional $2,000 just to get me there, depending on flight and baggage costs. Transportation to and from the airport, then the hotel cost per night. So $4,000 seems reasonable, but you get quality work you can depend on. If I charged you $2,000 to book my services, you could book my flight with points. Plan for us to arrive at the same time as other guests and group it together. Then you would only be looking to take care of the room for them to stay in at your resort.
Most resorts will charge you a hefty fee to bring in an outside vendor that isn’t staying at the property. They don’t have an issue if your vendor is a guest at the resort, though. At a wedding I shot in Punta Cana, the Hard Rock charged $1,000 to bring in any vendors that weren’t guests at their hotel. Most local vendors at your destination still charge US prices, so you will still spend $3,000 just for one day. Imagine if three days at the resort cost you $1,100, and my rate is $2,000 for three days of coverage. Then you book my flight with points. You get more for your money with coverage for the entire trip rather than just for your wedding day.
Consider these details as you plan your destination wedding and decide who to hire to capture your wedding. For more information about my services, please continue to browse my site and send me an appointment request.
- * $3,500 *Expenses Include: Flight, Hotel, & Ground Transportation To and From Airport
- 1 Videographer
- 3 Days of Coverage
- 8 hours of Coverage (Wedding Day)This is for the day of the wedding.
- 3 Hours of Coverage on Off Days3 Hours of Photo and video coverage on each day outside of your wedding day. One Day before and one day after. Hours can be split.
- Cinematic Trailer
Short Film
- Instagram Video Upgrade $150Video will be edited for a 24 hour turnarond.
- Drone Coverage $150Aerial pictures and video throughout the 3 days.
- Raw Footage $250Raw footage will be supplied on a hard drive supplied by the couple. Hard drive will be mailed back to couple after editing is completed.
- Additional Hours $250$250 Per Additional Hour
- Destination Love Story Video $500A love story created with the help of close friends and family.
- * $4,500 *Expenses Include: Flight, Hotel, & Ground Transportation To and From Airport
- 1 Videographer
- 3 Days of Coverage
- 8 hours of Coverage (Wedding Day)This is for the day of the wedding.
- 6 Hours of Coverage on Off Days6 Hours of Photo and video coverage on each day outside of wedding day. One Day before and one day after. Hours can be split.
- Cinematic Trailer
Feature Film
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about our services, please click the link to schedule a call to discuss your needs.
