So How Much Does a Destination Wedding in Goa Cost?
BY Sakshi | 30 Apr, 2024 | 34682 views | 6 min read
Want that dreamy beach wedding with that perfect drone shot of you and your partner? Tie the knot in Goa! Most couples dream of having a beach wedding in Goa, which houses a few of the most iconic beach venues across India. But have you ever calculated how much would a destination wedding in Goa cost you? Don’t worry, we’ve done the math for you! Right from accommodation costs to the tiny miscellaneous ones, we have it.
While North Goa sees a majority of the tourist crowds these days, South Goa seems to be more favourable in terms of destination weddings. It's less touristy, has cleaner beaches and has a lot of beach resorts which make for perfect wedding venues. There are also options to have the wedding in a rented beach villa where you can have a home-style wedding, that would be so adorable!
So, what is the cost of a destination wedding in Goa?
Image via Zeenat and Ahmed
Assuming this is for a 2-day wedding, rooms are ideally booked for 2 nights and 3 days.
Day 1: Guests arrive by check-in time, have lunch arranged by you and then be followed by an event like Mehendi in the day or evening followed by Sangeet Dinner.
Day 2: Guests have breakfast, followed by Day or Evening wedding and Reception at night.
Day 3: Guests freshen up and leave post breakfast.
Destination Wedding Cost As Per No. Of Guests
So let’s assume you are expecting around 200 people, who are flying down at their own cost. This way you are not bearing any transportation costs.
Destination Wedding Cost For Venue For Functions
Image via Stone Water Eco Resort
So there are two ways to go about the venue and accommodation for your guests. One is to book the entire place and have all your events there with your guests too staying there. Or you can book a beach resort, only for the events and then have another resort booked nearby for your guest accommodation. For today, let’s assume you are choosing to go ahead with booking the resort for your wedding venue and guest accommodation
So basically, 2-night’s stay at a 4-star property in Goa for approximately 200 people could cost anywhere between INR 60 lakhs to INR 80 lakhs.
Another advantage is that you can find some offbeat locations a little out of the defined city limits, venues which are ideal for an intimate guest list of less than 100 people.
One thing to keep in mind is that since Goa is a hot destination wedding city, resorts get booked out very fast, so you might want to book at least 10-12 months in advance.
Find the most awesome Goa venues as per your budget and dates here!
Destination Wedding Cost For Accommodation & Food
Image via Ria and Sammy
The wedding venue and accommodation make up around 60% of the cost, so that can make a considerable difference. We are assuming the accommodation for the guests is at a nice 4-star resort because when it comes to a destination wedding in India, that's one area where you do not want to pinch pennies!
Since your guests are flying all the way down to your wedding, you want to make sure they have a comfortable stay and a good experience. One tip we can give you here is preferring double occupancy, and club families with kids together by paying more for extra bedding
- So, for about 200 people, that would roughly come up to 100 rooms. Also, bear in mind you also have the option of accommodating guests at hotels near the wedding venue instead of the venue itself.
- Accommodation for 200 people in a 4-star property in Goa will range anywhere between 19K-30K per night, per room
- So if you take an average of 22k per night, per room, the accommodation and food cost for 200 people will be INR 44 lakhs. (22k x 100 rooms x 2 nights)
Do note that this includes all meals and accommodation at that property for your guests.
Destination Wedding Cost For Decor
Images via Rakul and Jaccky
If you plan on keeping things modest, which is very possible with beautiful surroundings, earmarking INR 10-14 lakhs budget for the décor for 2 big events and 1 small event.
If you want to go grand, then sky is the limit, it can start upwards of INR 30-40 lakhs.
Find the best wedding decorators in Goa at our exclusive WMG vendor gallery!
Destination Wedding Cost For Alcohol and Entertainment
Image via Abha and Aditya
Most resorts will not allow you to get your own alcohol so you need to budget for that as well. Given that alcohol will be served for only 1-2 events, INR 3-5 lakhs budget can be reserved. Goa alcohol is cheaper than a Mumbai or Bangalore location, so you might be able to knock off some rates here.
For your entertainment, you need a DJ and photography team. While you can go all out and have live entertainments and concert nights, this cost is for a modest destination wedding in Goa. We would recommend setting aside INR 4 to 8 lakhs for a 2-day/3 events budget.
Miscellaneous Costs
Image via Ria and Sammy
This list could be as long as you want it to be, but some other major cost factors to consider are:
- A wedding planner or coordinator.
- Transportation from hotel to venue and back.
- Entertainment for guests like local folk artists.
- DJ & Sound equipment rental.
- Band, Bajaa & Baraat.
- Mehendi artists
- Favours for the guests
- Pandit
- Wedding Gifts
Find all these vendors and more in Goa at a single click here!
Now these would be all the things you want on top, things which could be over the top as well! This can include a grand wedding cake, a welcome kit for the guests, a fireworks display, mehendi favours or getting a Mehendi artist or MUA for everyone's makeup.
Keep aside about Rs 2-4 lakh for all this. If you plan on hiring a planner, the cost might go up by another lakh or two.
Finally...
Image via Neelufer and Chris
So all in all, we can easily assume that a modest destination wedding in Goa, which is still pretty luxurious can be wrapped up in a budget of about INR 40 to 60 lakhs for a guest list of about 200 people.
Of course, there are a lot of things which can increase what a destination wedding in Goa costs, even going into a couple of crores, but if you want to keep it limited to basics then that is a good estimate for a destination wedding in India to keep for only the venue, stay, decor and the extra costs related to it.
*ALL IMAGES ARE FOR REPRESENTATIVE PURPOSES ONLY*
To browse vendors in Goa, log on to the WMG Vendor Gallery which allows you to find vendors in Goa filtered as per your budget!
Still confused about how to plan a dream destination wedding in Goa? Well, we've got you covered!
*Updated by Apoorva Pagar