Survey Shows Many Americans Don’t Want to Attend a Destination Wedding

Destination weddings have become more popular in the past decade.

However, according to Allianz Global Assistance’s newest survey, about 37.2 percent of Americans are not in favor of destinations weddings, seeing them as a selfish move by wedding hosts to expect guests to spend their own money and vacation days to celebrate a wedding in a destination that requires a plane ride.

The survey found that most people wouldn’t attend a destination wedding with 53.6 percent citing financial costs as the main reason why. Another 17.8 percent said they didn’t know the couple well enough to justify the cost of the trip. Nearly half of Americans (42.4 percent) say the costs of travel would make them skip out on the wedding and only 19.5 percent saying that cost has no effect on their decision.

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Some travelers noted that they might be willing to spend more on the weddings of friends and family, with 9.4 percent willing to limit their spending on the trip just to attend.

Other factors also play into American’s decisions to attend a destination wedding like jobs. About 7.1 percent weren’t interested in the destination of the wedding and 9.7 percent weren’t able to take the time off required for a destination wedding. Not knowing the couple well enough to take the time off from work was another reason that 11.8 percent would not attend a destination wedding.

Over half of all surveyed (66 percent) said that couples should not expect a gift from wedding attendees if they host a wedding destination.

Most Americans, or 73.2 percent, have never been to a destination wedding, though perhaps it isn’t surprising when you consider how strongly they feel about the cost, time and effort it takes to attend one.

Allianz explained that although destination weddings are expensive for travelers to attend, they’re often cheaper for the couple to host averaging about $28,000 compared to non-destination weddings which average over $35,000.

Despite the cost efficiency of a destination wedding, wedding hosts and guests are more on the same page than you might think. Over half (51.2 percent) of Americans wouldn’t have a destination wedding. For those who would consider a destination wedding, it would be for a variety of reasons like to have their honeymoon in the same place, check off a destination from their bucket list, to save on costs and to limit the number of attendees.

“Weddings can be expensive occasions, for both the guests and the couple. Our survey indicates that Americans are hesitant about attending these destination affairs, though willing to spend more to celebrate their close friends and family,” said Daniel Durazo, director of communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA. “Traveling for a wedding, bachelor or bachelorette party can be stressful, so it’s a great idea to protect your investment with a travel insurance policy in case of the unexpected, like delayed or lost baggage, flight delays or cancellations, illness and other covered events.”