11 Destination Wedding Spending Plan Tips

Sometimes a couple tends to go overboard on their wedding spending plan. Which could cause them to spend the next few years paying it off, who really wants to do that. That’s why managing your spending plan on your wedding, doesn’t always have to mean sacrificing an glamourous affair. If you use these tricks to create a realistic financial plan, and you'll pull off a fabulous event that won't leave you in the financial trouble.
1. What is your spending plan
The first step in planning a destination wedding is to figure out what your spending plan will be, in other words what can you afford. As a Wedding Planner who Specializes in Destination Weddings, that is my first question to all of my clients. Let me tell you most of them don't know or haven't even thought about it. But, to have the destination wedding you've always dreamed of you need to know what you have and want to spend, because you don't want to be in debt once its all over. I know "budget" can be a nasty word that's why I prefer using spending plan. Figure out how much money you have to work with, and then determine how much you'll put toward the various elements of your wedding. Just avoid calling your financial arrangements a "budget. With ‘spending plan,' it puts more emphasis on how you're going to spend your wedding dollars . Don't think about it as sacrificing what you want, but rather as using limited resources in the best way possible." Handle things as a team; for instance, if the cake you want costs more than you'd budgeted, you and your groom both need to agree that the overage is worth it.
2. Search for cost effective locations.
With the high price of airfares and a weakening dollar have made some international locations somewhat pricey, but there are still deals to be had. People are staying within the U.S. or Latin America Asia's a great deal — it can be expensive to get there, but once you're there, you can custom-make everything for pennies. Cruises also offer a big bang for your buck." Head slightly off the beaten path — say, a smaller city outside a larger metro area — and you'll likely see considerable savings as well.
3. Slim down your guest list.
Every person you invite costs you money for invitations, food, cake and more, so check your list twice, and make sure everyone on it is an absolute must-have. Create an A list for people you absolutely have to have there, B list for people you want to be there but it’s ok if their not, and your C list people who you would like to be there but wouldn’t care either way. It may sound crass to put a dollar amount on someone's head, but once you have estimates for the cost of the food, flowers and other details, you'll be able to figure out how much you'll pay per person and who is essential to the event.
4. Skip the wedding weekend.
Since everyone is already on vacation, why not have a Monday or Tuesday wedding? most people don’t realize that you get better deals with the venue, vendors and travel cost by doing a weekday wedding whether destination wedding. That dream location that has an outrageous site fee on a Saturday may waive it on a Tuesday just to get your business."
5. Keep an open-minded.
When you set strict parameters for your wedding like (it has to be a certain date, the flowers must be peonies etc.), you limit yourself to getting great deals. Having flexibility is really important when planning your wedding. Reverse the question: Instead of saying to your venue, 'I want to get married on this date,' say, 'I'd like to get married in the summer; what date can you give me where I can save money? Think about giving your florist some wiggle room by asking for a "market buy," where they choose the best deals from the floral market for your wedding while keeping your color scheme in mind.
6. Research the taxes.
"In the world of taxes, not all is equal, Larger cities can have independent state and city taxes that could cost brides an additional $1,000 to $5,000. Look for venues in areas with low taxes."
7. Make the most out of local resources.
The farther someone travels to get to your wedding site, the more expensive it'll be. "Look for locations that use local produce, flowers from local gardens or wine from local vineyards. You need to maximizing the setting to minimize your decorating budget. "You probably don't need much decoration if you're having a beach wedding, in some cases, so you'll save on ceremony flowers. Even though you may be in a fabulous tropical destination, use décor that truly represents the location. In the mountains, see which wildflowers are in bloom and can be sourced locally. And consider whether you need to have an outside vendor imported to your site or if a local can do the job.
8. Collaborate with other couples.
Its a great idea to find out what other events your vendors have in the days before and after your wedding, and see if you can economize with another couple. I would never hurt to ask your florist if you could collaborate on an order and get a discount — they may be able to tack on the flowers you need at a nominal cost. If you plan on having an outdoor wedding, check to see if you can share a tent with a bride getting married the same weekend. If it's a wedding of comparable size, contact those people and share the costs. You can approach the tent company as a group and save big on setup fees.
9. Make small cuts on each element of your wedding.
You don't have to make significant spending plan cuts in just one area, make many smaller cuts on each element of your wedding that can add up to a more significant savings. You can cut one course from the meal or serve just the wedding cake as dessert.
10. Do away with farewell brunch.
The day-after breakfast has become a big thing for destination weddings, but its really not even necessary especially if your at an all inclusive resort where all your food and beverages are included, instead of paying for a private area to say goodbye to all the friends and family who have attended your destination wedding, pick a restaurant to meet at a certain time for all of you to eat together. Plus, Brunch is generally a waste of money. Because half the people who say they're coming don't because they're hungover.
11. Prioritize your spending.
You have to decide on what's most important to you — a great band/DJ stunning centerpieces, an amazing five-course meal put your money toward making the key details spectacular. "Spend your money on the things that are really wonderful as opposed to spreading yourself thin. for example if you are a foodie put more of your spending plan into your food, if you like to party put more money into your entertainment. Focus your funds on your guests' experiences that materialize on the wedding day, and it will come off really well."