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South Florida destination weddings are becoming increasingly popular and increasingly costly

Here comes the costs for your wedding
Here comes the costs for your wedding 03:15

MIAMI — South Florida being home to some of the hottest destination cities is nothing new. But, that popularity is now leading to the area becoming a top destination for weddings.

WalletHub ranks Miami as a top-three destination for weddings, behind Orlando and Las Vegas. But, that popularity is leading to increased costs for couples looking to get married there.

Ashley Raibick is from New Jersey but she's planning her wedding in Miami. She said budgeting for the wedding was the hardest thing she's faced with her fiancé John.

"Whatever you think you're spending, add 20%," she told CBS News Miami. 

Belen Castillo is helping plan Raibick's wedding.

"Miami is one of the most popular cities for destination weddings," she told CBS News Miami.

What she's seeing is backed up by a recent study by financial services company SoFi, which reports that the average cost of a wedding in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area is nearly $40,000.

Castillo told CBS News Miami she used to be able to plan an all-inclusive wedding for 100 guests at a $20,000 price tag. But now? 

"$20,000 is not even enough for a venue if we're on the high end," she said. "I used to work with budgets like around [$25,000], $50,000 for an average guest count of 120 and up." 

That's no longer the case.

Castillo said customers tend to be under budget on their big day. She told CBS News Miami sometimes they forget all that needs to be included. Castillo also said there are limited places to get married in South Florida.

"We have limited venues here, so we had higher demands, so prices are going up," she said. "We have a shortage of staffing.  It was crazy for caterers, florists, [and] production companies. Even us, for assistant coordinators, people helping us for the set-up."

Raibick, who is also a bridal hair stylist, said she thought she was prepared.

"Me being a bride versus me being a hairstylist, I thought I knew everything.  I was like I've seen it all.  I know what entertainment costs, what florals cost.  I'll tell you once I start doing it and everything starts piling up, it's more than you imagined," she told CBS News Miami. "Every vendor is increasing their pricing.  That means my products cost more.  My tools cost more.  And then you also have to be competitive. When you're in the industry for a certain amount of time, people are charging more just to pay their bills."

The best advice for brides and grooms planning for the start of the rest of their lives: "I know with social media and trends, it's hard not to copy things, but at the end of the day it's about them.  Let's say they see these big, beautiful arrangements.  But they're not into that or their budget is not into that.  They can have beautiful smaller arrangements."

Raibick agrees. 

"No matter what your budget is, it's perfect for you as a couple," she said. "And I think you have to not lose sight of what it's about."

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