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Looking for the best destination wedding locations on a budget? You’re in the right place. Here are 10 spots that actually deliver, budget-friendly, beautiful, and in most 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, the actual cheapest destination wedding location on this entire list, with couple-level daily budgets starting around $55 and full wedding packages that can come in well under $4,000. If “cheapest country to get married” is the exact question you’re asking, this is the honest answer, beach venues, low costs across the board, and a shoulder season (February) that keeps things even cheaper.
What’s the cheapest country to have a destination wedding? Goa, India, by most cost comparisons, 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.
This post was all about the best destination wedding locations on a budget.
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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, and the little hacks that make this life actually work. Glad you're here, friend!
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