“Coming from Asian families, my husband and I were expected to have a big wedding,” says Eunice Lucero-Lee, a beauty and lifestyle editor. “Living in Manhattan limited us when it came to beautiful, spacious venues, but we also didn’t want to deal with the headache of culling a guest list.”

They chose Bali. “A destination wedding seemed like a happy compromise. It was also closer to the budget we had in mind for the scale of the party we wanted.”

With considerations like these, it’s no wonder the destination wedding market is growing: it’s expected to be worth more than US$78 billion (HK$600 billion) by 2027.

Destination weddings are particularly appealing for multicultural couples who prefer to wed in a “third place” that’s neither of their home countries.

“Our clientele is predominantly affluent and often cross-cultural,” says Diana Sorensen, owner and creative director of the Italy-based Sugokuii Events.

“These couples want to select destinations that hold significant meaning to them.”

The popularity of destination weddings also coincides with a growing preference for multi-day ceremonies with highly customised itineraries.