Exotic Destination Weddings

Your wedding is undoubtedly the most special day at your entire life. So why not make it a destination wedding? More and more couples are turning away from traditional wedding ceremonies, and are celebrating more exotic weddings. Who doesn't dream of being married in the warm ocean surf, or atop an inactive volcano, or a lush tropical paradise?

When planning your destination wedding you need to keep a couple of things in mind. First of all is the location. Are your guests going to be able to afford the travel expense to get to your destination? The wedding in a tropical jungle in Costa Rica sounds romantic, but if your relatives all live in North Dakota, the cost of airfare alone may prohibit them from attending your wedding. Another consideration when planning your destination wedding is the cost of lodging. Many resorts offer wedding packages which can save you thousands of dollars. Typically, these packages include rooms for you and your guests, food, the actual wedding ceremony, and even the cake.

Why not choose a destination wedding based on a sport, interest, or hobby. Popular choices includes golf weddings, castle weddings, beach wedding, or even horseback weddings. I have even attended a "Star Wars" wedding complete with characters costumed as movie characters! Your destination wedding doesn't need to be far away...sometimes far out is as memorable as far away!

So whether you choose a destination wedding close to home or far away, the considerations you must take into account include your budget, the distance to your destination, and whether or not you will invite family and friends.

Dean Novosat writes for HouseFads.com. Here you’ll find a collection of lifestyle and living research and articles. There are more wedding topics at Exotic Destination Weddings.

Hot Destination Weddings in Southern California

Do you want to have a great destination wedding in Southern California? California is a beautiful state and a wonderful place to get married. It doesn’t matter if you are a California Native or coming just for the wedding the places listed below will make a very memorable wedding for you and your guests alike. Everyone is sure to have a great time and a wonderful experience with a California Destination wedding.

For clarity sake all of the Southern California wedding destinations have been broken down into either a beach location of an attraction. There of course are many other superb destinations for wedding that are not mentioned this is only some of the hottest places to try.

Beaches

Huntington Beach – Recently received the title of “Surf City” USA Huntington each is a wonderful location to have a sunset beach wedding at. You can either have a beach wedding or a chapel wedding either way the scenery and weather in and around Huntington beach is fabulous and your guests will have a wonderful time. It is very close to the Los Angeles Airport and there are some very classy hotels right on the beach. Your guests will have a great time with the downtown surfing night life scene with some great restaurants and fun bars as well as enjoy the beauty of the ocean.

Santa Barbara

One of the wealthiest places in California Santa Barbara is a thriving city. There are unlimited stretches of open beach and a wonderful downtown for fun. There is also the Santa Barbara mission and beautiful mountains right behind the city. These all make for an ideal wedding spot and in fact an ideal place to live. There is lots of hotels right down on the water front and many of them will help you in planning your wedding.

Malibu

Malibu is the beach of the Hollywood crown and a great place to see some of the movie stars! Malibu again has wonderful weather, a beautiful beach, and mountains all rolled into one. Along with a fun little city and some great night life your guests will love the destination and you will love the beauty of a beach wedding. The relaxed California atmosphere of the area is a wonderful beginning to a great wedding. All of your guests will be relaxed and enjoy themselves in this beautiful climate and hopefully you will even catch a glimpse of your favorite movie star.

Attractions

These are wedding destinations in Southern California that are based on some tourist attraction. These can make especially fun locations for a wedding because guests can enjoy the attraction as well as the wedding.

Disneyland

Disneyland needs no introduction is by now famous world wide and has been a magnet for tourism in Southern California for over 50 years. What people don’t know is that you can get married there. In fact Disneyland has a whole host of wedding packages that will help you on your way. This is great if you want to have a fairy tale wedding with a sleeping beauty, a castle and a brave knight. So why not try getting married a the “Happiest Place on Earth”. Your guests are sure to enjoy their time before and after the wedding exploring Disneyland. They have also recently put in a new hotel and Disney City Walk for a great night life scene for adults so enjoy!

Temecula

Temecula is quickly becoming known as the other Wine Country of California and with the proximity of San Diego and the beach it is a very popular location for a destination wedding. Have your friends and family sit back and enjoy the wonderful weather and atmosphere. You can get married at a vineyard or in a castle. That’s right the “Enchanted Forest” is a privately owned castle that can be rented out for a wedding also.

Palm Springs

More great sun, and perfect weather make Palm Spring a very popular wedding spot. You can get married on the mountain tram that goes up to Idyllwild or on a top rated gold course in and around Palm Springs. Either way there is plenty of fun to be had by guests and a great nightlife downtown with wonderful shopping, food and bars.

The weather in California is really the best in the country and that is why it has become one of the best wedding destinations. It is also significantly less expensive then a Hawaii wedding or other location weddings. Just make sure you plan ahead and take some time to research the location you want for your California destination wedding.

Free 5 day Wedding Planning email course Check it out now before the offer is gone! Learn more about California Destination Wedding Locations.

Is a Destination Wedding For You?

Amy and Michael were excited to be getting married. What they were not excited about was the hassle of pulling together all of the details involved in pulling off a wedding. This left them with three options:

Grin and bear it.

Hire a wedding planner to take care of everything.

A Destination Wedding.

They chose the destination wedding and it turned out to be the perfect choice - for them.

They got married on a perfectly manicured lawn ringed with volcanic rocks, palm trees, and orchids against a back drop of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean. Their destination wedding was almost like a fantasy. But that is not the real reason it worked out for them: The real reason it worked out for them is that with a destination wedding couples tend to be more focused on the big picture as opposed to the details.

In a wedding in an exotic or far away locale you have to let a wedding hosting company or at least a wedding planner in that locale that takes care of the details. Indeed many exotic locations you may not have many options for the various wedding related disciplines because the location you choose may well only have two florists, a caterer, and five photographers. With a destination wedding you have to let go of these details and accept things as they are.

This allows couples to view their wedding celebration as a fun filled getaway - where they are getting away to some exotic location with only a few guests to help them celebrate this most beautiful time of their lives.

As a matter of fact, destination weddings often turn into a combination wedding, honeymoon and a family reunion vacation all wrapped up in one.

There are several downsides to destination weddings to consider before you make your decision:

Your guest list is severely limited since most of us do not have friends and family with the resources to pick up and travel to whenever or wherever they want.

You have to be able to relinquish control over the details of your wedding and be happy with whatever the planner / hosting company provides you with with a destination wedding.

You have no opportunity to meet with your photographer in advance to see if his or her personality will set you at ease so your wedding photographs might not be a great value even if the photographer is incredible with the camera!

Cost. While a destination wedding sounds great, the reality is that the expense makes it impractical for most people. At the very least you will have to give your guests ample warning so they can budget and schedule the trip. But in many cases the bride and groom end up footing much or all of the cost for all of their guest's travel expenses. Ouch!

For these reasons, weddings in exotic locations tend to be more popular with older couples who can handle the financial burden and are less interested in the guest list and wedding details or wedding photography than they are with making memories with their loved ones.

In Amy and Michael's case, this option worked despite being a young couple because they are not detail oriented people and a destination wedding by the sea with their family and closest friends was the best memory for their wedding day that they could imagine.

Jeanette Shinn is a wedding professional with over a dozen years experience making dreams come alive. Find everything from tips about wedding planning to bridal tank tops at http://www.ExcitingWeddingFavors.com.

Destination Weddings, Honeymoons - St Barts

Destination Weddings are weddings that take place away from where the bride and groom live. They happen in some of the most exotic and wonderful places in the world. These types of non-traditional weddings provide the bride and groom with dreamy settings, while doubling as an opportunity for guests to experience a place they have never been before.

“Today’s couples are more educated, sophisticated, and better traveled than couples of past generations. More affluent than past marrying couples, 27% of these Generation Y couples ( children of the baby boomers and twice the numbers ) will pay for their entire wedding, and they want something different for themselves and their guests; they want to be pampered and taken seriously.

In the year 2006, nine percent of weddings in the United States were destination weddings, which is a 200% increase in the last ten years. Generation Y couples are tired of the “themed” weddings that became so prevalent and overused in the past. They want to experience different cultures and real settings rather than a “staged” wedding.” says Founder and President of June Wedding, Inc. ®, Robbi Ernst III and author of Great Wedding Tips From the Experts.

“Although women are still the primary decision makers of the wedding plans, men are more involved today than couples of the generation that preceded them, 83% of today’s couples are employed full time; they work hard (they are paying a mortgage and own one or two automobiles between them). Equally, they want to play hard; realizing that they are together rarely, they want to plan events that will bring them closer. As well, they want to create deep and meaningful memories for the family and friends. Since most couples are not getting married in the areas where they grew up, their time with family and friends is all the more precious and important to them. If they can do this in a unique or even an exotic setting, all the more enticing,” Ernst adds.

St Barthelemy, located in the French West Indies, is that exotic setting today’s bride is looking for. It is the Monte Carlo of the Caribbean, without the traffic jams but with the added advantage of flawless beaches. Shortened to Saint Barth in French and St Barts in English it is an exclusive eight square mile (21 sq km) embodiment of 24-carat French chic. It attracts millionaires on luxury yachts, movie stars and French expatriates fleeing the European winter. It is a Caribbean island where relaxation and Gallic style under a tropical sun have been refined to perfection.

Few islands worldwide, can match the unique blend of style, nature and history that is St. Barts. This tiny island has significant appeal where 'quality' is most certainly more important than 'quantity'... an island far away from the normality of life, making it the perfect wedding destination.

St. Barts is surrounded with turquoise waters, situated near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles group in the French West Indies. At a distance of 200 kms from the island of Guadeloupe and 25 kms from Saint-Martin. It is a mountainous island whose only flat area is occupied by the airport’s runway. As the climate is rather dry, agriculture has never been developed, thus throughout history few slaves had ever been employed. For the most part, St. Bartians are descendants of Breton and Norman fisher folk. Many are of French and Swedish ancestry, the latter evident in their fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes.

St. Barts’ beaches are renowned for being some of the most beautiful and pristine in the world. Many are found in small coves, which have been protected from development by strict environmentally friendly zoning. Unlike many of its neighboring Caribbean islands, it has not been overrun with prefab condos and large chain hotels. There are six 4 star hotels all featuring romance packages for the wedding or honeymoon couple. All are of single story design, some as one building and others as separate single bedroom villas. Four are located on the beach (perfect for reading-of-the-vows ceremony) the other two are high on the hills with magnificent views of the island and setting sun. Each hotel has been uniquely designed, blending into the surrounding terrain. Luxury and elegance is felt in each environment.

St. Barts features some of the best cuisine in the Caribbean. The island has over eighty restaurants featuring culinary styles ranging from classic French to Asian to West Indian.

Many of the restaurants attract gourmet chefs trained in France to oversee their kitchens. These chefs can also be reserved to serve guests in the intimate privacy of their own villa for any special event or treasured evening. Villas on the island offer breath taking views and the perfect setting for your reception, especially with your own private French chef.

Nightlife of St. Barts is diverse as well. Visitors looking for late-night pleasures can listen to live jazz at a café or dance the night away at one of the local discos or after hours clubs.

St. Barts is also a duty-free port, rated as one of the premier shopping destinations in the Caribbean. The capital Gustavia is the principal shopping area of the island. There are boutiques and emporiums for the most sophisticated shoppers, featuring luxury brands such as Cartier, Hermes, Dior to name a few. The island hosts numerous health and beauty clinics and fitness centers catering to the island's upscale clientele.

It is important to realize that planning a wedding in a foreign country still has the usual concerns and worries of any home based event; there is the additional stress that something could go wrong in a different location. Aside from making travel reservations for the group, a couple needs to consider local legal issues. For instance, marriage in St Barts is not a legal ceremony, rather it is viewed as a spiritual ceremony. For this reason and others, travelers planning to marry in any foreign country should give serious consideration to hiring a local, home based Wedding Consultant for guidance and advice as well as an on-site Wedding Consultant at the particular destination. .The on-site Consultant will insure that the hosts of the event have all the required documentation, that every detail is planned long before arrival and that only the most competent, professional and expert wedding vendors with proper contracts will provide their services . These on-site Consultants can also provide any needed assistance if the couple chooses to bring along some of their own vendors (e.g. the photographer, floral designer, videographer, etc.). They will check that each client and guest is properly retrieved at the airport, that they are provided with the planned-for-accommodations, and that they are well rested from travel before beginning the schedule of any local tours and sightseeing prepared for in advance. Moreover, the on-site consultant can also suggest local customs that will make the wedding truly unique, one that family and friends alike will talk about for a very long time.

“Premium IV is truly one of the foremost on-site specialists. Located on St Barts they are members of AFWPI (Association for Wedding Professionals International) and JWI (June Wedding, Inc®). The management team of Premium IV is made up of three experts in service: a successful Canadian entrepreneur, an English expert in receptive tourism and a French restaurateur who have provided magnificent service in the best restaurants and hotels in France, the UK, USA, and St Barts. Additionally, the highly qualified and bilingual staff (French and English) have many years of experience in the island way of life.

They will provide the ultimate in V.I.P. services. Premium IV has brought together, under one umbrella, only the best that St Barts has to offer. With over 120 contracted partners providing approximately 450 products and services. There is virtually no request that Premium IV cannot arrange,” says International Travel Writer, Jesse Nash.

Any special event wedding, honeymoon or other special event that takes place on St. Barts is special and memorable simply due to the Island's own enchanted ambiance and unique hospitality. The St. Barts experience is all the more enhanced when it is under the direction of a competent Consultant and Director, at home and on the Island. A Consultant or Director who leaves nothing to chance, who sees to it that not only is the St. Barts experience itself magical, but also one that will be treasured forever in the hearts and memories of the travelers. The staff of Premium IV takes the added steps of communicating with the client and/or their home-based Consultant before arrival on St. Barts so that every detail is discussed and decisions are determined and firmed up in writing. From the moment the client and guests set foot on St. Barts, they enter into a well-scripted, stress-free atmosphere in which they will be completely at ease and confident that all the planning will play out like as closely as possible to their dreams.

John Day

Premium IV

Phone: 0590 290 007
From the US - 011 590 590 290 007
Fax : 011 590 590 290 008
Email: sales@premiumiv.com
Website: http://www.premiumiv.com

Take Out the Complications of a Destination Ceremony

Destination weddings can be the most risky to plan since a couple who are engaged never know all of the variables involved. Here are ample tricks to reduce complications so all beach weddings and other destination weddings can run smoothly.

General Planning for Destination Weddings

With the advent of inexpensive air travel and the ease with which the internet allows contact with a multitude of more exotic venue suppliers, bride and grooms and grooms are increasingly considering variations of the traditional beautiful wedding day ceremonies. An online wedding is a destination wedding that is either conducted on the internet, or is an event that resembles a standard destination wedding when two people who wish their avatars, or characters, to be married. A flat fee may be charged, or a surcharge applied to the cost of various services are contracted on the destination wedding couples behalf. The primary question to be answered immediately is: what are the marriage law requirements?

Evaluate the amount of work required to be performed before the destination wedding, and how much personal time is available, and employ a wedding package coordinator as early as possible if one is needed. With thousands of excellent venues available, it is dangerous to consider any location where there is not a record of a substantial number of routine weddings of foreign nationals without administrative delays. Couples should talk to a few former clients and current vendors of the prospective coordinator, as well as verify their good business practices through a local organization such as (in the US) a local Better Business Bureau office. When hiring a wedding coordinator from afar, as with any new business relationship, references are a must. Those destination wedding couples who have been most successful and satisfied at destination weddings have tended to keep control of most of the detailed planning and arrangements, and have used foreign recommendations as assistance only.

Invitations - Beach Weddings

If you'd like to have beach beautiful wedding day invitations or photo wedding ceremony invitations, have them designed or create them on your own. Beach wedding ceremony invitations are the ideal choice for any bride and groom getting married on the beach or traveling to a beach destination for their honeymoon. If you're designing your own invitations, you have a wide range of latitude for selecting colors, styles, fonts, and envelope inserts that will beach your beach theme. If you like, you can include confetti in the shapes of palm trees or other beach items to make your invitation stand out and sparkle.

Second to none Invitations - Destination Weddings

This is where you can get creative and either create your own unbeatable Las Vegas nuptials invitations or have them designed and printed for you by a professional. You'll be much happier if you get the beautiful wedding day invitations you want instead of getting invitations that conform to traditions you are not really interested in adhering to. With a little imagination, you can come up with an invitation that expresses your creativity and interests to your invited guests. While there are traditions in place, remember that it's your wedding ceremony.

Save Money - Beach Weddings

Planning a wedding ceremony is one of the most special times of life, but it can also be the most difficult because of the many details you need to take care of and the expense of many the arrangements. However, there are a few ways to save money on your marriage expenses and still have the beautiful wedding day of your dreams. Use these points and you'll be able to sock away those extra dollars for your honeymoon or your new life as husband and wife. If you pay full price for everything you hope at your marriage, you may end up spending more than you bargained for. Saving money on weddings can direction you to save money for your honeymoon or put it away for a rainy day.

Suggestions for the Bride

Couples usually separate from the wedding party for a time for photos. In definite areas, a garter may be worn to be removed by the groom at a later time after the ceremony. Accent colors are making there way into wedding dresses, and couples are loving it. A new bride poses for the camera.

Perfect brides with perfect Beach Weddings have the perfect invitations from BeachWedlock. Perfect Las Vegas brides get their perfect Las Vegas wedding invitations from http://www.vegaswedlockinvitations.com

Terrific Advice Concerning Destination Weddings As Shared By Two Gurus On The Topic

Today Norm Goldman, Editor of Sketchandtravel.com & Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as a guest, Denise and Alan Fields, authors of BRIDAL BARGAINS and the BRIDAL PASSPORT WEDDING PLANNER. Both are in bookstores nationwide or you can order online at WINDSORPEAK.COM.

The Fields have been featured on the TODAY SHOW, OPRAH and DATELINE NBC.

Thanks Denise and Alan for accepting our invitation to be interviewed.

Norm:

Please tell our readers how you started writing about weddings and why did you want to write about this subject matter?

Denise and Alan:

We began writing in 1989 as we were planning our own wedding; yep, we are still married today. As two starving college students in Austin, Texas, we quickly realized planning a wedding was a darn expensive endeavour. We wanted to know how to save money but still have a nice wedding without getting ripped off. We heard the horror stories from our friends and decided the world needed a consumer's guide to tying the knot. Bridal Bargains, our first wedding book, was the result of that effort it was first published in 1990 and now is in its 7th edition, with 500,000 copies sold. Our latest book, the Bridal Passport wedding planner (the Dollars & Sense Guide to Planning a Wedding) was published in December 2004.

Norm:

What in your opinion makes for a wonderful and unique wedding experience, where everyone would be left with fond memories? As a follow up, do you have to spend a great deal of money to have such a memorable experience?

Denise and Alan:

Think about the best weddings you have ever attended and what made them so memorable? Chances are it was a FUN event first and foremost. That might have been a combination of several factors, a unique setting, a great band, and so on. Focus on those factors when planning your own wedding. Conversely, realize there are many parts of a wedding that are expensive, but contribute little to the fun aspect of a wedding flowers, for example.

No, you don't have to go bankrupt to plan a memorable wedding! Yes, you may have to make a series of trade-offs to pull it off, but you can save and still have a fantastic wedding. Example: instead of a fancy downtown hotel, you can rent a historic home that lets you bring in your own caterer. That enables you to hold the total cost down, way under what the hotel would charge. The key: you save money in ways your guests don't see. A bottle of house wine from a hotel might be $50; that same bottle from a wholesale club like Sam's or Costco would run $10. Do you guests know the difference? No.

A destination wedding is another great way to save and you have a special setting for your wedding, without all the cost of a domestic affair.

Norm:

What tips would you have for destination brides who plan to bring along a wedding party? It's a growing trend for destination weddings to now have a fairly sizeable wedding party sometimes about 50, so it would be great to get their tips on group airline discounts, hotel blocks.

Denise and Alan:

Good news: the travel biz has awakened to the destination-wedding trend. As a result, many airlines and resorts have special discount packages for those planning a wedding. Airlines, for example, are courting destination weddings with special group discounts. Many resorts now have on-staff wedding planners to ease planning; and special discount rates for blocks of rooms.

The best advice: work with the airlines group booking department and/or the resort's meeting planners. And always double check to make sure any special rate you get is really a deal and simply price the same stay or fare on a travel web site. Most travel companies honestly offer groups a better deal than regular travelers; but it always makes sense to double check.

Norm:

Could you tell us something about the advantages and disadvantages pertaining to different unique venue weddings as: beach, park, museum, mountain ski lodge, tent, train, yacht, and other sometimes off- the- wall sites? (Perhaps you can add a few of your own.)

Denise and Alan:

Name a destination and you can get married there---ski buffs can take their vows on a mountain top in Telluride, beach fans on the white sands of Aruba and so on. The key advantage of a destination wedding: you are already in the place where you will honeymoon. That cuts down on the travel, as you just travel once to both the wedding and honeymoon.

With all unique venues and destination weddings, the biggest trade-off is control. You will have to trust a wedding planner at the venue to help coordinate the details. And that means not being a control freak. Many tropical venues may offer a stunning setting, but slim pickings when it comes to finding a photographer (there may just be one or two on an island). Ditto for other remote locales, like a ski resort.

Norm:

If you had to choose 5 ideal geographic wedding destinations from the point of view of ambiance, costs, etc, which ones would you chose and why?

Denise and Alan:

Hawaii is probably the best combo of both ambience and ease of use and no changing dollars into a foreign currency, a very developed tourist biz and so on. Specifically, we would recommend the north shore of Kauai in the summer; Maui or the Big Island in the winter.

Mexico offers the best value for the dollar. A falling dollar has made foreign travel pricey just about everywhere, but the peso remains a relative bargain for Americans. Resorts like Cabo, Cancun and Puerto Vallarta offer that beach wedding (and Caribbean water) at a discount price. Top pick: Cozumel, for its excellent snorkelling.

Telluride is our favorite mountain resort to tie the knot, summer or winter. Winter lets you enjoy a world-class ski mountain; summer is hiking, white water rafting. A selection of the top restaurants makes this a winner year around.

Orlando is among the best bargains going and most airlines offer deals on air/hotel packages here and the raft of entertainment options is second to none. And its more than just Disney . . . you will find Universal, Sea World and a plethora of water parks.

Norm:

Do you have any tips as to how couples can get the best value for their dollar when they are honeymooning?

Denise and Alan:

Two words: shoulder season. The shoulder season is the space between high and low seasons. No, you probably don't want to go to a tropical isle in August. How about April? In the Caribbean, you can find great deals in the shoulder season after Easter but before summer vacation times.

Hawaii is cheapest rate after New Year's until mid March, when spring break crowds end deals. Deals also abound in Hawaii in the fall, from Labor Day until just before Christmas. Hence, November would be a great time to go for a honeymoon.

Fall is also a great time to visit the wine country of California or the Rocky Mountains on a honeymoon.

Norm:

What are the 5 most important factors, cost-wise, a future bride and groom should bear in mind when planning their wedding and why?

Denise and Alan:

Location, guest count, time of day and wedding style are the most important budget factors. Some thoughts:

Location: Where do you envision the wedding? Reception? The location will drive much of the cost. A hotel reception is much more expensive than a home wedding, for example.

Guest count. A no brainer this clearly impacts the budget!

Time of day. A 2pm wedding is much less expensive than an evening affair, Why? Guests already have had lunch and are not expecting dinner! Brunch or lunch reception are also less expensive than dinner.

Wedding style: Do you have envision a garden wedding? A beach-side ceremony? Or a formal Catholic mass? The style of your wedding is a major driver of costs.

Norm:

How does one go about finding out about the different marriage regulations around the world? Is there a web site that we can click on et voilà we have the answer?

Denise and Alan:

Wish there was! Unfortunately, it takes a bit of surfing. Start by identifying which countries you are interested in: then Google their official tourism site. Most tourism bureaus now have wedding links on their front page . . . in a few clicks, you can find out the marriage requirements. Another idea: ask the concierge of the hotel or resort you are considering to be married at. Many now have wedding planners on staff.

Norm:

How does one go about checking on the reliability of a hotel or resort when it pertains to service, food, etc especially if the hotel or resort is located in another state, province or country?

Denise and Alan:

The web! Most wedding sites (including ours, bridalbargiansbook.com) have online message boards. You can chat with other brides and find other couples who have been married where you are considering . . . yes, that is possible! Of course, you can always ask for references from the resort, but this can be unreliable. Sites like tripadvisor.com have detailed reviews of resorts by travellers and that can be very helpful.

Best wishes,

Alan & Denise

For over thirty- five years, Norm practiced as a Title Attorney and Civil Law Notary in Montreal, Canada. After his retirement from the legal profession, Norm pursued two of his passions - book reviewing and travel writing, implementing many of his research skills he had been practicing for 35 years.

Norm and his wife Lily are a unique husband and wife team, writer and water colorist, who write and paint about romantic destinations and wedding destinations.

Basically, they meld art and words in order to create an unusual travel story, which generates interest, particularly because of the fact that each painting appears to have been ‘custom-made’ for the story-original story and original art. Combining the watercolors with travel writing provides a softer, more romantic look at the places they visit.

As they specialize in web-based content, their articles and water- colors are featured on their own site, Sketchandtravel.Com, as well as several other sites.

You can learn more about Norm and Lily by visiting their site: http://www.sketchandtravel.com

Best Destination Weddings

A bit of romance, a bit of elegant arrangements and the best of locations are the perfect ingredients for the best wedding destinations around the world. Most of us try so hard to find the perfect wedding destination that meets both our dreams as well as our wedding plans, but simply don't know how to go about it. Finding the right wedding destination is not as hard as we think. The most important thing to keep in mind while selecting a wedding destination is answering a simple question as how do you want your wedding to be? Don't go for a destination wedding just because your friend found it amazing. Go for a location that you admire and like. After all it is one occasion that is going to happen once in a lifetime. So make it as special as can be.

A destination wedding generally looks into locations that are either exotic or unusual. The destinations popular for weddings are generally on the beach, mountains or even rain forests. Let's take a look at the best destination weddings around the world.

Jamaica is one of the popular destination weddings in the world. Its picturesque scenery and excellent climate makes it a yearlong honeymoon and wedding location. Right from lofty mountains to sunny beaches one has many possible wedding locations to select from. Being one of the best destination weddings it also offers a range of attractive packages from specialized wedding agencies. Everything will be planned and arranged for you. So if you are keen on Jamaica destination wedding then be rest assured to enjoy a perfect wedding in an idyllic location.

And if you are looking for a wedding destination that is romantic as well as entertaining and happening then there is no better place than Las Vegas. What better way to walk down that isle with hundreds of neon lights illuminating the ceremony? With the shimmer of the ever alive entertainment city and the glamour of casinos; Las Vegas is an excellent destination to make your wedding rocking in every way possible.

When talking about best destination weddings, how can we leave out Europe?

Rome is world renowned for arranging the best destination weddings in the world. So give your wedding day a taste of the European fashion, taste and style. There are also many churches, restaurants and nightclubs to select from. Rome is one destination wedding that offers you the complete package covering all the aspects to make your wedding day memorable and grand.

Among the other best destination weddings come the Caribbean islands as well as Hawaii. These locations are not only famous for weddings but for honeymoon as well. With traversing beaches and exotic resorts, these destinations can make every wedding unique, grand and remarkable.

So select from the best destination weddings and make your wedding ceremony a truly cherished moment. Click to find more destination weddings from around the world.

All Inclusive Wedding Packages

The all inclusive wedding packages include all the requirements to stage the wedding of your dreams. Basically, the wedding package may include romantic location, legal documents, marriage license, marriage minister, photographs, wedding cake, continental breakfast, accommodation, reception dinner and champagne.

Additionally, the bride and groom may add options to spice up the already fabulous wedding. For example, the bride and groom choose to add personal assistant, rehearsal dinner, floral decoration, private transportation, sunset room, boat cruise, spa treatments, live music, tuxedo rentals, candlelight dinner, and hairstylists.

For any destination weddings, the destination wedding planner will take a huge load of work for your lovely wedding. The destination weddings are faraway getaway places. And, we may know less about the destination. Besides, the destination wedding planner negotiates for all possible discounts on every desire of the bride and groom.

To plan your own wedding will take hundreds of hours. Especially, the bride and groom hardly know the destination at all. The bride and groom just bring the wedding dress, rings, legal documents, and attires.

Suddenly, the bride and groom needs to add ten additional guests. With just one phone call, the destination wedding planner makes the necessary arrangements like accommodation, tables, plates, tablecloths, and cutlery.

Typically, the destination weddings are vacations. Think of medieval castles, nostalgic temples, mountain alpines, tropical paradise, sandy beach, blue skies, warm breeze, palm trees, and crashing waves.

Experience the wedding of a lifetime in a romantic and captivating destination like Italy, Greece, France, Jamaica, Mexico, Caribbean, Florida, Las Vegas, Hawaii, or Miami. Exchange the wedding vows in front of spectacular sunset, emerald-colored sea, and white sand. The waterfront ceremony adds excitement to the wonderful dream wedding.

The destination wedding planners know the different special promotions. So, he may be able to offer to the bride and groom. For example, wedding cake, invitations, and off season discounts may be available without extra cost to the bride and groom.

Dennis Estrada owns wedding advice, plan your own wedding, and why are destination weddings popular website.

Wedding Favors and Theme Planning

When planning favors for a wedding, one of the first things to consider is the wedding theme. Having a set goal to follow, a plan to follow allows you to augment your wedding with important elements such as wedding favors and decorative keepsakes.

Since effective wedding planning relies heavily on the wedding theme, your favor selection should try to reflect your choice of theme, while conveying your own personal style. There are many types of weddings – formal wedding themes, destination weddings, and weddings based around a particular theme such as the seasons. Other popular wedding planning themes include themes based on sports, lifestyles, hobbies to name a few.

When selecting your wedding favors, you should match the favors with the wedding planning theme you have selected. The following are a few examples:

Formal Weddings – Beautiful white centerpieces are matched eloquently with white fortune cookie or calla lily placecard holders and matching white calla lily candle favors. Engraved key chains and wine wedding favors add a hint of class to this theme.

Sports Theme – There is a large amount of sports themed wedding favors available on the Internet, and some choices are Personalized Golf Tees, Golf Balls, Soccer keepsake boxes and more.

Event and Destination Themes – Based on the location you choose, there is a myriad of options for destination theme favor ideas. You can present beautiful gifts bags to be left in the hotel room for each guests as favors for the wedding weekend. These bags can be filled with anything to match your planning theme. Scented candle favors, favor boxes with edible gifts and engraved favors all work very well for destination themes. Use your creativity and imagination to make your wedding come to life, and thank your guests.

Since effective wedding planning relies heavily on the wedding theme, your favor selection should try to reflect your choice of theme, while conveying your own personal style. There are many types of weddings – formal wedding themes, destination weddings, and weddings based around a particular theme such as the seasons. Other popular wedding planning themes include themes based on sports, lifestyles, hobbies to name a few.

When selecting your wedding favors, you should match the favors with the wedding planning theme you have selected. The following are a few examples:

Formal Weddings – Beautiful white centerpieces are matched eloquently with white fortune cookie or calla lily placecard holders and matching white calla lily candle favors. Engraved key chains and wine wedding favors add a hint of class to this theme.

Sports Theme – There is a large amount of sports themed wedding favors available on the Internet, and some choices are Personalized Golf Tees, Golf Balls, Soccer keepsake boxes and more.

Event and Destination Themes – Based on the location you choose, there is a myriad of options for destination theme favor ideas. You can present beautiful gifts bags to be left in the hotel room for each guests as favors for the wedding weekend. These bags can be filled with anything to match your planning theme. Scented candle favors, favor boxes with edible gifts and engraved favors all work very well for destination themes. Use your creativity and imagination to make your wedding come to life, and thank your guests.

Jen Carter is owner of My Wedding Blog, a free wedding planning guide about weddings. This article can be found in our wedding favors category. You may publish our articles on your website only if you do not edit the article in any way, and include all html as direct links to our site.

Florida Destination Wedding

Ever dreamed of a wedding in paradise? Turn your dream into a reality with Florida destination weddings.Florida has everything you could want for your dream wedding and honeymoon. More and more couples find this island paradise a perfect location for their ultimate wedding experience. Beautiful beaches, tropical vegetation, luxury accommodations and other wonderful amenities are only few of the many assets of Florida. The possibilities are endless, and you can exchange vows in any number of fabulous locations. You can exchange your vows in a Florida church, or if you and your partner want to experience an outdoor wedding, a beach wedding on one of the state’s lovely beaches is perfect.

After your wedding, try honeymooning in some other historic Florida spots. Miami, for instance, is a very exciting place to visit because of its cosmopolitan atmosphere. Or you can explore the Florida Keys, a string of islands that extends a hundred miles, ideal for those who love nature. There are a number of cultural attractions in Florida as well, such as museums, theaters, music venues, and so on and so forth. The options are endless.

If you don’t have time to plan, you might consider hiring a wedding coordinator. They are often privy to deals you may not know about, like package deals at romantic hotels. Most coordinators will plan everything for you including clergy for the ceremony, photographers, flowers, cake, tuxedo rentals, limousine rentals and tours in their packages. They’ll do all the work, allowing you to enjoy your special day.

Destination Wedding provides detailed information on Destination Weddings, Florida Destination Wedding, Destination Wedding Invitations, Destination Wedding Packages and more. Destination Wedding is affiliated with Maui Hawaii Weddings.

Destination Wedding Packages

Everyone dreams of a perfect wedding, and one of the basic elements in planning and preparing for a wedding is to find a perfect location to “tie the know.” If you have been dreaming of having your wedding in a nature park or exotic tropical island then start planning, because your wedding is something that you will cherish forever and look back to with fond memories. Destinnation wedding packages include everything you need.

If planning seems to overwhelming for you, and you can’t seem to get your thoughts together to organize such a special event, you can contact a wedding coordinator and ask about the many destination wedding packages that are available. These wedding packages will help you make your wedding something truly special – a far cry from the usual hotel wedding or church ceremony. Destination wedding packages are designed to give you less to think about, so that you can be stress free and ready for your “special day.” Every single detail regarding your wedding will be taken care of from the venue, to the decorations, food, accommodations for you and your guests, travel tips, etc. It all comes with the package.

The only thing difficult about destination wedding packages is choosing the one that is best suited for you. There are so many fabulous places to choose from at prices that range from economy to luxurious – it depends on what you want and what you can afford. Whatever package you choose, the chances are you will remember it forever.

Destination Wedding provides detailed information on Destination Weddings, Florida Destination Wedding, Destination Wedding Invitations, Destination Wedding Packages and more. Destination Wedding is affiliated with Maui Hawaii Weddings.

Is A Destination Wedding Right For You?

The current “buzz” in honeymoon planning is the destination wedding. Simply put, the destination becomes the wedding chapel, honeymoon site and vacation for the bride and groom and all invited guests.

A destination wedding is more of a concept than a location. For example, if you and your fiancée love the Wild West, you could plan a wedding at a dude ranch. How about being married surrounded by undersea wildlife at a large aquarium? Or standing on lava created by Pele in Hawaii?

If the “traditional” wedding doesn’t appeal to you – the “been there / done that” of the church and reception, then a destination wedding might be right for you.

If you have a destination wedding, who will you invite? Can your family, friends and loved ones afford to travel to the destination you choose? Will you pick up the costs for their travel and accommodations?

Are you willing to “run into” your friends, family and loved ones during your honeymoon? If you are all at the same location, you will end up seeing them. Do you want to share your honeymoon time? If you do choose to share your honeymoon time, be prepared to set expectation levels with your guests. For example, will you have dinner with them one night – but expect them to leave you alone the rest of the time? Or will your guests expect you to spend the majority of the time together? Neither way is bad – but it should be candidly discussed beforehand. You do not want any hurt feelings over your honeymoon – including your own!

Consider your guest’s preferences as well as your own. You’d love to have a lavish destination wedding in the Bahamas – but your mother is allergic to the sun. Is this a good choice? Remember, when you return home any problems you had with the destination will return with you.

Destination weddings can be comparable in costs to a traditional wedding. In fact, they can be more affordable. Because attendance is generally smaller, you can devote your budget to travel and lodging instead of church and reception. Many resorts will create packages for your destination wedding to include the license, minister, flowers and reception. And, because you have multiple people in your party, you may end up with discounts on packages.

Destination weddings can be very unique and special. Destination weddings are a definite change from the traditional wedding that will live on in you and your guest’s minds for a very long time.

Before you plan your destination wedding, be sure to make a list of all the pros and cons. Then contact your travel agent for expert assistance.

Kim is a full service travel agent with Travel Reaction. She helps people become travel agents and offers tips, advice and destination guides at her website Honeymoon Planning

Top 5 Reasons To Choose A Destination Wedding Package

Want to make your wedding an experience to remember? A destination wedding package is a great alternative to the traditional wedding package. Here's 5 top reasons to choose a destination wedding.

1. You get to choose the weather for your special day.

Enjoy cold weather? Find a winter destination package in Colorado and don't forget to enjoy some skiing! Like warm weather? Head out to the Bahamas and enjoy the beach!

2. You get more out of your wedding dollars.

Destination weddings are usually cheaper than traditional weddings. Also, there are all-inclusive destination wedding packages with everything included - from the plane ticket to the wedding reception.

3. You get a vacation and a wedding planning team.

You'll take a break away from your busy life and be able to relax. Also, destination wedding packages come with a wedding staff that will plan much of your wedding activities. This is great for reducing your wedding planning stress!

4. You get to decide the scenery of your wedding.

If you like looking at beach sunsets, consider going to Hawaii. You'll have a great backdrop for your wedding. Don't forget to take many pictures! If the beach is not your thing, you can go to Europe and get married in a magnificent castle.

5. If you're the creative type, a destination wedding package is perfect for a theme wedding.

Thinking of having a theme wedding? A destination wedding package will make your wedding come alive. For example, an island theme wedding is better in the Caribbean than Atlanta, Georgia.

Now that you know the top 5 reasons to choose a destination wedding package, visit http://wedguide.info and learn the locations of the top destination weddings. Also, find out where you can have an affordable destination wedding.

Sandals, Beaches, and... Weddings?

With the average cost of a wedding topping $20,000, couples - particularly those who are making their second trip down the aisle - are looking for exciting alternatives to the typical church and reception soiree. For that reason, destination weddings are becoming increasingly popular. Today, the bride may wear a simple princess gown and the groom decked out in linen pants and an open-necked shirt - and both may be wearing sandals.

Ceremonies are taking place on Cancun beaches, in forests, and on cruise ships. Couples are leaving behind the carnival atmosphere and celebrity grandeur of the large wedding and are embracing simpler, more intimate settings for their ceremonies.

With a destination wedding, the couple selects the locale where they'd like to both hold their ceremony and their honeymoon. Cruise ships, Caribbean getaways, and Hawaiian resorts top the list of desirable destinations. Once they decide on a location, the couple typically draws up a small guest list - sometimes including as few as a half dozen family members and other times incorporating fifty or more guests.

Working with a travel agent, they book reservations at the resort or on the cruise of their choosing. When they're able, the couple often picks up the tab for both guest transportation and lodging; other times, the guests are responsible for their own transportation, but are provided with lodging for at least three nights.

Increasingly, resorts at beaches and other locales have wedding coordinators who can help the couple plan all aspects of their ceremony - even when the couple lives thousands of miles away. These services range from coordinating flowers and other decorations to the bachelor party and the reception. They can even help facilitate obtaining a marriage license for the couple.

The advantages to a destination wedding are numerous. First, because weddings held at beaches and other locales are less formal, the pressure to host the "perfect" wedding is absent. Less stress on the bride and groom mean they can actually enjoy themselves. Second, because destination weddings typically have smaller guest lists, the couple can enjoy the company of the people to whom they are closest, and don't have to worry about dozens of virtual strangers in attendance. Third, because the wedding and honeymoon are in the same location, the couple can enjoy their ceremony and reception, knowing that they can simply relax and enjoy themselves afterwards.

With the help of a great travel agency and a wedding coordinator at the destination, getting married can be like a day at the beach - in your sandals!

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Sandals, Beaches, and...Weddings?

Destination Wedding Planning

The tradition of getting married in the local church is quickly going out of vogue with the arrival of newer traditions like resort weddings and destination weddings. It is quite understandable that many people worry a lot about the prospect of destination wedding planning. In reality, it is actually a lot simpler than planning traditional weddings.

The destination wedding is basically the kind of wedding having beach weddings and resort weddings as sub-categories under it. As the name indicates, destination weddings are held at popular tourist spots or resorts, making the wedding not just a celebration, but also an enjoyable retreat for everyone. Destination wedding planning may sound complicated and expensive after considering the fact that many criteria have to be arranged for by the hosts, including the boarding and lodging of the wedding guests at the resort. However, this has actually been made simpler by the tourism agency. Today, several destination wedding packages are provided by several tourist agencies.

However, destination wedding planning involves its own set of responsibilities for the hosts. First of all, the guests need to be informed at an earlier date, so that they may make themselves free for attending the destination wedding. Of course, one thing to be assumed is that the guest list would not be too large. Not everyone can afford to attend such a wedding, while providing the expenses for their transport and lodging at the same time. It does not indicate that the list should be too short also. People, who can afford and love to attend, should be included in the list.

It is always a good idea to arrange for an overseer to stay as near as possible to the spot where the wedding is being organized. Not every plan is foolproof and this is an essential step, unless one is all right with facing a few unnecessary shocks upon one’s arrival at the venue of the wedding. Therefore, having a near relation or an acquaintance to stay near the location and monitor the proceedings is always a good idea.

A destination wedding is much more than a wedding. It is one of those rare occasions where distant corners of a family can actually come together and then go on a well deserved vacation, while at the same time celebrating an occasion as auspicious as a family wedding. Destination wedding planning is a lot simpler than traditional weddings, not to mention more inexpensive. Above all, destination weddings can be a lot more spectacular and enjoyable than traditional weddings.

Are you looking for some destination wedding favors for you, your friends or family? If you are we got you covered.

We also sell many different bridesmaid gifts such as spa slippers, tote bags, cosmetic bags and much more.

So if you need gifts, accessories, wedding favors or anything wedding we got you covered.

We beat prices!