Consider the Off-Season

Tip #4

Choose a less popular month or day for your wedding date

This is especially true when it comes to destination weddings. For a destination wedding in Hawaii or Mexico, choose September through November for cost savings because they're less popular tourism months. Hotels and flights to these locales will usually be less expensive during these months than during the peak in January through March. 

Some destination wedding locations are by nature less expensive locales than others. For example, the Caribbean island of Anguilla is a very luxurious locale with primarily ultra-exclusive hotel and restaurant options. On the other hand, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Aruba offer a variety of mid-range and luxury hotels, and offer a wider budget range for restaurants and tourist activities. By selecting a more moderately priced island, you will be able to save money on both your travel and your wedding. 

If you're planning a Santa Fe wedding, your most considerable cost savings are going to be realized in the months of November and January through April. While you won't be able to enjoy an outdoor wedding in say, January or February, you can have an extraordinarily lovely intimate fireplace wedding at Santa Fe's Hotel St. Francis, for example. 

Consider the elegant Southwestern-themed  Tesuque Room at the Inn & Spa at Loretto if you have a larger guest list. As long as you meet a Food & Beverage minimum at the Inn at Loretto, you won't pay a room rental charge (HUGE savings), and in the off-season months, you're going to see lower Food & Bev minimums than you will in the more popular months of June through mid-October.

The same holds true for having a Friday or Sunday wedding - you'll see the F&B minimums go down considerably for non-Saturday events. 

There are lots of ways to have the wedding of your dreams, you just have to slip outside the box!