Why Destination Weddings?

Destination weddings are a spin on the old tradition of eloping. Elopements were done in secret and didn't include guests or traditional rituals. However, destination weddings are planned events, often including family and guests and may even involve wedding traditions that are native to the location.
Why a destination wedding? The primary reasons couples choose a destination wedding are to save money, avoid the major hassles of family squabbles and planning details, and of course to have a memorable and unique wedding. Besides a beautiful location, you can mix in local cultural traditions with your own ceremony to give some excitement and uniqueness to your special day. And best of all many destination weddings are a bargain compared to the cost of hosting a big expensive event back home. Your family may be spread out all over the U.S. but your life and friends are in one place. This is becoming a more and more common scenario for couples, making it difficult to gather everyone together for a large and meaningful celebration. Because of this, destination weddings will keep increasing in popularity!

To chose your location, first do a little research. The web is always a great resource for research of any kind. Most wedding magazines feature destination wedding information in the back pages. Travel sections in bookstores is another great place to research a location. Your travel agent may be able to recommend a few good choices based on your budget and travel date. Having a wedding during the slow season can save you and your guests a small bundle on travel! But most importantly research the legal requirements. You may need to bring specific paperwork, there may be have a waiting period or other requirements that may change your plans. The popularity of Destination Weddings have increased tremendously and its now estimated that over 100,000 couples a year will have one! In the United States, Las Vegas and Disney World are two very popular locations, and both have a seemingly unlimited supply of resources and ideas. European weddings are also becoming popular. There you can marry in an old castle, at a vineyard in France, or on a cliff in Ireland with bagpipes sounding in the background. Tropical islands are the most popular location for a destination wedding, and Maui is currently the number one island of choice. Other very popular locations are Jamaica and St. Lucia, as well as other Hawaiian islands (Big Island and Oahu mostly). Luckily, that means lots of resources on the island for you. Available resources are important to keep in mind when picking a location. If you want to have a ceremony performed in a certain religion, or you feel strong that you must have a great photographer that specializes in black and white, or a musician that plays a particular instrument, be sure the location can accommodate your needs. Often couples choose locations where they will also have their honeymoon, or be a short flight away from their honeymoon location. Hence the term "Weddingmoons."