Destination Wedding Budget Guide
The main cost categories to budget for in an Indian destination wedding, and where costs commonly run over initial estimates.
The core categories
Venue, catering, decor, photography/videography, entertainment, guest transport and accommodation are the major line items in most destination wedding budgets. Venue and catering together typically represent the largest single share, though the exact split varies enormously by scale and style.
Where budgets commonly slip
Guest count creep — a wedding planned for 150 that grows to 220 by the time invitations go out — is one of the most common causes of budget overrun, since catering and accommodation costs scale directly with headcount. Vendor travel and accommodation costs for outside vendors (a photographer flown in from another city, for instance) are also frequently underestimated.
Getting an accurate picture
Ask every vendor for an itemised quote rather than a single headline number, and confirm what's included versus billed as an extra — power, AC, parking and security are sometimes separate line items at venue level that aren't obvious from an initial quote.
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