Daily Junction.mobi portalTravel · June 29, 2026 · Priya Anand · 5 min
A destination wedding can cost anywhere from £5,000 for an intimate ceremony in a European city to £30,000+ for a beach resort wedding with guests. Here is what couples from the UK actually spend in 2026.
A wedding abroad was once the preserve of the wealthy — a statement of reach and resources. In 2026, the economics have shifted. For many UK couples, getting married overseas is now cheaper than a traditional UK wedding, thanks to smaller guest lists, all-inclusive packages that bundle venue, catering and coordination, and the fact that a destination wedding doubles as the honeymoon.
The cost range is enormous — from a £5,000 elopement in a European city hall to a £35,000 beach resort wedding with 80 guests in the Caribbean — but the sweet spot for a mid-range destination wedding with 20–40 guests sits at £8,000–£18,000. This guide breaks down the real costs, the legal complexities and the destinations that offer the best value.
The table below shows typical all-in costs for a UK couple getting married abroad in 2026, including the wedding package, flights, accommodation for the couple, and legal/document costs. Guest travel and accommodation are excluded unless stated.
| Destination type | Example locations | Wedding package | Couple's flights & hotel (7–10 nights) | Legal & admin | Total (couple only) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European city (intimate) | Prague, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Rome | £2,000–£5,000 | £1,200–£2,000 | £300–£500 | £3,500–£7,500 |
| Mediterranean resort | Cyprus, Malta, Greek islands, Costa del Sol, Croatia | £4,000–£8,000 | £1,500–£2,500 | £400–£600 | £5,900–£11,100 |
| Italian villa / countryside | Tuscany, Umbria, Amalfi Coast, Lake Como | £8,000–£18,000 | £2,000–£3,500 | £500–£800 | £10,500–£22,300 |
| Caribbean / Mexico | Riviera Maya, Barbados, St Lucia, Jamaica | £6,000–£15,000 | £2,500–£4,500 | £300–£500 | £8,800–£20,000 |
| Southeast Asia | Thailand, Bali, Vietnam | £3,000–£8,000 | £2,000–£3,500 | £400–£700 | £5,400–£12,200 |
Wedding packages typically include: ceremony venue and setup, celebrant or officiant, bouquet and buttonhole, photographer for 1–3 hours, wedding cake, a meal or reception for a set number of guests (often 10–20 included, with a per-head supplement for additional guests), and a wedding coordinator. What is excluded varies by package — read the small print carefully for extras such as music, additional flowers, hair and makeup, and the marriage licence fee.
The legal requirements for marrying abroad vary enormously by country, and getting them wrong can mean the marriage is not legally valid. The GOV.UK website maintains country-by-country guidance, but the common requirements include:
Because of the complexity, many couples opt for a "symbolic" ceremony abroad — the celebrant-led event that looks and feels like a wedding — and complete the legal marriage at a UK registry office before or after the trip. A registry-office ceremony costs £57 for the notice of marriage plus £46 for the ceremony itself at a basic level, and it eliminates all the legal uncertainty of marrying abroad.
The single biggest cost variable in a destination wedding is whether you pay for your guests. In the UK, couples typically cover the wedding-day costs (venue, food, drink) and guests cover their own accommodation and travel. At a destination wedding, the expectation is less clear.
The most common approach in 2026 is that the couple covers the wedding-day costs (ceremony, reception, food and drink) and guests cover their own flights and accommodation. Some couples subsidise accommodation by negotiating a group rate at the venue hotel, which can cut the per-room cost by 20–40%. Paying for guests' flights is rare and, for a wedding with 30+ guests, prohibitively expensive — return flights to the Mediterranean average £150–£350 per person from UK airports, adding £4,500–£10,500 to the couple's bill.
The guest list at a destination wedding is typically much smaller than a UK equivalent — 20–40 guests is normal, compared with 80–120 for a UK wedding — which is both a cost saving and a potential source of family tension if close relatives cannot or will not travel.
A wedding abroad is not automatically cheaper than a UK wedding, but for couples who want a smaller, more intimate event — and who are comfortable with the idea that not everyone they know will be able to attend — it can be both more affordable and more memorable. The key is to understand the legal requirements early, budget for the exchange-rate risk (most overseas venues quote in euros or US dollars), and decide upfront how much, if anything, you are contributing to guests' travel costs.
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