TL;DR
- As of 30 Sep 2026, Zola puts the couple's cost for an average destination wedding at $25,000 to $40,000, with guest lists of 30 to 60 people.
- Guests spend $1,500 to $3,500 each for a domestic destination and $2,500 to $5,000 for an international one, on the same Zola figures.
- Run two budgets: yours (ceremony, reception, vendors, events you host) and the guests' (rooms and travel they pay for, on dates you set).
- The template below lists every line, who usually pays it, and a worked example you can overwrite.
- Put the guest side on a booking page with a deposit and a payment plan so guests can afford it and you know who is coming.
A destination wedding usually costs the couple $25,000 to $40,000 and each guest $1,500 to $5,000, depending on where you go and how many people you invite, according to Zola's destination wedding cost guide (as of 30 Sep 2026). The budget that works is really two budgets: what you pay, and what your guests pay for travel and rooms on a schedule you control. SquadTrip handles the second one: one booking page with room packages, deposits and automatic payment plans, so guest money doesn't sit in your Venmo.
This guide gives you the cost picture, a budget template, a plan for guest costs, and who pays which line.
Keep guest travel money out of your own budget. SquadTrip gives guests a booking page with deposits and automatic payment plans. Free to start.
What a Destination Wedding Really Costs
1. The couple's side
Zola's guide, last updated 23 Feb 2026, gives these figures for couples (as of 30 Sep 2026):
- Average destination wedding: $25,000 to $40,000
- Caribbean islands: starting around $12,000
- European destinations: $50,000 or more
- Guest count: 30 to 60 people, against 100 to 200 for a traditional wedding
For comparison, The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study, which surveyed 10,474 US couples married in 2025, puts the average wedding overall at $34,000 for 117 guests, or $292 per guest. The two ranges overlap: a destination wedding can cost the couple about what a wedding at home does, spread across far fewer guests.
2. The guests' side
Per person, on Zola's figures (as of 30 Sep 2026):
- Domestic destination total: $1,500 to $3,500
- International destination total: $2,500 to $5,000
- Flights: $400 to $900 domestic, $1,000 to $3,000 international
- Resort room: $200 to $500 per night per room
Those numbers are why the guest side needs its own plan. A guest who would happily come may still decline a $2,500 bill due in one payment.
3. The costs couples forget
- Events beyond the ceremony. Welcome drinks, a rehearsal dinner and a farewell brunch each have a per-head cost.
- Your own travel and room. You are guests at the resort too, usually for more nights than anyone else.
- Wedding party help. If you cover any of their lodging, that line is yours.
- Resort and venue fees. Many resorts charge for outside vendors or a private event space. Ask for the full fee list before you sign.
Destination Wedding Budget Template
Copy these lines into your own sheet. The worked example is for a fictional 40-guest wedding at a resort; it is an illustration, not an average. Replace every number with your own quotes.
1. Venue or resort wedding package: [AMOUNT] — couple 2. Catering and bar for the reception: [AMOUNT] — couple 3. Photography and video: [AMOUNT] — couple 4. Flowers and decor: [AMOUNT] — couple 5. Officiant and legal paperwork: [AMOUNT] — couple 6. Welcome event and farewell brunch: [AMOUNT] — couple (or families, if they host) 7. Wedding party lodging you choose to cover: [AMOUNT] — couple 8. Your own flights and room: [AMOUNT] — couple 9. Attire, rings, hair and makeup: [AMOUNT] — couple 10. Contingency (pick a percentage): [AMOUNT] — couple 11. Guest room packages: [PRICE PER GUEST] x [GUESTS] — guests, on a payment plan 12. Optional guest add-ons (excursions, extra nights): [PRICE] — guests who choose them
| Line | Who usually pays | Worked example (40 guests) |
|---|---|---|
| Resort wedding package | Couple | $9,000 |
| Reception food and bar | Couple | $8,000 |
| Photography and video | Couple | $5,000 |
| Flowers and decor | Couple | $2,500 |
| Officiant and paperwork | Couple | $800 |
| Welcome event and brunch | Couple or families | $3,000 |
| Couple's flights and room | Couple | $3,500 |
| Attire, rings, beauty | Couple | $3,000 |
| Contingency (10%) | Couple | $3,480 |
| Couple's total | $38,280 | |
| Guest room package (4 nights, shared) | Each guest | $1,400 per person |
| Guest flights | Each guest, booked directly | Not collected by you |
| Excursion add-on | Guests who choose it | $120 per person |
The example lands inside Zola's $25,000 to $40,000 range, but only by coincidence. Get real quotes before you lock any line.
If you're still deciding whether to use a hotel block or collect for rooms yourself, our guide to a hotel room block vs a booking page covers both setups.
Plan the Guest Budget So People Can Actually Come
Your guests' costs aren't in your budget, but you set the price, the deposit and the dates. Get those right and more people say yes.
1. Price packages, not a single number
Give each room type its own package: shared room, private room, family suite. A guest who shares pays less, and you aren't averaging one price across everyone. Add excursions as optional add-ons so the base price stays low.
2. Make the deposit match what the resort wants from you
If the resort asks for a deposit when you sign, set the guest deposit high enough to cover it. Otherwise you are lending guests your own money.
3. Spread the rest over months
A worked example: a $1,400 package becomes a $350 deposit and three monthly payments of $350, with the last one due a few weeks before the resort wants final payment. Our guide to destination wedding payment plans walks through schedules and deposit sizes in detail.
4. Say what the fee is
On SquadTrip, guests pay a single 6% processing fee on top of the package price, and you receive the full price. On a $1,400 package the guest pays $1,484 and you receive $1,400. US guests can also choose Buy Now Pay Later (Klarna, Afterpay or Affirm), which adds a 4% convenience fee to their total.
5. Keep flights separate
Most couples let guests book their own flights. Put the airport code and arrival window on the booking page instead of collecting airfare.
Who Pays for What
Etiquette is a starting point, not a rule. Most couples follow it, then make a few deliberate exceptions.
1. The couple and families
The ceremony, reception, vendors and any event you host. If a parent offers to host the welcome dinner, move that line off your sheet.
2. Guests
Emily Post says out-of-town guests are expected to pay for their own lodging unless they are members of the wedding party. Travel is theirs too. Our guide on who pays for travel to a destination wedding goes deeper on the etiquette.
3. The wedding party
Emily Post's guidance on attendants says attendants arrange and pay for their own transportation and attire, and that wedding hosts should provide their accommodations. At a destination wedding that can mean several resort rooms, so decide early whether you will follow it.
Cover a cost for guests if…
- It is an event you are hosting, such as the welcome dinner.
- It is small per person but makes the trip easier, such as airport transfers.
- Leaving it out would stop people you care about from coming.
Let guests pay if…
- It is their room, their flight or an optional excursion.
- Prices vary by choice (room type, extra nights).
- Covering it would push your own budget past what you agreed.
Give guests a clear price and a payment plan, not a group-chat Venmo request. SquadTrip collects deposits and installments on dates you set. Free to start.
Budget Mistakes That Cost Couples Money
- One budget for everything. Mixing guest room money with your own spending hides what you actually owe.
- Fronting the resort deposit. If guests haven't paid deposits by the time the resort wants yours, you carry the gap.
- No contingency. Exchange rates, service charges and last-minute guests all land on you.
- Collecting through personal apps. Forty guests paying four times each is 160 payments to match by hand. A booking page records each one under the guest's name.
- Ignoring the tax question. How guest payments are treated depends on your situation. This is general information, not tax advice; read our guide on taxes on money collected from wedding guests and ask a tax adviser about your situation.
Final Thoughts
Build your budget in two halves. Your half is the ceremony, the reception and the events you host, with a contingency on top. The guests' half is rooms and add-ons, priced as packages with a deposit and a payment plan that finishes before the resort's deadline. Keep the two apart, and you will know what the wedding costs you and who is coming long before you get there.
