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Couples are rewriting the rules of wedding and honeymoon travel in 2026, and the data proves it.
Tuesday morning, Fora released its inaugural Wedding & Honeymoon Trend Report, drawing on booking data spanning March 2025 through February 2026 and a survey of its advisor community, revealing a category defined by surging domestic destination bookings, wellness-forward celebrations, and a dramatic pivot toward off-peak honeymoon itineraries.
More than half — 54% — of Fora advisors surveyed reported an increase in destination wedding inquiries over the past year, underscoring a decisive shift away from traditional venue-based celebrations toward travel as the centerpiece of the event itself.
Within the destination wedding segment, U.S.-based celebrations are outpacing international options for a growing share of clients. Fifty-three percent of advisors said they’ve seen a rise in domestic destination wedding bookings, with Fora’s underlying booking data showing extraordinary year-over-year gains across three key regions.
Martha’s Vineyard leads the pack with a 278% increase in Fora bookings. South Carolina posted a 157% jump, North Carolina 141%, and Las Vegas surged 145%. Montana (143%), Utah (113%), and Rhode Island (136%) round out the strongest performers. The report attributes the domestic shift to a combination of cost consciousness, logistical simplicity, and a desire for scenery-driven experiences that still feel personal and transportive.
Wellness, Cruise Weddings Find Their Footing
At sea, the ship-as-venue concept is gaining meaningful traction. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection recorded a 261% increase in Fora bookings, followed by Princess Cruises at 218% and Norwegian Cruise Line at 198%. Fora advisors cite seamless logistics and multi-destination experiences as the core appeal — many couples are drawn to packages that include onboard wedding planners and, in some cases, a captain to officiate.
The wellness thread runs through every phase of the modern wedding journey, from bachelorette weekends to post-wedding brunches. Advisors report rising demand for yoga, sound baths, cold plunges, and full spa buyouts as standard wedding weekend programming. Miraval Austin Resort & Spa saw a 73% year-over-year increase in Fora bookings, while Wildflower Farms, part of the Auberge Collection, climbed 71%.
Honeymoon Spending Holds — With Caveats
On the honeymoon side, budgets remain elevated. Sixty-four percent of Fora clients are spending $10,000 or more on their honeymoon, with 15% exceeding $20,000. Nine in ten advisors say couples are willing to stretch financially for the trip. However, 64% of advisors also report clients are increasingly turning to off-season travel as a value strategy — a behavior reflected sharply in the booking data.
The Greek islands of Naxos and Paros are among the most dramatic examples: Naxos is up 450% overall in Fora bookings, with October travel specifically up 400% year-over-year. Paros and Antiparos mirror that figure. Japan, meanwhile, is bucking the cherry blossom cliché entirely — fall travel (October through December) has emerged as the new honeymoon high season, with overall bookings up 178%. The Italian Dolomites posted a 173% overall increase, with May travel alone up 800%.
Safari honeymoons continue to anchor the aspirational tier of the market. Kenya is up 295% in Fora bookings, Tanzania 287%, Seychelles 150%, and South Africa 112%. The classic pairing model — Kenya with Seychelles, Tanzania with Zanzibar — remains dominant, though advisors note emerging interest in Asian wildlife experiences, particularly Sri Lanka’s leopard safaris in Yala National Park (up 170%).
Perhaps the most structurally significant shift for advisors is the rise of phased honeymoon planning. Fifty-nine percent of couples are now opting for a short mini-moon immediately following the wedding and delaying a larger trip, while one in ten advisors report an uptick in pre-moon travel — couples taking a romantic trip before the wedding itself. A separate category Fora terms the “elope-moon,” combining elopement and honeymoon into one seamless destination experience, is also gaining ground.
Generational Splits Offer Advisor Guidance
The report segments client behavior by generation, offering advisors a useful framework. Gen Z clients tend to be more budget-aware, gravitating toward micro-weddings, all-inclusive properties, and compressed planning timelines. Millennials remain the most itinerary-intensive segment, favoring cultural immersion and multi-stop honeymoons planned well in advance. Gen X clients — including a notable subset planning second marriages — skew decisively toward luxury, bucket-list destinations, and high-touch service with minimal trend influence.
The overarching finding, as Fora frames it: Themes are out, destinations are in, and the advisors who can navigate that shift are increasingly central to how couples plan the most significant travel of their lives.
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