Wedding Invitations

Destination weddings are more cost effective than traditional weddings, since they tend to be more intimate and involve fewer guests. Since you and your new spouse will already be at your honeymoon destination following the wedding, there is also no need for extra airfare or transportation. Destination weddings generally cost about one-third as much as traditional weddings.

Guests will enjoy planning a vacation around your wedding weekend, so a trip to an exotic place like the Caribbean or Hawaii makes for a more dramatic way to celebrate your marriage.

Many hotels offer destination wedding packages that may include free nights at their property or other perks for the bridal couple. Some even offer room discounts to wedding guests. Often the services of a wedding coordinator are included in the package as well.

Check with the hotel where you plan to wed as to the different levels or their packages. The price can increase greatly as you add on different perks to your ceremony and reception.

The wedding coordinator at your hotel can often arrange for beachside, clifftop, boat, or even hot-air-balloon locations. One couple in Hawaii exchanged vows on the peak of a volcano, atop donkeys.

The guest list at your destination wedding can be as short or as long as you choose. You two can be the only attendees and your hotel’s wedding coordinator can provide you with witnesses, or you can have as many guests as you like who are willing to travel to your destination.

Destination weddings are ideal for second marriages or those that include blended families. They are also excellent alternatives for the busy working couple who does not have time to plan all the details. If you want to leave everything up to the hotel’s wedding coordinator, he or she can arrange it all.

Sandals and other all-inclusive hotel chains offer special packages for couples who get married at one of their resorts. For instance, Weddingmoons at Sandals offers free honeymoon as well as other newlywed perks for couples who say “I do” there. Consult your travel agent or the property directly for more information on these and other offers.

Consider incorporating local traditions and flavor into your destination wedding. For example Hawaiian weddings can include such elements as hula dancers, conch shell blowers, outrigger canoe transportation, and Hawaiian music and food. A raucous luau may also suit your style.
If you get married in Mexico, cliff divers, native dancers and musicians, and fiesta decorations can enhance your wedding.
If you are getting married in a country that is not your own, or if you are a widow or a divorcee, check in advance with the consulate, the American Embassy in that region, or your hotel’s wedding coordinator for any requirements that you many need to address prior to your wedding. Some places have marriage laws that require a blood test, proof of divorce or decease, or short waiting periods (usually twenty-four to forty-eight hours) during which brides and grooms have to “reside” in the area before they are eligible to get married.

Also be sure that your marriage will be recognized in your state of residence once you return home by checking with your local marriage bureau or justice of the peace.

Other unique locations for destination weddings include a winery, a farm, an art museum, a sculpture garden, a quadrangle or church of your alma mater, the roof or top floor of a building, a historic landmark, a racetrack, a ski slope, a basketball court, a botanical garden or lakeside, a movie studio or theater, or your own or a close relative’s home (more on that below).

When choosing a unique wedding site, keep in mind any logistical difficulties that the location may pose, such as accessible parking or transportation issues, the number of people the space will accommodate, hiring help to assist at the site, table and chair rentals, insurance coverage, climate issues, and so on.