Destination Weddings Make A Comeback After The Pandemic

Destination weddings are making a comeback after COVID-19. A recent study from the wedding site The Knot finds they’ve almost reached pre-pandemic levels.

Texas residents Tarlan Eshghi and Austin Chegini just got married at the Ritz Carlton in Orlando. “We really love it here at the Ritz and we really couldn’t think of anywhere else that we’d love to be at,” Eshghi said. The Ritz and the neighboring JW Marriott Grande Lakes recently underwent a $110 million renovation, driving more couples to the properties for destination weddings. In previous years, 55% of the Ritz’s weddings were destination. That climbed to 70% last year.

The Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney World, which features the only adult pool in the park, has also seen an uptick in destination weddings, many incredibly extravagant, with Disney touches. The hotel’s catering director, Laure Hitzig Clavette, says: “Since 2019, we’ve actually seen about a 45% increase of what couples are spending per wedding. They’re really sparing no expense.”

WalletHub has named Orlando the best place to get married in the U.S., followed by Las Vegas. Tulsa, OK, the cheapest place to tie the knot, ranked third. “Couples are more excited than ever to visit destinations that are unique for not only themselves, but their loved ones as well,” said The Knot’s Deputy Editor, Esther Lee. The Knot recommends working with local wedding planners if you want a destination wedding. The site also finds more than half of couples who choose a destination wedding picked a location that has special meaning to them.

According to The Knot, about 10% of U.S. couples travel outside the country to get married, and far-flung locations like Fiji are becoming more popular. One option at the Lomani Island Resort is on a sand bank in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Fiji offers a tropical paradise that may cost less than you think. Cocktails start at $5 at the two-story floating bar, Cloud 9.

CBS News Correspondent Wendy Gillette got special rates to stay at these hotels including the adults-only Lomani, where wedding packages start at just $1,200. At the beachside InterContinental Fiji, weddings with a reception for 30 guests cost around $7,000. The InterContinental’s Director of Sales & Marketing, Hudson Mitchell, says, “With the U.S. dollar stronger than the Fijian dollar, Americans can get married here in Fiji at just a fraction of the cost.” Fiji is 10 hours by plane from the West Coast with roundtrip flights via Fiji Airways starting at $800 during sales periods.