How much does an Indian destination wedding cost?
This is the question that starts almost all conversations that I have with brides and grooms starting their journey towards wedding planning. As a wedding planner, as much as I would want to give a straightforward answer, the reality is that the cost of a destination wedding is dependent on many factors.
Couples often want to start with the cost to have a better idea of how much they want to spend for their big day, and planners need to know how much couples are willing to spend to help them narrow down their choices. It’s a little like a chicken or egg situation.
Ultimately your wedding planner can give you an idea of costs, but keep in mind that this cost will vary depending on your expectations and requirements of your wedding day. Here’s what to think about when estimating the cost of your indian wedding:
Number of guests
This is by far the biggest factor, even bigger than the venue selection. For Indian weddings, typically the guest count varies between 250-500 guests. We are now seeing trends where brides and grooms want something different and more intimate, hence the reduction in number of guests. Destination weddings are helpful in narrowing down the number of guests as not everyone can travel for your wedding. Typical asks that I have been seeing coming from desi couples is a guest count of 150-170 guests. Although this does sound like a significant reduction in number compared to the typical number of guests, this number is still considered elevated for a destination wedding. If you take into account a typical meal on average is 100 euros per plate, you are already at 17,000 euros just for catering! A wedding with only 100 guests with the same meal will have only 10,000 euros of fees for catering without alcohol. My advice to couples is to really think about their guest count and make sure that everyone that they are inviting are important to them, and that they can actually travel for their big day.
Number of events
We are used to having Indian weddings with multiple events: Mehndi, Sangeet, Haldi, Santak, Garba, Pheras, Reception. Costs start adding up when you plan on having one event per day, as you have to account for the venue rental, food, DJ, decor, etc. Do consider combining events so you don’t have to pay twice for a venue selection. Start thinking about the events that are really important to you, maybe you might not want to have a full mehndi event, and will only consider applying mehndi for yourself and your close family. Maybe you might want to combine your Mehndi and Haldi together to save on costs for the venue and catering.
Food and alcohol
An ask that I get a lot from brides and grooms is to serve Indian catering during the wedding events: Punjabi, Gujarati vegetarian, live stations, South Indian. Keep in mind that not all venues work with Indian caterers, and those who do will typically be a little more pricey. You can also look for venues that allow you to bring your own catering and work with an external caterer for your menu, but there will be added fees by the venue to allow you to bring your external vendors. A suggestion that I have for couples is to take advantage of the destination itself. In my case, as I work in Portugal, I often suggest couples to have a fusion menu for their wedding: A few Portuguese dishes combined with a few Indian dishes to add to the destination wedding touch. This way you can leverage the catering of the venue and negotiate with the venue to bring an external vendor to complete your wedding menu.
Venue
Aside from the number of guests the venue is where a big part of the wedding budget will go. If you are from the UK, US or Canada, your wedding ceremony often happens indoors, as the weather can often be unpredictable. The simple fact that you can have an outdoor wedding at a destination location is a win. If you think of a destination, you also think about breathtaking views and minimalistic decor. Yes, getting married in front of the sea or in a castle is possible, but there is a cost associated with that. It is very challenging to compare the cost of these kind of venues to a simple hotel ballroom as an example as these are two different types of venues. Keep in mind that some hotels do have very nice gardens and outdoor spaces to hold your ceremony without them having to be pricey.
Other considerations
Brides and grooms have to keep in mind that there will be other costs that will depend on their preferences. For example, you can have a very simple and minimalistic mandap but the price of the mandap can double if you decide to use silk draping and fresh flowers. Your vermalas can be as simple as Baby’s Breath only and as complex as an assortment of 4 flower types, which can make the price increase. In times of doubt, do not hesitate to work with a planner to get an idea of what every dollar/euro you input gets you so you can make better decisions for your big day.
