Brides and grooms who marry away from home are more delighted with their nuptials than brides and grooms who marry close to home. They also express fewer regrets about how much money they spent and on what they spent it.
According to a recent Dana Rebecca Designs study, when asked whether there were any aspects of their wedding that they “flat out regret,” 64.5 percent of destination wedding respondents replied no, compared to 56 percent of respondents who hosted their weddings close to home.
Similarly, when asked if they were able to enjoy their wedding day, 88.6 percent of respondents who conducted destination weddings replied yes, compared to 82.6 percent of those who attended non-destination nuptials.
Despite the practical obstacles of flying off with family and friends for their ceremony, 58.4 percent of those polled said they would do it again. Only 52.7 percent of individuals who did not travel for their wedding were stressed, compared to 52.7 percent of those who did.
Experts in destination weddings were unsurprised by the outcomes.
“So much of the stress is relieved because the couple isn’t concerned with every little detail,” said Lisa Sheldon, travel agent and executive director of the Destination Wedding & Honeymoon Specialists Association (DWHSA) in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Jennifer Doncsecz, president of VIP Vacations in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, stated that the evidence supports her experience. “Having a wedding at home is a whirlwind that happens in a few hours, as opposed to a destination wedding, when your experience is spread out over several days.”
. You also tend to invite the people who are actually closest to you, which gives you satisfaction.”
“Most of the time, when you go on vacation, you’re happy, so combining that with your wedding day makes it that much better,” said Beth Eibler Johnston, owner of Beth’s Beautiful Getaways in Pinckney, Michigan.
It isn’t just about the money.
Money does not appear to be a major influence in the couple’s wedding day happiness.
“I frequently remind our clients how much money they will save by having a vacation wedding,” Doncsecz added. “Wouldn’t it be preferable to be less worried and spend less?”
Surprisingly, 29 percent of couples who planned their nuptials at home reported spending more than they had budgeted, compared to 22 percent of destination wedding couples. wedding couples; yet, nearly 28 percent of destination wedding couples reported spending less than budgeted, compared to 18.4 percent of local brides and grooms.
“A fantastic destination wedding isn’t necessarily about the price,” Sheldon explained. “It’s largely about the sensation of standing on a beach with your closest family and friends in a beautiful setting.”
“The couple called her to say that the group had such a nice time, they want to go together again in two years, and there will be even more of them travelling next time,” Sheldon said of her daughter’s first destination wedding.
How big or little is it?
Not unexpectedly, the poll found that wedding guest sizes varied greatly. One non-destination out of every three Weddings with 50-100 attendees were the most common, with 23 percent having 100-200 guests. Destination weddings valued guest lists of fewer than 50 (63 percent), with 50-100 guests accounting for 22 percent and 100-200 guests accounting for only 9.5 percent.
According to Eibler Johnson, the smaller gatherings imply that the bridge and groom have fewer people to thank for their attendance, resulting in less stress.
Respondents who had a destination wedding were more likely to regret not inviting more guests to their wedding. There were also modest disparities in the times of year when the two sets of couples married. Summer was the most popular season for both groups, with destination wedding couples opting for it 40% of the time and those staying close to home opting for it 30% of the time. Summer occurs 34% of the time.
Close-to-home brides and grooms chose fall 28 percent of the time for their weddings, but only one out of every five destination wedding couples chose that season.
What should travel agencies concentrate on?
In comparison to their peer group, destination wedding couples are obviously the major influencers for final wedding decisions.
For example, nearly 94 percent of responders to destination weddings said they and their partner made wedding decisions, compared to 89 percent of stay-at-home couples. In contrast, over 24% of stay-at-home couples claimed family members influenced their decisions, compared to 13.2% of destination wedding couples. There were no statistically significant variations in who paid for which sort of wedding, according to the survey.
“For the’repeat wedding, “Often, the clients are older, and they don’t want the wedding that their parents and families planned for them when they were younger,” Sheldon explained.” This time, they say, ‘This is all about us.'” We only want our closest friends, children, and family, and we want to do anything we want.”
