destination weddings
Trash the Dress Session in Australia
Is this not the most beautiful trash the dress photo you have ever seen? Just look at that beautiful and picturesque Australian backdrop. Majestic, I tell you.
When I saw this photograph, I started daydreaming about personally having a day after wedding session in some place like Australia, Africa, or even in the jungle of Costa Rica. Hey, if you’re going to do it, why not do it in some exotic destination or while you are away on your honeymoon?
I also love how the model is effortlessly relaxing in the tree with her bridal gown hanging below as if this was the norm. You can view more from this photo shoot on ID Photography’s blog, I’m confident you will fall in love with their work as I did.
Read MoreCrystal Coast Attractions: The Spanish Wild Horses
The Crystal Coast of North Carolina is a very popular destination wedding location with a host of destination brides coming here each year to host beachfront weddings.
By far, one of my favorite attractions are the Spanish wild horses. Have a peak at this video highlighting not only our wild horses, but a few other attractions as well. Enjoy!
Read MoreAverage Destination Wedding Budget
Here are a couple of current facts about destination wedding budgets for those of you considering hosting a destination wedding away, in lieu of a traditional hometown wedding lasting for just one day.
FACT: Spending for destination weddings has actually increased over the last decade and has exceeded the average budget for a traditional wedding in the last three years, despite the recession.
As reported by Destination Weddings & Honeymoon Magazine:
“…the average traditional wedding budget has decreased by 7 percent in the last year from $21,814 to $20,398.”
whereas
“The average destination wedding budget has increased 4 percent, from $19,800 in 2006 to $20,600 in 2009…”
What does this mean?
It means that hosting a destination wedding with your closest family and friends does not necessarily mean that you will spend less money on your wedding than if you were to host a traditional hometown wedding.
However, one benefit to hosting a destination wedding is that you may be able to do more with your budget (plan a nicer wedding) and create a more memorable time for your guests, especially when you consider that the average number of guests attending a destination wedding is 48.
Although your guest list is more likely to be smaller than when hosting a traditional wedding, you are likely to spend just as much because you will be entertaining your guests over a period of days, usually three and as a result, you are spending more money per guest.
Of course, it is also important to keep in mind that the average cost of a destination wedding also will vary depending on the location you choose and the things you want to do and plan for your guests.
Are you thinking of hosting a destination wedding? If so, what is your biggest concern?
Read MoreDestination Weddings – Vero Beach, FL (Part 2)
On Friday, I started talking about the Vero Beach “familiarization trip” I attended for destination wedding planners. On our first day there, we attended a “Welcome Reception” at the Vero Beach Hotel and Club (a Kimpton Hotel), which provided us with an opportunity to get acquainted with each other over hor d’oeuvres and cocktails to the sound of steel drums being playing in the background.
Where is Tabitha? I’m in the background in my signature color, “turquoise” in the 3rd photo (top row).
The Vero Beach Hotel and Spa is a very charming and elegant beachfront resort, which would be perfect for hosting a modern, yet traditional style wedding among your closest family and friends.
The property is magnificent and they offer several options for hosting a lavish wedding ceremony, including exchanging vows beach side on their patio or under their gazebo, as well as an indoor space for an elaborate wedding reception for up to 200 guests.
Following our “Welcome Reception,” we were whisked away by Magic Carpet Ride,a family owned motor coach company who provided transportation for us over the course of our trip, to our after party.More to come in another blog post. Stay tuned by subscribing to my blog.
Photo Credits: PS Photography (1,2); Vero Beach Hotel & Spa (3)
Read MoreDestination Weddings – Vero Beach (Part I)
Last week, I had the honor of attending the “Discover Love” Familiarization Trip in Vero Beach for destination wedding planners courtesy of the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce. They hosted 40 of us from across the United States to learn more about their area as a destination wedding location.
Let’s just say that I felt in love with the area from the time my flight landed in Melbourne, FL and I hopped into a town car for the 40 minute ride to Vero Beach. My host hotel was Costa D’este Beach Resort and Spa, owned by Emilio and Gloria Estefan. The resort is very modern, zen, and it suited me very well.
The ambiance is just fabulous. Truly, you can escape from it all while residing at this resort. The moment I stepped into my room, I turned the air condition off and open up the sliding doors so that I could hear the ocean and feel the breeze. Even when it stormed that evening, I left the doors to the balcony open as I got ready for our Welcome Reception at the Vero Beach Hotel and Club. Everything about the style and furnishings of my room at Costa D’Este resort was zen.
The bathroom was fabulous, especially the shower and the bed slept heavenly. Of course, it’s truly about the details. Each evening when I headed back to my room, my secret elf had sneaked in and pulled the bed linens back, placed a bathrobe across the bed, dimmed the lights, and left me a “sweet treat” of chocolate. If you will take look at the flower artwork in the headboard on the bed in the photo above…this actual lights up with very dim lighting. This is one of the things my secret elf would have had turned on each evening. Talk about creating an atmosphere that nurtures love and complete relaxation.
Brides and grooms, this is a beautiful place to host not only a wedding, but your honeymoon. More details from my trip to Vero Beach to come, including detailed information about hosting a destination wedding in Indian River County. Please stay tuned by subscribing to my blog.
Photos Courtesy of PS Photography (1); Nathalie Cadet-James (2); and Costa D’Este (3 & 4)
Read MoreDestination Weddings – Residency Requirements for Legal Marriages
Thus far, I have provided you with an overview of things to consider when deciding on your wedding destination, followed by whether or not you envision having a civil or religious wedding ceremony. Today, I wanted to discuss residency requirements for destination weddings.
In order to get married abroad be it the Caribbean, Europe, or the South Pacific, many of these beautiful and exotic locations require a minimum residency stay before exchanging vows and making your marriage legal. Residency requirements can range from being on an island for just 24 hours to three days to a month, what have you? It all depends on where you want to go.
Therefore, you must factor in the residency requirements when deciding on where to host your destination wedding in order to determine if the residency requirements are realistically within your wedding budget. For example, if you wanted to get married on the beautiful and tropical island of St Barthelemy (St. Barts), then you should know that in order to legally marry there, you will be required to be a resident there for forty days, which is the case for all French territories. This will significantly add to your wedding expenses because you will have to rent out an apartment and live there as a resident for that period of time before you can legally marry there.
Therefore, the gorgeous island of St. Barts can quickly become unattractive for a destination wedding location at least when the residency requirement is taken into consideration. However, by working with a destination wedding specialist, s/he will inform you of other similar options to host your destination wedding with less complicating residency requirements.
For example, in lieu of St. Barts, the Dutch side of St. Maarten (not the French side, St. Martin) or the tranquil island of Anguilla are both great alternate destination wedding locations because the residency requirements for getting married are a less stringent. And best of all,these two islands are so close to St. Barts, that after your wedding weekend festivities, the two of you can easily honeymoon in St. Barts, which is easily accessible by ferry from St. Maarten/St. Martin or a chartered boat from Anguilla.
I have decided to feature subsequent blog posts on some of the popular and most exclusive islands to host destination weddings. So, please come back to visit often or better yet subscribe to this wedding blog.
Read MoreDestination Weddings – Civil or Religious Ceremony?
Previously, I discussed three things you need to determine when choosing your destination wedding location. Today, I wanted to expand on that blog post by discussing another factor to take into consideration. As mentioned previously, just as your options of where to host your destination wedding are plenteous, so are the rules and regulations in many locations.
Another factor to determine when choosing the location is whether you envision a religious or civil ceremony for your destination wedding. This is very important because in some locations a religious ceremony may not be legal or vice versa. For example, if you have your mind set on a having a religious ceremony and your top choice to host your nuptials are in the Mexican Caribbean, then you should note that only civil ceremonies are legal in Mexico. You can still have a religious ceremony, but you will have to opt to do a civil service first to make it legal, and then you can proceed with your religious ceremony.
On the other side of the coin, if you wish to get married somewhere like Bali, a beautiful and exotic island of Indonesia, you should note that only religious ceremonies are binding. Civil ceremonies are not acknowledged in Bali. In other words, you must declare a religion to be married in Bali and the wedding ceremony has to be performed in accordance with the laws of your religion. Even more, both parties must have the same religion. Therefore, if you are a Christian and your fiancé(e) is a Buddhist, one of you will have to file a written declaration to change your religion to that of your partner’s, in order to be legally married in Bali.
Tomorrow, I will provide an overview of how varied residency requirements are for getting married abroad. Stay tuned by subscribing to my blog.
Advice: You can always contact a destination wedding planner in your local area for a consultation to determine if a destination wedding is right for you and to learn about the legalities concerning having a destination wedding in your top destination choices. Most destination wedding specialists are well versed in the marriage requirements of many of the leading wedding destinations.
{This is a re-post and content has been modified. Originally published on my old blog in 2009}
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