Reasons Couples Choose A Destination Wedding

Couples used to elope to get secretly
married. Couples headed to Las Vegas
or Niagara Falls. It evolved into a full blown
destination wedding when couples decided
to go away and have their dream wedding
away from home.

We asked a lot of couples why they
decided on a destination wedding and
here's what they said.

We've always dreamed of getting married
at a beach. We're beach people.

We got engaged on a vacation to Cabo.
It seemed like a natural place for
our wedding.

It was a second wedding for both of us.
We didn't want a large church wedding since
we'd both been there and done that. We
wanted something meaningful and less showy.

Our family was driving us nuts. Both moms
wanted what THEY wanted. The stress was killing
us and we got tired of this not being about
our wedding. So we planned a destination wedding
and it was amazing.

We have a big blended family and they don't
get along. We didn't want to deal with doing
seating charts to keep them apart. You can
choose your friends, but you can't choose
your relatives.

My husbands father is an alcoholic and we could
either have a reception with no alcohol or
have someone watch him all day long so he
doesn't create an incident. My husband had a
hard life because of his dad's drinking and even
though he loves him dearly, it wasn't fair
to my husband to worry about his dad on our
wedding day. We decided a destination wedding
was the way to go.

We went to a friends wedding in the Bahamas. It was
beautiful. We enjoyed it so much that we decided
when we got married, that we wanted a destination
wedding at sunset on a beach.

We come from different religious backgrounds. It
isn't a problem for us, but it IS a problem for
our parents. So, we decided on a nondenominational
chapel wedding to avoid the religion argument.

We wanted a vacation and we wanted to get married.
Killed two birds with one stone..LOL.

A destination wedding was less expensive and fit
into our budget. I thought I wanted the big
fairy tale wedding, but the economy made me realize
that we shouldn't be spending that money for a huge
wedding. So we decided on to upgrade on a destination
wedding and we are so glad we did!

New Years Resolutions for the Destination Bride

If you are planning a destination wedding,
its time to get your resolutions made and
get planning.

Get organized! Get or download a planner
and keep it up to date. Very important
since the wedding is out of town to keep phone
numbers and email addresses where they
can be easily accessed.

Get your passport if you are getting married
out of the USA. You now need a passport to
get married in the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada.
Cross the border, you need a passport.
DO NOT WAIT! Since the new rule went into
effect, the wait time is longer since everyone
puts it off. To see what you need to get your
passport, click here.

Make travel and lodging arrangements in
advance. Last minute travel will cost
you more money.

Send save the date cards with travel information
to the guests you are inviting. They need time
to save up the money to travel and take
vacation time from work.

Keep your guests in the loop by creating
a wedding web site that you update
regularly.

Make lists of what you will need to
travel and the clothes you will need
for the location. Start filling in your
wardrobe with things you need for
the wedding and honeymoon.

Make a list and assemble the
documents you both need to get your
marriage license.

Confirm all of your wedding arrangements
BEFORE you travel.

Confirm your travel reservations BEFORE
you travel.

Don't forget to pack your sunscreen if
you are heading to a beach location!