29 Pros and cons of destination weddings

Picturing a wedding on a tropical island in some far-off location in your imagination? Maybe it’s a Fiji resort with overwater bungalows or a hidden gem of villas dotted along the shoreline of Thailand’s perfectly white sandy beaches. 

Whatever destination you have in mind, the process of choosing to have a destination wedding can quickly spin into a decision that feels somewhat daunting. Will your parents be able to attend? What about your grandparents? Or your not-so-flush-with-cash uni friends? There are dozens of questions you’ll inevitably mull over while deciding whether or not to have a destination wedding. 

At its best, a destination wedding is a beautiful way to bring together your short list of loved ones for a long weekend of revelry. Cocktails by the pool? Schedule them in. A jaunt to town with your BFFs? Yep, that can be done. A wedding actually on the beach with your feet in the sand? That’s possible too.

Beach weddings aren’t your thing? We’d encourage you to think beyond the sand and sea when selecting a destination wedding location. Maybe simply going to a wine country or river retreat destination is more your vibe. Whatever the case, a destination wedding is likely to be just that — a destination all your guests will need to travel to. And of course, that has both benefits and challenges for any couple.

Here are the pros and cons of a destination wedding to help you discuss the possibilities with your partner and your families.  Pro tip: Use these as talking points when you’re catching up with the people who are a little more hesitant in your inner circle.

Destination wedding pros:

1. Visiting a gorgeous destination with all your favourite people
2. They add a feeling of intimacy to your wedding experience
3. Multiple days of hanging out with your people instead of just one day
4. Your guests really get to know each other
5. Introduce your guests to a place you love
6. Discover a place you didn’t know you’d love
7. An experience everyone really will remember forever
8. Wedding packages that include everything you need to plan the wedding are much more common (and affordable)
9. It’s an adventure!
10. Planning feels a lot easier because everything you need is in one place
11. A mutual place for couples who are from different places or parts of the world — easier for guests to feel like they’re all on neutral ground
12. Opportunity to do site visits beforehand and get to know the area
13. More control over your budget, as you may be able to get better deals abroad
14. Much more laidback experience of the wedding planning process
15. Often more dates are available
16. Built-in anniversary destination
17. More focus on the couple
18. A great excuse to have a smaller guest list
19. Can be your honeymoon spot as well

Destination wedding cons:

1. Can be hard to get in touch with your suppliers (island time is a real thing, as is choppy wifi)
2. More research is involved unless you use a destination wedding package
3. Some guests won’t be able to attend due to cost and travel
4. Cultural and language barriers can make planning logistics difficult
5. Some destination wedding packages can be a little too one-size-fits-all
6. You may not be able to have the legal ceremony on the day depending on how difficult the local logistics are (though many couples are fine with this and don’t mind having two ceremonies — one at home and one abroad)
7. Weather can be a limiting factor regarding date availability — depending on the destination, you may have to consider things like cyclones, hurricanes, or blizzards
8. More clear and frequent communication with your guests is a must in the lead-up
9. Currency exchange rates are always moving, making it harder to budget over the long period of time it takes to plan a wedding
10. Some guests may be offended that you’re not covering some costs of travel

Considering a destination wedding? Our destination wedding and travel team can help.

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