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Looking for the best destination wedding locations on a budget? You’re in the right place. Here are 17 spots that actually deliver, budget-friendly, beautiful, and in a number of cases, places I’ve actually lived in or traveled through myself.
I’ve been the guest at destination weddings in southern Thailand, the Philippines, Mexico, and Hawaii, and if there’s one thing that friend’s-eye view has taught me, it’s this: hire a local wedding planner. It’s almost always cheaper than trying to coordinate everything yourself from another country, and it saves you a mountain of headaches (permits, vendors, logistics) you won’t see coming until you’re already in them.
I’m not a wedding planner, and I’m not going to pretend to be one. What I am is someone who’s spent close to a decade living in Thailand and years traveling through Bali, the Philippines, and Vietnam, the exact countries every generic “best destination wedding” list recommends without ever having set foot in them. So this list leans hard on what I actually know: what these places cost to live in and travel through, what the logistics are really like, and where your money goes furthest.
This post is all about the best destination wedding locations on a budget.
Full destination wedding packages here, ceremony, small reception, photographer, run roughly $5,000 to $8,000 for an intimate group, and that’s before factoring in how cheap it is for guests to fly in and stay. I’ve lived in Chiang Mai for nearly a decade and I’ve actually been a guest at a wedding in the south of the country, and while most destination weddings here happen on the islands (Phuket and Koh Samui are the go-to spots for a reason: beach ceremonies, established wedding infrastructure, direct flights), the whole country runs on a cost of living that makes a genuinely beautiful wedding affordable in a way it just isn’t back home. The couple I watched pull this off used a local wedding planner instead of trying to manage vendors themselves from abroad, and it showed, everything ran smoothly, and it still came in cheaper than doing it solo.
Bali has some of the best all-inclusive wedding packages in Asia, often under $4,000 for a full ceremony and reception, and accommodation for guests runs shockingly cheap outside peak season (May is the sweet spot: good weather, lower prices). I’ve traveled through Bali multiple times, and it’s got the built-in wedding infrastructure most of Southeast Asia doesn’t, photographers, venues, and planners who do this constantly, without the price tag that infrastructure usually comes with elsewhere.
My own family is from the southern Philippines, and I’ve actually been a guest at a wedding there myself, beach ceremonies here run a fraction of what a comparable setup costs in the Caribbean. Island backdrops, warm water, and a guest experience that feels like a real vacation, not just a wedding, all at a cost of living that keeps everything from the venue to the catering genuinely affordable. Same advice as Thailand: a local planner handles the logistics for less than you’d spend trying to do it yourself, and with a lot less stress.
Vietnam doesn’t show up on most destination wedding lists, which is exactly the gap. I’ve traveled through Vietnam extensively, and between Hoi An’s lantern-lit old town and Ha Long Bay’s dramatic scenery, it’s got the visuals of a much pricier destination wedding at a fraction of the cost, hotels, food, and transport all run cheap by Western standards.
Italy is the “worth the stretch” pick on this list, pricier than Southeast Asia, but still often cheaper than a full wedding back home once you account for how much a US or UK wedding venue actually costs. I studied abroad in Rome and have spent real time on the Cinque Terre coastline since, and either location gives you the postcard European wedding without the price tag of Tuscany’s most famous (and most marked-up) venues.
Iceland is the pick if you want something small and different rather than a big production, elopement-style packages here (a photographer, an officiant, a permit, a dramatic landscape) often run a few thousand dollars total, genuinely cheaper than a large wedding almost anywhere else on this list. I’ve spent time in Reykjavik, and the appeal is real: black sand beaches, waterfalls, glaciers, all within a couple hours of the city.
Mexico consistently scores as the easiest budget win for destination weddings, short, cheap flights from most of the US, and a massive all-inclusive resort market that bundles the ceremony, reception, officiant, and even the honeymoon stay into one price. Riviera Maya and Cancun are the established hubs for a reason: the infrastructure for exactly this kind of trip already exists at scale, and I’ve seen it firsthand as a guest. The couple I watched book a resort wedding package here barely had to plan anything themselves, that’s the real advantage of Mexico’s scale, the “planner” is often already baked into the resort price.
Costa Rica is the adventure-minded pick, rainforest and beach venues instead of an all-inclusive resort ballroom, and packages here typically run $5,000 to $9,000. It’s pricier than Mexico but still well under what a comparable US wedding costs, and it gives guests an actual trip to remember instead of a resort they could’ve found at home.
Portugal is the sleeper pick for anyone reading this from the UK specifically, a short flight, genuinely affordable by Western European standards, and increasingly popular for exactly that reason. The Algarve coast and Lisbon both offer venues well under what France or Italy charge for a comparable setting.
Goa is, by most cost comparisons, one of the cheapest destination wedding locations on this entire list, with couple-level daily budgets starting around $55 and full wedding packages that can come in well under $4,000. Beach venues, low costs across the board, and a shoulder season (February) that keeps things even cheaper.
The Dominican Republic runs one of the biggest all-inclusive destination wedding industries in the world, Punta Cana especially, with resorts that bundle the ceremony, reception, and a week of guest accommodation into one price, often starting under $3,000 for the wedding portion itself. It’s a shorter, cheaper flight than most of the Caribbean for East Coast US guests, and the resort infrastructure means almost none of the planning falls on you.
Jamaica has been a go-to destination wedding market for decades, and resorts here, Sandals and its competitors especially, specialize in exactly this, many offering a free wedding package when you book a certain number of nights for you and your guests. It’s a slightly pricier flight than the Dominican Republic from parts of the US, but the sheer volume of resorts competing for wedding bookings keeps prices genuinely competitive.
Cartagena is one of the newer names on lists like this, and it’s a genuine sleeper pick, colorful colonial architecture inside the old walled city gives you a backdrop most Caribbean resort weddings can’t touch, at a cost of living well below Mexico or the Dominican Republic. It’s less built-out for weddings specifically than the more established markets on this list, so budget extra time for vendor research, but the savings and the visuals are both real.
Antigua is Central America’s answer to Mexico’s colonial towns, cobblestone streets, volcano backdrops, and a UNESCO World Heritage old town, at prices that undercut most of Mexico. It’s a newer destination wedding market, so infrastructure is thinner than Riviera Maya’s, but that also means lower costs and a genuinely unique setting most guests won’t have seen before.
Sri Lanka is Asia’s answer to Goa, and in a lot of cost comparisons, it comes in even cheaper. Beach venues along the south coast, a wedding tourism industry that’s grown quickly in the last several years, and a cost of living that keeps the whole trip, ceremony included, well under what a comparable beach wedding costs in more established Southeast Asian markets.
Turkey is the budget answer to a Mediterranean wedding, the Turquoise Coast around Fethiye or Antalya gives you the same turquoise-water, whitewashed-building aesthetic people pay a premium for in Greece or Italy, at a fraction of the cost. It’s also one of the easier long-haul destinations to reach with direct flights from a wide range of countries, which matters when you’re trying to get guests there affordably.
Malaysia, Langkawi especially, is the quieter, cheaper alternative to Bali for a beach wedding, with the same tropical island infrastructure (photographers, venues, resorts used to hosting weddings) at a noticeably lower price point since it hasn’t been as thoroughly discovered by the wedding industry yet. It’s also an easy add-on for guests already planning a Southeast Asia trip around the wedding.
Get group hotel rates for your Wedding block! Get competing quotes fast as hotels bid to get your Wedding.What’s the cheapest country to have a destination wedding? Goa, India and Sri Lanka are typically the two cheapest on this list, with couple-level daily budgets starting around $55 and full wedding packages often under $4,000. Bali and Thailand aren’t far behind.
What’s the best destination wedding location on a budget? Bali and Thailand are the strongest overall picks: real wedding infrastructure (photographers, venues, planners who do this constantly), gorgeous scenery, and a cost of living that keeps the whole trip affordable for you and your guests.
How much does an average destination wedding actually cost? It varies enormously by location, but the destinations on this list run anywhere from about $3,000 (a small Iceland elopement) to $9,000 (a fuller Costa Rica package), all well under the average cost of a wedding at home.
Is a destination wedding cheaper than getting married at home? Often, yes, especially once you account for how much venues, catering, and florals cost in the US or UK compared to Southeast Asia or Central America. The trade-off is fewer guests, since not everyone can make the trip.
What’s the best time of year for a budget destination wedding? Shoulder season, wherever you’re going: May in Bali, November in Cancun, February in Goa. Good weather, lower prices, and none of the peak-season markup.
Wherever you land on this list, sort travel insurance before anything else, both for yourselves and to point your guests toward. I wrote a full, honest breakdown of the one I actually use: SafetyWing Nomad Insurance review. And if you’re paying vendors abroad or splitting costs with guests across currencies, Wise is the easiest way I’ve found to do it without losing money to bad exchange rates.
This post was all about the 17 best destination wedding locations on a budget.
Check out some of my favorite tools and companies I actually use when I travel.
Need a Bank Account for Life Abroad? Wise is the best option for travelers, study abroad students and expats. I use it as my everyday checking account since it lets me hold and spend in multiple currencies without getting hit with a bad exchange rate every time I cross a border.
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Need a Flight? I personally love using Google Flights to track prices and compare dates before I commit, the flexible date view alone has saved me a lot of money. Skyscanner is another great search engine to find cheap flights because it searches sites and airlines around the globe, so you know no cheap deal is being left on the table.
Getting Around Southeast Asia? Book your buses, trains, and ferries with 12Go Asia. One search shows you every route and price, so you're not digging through ten different local booking sites.
Need a Place to Stay? Book your hotel with Expedia, where I start looking, especially when I want to bundle flights and stays together. Hotels.com is my backup when I want to compare prices or I'm chasing their rewards program for a free night.
On a Tighter Budget? Hostelworld is where I go for hostels. It has the largest inventory out there, and you can search for dorm beds or private rooms depending on what you're after!
Want a Free Way to Travel? Try TrustedHousesitters! You look after someone's home and pets while they're away, and in exchange you get free accommodation (minus the subscription fee). It's a great option if you're traveling long term and want to cut costs. I personally use this as a host and a sitter, and it's truly great!
Need Inspiration or Just Want to See What's Out There? Go Guides is a solid resource for destination guides, must-see landmarks, local markets, best beaches, and things to do, browsable by place or by theme. It's a good stop whether you already know where you're headed or you're still looking for your next destination.
Check out my full packing gear guide for everything I bring on international trips, or browse my favorite travel finds on Amazon for quick links to it all.
Check out my full resource page for every company I use when I travel. I list them all in one place so you can go from planning to booked without digging through old blog posts!
Hey there, I'm Angelique!
I'm a Filipina-American, Chicago native living abroad and running my online design agency from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Over a decade of traveling in, and yes, I still pinch myself. With family split between the US, UK, and SE Asia, travel has always been part of my story. This blog is where I share the honest side of living and traveling abroad, the places I explore, my best study abroad tips from personal experience, and the little hacks that make this life actually work. Glad you're here, friend!
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