In Case You Missed It ...
Oct 22, 2008 10:59 pm US/Central
Destination Weddings Can Save You Money
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
The slow economy is forcing many travelers to either delay or cancel their vacations. However couples planning destination weddings are finding big savings.
Travel agents say bookings have spiked in the last few months. In some cases, they can cost about 40% less than traditional weddings at home.
That was one reason Casey O'Conner and Brian Keller decided to have their dream wedding in Mexico.
"Clear beaches, white sand," said Casey O'Conner. "The cost doesn't hurt either," Brian Keller added.
The couple did the math and say by the time they had the wedding and the reception, they would have had to fork over up to $30,000.
Right now they're only paying about $12,000.
Legacy Travel in Plano has booked about 25 destination weddings just in the last few weeks. Agents say traditional weddings at home can cost couples up to $35,000.
"The airfare can definitely be cheaper," said Catherine Banks.
But seven nights at a high-end inclusive resort in Mexico would run about $10,000.
"That includes airfare, hotel, meals and the wedding package," said Banks.
For guests, three nights comes out to about $1,000.
"A lot of people have relatives all over the United States so they are going to have to pay anyways to come here so they might as well pay to go to Mexico," Banks said.
That same guest paying $1,000 bucks to go to Mexico can spent more than $800 to fly in from New York to Dallas.
That trip does not include meals and other activities.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
RAW VIDEO: 100-Mile Police Chase
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
