Cheapest destination wedding countries, ranked by Aisle’s cost index
The 19 countries with at least 40 venues on Aisle, ranked by the modelled cost of a whole wedding for 80 guests, with what each one gives up.
Aisle estimates that South Africa is the cheapest of the 19 countries with at least 40 venues on Aisle, at about $37,000 for 80 guests with everything in. Brazil ($55,000), India and Thailand ($61,000 each) follow, and Spain is the cheapest in Europe at $68,000. These are Aisle’s modelled estimates, not quotes, and they leave out flights.
In this guide
At a glance
- Cheapest
- South Africa, about $37,000 (modelled)
- Cheapest in Europe
- Spain, about $68,000 (modelled)
- Basis
- 80 guests, everything in but flights
- Countries ranked
- 19, each with 40+ venues
Cheapest destination wedding countries, ranked
Aisle estimates that South Africa is the cheapest of the 19 countries with at least 40 venues on Aisle, at about $37,000 for 80 guests with everything in. Brazil is next at about $55,000, and the Maldives is the most expensive at about $283,000. Every figure is a modelled estimate from the Aisle destination wedding cost index, not a quote and not the bill from a booked wedding.
| Rank | Country | Whole wedding, 80 guests (modelled) | Venue and catering | Bedrooms to commit to | Suppliers | What you give up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | $37,000 ($31,000 to $43,000) | $11,500 | $500 | $21,700 | A smaller choice: 65 venues on Aisle |
| 2 | Brazil | $55,000 ($45,000 to $66,000) | $16,900 | None, typically | $33,700 | A smaller choice: 76 venues on Aisle |
| 3 | India | $61,000 ($50,000 to $73,000) | $8,700 | $4,900 | $43,900 | A smaller choice: 96 venues on Aisle |
| 4 | Thailand | $61,000 ($51,000 to $72,000) | $15,400 | $2,200 | $38,300 | A smaller choice: 93 venues on Aisle |
| 5 | Indonesia | $65,000 ($56,000 to $74,000) | $15,200 | $4,200 | $40,000 | Nothing the index shows: 165 venues on Aisle |
| 6 | Australia | $66,000 ($56,000 to $76,000) | $18,900 | None, typically | $40,600 | A smaller choice: 69 venues on Aisle |
| 7 | Spain | $68,000 ($57,000 to $79,000) | $18,700 | None, typically | $42,800 | Nothing the index shows: 607 venues on Aisle |
| 8 | Morocco | $77,000 ($64,000 to $89,000) | $21,400 | $12,900 | $37,500 | A smaller choice: 57 venues on Aisle; about $12,900 of bedrooms to commit to |
| 9 | Portugal | $77,000 ($67,000 to $88,000) | $24,000 | $4,500 | $43,200 | Nothing the index shows: 397 venues on Aisle |
| 10 | Greece | $80,000 ($68,000 to $93,000) | $20,900 | $6,700 | $46,400 | Nothing the index shows: 1,302 venues on Aisle |
| 11 | Japan | $80,000 ($68,000 to $92,000) | $27,200 | None, typically | $45,200 | A smaller choice: 80 venues on Aisle |
| 12 | United Kingdom | $83,000 ($69,000 to $96,000) | $31,600 | $4,000 | $40,300 | A smaller choice: 94 venues on Aisle |
| 13 | France | $86,000 ($73,000 to $99,000) | $27,600 | $4,500 | $47,000 | Nothing the index shows: 992 venues on Aisle |
| 14 | Italy | $88,000 ($75,000 to $100,000) | $27,100 | $4,500 | $49,200 | Nothing the index shows: 2,929 venues on Aisle |
| 15 | United States | $93,000 ($78,000 to $109,000) | $27,300 | $3,000 | $55,500 | Nothing the index shows: 1,742 venues on Aisle |
| 16 | Costa Rica | $94,000 ($76,000 to $112,000) | $24,900 | $18,500 | $44,000 | A smaller choice: 47 venues on Aisle; about $18,500 of bedrooms to commit to |
| 17 | Dominican Republic | $95,000 ($62,000 to $127,000) | $20,400 | $27,000 | $40,000 | A smaller choice: 43 venues on Aisle; about $27,000 of bedrooms to commit to; a wide range, $62,000 to $127,000 |
| 18 | Mexico | $124,000 ($91,000 to $156,000) | $32,500 | $32,000 | $51,500 | About $32,000 of bedrooms to commit to; a wide range, $91,000 to $156,000 |
| 19 | Maldives | $283,000 ($210,000 to $356,000) | $43,900 | $102,500 | $121,000 | A smaller choice: 46 venues on Aisle; about $102,500 of bedrooms to commit to; a wide range, $210,000 to $356,000 |
The whole wedding is the venue and catering, the bedrooms a venue asks the couple to commit to, a welcome dinner the night before and the suppliers, added up and rounded to the nearest thousand. The range beside it is where the middle half of weddings in that country land. Tap a country to see its venues on Aisle, each with its own modelled estimate.
Why South Africa comes out cheapest
Two lines make the difference. Food and drink on the day, with the bar, service and tax in, comes to about $105 a guest in South Africa in Aisle’s model, against $200 in Spain and $270 in Italy. Suppliers, from the planner and photographer to flowers, music and guest transport, come to about $21,700, against $42,800 in Spain and $49,200 in Italy.
The model also puts almost nothing on bedrooms to commit to there: about $500. The catch is choice. Aisle lists 65 venues in South Africa, against 607 in Spain and 2,929 in Italy, so there are fewer places to compare.
The cheapest destination wedding countries in Europe
Spain is the cheapest European country in the index at about $68,000, ranked 7 of 19, and it has the widest choice of the seven cheapest, with 607 venues on Aisle. Portugal and Greece follow at about $77,000 and $80,000. Italy, the most-listed country on Aisle, is about $88,000.
Inside a country, the place matters too. Among the destinations the index tracks, the Algarve is the cheapest at about $74,000, below Portugal as a whole, while the Amalfi Coast is about $111,000 and Mykonos about $116,000. Both of those sit well above their country’s figure, so a couple set on Italy or Greece can save by looking beyond the best-known names.
Is Mexico a cheap place for a destination wedding?
Not on this measure. Mexico ranks 18 of 19 at about $124,000, with the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica just under it at about $95,000 and $94,000. The reason is the bedrooms. The model puts about $32,000 of rooms the couple commits to in Mexico and $27,000 in the Dominican Republic. Most venues in Spain ask for none.
Guests usually pay those rooms back, so what the couple carries can land well below the total. Read the room terms in each contract before you compare countries on price, and see the all-inclusive wedding packages guide for how resort packages are priced.
What the totals leave out: flights
The totals leave out flights and travel, yours and your guests’, along with guests’ own rooms where a venue requires none, attire, rings and a honeymoon. That matters more on this page than anywhere else, because most of the cheapest countries are a long flight from both North America and Europe. Of the seven cheapest, only Spain is a short trip for guests in Europe.
A wedding that costs you less can cost your guests more to reach. Estimate what they will spend with the guest travel estimator, and price your own guest count and season with the wedding budget calculator.
How this ranking is built
Aisle estimates each venue it lists separately, for 80 guests on a Saturday in peak season, then takes the median across a country’s venues. Suppliers and the welcome dinner are estimated once per place. Figures are in US dollars at European Central Bank reference rates, dated October 8, 2026 (model 2026-10b).
Aisle lists venues in 46 countries. This ranking shows only those with at least 40 venues, so that a median rests on enough of them; today that is 19 countries. Countries below the floor, Jamaica among them, are left out rather than guessed. The method, the test against venues that state a price, and both tables as a download are on the destination wedding cost index.
Use the ranking to choose where to look, then ask the venues you like for a written quote for your date and guest count. A venue moves a total more than anything else, and each venue page on Aisle carries its own estimate.
How to cite this ranking
You are welcome to quote the ranking, with credit to Aisle and a link to this page. Suggested citation:
- Aisle. (2026, October 8). Cheapest destination wedding countries, ranked: modelled estimates of a whole wedding for 80 guests (model version 2026-10b). https://aisle.wedding/guides/planning/cheapest-destination-wedding
- Short credit: Aisle destination wedding cost index, modelled estimates, October 8, 2026.
The underlying figures, their license and a CSV of both tables are on the cost index page.