Wedding Season is upon us, and this year’s edition is more auspicious than most as I will be getting wed to the lovely and eponymous “GoAwayAlex” this Memorial Day weekend.
With that in mind, I thought I would come up with a few wedding travel ideas, whether you have a knot to tie in your future or are simply joining in someone else’s nuptial journey. For the sake of this blog, I will be primarily focused on travel from the US perspective.
If you are planning a wedding, you are likely looking to funnel your friends/fam to one of three locations:
-Your (or your partner’s) hometown
-The location where you live together
-A “destination” locale
1)
Let’s start with the last option, as it is the most “sexy” and certainly the least frequently chosen. Barriers obviously include lack of access to large quantities of money and the likely inability to bring more than a “chosen few” (though perhaps the latter is your design).
Regardless, wedding receptions are going to cost a fair chunk of change however you slice it, so let’s look at some possible ways to get it done:
-An All-Inclusive Caribbean Resort (Quintana Roo, Dominican Republic, Jamaica)
A reddit user named “shwameow” has divulged on a post from this past year that her wedding was held at Secrets Akumal in Riviera Maya to the tune of $16K for 60 guests. Despite not being applicable for the subreddit on which she was posting (r/Weddingsunder10k) this is a very intriguing option and many users had follow up questions.
A quick jaunt to the website of the 5-Star Hyatt branded resort shows that they list an “Eternal Love” package that is inclusive of 20 guests and starting at $4,549. This would seem to be a reasonable starting point for a white beach-wedding, though of course the guests would have to furnish their own hotel rooms to the tune of $500-600 per night (plus airfare to get there).
-Southeast Asia
If you want to take your nest egg out for a walk and stretch its legs, consider taking one of GoAwayAlex’s favorite pieces of travel advice: SE Asia is completely worth the time and travel cost to get to where daily cost of living is shockingly low for the USD holder.
This would appear to hold true for wedding services as well- a cursory Google search reveals myriad Phuket-based companies advertising services as low as $2000 for a 20-guest ceremony. Meanwhile, the average price for a 4-star hotel room in the Thai hotspot is $58/night. Thailand is one of the more popular options for travelers in the area, however you can find similar prices in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.
Tip for the Potential World Traveler:
Deciding whether to accept your friend’s expensive invitation? Treat it as your own vacation. If you have limited PTO and funds, it’s ok to choose your own plans instead of the wedding trip. Of course, this advice varies depending on how close you are to the couple…
2)
Now let’s take a look at the inverse to the destination trek- staying right at home. Of course, depending on where you and your boo reside this could still mean a destination trip for some or many of your guests.
Alex and I are rolling with option #3 (more on that down the page), but if we were taking this one we would have to find a venue for our home base of Los Angeles. Most other areas of the States will probably (hopefully) have less expensive options, but let’s try to come up with some SoCal ideas anyhow.
On the affordable side, my dual wielding of Google and Reddit (what would I do without them?) has uncovered a venue called Albertson Wedding Chapel, right in the heart of LA on the Miracle Mile. A 4-hour ceremony/reception for up to 48 guests is listed at $8679, which seems well below average for the area. Digging a little deeper, it appears that this is not inclusive of alcohol, which the venue requires you provide (along with insurance for it) so that is an obvious potential stumbling block (perhaps anti-stumbling if you want your guests to teetotal). However, if you have a somewhat short guest list and a tighter budget, this looks like a very viable option.
If money is not as much of an issue, there are a plethora of options in the SoCal area that are likely to wow your guests, from downtown’s historic Union Station Ticket Concourse, to the Natural History Museum (crudite next to the T-Rex statue) to the Los Verdes Golf Course atop the cliffs of Rancho Palos Verdes. A bonus idea for the latter would be to have your ceremony at the absolutely gorgeous Wayfarers Chapel nearby (to the tune of a $6400 “contribution” for a weekend event).
Even if these are merely impossible dream venues for you, they can hopefully serve as inspiration to think outside the box a little and see what semi-unconventional venues your area may have to offer.
Tip for the LA Traveler:
If you are in town for a wedding (or just for a regular vacay) resist the urge to do too much. The beach is far away from Griffith Park, you’ll have more fun (and 75% less traffic hell) if you separate those trips by the day. LA is best enjoyed at a slower pace than NY of SF, so spend a full afternoon in one neighborhood, such as Echo Park or Venice, to visit local shops and cafes. And for the love of God and Jodie Foster, please resist the urge to go anywhere near the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
3)
Now let’s get to the most likely option you and your soon-to-be spouse will be taking- one of your hometowns (or both as may be the case for many couples who live where they both grew up). Much of the same research for this option can be done in the same manner as #2, though with the likely added benefit (or possible detriment :/) of parental/family assistance. That being said, I will conclude with a little bit of detail on our specific plans.
I will be bringing my crew to Alex’s beautiful and mountainous hometown of Bailey, CO via (somewhat) nearby Denver. Her parents have graciously volunteered to host the event on their actual property, which thankfully is relatively vast in terms of backyardage. The prominent feature of this space is a regulation-size beach volleyball court, an incongruous eyesight 950 miles away from the ocean in the Rocky Mountains. This will serve as our vow ceremony space, a portion of the dining area, and (most essentially) our dancefloor.
The folks host a large tournament every August for friends and family, so we know there is a good precedent for holding large events here for a relatively low cost. These factors have allowed us to invite well over 200 guests, and we are expecting at least 180. Catering will be provided by a local BBQ company, and family friends will chip in to bartend, clean tables, MC the events, etc. I will personally be DJing all the music with preset playlists I may or may not have spent far too much time on. My parents have organized a shuttle bus to bring all the out-of-town folks up the mountain from a downtown Denver hotel, where many guests will be staying.
Needless to say, Alex and I are very much looking forward to the big day, and while there are still many potential areas of stress and uncertainty, we think it should certainly be a day to remember. While you probably do not have the exact type of venue we have access to, count yourself lucky if your family can put on a wedding for you at their own house, wherever that may be and however it may look. Afterall, while it’s you and your partner’s big day, it should really be a celebration of and for your whole community.
Tip for the Guest of our Wedding:
Wear layers, be prepared for any weather, get ready to put your toes in the sand and expect a party…
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