If you and your partner are getting married soon, you probably envision many happy days ahead. You’re likely excited about your wedding as well, the day you publicly declare your love for your partner in front of your family members and friends. Whether you’ve saved up money for the event or you plan to finance your wedding with a loan, you probably can’t help but smile when you think about the marital bliss you’ll soon enjoy.
If you feel that a destination wedding is the right choice, then it’s easy to get caught up in thinking about how much it’s going to cost. What you may not realize is that there are actually some potential financial benefits that go along with destination weddings.
Let’s talk about some of those right now.
You Can Keep the Guest List Smaller
Let’s say you don’t have a destination wedding, and you plan to tie the knot with your partner in your hometown. There are certainly some benefits when you do that, but there are also some drawbacks.
If you have many family members and friends who live close by, you might feel an obligation to invite all of them. That makes your wedding more expensive.
If you do a destination wedding, though, it makes sense for you to have a smaller guest list. You’ll likely be able to get away with inviting only a few select people, and you won’t hurt anyone’s feelings if you keep things more exclusive.
You Can Use Credit Card Points
You can also use some of your credit card points if you have a destination wedding. If you’ve been planning this for a while, and you’ve been saving your points diligently, you can use some of them on several aspects of the wedding. Those might include your flights to and from the venue, your hotel room, or maybe even a suite upgrade.
Destination Weddings Can Double as Honeymoons
It also makes sense to have the location of your destination wedding double as the spot where you enjoy your honeymoon. If you go somewhere like Costa Rica, Tahiti, or Hawaii, you can have the wedding, then spend some time there with your new spouse after everyone else has gone. You can come back in a week or two relaxed and ready to start your new life together.
These Weddings Have Unexpected Financial Benefits
Having a destination wedding might not be as costly as you anticipate if you’re strategic with how you plan it. The spot you pick can double as your honeymoon if you stay there with your new spouse for a while after everyone else leaves. You can make some amazing honeymoon memories before you return home.
Credit card points can also save you a great deal of money if you plan things out correctly beforehand. If you start accumulating points six months or a year before the wedding, and you use that credit card for every major purchase during that time, you should have enough points saved up for room upgrades, flights, and more. You might also sign up for a credit card that gives you extra travel points when you make certain purchases.
You can also keep the guest list smaller if you have a destination wedding. It makes sense to only invite a few select people who you truly care about to meet you somewhere halfway across the world. You won’t need to invite most of your casual acquaintances this way, which should help lower the overall cost.
Destination weddings can be special, and they can also be surprisingly cost-effective. Keep these tips in mind if this sounds like an attractive option for you and your soon-to-be spouse.
Written By: Carolina D’Arbelles-Valle
