We want to revisit the basics of destination weddings.
For us, a destination wedding isn’t just a “wedding away” or “elopement.” Sure, it’s possible to get married someplace else (geographically speaking). And while that is a wedding away, it does not count as a destination wedding in our book.
For us, a true destination wedding is a wedding in which the destination itself becomes an important and essential part of the wedding experience. The destination itself ties into the overall theme of the wedding. And the experience of the wedding could not be repeated in a different location.
For us destination weddings differ from eloping because the venue itself is important. When eloping, the venue becomes secondary (or is not important at all). Historically, eloping meant getting married in secret. We don’t subscribe to that definition. For us eloping is just getting married “someplace else,” but the someplace doesn’t really matter. It could be Las Vegas or some other city because it is convenient. It could be a neighboring town or in a different country.
It’s important for you to decide if you want an elopement (wedding away) or a true destination wedding. It is critical for you to know in your mind exactly what you want. Some venues and locations try to sell “destination weddings” that are nothing more than elopements. You need to ask questions of the venue and ensure that their idea of a destination wedding matches yours.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Location Report: Destination Weddings in Dubai
We recently returned from the UAE and Dubai. Dubai is amazing and there are some fantastic beach resorts there. Of particular note, we enjoyed the Habtoor Grand resort and the One and Only. However Dubai is located in the Islamic state of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Civil weddings are not possible. You need to get married in a church. It is extremely helpful if you are both of the same religion as mixed-religion marriages introduce a significant level of complexity. A blood test is required. And perhaps most difficult is that Dubai and the UAE explicitly prohibit those in the country on a visitor’s visa from marrying (effectively eliminating the country as a potential destination wedding hotspot).
This is a shame since Dubai and the UAE are so idyllic. Warm winter weather, killer beaches, tremendous shopping and amazing restaurants could make Dubai the must-go-to location for trendy destination weddings. If Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum allowed his country to modernize, Dubai and the UAE could be a major center for destination weddings.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The Legality of Destination Weddings
The first question we had in planning our destination wedding was whether the marriage would be legally recognized in the United States.
The U.S. State Department actually has a website for U.S. citizens interested in getting married in a foreign country.
You need to follow the legal procedures of the country where you will be married. Most countries have residency requirements (the length of time before the wedding you need to be in the country). In the Bahamas, the residency requirement was one day. However, Tahiti has a residency requirement of 30 days, essentially eliminating it as a potential location for destination weddings.
You will need to produce legal documentation (usually your passports), but could also include birth certificates, death certificates (widow/widower) and/or divorce decrees. Since this was the first marriage for both us, we only needed our passports and copies of our birth certificates. In the Bahamas, we also needed to go through a brief interview with a local official (about 10 minutes). We did not need to do a blood test, which can be a major issue for some people getting married in some countries (including Mexico).
The other major issue that people encounter is getting their marriage certificates/licenses translated into English (which is required for your marriage to be legal in the U.S.). The official language of the Bahamas was English, so we did not have any troubles. We wisely obtained multiple notarized copies of our license, which came in handy when we got home. We needed extra copies of the license for the name change.
Destination weddings can introduce some additional hopes you might need to jump through with respect to legal issues, but it is not a major problem.
The U.S. State Department actually has a website for U.S. citizens interested in getting married in a foreign country.
You need to follow the legal procedures of the country where you will be married. Most countries have residency requirements (the length of time before the wedding you need to be in the country). In the Bahamas, the residency requirement was one day. However, Tahiti has a residency requirement of 30 days, essentially eliminating it as a potential location for destination weddings.
You will need to produce legal documentation (usually your passports), but could also include birth certificates, death certificates (widow/widower) and/or divorce decrees. Since this was the first marriage for both us, we only needed our passports and copies of our birth certificates. In the Bahamas, we also needed to go through a brief interview with a local official (about 10 minutes). We did not need to do a blood test, which can be a major issue for some people getting married in some countries (including Mexico).
The other major issue that people encounter is getting their marriage certificates/licenses translated into English (which is required for your marriage to be legal in the U.S.). The official language of the Bahamas was English, so we did not have any troubles. We wisely obtained multiple notarized copies of our license, which came in handy when we got home. We needed extra copies of the license for the name change.
Destination weddings can introduce some additional hopes you might need to jump through with respect to legal issues, but it is not a major problem.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Health Considerations for Destination Weddings
Given the tendency for ever more increasingly exotic destination weddings, health considerations can be extremely important. Some of the places where people have destination weddings are in remote places in the developing world. It is important to make sure your vaccinations are up to date. The more remote your wedding and honeymoon locations, the more critical this becomes.
There’s good reason to do so, more than half of Americans traveling abroad will become sick. Of these, about 8% will need to see a doctor. That’s almost a 1-in-10 chance of needing medical attention. The good news is that the most common illnesses are for diarrhea or skin conditions (rash, sunburn, etc.). When you travel for your destination wedding, you should take medication in case you get sick.
But there are other illnesses that can’t be treated with over-the-counter medications. All travelers should be up to date on their normal immunizations, which include: diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), penumococcus, H.influenza type B, and the annual flu vaccine. Different countries might require additional vaccines: Hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease, typhoid fever and possibly rabies. Of this latter group, hepatitis A is the most important since it can be transmitted by impure food or water.
This shouldn’t scare or alarm you. Most resorts, even in the developing world, are very safe and should not concern you. However, it’s your wedding and honeymoon – do you want to take the risk? The vaccinations are good for many years (some for life), so the temporary discomfort and inconvenience is worth the risk to make sure you are protected.
There’s good reason to do so, more than half of Americans traveling abroad will become sick. Of these, about 8% will need to see a doctor. That’s almost a 1-in-10 chance of needing medical attention. The good news is that the most common illnesses are for diarrhea or skin conditions (rash, sunburn, etc.). When you travel for your destination wedding, you should take medication in case you get sick.
But there are other illnesses that can’t be treated with over-the-counter medications. All travelers should be up to date on their normal immunizations, which include: diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), penumococcus, H.influenza type B, and the annual flu vaccine. Different countries might require additional vaccines: Hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease, typhoid fever and possibly rabies. Of this latter group, hepatitis A is the most important since it can be transmitted by impure food or water.
This shouldn’t scare or alarm you. Most resorts, even in the developing world, are very safe and should not concern you. However, it’s your wedding and honeymoon – do you want to take the risk? The vaccinations are good for many years (some for life), so the temporary discomfort and inconvenience is worth the risk to make sure you are protected.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Has Ann Taylor Canceled Celebrations?
We’re going to a friend’s destination wedding later this month and I need a light blue dress. From past experience, we’ve had very good luck with Ann Taylor Celebrations line (both at our own wedding and for a friend's wedding). However, our local Ann Taylor store seems to have stopped carrying it and I’m wondering if Ann Taylor has cancelled the Celebrations line (seriously disappointing!).
The Ann Taylor Celebrations line has been a godsend to destination wedding brides. The dresses are good quality, relatively inexpensive, can be obtained at stores nationwide and come in a wide range of sizes so alterations are minimal.
I hope this is a temporary outage and not a full cancellation of the Celebrations line.
The Ann Taylor Celebrations line has been a godsend to destination wedding brides. The dresses are good quality, relatively inexpensive, can be obtained at stores nationwide and come in a wide range of sizes so alterations are minimal.
I hope this is a temporary outage and not a full cancellation of the Celebrations line.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
U.S. Wedding Travel
Over the last few months, we have been traveling back and forth to Europe quite a bit. Through our travels, we’ve met many young people from Europe traveling to the U.S. for destination weddings.
If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. In the U.S., there are more locations, more options, more venues and more vendors. Given the weaknesses of the U.S. dollar against the Euro, it’s also a lot cheaper for them (although the dollar has bounced back a little over the last two months).
With that said, there are big changes to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program coming tomorrow. The Visa Waiver Program is for residents of certain countries to travel to the U.S. without a visa – mostly Western European countries.
Effective tomorrow, if you are part of the Visa Waiver Program (i.e., you don’t need a visa to travel to the U.S.), you must still register with the U.S. Government. This new registration system is called ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). You can fill the form out on the Internet and approvals take seconds. Once completed, you will be able to travel to the U.S.
The program is designed to give U.S. law enforcement more time to screen for potential terrorists. Unfortunately, this means it takes more time for non-U.S. residents to enter the U.S. (and more hassles).
If you are thinking about a destination wedding in the U.S., you should be aware of this additional step you will need to go through. And if you are a destination wedding vendor in the U.S., you should consider mentioning this to your foreign clients so they aren’t caught by surprise.
If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. In the U.S., there are more locations, more options, more venues and more vendors. Given the weaknesses of the U.S. dollar against the Euro, it’s also a lot cheaper for them (although the dollar has bounced back a little over the last two months).
With that said, there are big changes to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program coming tomorrow. The Visa Waiver Program is for residents of certain countries to travel to the U.S. without a visa – mostly Western European countries.
Effective tomorrow, if you are part of the Visa Waiver Program (i.e., you don’t need a visa to travel to the U.S.), you must still register with the U.S. Government. This new registration system is called ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). You can fill the form out on the Internet and approvals take seconds. Once completed, you will be able to travel to the U.S.
The program is designed to give U.S. law enforcement more time to screen for potential terrorists. Unfortunately, this means it takes more time for non-U.S. residents to enter the U.S. (and more hassles).
If you are thinking about a destination wedding in the U.S., you should be aware of this additional step you will need to go through. And if you are a destination wedding vendor in the U.S., you should consider mentioning this to your foreign clients so they aren’t caught by surprise.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Breaking the Silence
Happy New Year! 2008 ended very quietly for us. We received dozens of messages from readers wondering what happened. The truth is, we spent much of the fall traveling, including trips across the U.S. (Texas, Illinois and Florida) and also overseas (including Spain, Gibraltar and Morocco).
With all the traveling, it didn’t give us much of an opportunity to blog. Sorry about that!
We’re back. Hopefully we’ll get back on our weekly blog schedule soon. Thanks for your patience!
With all the traveling, it didn’t give us much of an opportunity to blog. Sorry about that!
We’re back. Hopefully we’ll get back on our weekly blog schedule soon. Thanks for your patience!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Paying For Your Wedding (Recession Blues)
We were recently contacted by Tammy in Bristol, TN about saving for a wedding. Given the state of the economy, she is questioning if she should delay her destination wedding until the economy improves.
This is a really personal decision and we don’t feel comfortable telling people what to do. However, we will offer some really broad advice.
First, you could think of a thousand reasons to delay your wedding – finances, family drama, apathy to planning (the engagement bliss period), etc. If you are unemployed and are in financial difficulties, you might consider it. On the other hand, you could always find a reason to delay.
Second, allow us our Suze Orman moment. It’s really not worth beginning your new life together with a lot of debt. If you are fortunate enough to have parents who will pay for your wedding, congratulations! If not, you’re like most couples these days and are paying for it yourselves. If you are in the latter boat, you should try to save the money and pay for it completely – and not go into debt.
Finally, the wedding is a special day, but is only one day. Would you rather spend an extra $5,000 on the wedding, or would you rather take another vacation?
Get married, but be wise about it financially.
This is a really personal decision and we don’t feel comfortable telling people what to do. However, we will offer some really broad advice.
First, you could think of a thousand reasons to delay your wedding – finances, family drama, apathy to planning (the engagement bliss period), etc. If you are unemployed and are in financial difficulties, you might consider it. On the other hand, you could always find a reason to delay.
Second, allow us our Suze Orman moment. It’s really not worth beginning your new life together with a lot of debt. If you are fortunate enough to have parents who will pay for your wedding, congratulations! If not, you’re like most couples these days and are paying for it yourselves. If you are in the latter boat, you should try to save the money and pay for it completely – and not go into debt.
Finally, the wedding is a special day, but is only one day. Would you rather spend an extra $5,000 on the wedding, or would you rather take another vacation?
Get married, but be wise about it financially.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Dance Lessons
It’s your wedding and you want to put your best foot forward. It will be more fun for you and your guests if you feel really comfortable on the dance floor.
We are not big dancers, so we did not do dance lessons prior to our wedding. While we danced a little at our wedding, I think we would have danced more had we felt more comfortable.
As our friends have gone through the wedding process, many of them have opted for lessons. There is a proliferation of dance studios like the Fred Astaire Dance Studio and independent studios that can provide dance instruction at relatively reasonable rates. Make sure you tell your instructor about your destination wedding plans so you can receive instruction in local dances.
Dance lessons are one more thing for you to consider in your wedding planning process.
We are not big dancers, so we did not do dance lessons prior to our wedding. While we danced a little at our wedding, I think we would have danced more had we felt more comfortable.
As our friends have gone through the wedding process, many of them have opted for lessons. There is a proliferation of dance studios like the Fred Astaire Dance Studio and independent studios that can provide dance instruction at relatively reasonable rates. Make sure you tell your instructor about your destination wedding plans so you can receive instruction in local dances.
Dance lessons are one more thing for you to consider in your wedding planning process.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Our Destination Wedding Ceremony
A few weeks ago, we were at a wedding for one of our co-workers. The Catholic ceremony was almost two hours in length and typifies everything we despise about big church weddings.
Coincidentally, we were cleaning some files off the computer and found our wedding ceremony. At about 20 minutes, it was short and sweet! (and left plenty of time for partying with our guests).
Here is the ceremony:
Opening
Friends, we have been invited here today to share with [bride] and [groom] a very important moment in their lives. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together.
This celebration is but an outward sign of an inward union of the heart. [Bride] and [groom], it is this day you take a giant step of courage and commitment to love, understand and grow. You are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of the one person in all the world whom you love the most. You are adding to your life the affection of each other, companionship and a deep trust as well. You are agreeing to share strengths, responsibilities and love. You are agreeing to take your journeys together as husband and wife.
Giving in Marriage
Who gives this woman to wed this man? Bride’s grandmother - "Her family and I."
Reading
I Corinthians 13: 1-13
Reading
Pablo Neruda- Sonnet XVII
Vows/ Exchange of Rings
You will now re-dedicate your desire to be united in marriage by joining right hands.
[Groom], do you take [bride] to be your wife? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and health, to live together in marriage, forsaking all others so long as you both shall live? [Groom] - "I do." [Bride], do you take [groom] to be your husband? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and health, to live together in marriage, forsaking all others so long as you both shall live? [Bride] - "I do."
May I have the rings please? The wedding ring is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two loyal hearts in endless love.
[Groom] place the ring on [bride’s] finger and repeat after me " I, [groom], take you [bride], to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep. With this ring I thee wed."
[Bride] place the ring on [groom’s] finger and repeat after me " I, [bride], take you [groom], to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep. With this ring I thee wed."
Signing of Marriage Register
By Bride, Groom and 2 witnesses.
Pronouncement of Husband and Wife
And now that you have stood before me and exchanged these rings and these vows, and have agreed to be married according to the laws of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. With the authority invested in me as a Marriage Officer of these Islands, it gives me great pleasure to pronounce that you are husband and wife.
Coincidentally, we were cleaning some files off the computer and found our wedding ceremony. At about 20 minutes, it was short and sweet! (and left plenty of time for partying with our guests).
Here is the ceremony:
Opening
Friends, we have been invited here today to share with [bride] and [groom] a very important moment in their lives. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together.
This celebration is but an outward sign of an inward union of the heart. [Bride] and [groom], it is this day you take a giant step of courage and commitment to love, understand and grow. You are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of the one person in all the world whom you love the most. You are adding to your life the affection of each other, companionship and a deep trust as well. You are agreeing to share strengths, responsibilities and love. You are agreeing to take your journeys together as husband and wife.
Giving in Marriage
Who gives this woman to wed this man? Bride’s grandmother - "Her family and I."
Reading
I Corinthians 13: 1-13
Reading
Pablo Neruda- Sonnet XVII
Vows/ Exchange of Rings
You will now re-dedicate your desire to be united in marriage by joining right hands.
[Groom], do you take [bride] to be your wife? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and health, to live together in marriage, forsaking all others so long as you both shall live? [Groom] - "I do." [Bride], do you take [groom] to be your husband? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and health, to live together in marriage, forsaking all others so long as you both shall live? [Bride] - "I do."
May I have the rings please? The wedding ring is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two loyal hearts in endless love.
[Groom] place the ring on [bride’s] finger and repeat after me " I, [groom], take you [bride], to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep. With this ring I thee wed."
[Bride] place the ring on [groom’s] finger and repeat after me " I, [bride], take you [groom], to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep. With this ring I thee wed."
Signing of Marriage Register
By Bride, Groom and 2 witnesses.
Pronouncement of Husband and Wife
And now that you have stood before me and exchanged these rings and these vows, and have agreed to be married according to the laws of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. With the authority invested in me as a Marriage Officer of these Islands, it gives me great pleasure to pronounce that you are husband and wife.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Destination Wedding Decoration Ideas
One of the most enjoyable aspects of planning your destination wedding is planning all the fun, festive theme items that accompany it. Your options are compounded exponentially if you are doing a beach wedding or a wedding in the tropics.
From cake toppers to table decorations there are so many options to choose from. This is really an area where you can let your creativity take over and let your personality show through. It’s also a place where you completely break your budget by going over the top.
I wish we would have found this short YouTube video when we planned our destination wedding. I literally spent months going through bios on The Knot and pulling together some of the best ideas – many of which are reflected in this video.
While this was developed by a vendor (The Wedding Bella), our recommendation is always to shop around for the best deal and do it yourself if possible. The end of summer (i.e., RIGHT NOW) is when many stores put these kind of “summer items” on sale. So if your wedding is this fall or even in 2009, you might consider buying things now cheap and holding onto them. If you do decide to go with Wedding Bella, just take note that they are based in Canada (and prices are in Canadian dollars and shipping is higher than you might expect within the U.S.).
[Note: The audio has this grotesque repeating seagull, so consider watching this video with the volume muted.]
From cake toppers to table decorations there are so many options to choose from. This is really an area where you can let your creativity take over and let your personality show through. It’s also a place where you completely break your budget by going over the top.
I wish we would have found this short YouTube video when we planned our destination wedding. I literally spent months going through bios on The Knot and pulling together some of the best ideas – many of which are reflected in this video.
While this was developed by a vendor (The Wedding Bella), our recommendation is always to shop around for the best deal and do it yourself if possible. The end of summer (i.e., RIGHT NOW) is when many stores put these kind of “summer items” on sale. So if your wedding is this fall or even in 2009, you might consider buying things now cheap and holding onto them. If you do decide to go with Wedding Bella, just take note that they are based in Canada (and prices are in Canadian dollars and shipping is higher than you might expect within the U.S.).
[Note: The audio has this grotesque repeating seagull, so consider watching this video with the volume muted.]
Monday, September 1, 2008
Economics Favor U.S. Destination Weddings
It’s no secret that the U.S. has been leading the global economy into a worldwide slowdown (or recession). As such, the U.S. dollar is at near lows against other major world currencies. So how does this impact destination weddings?
The first impact is that it is much more expensive for U.S. couples to have destination weddings overseas, or at least in countries where the currencies are not pegged to the U.S. dollar (like the Bahamas, etc.). If money is a consideration for couples, they should think about having their destination wedding here in the U.S.
But the good news (at least for wedding vendors) is that this makes the services of wedding providers in the U.S. much cheaper for those in other countries. We were returning from Europe at the end of June and there were several women on the plane coming to the U.S. to buy wedding dresses. European couples can also stay in the U.S. and have a very economic destination wedding.
Your wedding is one of the most important days in your life. However, financial considerations do impact your wedding decisions, so plan carefully.
The first impact is that it is much more expensive for U.S. couples to have destination weddings overseas, or at least in countries where the currencies are not pegged to the U.S. dollar (like the Bahamas, etc.). If money is a consideration for couples, they should think about having their destination wedding here in the U.S.
But the good news (at least for wedding vendors) is that this makes the services of wedding providers in the U.S. much cheaper for those in other countries. We were returning from Europe at the end of June and there were several women on the plane coming to the U.S. to buy wedding dresses. European couples can also stay in the U.S. and have a very economic destination wedding.
Your wedding is one of the most important days in your life. However, financial considerations do impact your wedding decisions, so plan carefully.
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