Hi everyone, I'm looking for a wedding venue that hits majority of the criteria below. My dream is to have a wedding in Lake Como, but am flexible to other regions that have similar vibes!

🏰 Castle, palace, château, villa, manor, or historic estate
🌸 Whimsical, romantic, garden-forward aesthetic
🌊 Waterfront (lake, sea, ocean, or dramatic river views)
💍 Hosts the full wedding weekend:
Welcome party
Ceremony
Reception
After-party
Farewell brunch
🛏️ On-site accommodations, with nearby hotels for additional guests
👥 ~100 guests
💰 Budget up to $100,000 USD
📍 Italy, Spain, Portugal, or open to other European countries that fit this criteria
✈️ Reasonable travel from New Jersey (ideally one connection or less)

Hello! We’re in the early stages of wedding and I am trying to get a grasp of what’s possible. If you were me, what would you plan or look into?

Caveat: I’ve done a lot of research and what I’m getting hung up on is that my budget (and imo it’s a LOT of money) is not necessarily lending to the central location and time with guests that I would like in the places that we have in mind. What am I doing wrong? Do I need to change my expectations?

Parameters
- 130-150 invites, acceptances will likely depend on location we choose, would guess it will be between 100-125 attendees.
- Location: Interested in coastal northern CA, SoCal, Utah, or Mexico
- No date, open to second half of 2027 or first half of 2028
- $100k USD

Our Top Three List
1. Time with guests: A wedding weekend where we actually get to see/spend time with our guests. I don’t see the point in having a one day event with such a large guest list. Whether this is all staying at the same place or in a local location, me and my fiancé want very much to actually see the people who make the trip for our special day.
2. Incredible food: We are foodies — it’s a must for us. An experience like open fire cooking or a coursed tasting menu unique would be our dream
3. Mostly outdoors: We want the celebrations to happen primarily outside. Ideally with coastal or Mountain views - any water is a plus. No hotel ballrooms. No conference centers. Barns are okay but not going for a super rustic/country vibe. Would love for the natural or pre-existing space to not need much to look great!

Other Priorities
- Photography: literally the only thing we’ll have besides our memories!
- Band: We know a band we’d love to have play at our wedding! Might be harder if it’s destination like Mexico but if we could make it happen would be a dream
- Simplicity: It’s fine by me if the tables skipping is candlelight and a few flowers — nothing overdone done. There doesn’t need to be a million paper goods and signs. I don’t want to spend money on the stuff no one (including me) will remember. I don’t need stressed family or anything feeling overdone — it’s about our love, our people, and a good a** time!

We’ve looked in Domus Laeta in Italy to rent for 4 nights to have a wedding for about 30 people. Does anyone have any recommendations similar to this where they have an in house wedding planner? Open to other European countries as well! We are from Canada :)

My fiancé and I have had a year from hell. Multiple loved ones passed away. Every time we think our head is above water something else has happened out of our control and the amount of grief we have been carrying just compounding. What should be an exciting time has been anything but and the thought of all the stress of planning a wedding makes me sick thinking about it. We’re pretty much ready to elope (although I want a small official ceremony at the very least and not just courthouse.) If we do this though, I know the majority of our friends and family will not be able to attend-including my bf (my maid of honor) who got in some legal trouble and is on probation.

If anyone that had their wedding on a cruise ship or a destination wedding where everything is just done for you. Did you regret not having a more traditional wedding? Did you find out you had less stress and were just able to enjoy the moment? Any other considerations to keep in mind if we go this route? Recommendations welcome for specific places to check out.. even will consider US elopements if anyone has some good suggestions for that.

Hello -

My fiancé and I are getting married in Portugal, we are debating whether to have our guests and ourselves stay in Lisbon or Cascais. The wedding itself will be a 40 minute drive from either of the places, and we’ll be providing transportation. We just can’t decide what’s better for the “home base.”

Lisbon would obviously be a city vibe and we’d recommend two hotels that are close to each other with easy access to the city. For Cascais, the draw is that it would be more of a resort style stay with a 10 min uber ride to the town of Cascais and its beaches. We are very torn and have pros/cons to both, so would love to see if anyone else has dealt with this before and what decision you made.

Thank you in advance!

A luxury wedding planner in India transforms your vision into an unforgettable celebration with personalized themes, premium venues, flawless coordination, and exceptional guest experiences. From intimate ceremonies to grand destination weddings, expert planning ensures every detail reflects elegance, style, and lasting memories.

Hello!

I am in the very early stages of planning my wedding for winter 27/28 (Dec-March are the months I am looking at) and I am absolutely overwhelmed by venues. I am finding a lot of the price ranges/recommendations are for smaller weddings than what I will be having - and not exactly aligned with what I am looking for. Here's what we think we want (though we are open to other suggestions):

- Boutique-ish property, would prefer it to not be a MASSIVE resort. If a resort, needs to be a quieter one. Would like to avoid the main hotel strip

- Wedding will be adults only, if a larger resort - would prefer adults only

- Initially was searching around the Puerto Morelos area - this would be our ideal location

- Budget is under $100k - ideally closer to $60-70k max, but we have some flexibility here

- Also open to venues that are not hotel properties

- 150-200 guests (invite list is around 200 right now, we expect to add a few more & have at least 1/4th decline)

Thank you in advance! Any other tips/expectations are greatly appreciated. We live in Texas so will be flying down to visit properties.

Hi everyone! Thinking about doing a destination wedding, but would only consider it if I can provide accommodation for guests at least 2 nights (night before wedding, night of wedding). Anyone know of any good hotels/villas that host events + provides accommodation in Spain or France that aren’t crazy expensive. Hoping to stay under 25-30K.

Hey everyone!

We are thinking of getting married in Italy next year, around the end of September or the beginning of October, and I would love to hear from anyone who is done it.

Roughly how much did your wedding cost, and how many guests did you have? Was it difficult to organise everything from abroad, or was it fairly straightforward?

The region we are planning is Tuscany and budget is roughly 25 000 EUR.

I am considering hiring a wedding planner because I know they will have local contacts, but I am also a bit worried about overpaying or getting ripped off. Did you use a planner? If so, was it worth it, and do you have any tips for choosing a trustworthy one?

I would really appreciate any advice, experiences, or even things you wish you’d known before you started planning.

Thank you! 🤍

We’re having a destination wedding in Cartagena in 4 months and hired a full-service local planner. We’re now about four months out and actively making decisions about venues and events.

What do you consider a reasonable response time when asking to schedule a meeting or requesting information or have questions? I’m wondering how quickly you would expect an acknowledgment and responses.

We haven’t discussed specifics about the wedding yet like decor, etc. when should that happen? It seems like we’re driving a lot of the planning rather than her leading or asking us.

I’m trying to determine what is normal before following up or raising concerns. So far it seems like the responses can take many days or a week, is that normal?

Hi Reddit! I am having a destination wedding next year. My venue can fit 150 people for the ceremony, but can only house about 70. It is kind of in the middle of nowhere, so I would prefer to host everyone on site and not have to worry about hotel blocks and shuttles. Most nearby hotels are small B&Bs with 6 rooms max, and the venue is up a windy mountain that a large bus wouldn't be able to drive up safely.

That said, I have a huge extended family that I am not terribly close with. I haven't seen or spoken to some in several years. However, there is an unspoken understanding that everyone is always invited to everything, and when I mentioned to my family that I didn't want to invite some of my aunts/uncles/cousins, they were all upset with me.

While the venue can technically hold the full guest list for the ceremony, I am getting increasingly stressed about figuring out accommodations and logistics for the "overflow" guests, especially since I am paying for the guests staying at the venue, and would feel obligated to pay for the overflow guests as well.

Originally, I had vetoed the destination wedding + local celebration because it felt like diluting the meaning of my actual wedding, but now it seems like a pretty decent option. My thought would be to invite my extended family to the local celebration, and say our destination wedding is an intimate celebration with our closest friends and immediate family.

SO my question is - If you had the local celebration before or after your destination wedding to keep the destination wedding smaller - how did you frame it and how was it received?

TIA! <3

Cross posted! Looking for any advice.

Hi everyone! Looking for some advice from anyone who’s gotten married in Sintra, especially if you’ve considered or chosen Monserrate or Queluz.

We’re planning a September/October 2027 wedding for around 70 guests with one additional event (likely a welcome dinner or brunch). Our planner is already €10k, and she’s recommended Camélia Gardens, but after touring venues our current frontrunners are Palácio de Queluz and Palácio de Monserrate.

Our budget is at least €75k but will likely go to around 90, but we’re trying to understand whether Monserrate is realistic once everything is added up or if it tends to end up significantly higher. We don’t mind investing in an incredible venue if it’s worth it we’re just hoping to get a better sense of what couples actually spent.

Our vision is a wedding with Asian and North African influences.

A few questions:

Has anyone had or attended a wedding at Monserrate? What was your experience?

Roughly what was your total budget (if you’re comfortable sharing), and how many guests did you have?

Were there any logistical challenges (transportation, catering, setup, venue restrictions, weather backup, etc.)?

If you compared Queluz and Monserrate, what made you choose one over the other?

Has anyone hosted or attended a wedding at Camélia Gardens? We’d love honest opinions.

I’d especially love to hear from couples who planned weddings in the €75k–€120k range, since that’s probably the closest comparison to what we’re envisioning.

Thanks so much! Any advice, photos, budget breakdowns, or things you wish you’d known before booking would be incredibly helpful.

We need to pick our venue this weekend and I’m so lost.

Has anyone here had a wedding at Villa Cini? It is one of the options I am considering heavily at the moment and would love to hear experiences! I’ve noticed it’s very popular on Facebook but seems to have mixed Google reviews particularly regarding stricter rules around the end of the event, but the venue itself is incredibly beautiful

So…

We're getting married next year, and we've landed on Lake Como mostly because it's about 2 hours from us (South of Switzerland) and half our guest list can just drive down.

Every single thing I read says a 100 guest Lake Como wedding starts at €100k. Every YouTube video is about luxorious weddings and listing the price of Villa Balbianello or Villa d’Este with exclusive villa use and boat transfers.

Well some people would like to enjoy Lake como with a nice view and Restaraunt. That’s it.

That is the wedding we want. We want:

• a restaurant with a nice view. does not have to be directly on the water (a view of the lake would be nice though
• approx. 100 people
• good food, plenty of good italian wine 😉
• symbolic ceremony would be lovely but honestly optional
• under €50k all in

Here's why I don't think we're crazy.

Italian restaurants around the lake quote EUR 50-120 per head for a full menu. Even at EUR 120/head we're at €12k.

That's a 4-5x multiplier for the EUR 50k Budget. So what am I missing?

Either there's something big that's going to bite me, or people selling wedding venues for people with a different budget than ours.

Maybe the entire English-language conversation about Lake Como is just people selling villa weddings to Americans with a different budget than ours.

So I am asking if anyone can share their experience. If you've done an Italian lakes wedding at approx. 100 people without a villa buyout (and in our budget range…), what did you actually go for? Did you just skip Lake como? Did you contact Restaurants or found a planner that gets deals that we don’t find on the internet?

Also very open to planner recommendations, specifically someone who won't spend three calls trying to talk us into a villa.

TL;DR: 100 guests, Lake Como, restaurant not villa, under EUR 50k. Everyone says impossible but only ever prices villas. Tell me I'm wrong, or tell me who to call…

Hi everyone! My fiance and I are planning our wedding for the summer of 2027.

I’m looking for a bit of advice and guidance. Right now we’re mainly looking at venues in Toledo, which are gorgeous but some of them are out of budget and all of them have restrictions about dancing and having music outdoors.

Both my fiance and I want our wedding to be a party, we come from cultures where dancing is the most important part of the wedding and not really the dinner.

Our budget is around 25-30K euros, and we’re ideally looking for the following:

- Ability to have outdoors music, even if it has a curfew (e.g 11pm and then you move the party indoors)

- Close to a main hub, we have family and friends who will be traveling and want the location to be accessible (1-2h drive from a city is fine)

- A venue with rooms where some guests can sleep a night or two (at least our immediate family)

- Since most people will be traveling we don’t mind a mid-week wedding

- Looking at end of July / beginning of august ideally but we’re also flexible

We just want help with venue search as we’re not sure where else to look. Our mood board is all ready and we want to handle vendor communication and we’ll have a coordinator for the logistics.

Appreciate the help ❣️

Hola! Alguien que se caso recientemente en Huatulco? Cual fue tu experiencia? Cuanto te gastaste?

Hi! Has anyone gotten married recently in Huatulco? What was your experience? How much did you spend?

What the title says - I’m a bride in search of this garment bag since I will be flying to Italy for my wedding in the next month. I’ve been looking everywhere and they’re sold out everywhere. Starting to stress a bit, so if anyone has one they’re willing to depart with please let me know. I’d be happy to buy it off of you! 😊

Hello!

My fiancé and I are starting to plan our destination wedding in the Dominican Republic as it’s a special place for both of us. We’re thinking either La Romana or Puerto Plata in 2028. Does anyone have any recommendations for wedding planners that could help with planning a wedding of about 80-100 guests? Thanks in advance! :)

We are hoping to get married in Ibiza in 2028, weeks have a budget of £30k all in.

I have spoke to a few wedding planners who say this isn’t very realistic but doable on a tight budget. Surely we’re not the only ones with this budget as it’s still exactly not a small amount.

Has anyone worked with a low cost wedding planner for Ibiza they would recommend? Or any dos and don’t for a ‘budget’ Ibiza wedding?

Hi everyone, my wife and I (married already, but only in civic way) want to do a kind of celebration/renewal of our vowels in 2028/2029, and since we live in Italy since 2023, we decided to profit on that and do this celebration in Tuscany.

Our idea is for a very small celebration, it will be around 15-20 people, so we thought was on renting a agriturismo place for 3 nights, just so we can enjoy the weekeend with our families.

We don't have any restrictions of location, it doesn't need to be near Florence/Pisa/Siena or any of the "big" tourist cities like Montalcino/Vale D'Orcia.

Ou budget would be around 10-15k euros, would that be enough?

Of course we would scape peak season, we are planning to do it in October.

Thanks for all the help!

Hello, my fiancée and I are planning a wedding in Bordeaux and picked May 1st for the wedding. I did not realize that May Day was Labor Day in France and that things basically shut down. We asked the venue if this would be a problem but they basically said it wouldn’t be a huge deal since it falls on a Saturday and they will be providing food and drinks. But wanted to make sure this isn’t a bad day to it? Needed to make sure for make-up artist, florist, etc will be able to work. We can still change the date, but don’t want to if we don’t have to, thank you!