On your decision to explore a destination wedding. You might’ve already seen some wedding packages and have that cost in mind, which is very affordable, but this is likely your first destination wedding you’ve ever planned, and you don’t know what you don’t know.
So, let’s talk about some of the extra costs of a destination wedding to factor in, generally speaking:
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The most shocking is private event fees. You think, “This is an all-inclusive, so why would we pay to have a private group dinner?” I get it—this was hard for me too until I started on the vendor side of things and got to see why. Let’s pretend you have a group of 50 at an adults-only/couples resort. The resorts want to protect the atmosphere for the other guests, so to keep the noise level down, they aren’t going to set up your group in the little French restaurant where couples are trying to have a romantic dinner. Instead, they hire extra staff to set up a private event for your group in an area where you can be loud, maybe have music, maybe hire private entertainers, and have a good time while the other guests are enjoying their intimate meals inside the restaurants.
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Those packages include the vendors those resorts contract with. If you want an outside vendor, there will be an outside vendor fee.
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Decor costs are a sticker shock no matter your destination. To minimize costs, you might be considering bringing your own. Oftentimes, there will be a fee for the resort staff to set this up.
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If there is a highly sought-after venue at the resort, there might be an extra charge to reserve it.
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Guests booked outside of your group block fees. Oftentimes, resorts give groups nice extras—like complimentary private events—but only for those booked within the group block. It’s becoming very common for resorts to assess fees to guests who book outside the group block to attend these events.
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Offsite guest day passes. If a guest is staying offsite, they will need a day pass for each and every day they want to come onsite to attend an event—plus the cost of transfers to and from the resort, along with time constraints on when they can arrive and when they must leave. Additionally, they can only obtain a day pass if the resort is not at maximum capacity. This is often more of a hassle than it’s worth. Encourage your guests to stay on the property for the minimum group number of nights and then switch to their Airbnb afterward—it’s likely going to cost less this way anyway.
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The bridal suite at the spa. There is generally a charge to rent this for the day, and since there’s only one suite (but likely more than one wedding happening on your day), you’ll want to reserve it early.
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Room service for the wedding party. Yes, it’s an all-inclusive, but room service is only for the number of occupants in that room. If you’re ordering for a big group, there’s a service charge.
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Delivering anything to guest rooms. There’s a service fee to have welcome bags or anything delivered on your behalf to guest rooms, typically ranging from $4-$10 per room.
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Probably obvious, but anything not included in the wedding package. For example, if your package includes a 3-hour reception, but you want to extend it to 4 hours, there will be an extra charge. The same applies to per-person fees if you exceed the guest count in the wedding package, upgrading photography hours, and other add-ons.
