CARIBBEAN BEACH WEDDING

Of course you have lots of different options when it comes to finding wedding dresses, but did you ever think to design your own wedding dress? Most brides would scoff at this idea, especially if they have no previous design or craft skills.

However, you actually do not need any sort of special talent in order to design your own wedding dress, and so if this idea interests you, then you will want to read on to find out more.

How to Design Your Own Wedding Dress

The first step is to find a designer that is going to work with you. The best idea is to make this the first thing you do because then they will be there to help you along every step of the way. You are going to need to start off by telling them what kind of style you are looking for: modern, elegant, classy, sexy, traditional, and so on.

In order to help you out here you may want to visit a few different bridal shops, and bring the designer along with you if you can, so that you can help to determine what styles look best on you and help you to come up with some really great ideas for your own gown.

The next step to design your own wedding dress is to choose a color. Although white is the standard and traditional color, wedding dresses in this day and age are available in every color of the rainbow. Some of the more popular options are pink, purple, burgundy and black, and so speak to your stylist about this as well.

Once you have determined the style and color of your wedding dress, your designer is going to have to take your measurements and have you fitted for the dress so that they can begin working on it.

One of the biggest advantages that you gain when you design your own wedding dress is that you are able to communicate with the creator of the dress every step of the way and you get to actually watch the dress being built, so if at any point there is something that you are not completely satisfied with, you are able to make the appropriate changes.

As well, because you are having the dress custom designed for you, it will fit better than any other pre-made dress in any store, and thus flatter your figure as much as possible.

Remember

There are a few things you will want to take into consideration during this process, one of the most major of all being budget. Because it is your wedding and one of the most special times in your life, it is easy to get carried away. By setting out a budget for yourself you will be able to have something to at least remotely stick to and thus will be less likely to go overboard and spend more than you need to.

Labels: Casual Wedding Dress, Design Your Own Wedding Dress, Designer Wedding Gowns, Dress For A Summer Wedding., Informal Wedding Dress

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Little sounds more romantic than a tropical Caribbean destination wedding. The thought of the miles of pristine beaches, the luscious seafood dishes the area is famous for, the deep blue clear sea and everything associated with the Caribbean. It is a very popular area for marriages, especially for that couple that want to avoid the high costs of a wedding in their own country. What better way to do it!

A Caribbean wedding can be as expensive or affordable as you want it to be, and most destinations offer facilities and services for large parties or for couples alone that also need the witnesses supplied. One very important fact that you must keep in mind is that the Caribbean is not a country, but an area of islands in the Caribbean Sea, each one a separate island or group of islands with their own laws.

These laws can vary significantly since the islands have generally gained independence after being governed by a number of different countries, mainly the British, Spanish, French and Dutch. Their current legal systems reflect that previous colonization, but make the error of assuming they are all the same. In fact they are not, and this is important to you since the legal requirements regarding the marriage license and residency requirements are different on each island.

If you want avoid these problems, and then you should first decide on a destination in the Caribbean and then appoint a wedding organizer to get things underway at that side. The organizer will look after the legal side of things and can also provide you with a recommended list of venues for the ceremony and the reception, if you are having one. First, however, you must decide on your island.

You have a wide choice from the better known destinations such as Jamaica, the Bahamas and Grenada. You could go for one of the smaller islands such as St. Lucia, but also have the option of one of the many uninhabited small islets or cays where you and your party will be the only ones there. Much depends on your budget.

Most of the Caribbean islands are very similar in geographical and weather conditions, with miles of golden, coral pink or white sands, and plenty of facilities for weddings. Marriage is now a big business in the Caribbean and anywhere you choose will have resorts, hotels and agencies that specialize in weddings. You can be married on a beautiful beach, or on a cliff top, with the Caribbean Sea as a fabulous backdrop for your videos and photographs. You can have a gazebo wedding in the hotel grounds and then the reception on the beach.

Beach weddings
are not mandatory in the Caribbean, of course, and you can be married underwater if you want, or in the hotel or a wedding chapel built only for that purpose. Your reception can be in the same hotel, a traditional restaurant, outdoors or on the beach. You can have virtually what you want in one of over 100 major inhabited islands.

You can have a disco, live band, or enjoy your wedding with other couples in special discos designed for couples being married alone without guests. You will be intoxicated with your new life together rather than with the rum that the Caribbean invented. Weddings in the Caribbean have become such big business that governments are changing laws to make it much easier for visitors. Residency periods are being reduced, and even abolished in many cases, and most islands now no longer require blood tests.

However, all of the laws are still not the same as in your home country. Take the Grenadine Islands, for example, that run from St. Vincent down to Grenada and include Mustique and Bequia. A really beautiful area of the Caribbean for weddings, but with a residency period of 72 hours. After that you can apply for a marriage license. You will likely be informed this when you book your wedding, but don’t expect to turn up with a U.S. license and expect to be married!

The Caribbean is now rapidly becoming the option of choice for many couples with a tight budget, since prices are plummeting and it is now much cheaper to be married there than in the USA, the UK or Europe (though keep an eye on that weakening dollar). It is also popular for those eloping (with a few dollars from dad as a bribe), and also for those who want to combine their wedding with a fabulous family holiday.

A tropical Caribbean destination wedding is a fantastic idea for families that like the idea of a rare family vacation with friends invited, so that everyone can enjoy and celebrate your wedding in a dream setting, while you can have a lovely idyllic honeymoon on the next island, and equally good for couples that want to be married alone, with or without a celebration reception back home after the honeymoon.

Whatever you decide, any island in the Caribbean will provide you with a tropical wedding destination that you will remember for ever, and you will never regret your choice.

Labels: Best Destination Weddings, Costa Rica Wedding Destination, Destination wedding Planning, Destination weddings., Tropical Caribbean Destination Wedding

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If you are planning on having your wedding at an exotic location or on a beach, then you are going to want to buy an informal beach wedding dress to wear. Beach weddings are the most informal type, and no full formal skirts and headpieces are required. The basic goal is to be as casual and comfortable as possible.





An informal beach wedding dress can be both casual and comfortable and yet at the same time look classy and elegant for your most special day. There are so many designer beach wedding dress styles that you can choose from, including halter, strapless, and ones with sleeves, for those people who prefer to cover up a little bit more.

Accessories

Even the most casual beach wedding dress needs the right accessories and one of the best ideas is to have some fresh flowers cut and wear them in your hair. Not only is this an absolutely fresh and beautiful look but compliments the beach theme to perfection. Your hair style should not be elaborate, and wearing it long and flowing is the most suitable idea.






There is also the decision of footwear, and most brides that choose an informal beach wedding dress will decide something very casual for shoes, such as sandals or flip-flops, for instance. Not only is this the most suited decision for an informal gown but as well the most inexpensive.

However you do want to remember to let everyone else going to your wedding know that you want it to be informal, otherwise your guests are most likely going to dress up and end up being out of place. You really always have to keep your guests up to date when it comes to issues such as attire.

Ideas

If you are planning on having an informal wedding, then there are a few key things you will want to include. For instance the invitations can be designed in a very casual way, in order to relate to the theme of the wedding, and one of the best ideas is to hand make the invitations yourself.

Also, think about what you are going to give out as favors at the wedding. Giving out a pair of flip flops to each couple for instance, is a great idea, as not only is it a fun, casual gift idea but as well incredibly inexpensive.

The most important thing is that you have fun on your wedding day and that it turns out to be everything you wanted it to be.

Labels: Beach Wedding Dress, Informal Beach Wedding Dress, Informal Wedding Dress, Tropical Wedding Dress

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The Caribbean is one of the more popular destinations in the world for weddings, especially to North Americans, and a Caribbean wedding destination will take some planning if it is to run smoothly and satisfy everybody’s expectations.

Honeymoon Cruise


Before you start planning you have several decisions to make. The first is whether or not you are going to take your honeymoon in the Caribbean. Normally this is a no-brainer, since you are unlikely to go to the trouble of traveling to the Caribbean Sea for your wedding, and then fly off somewhere else for your wedding. Unless you are Jamaican, of course, or Trinidadian or from anywhere else in the area, but you know what I mean.

Some will honeymoon elsewhere, if money is no object, but we are discussing normal people here, not the jet set that can marry in Martinique and honeymoon in Monaco. So, the major part of your plan is your budget, and that will depend upon your honeymoon. Very few couples marry in the beautiful Caribbean and then go elsewhere for the honeymoon. You can frequently get good deals if you have your ceremony and reception in the same resort as your honeymoon. It is well worth contacting the tourist boards in several of the larger Caribbean islands for details of the packages that are available.




A major part of your planning, of course, will be informing your family and friends of your decision to have a destination wedding. You can expect a much lower level of acceptance to such a wedding invitation, not because your friends and relatives do not want to attend, but because it could be a financial strain. Not everybody who would like to attend your wedding would find it easy to raise the cash to travel to the Caribbean for a few days, especially if they have their own vacation to pay for in the same year. They might also be unable to find time from work on your selected dates. A trip to the Caribbean is a major expedition to many, and some can quite genuinely not find the time that they could have found for a one day local wedding.

Once you have decided on your honeymoon, and have an indication of the number of guests liable to come with you, you can plan whether to have a small or large wedding. Many couples prefer to marry with just close family, such as parents and siblings and perhaps one or two friends, and then have a larger reception or celebration after the honeymoon.

This is believed by many to be the best solution to the cost problem that guests can be faced with if invited to a Caribbean wedding. Don’t invite anybody except immediate family and best friends of the bride and groom. Then celebrate afterwards. Your planning suddenly becomes easier. Many islands offer small wedding options that include a beach ceremony, a minister or judge, a cake, a small beach reception for up to a dozen people and some champagne. Oh, and let’s not forget the photographer that is also provided to record the whole wonderful Caribbean beach wedding day for you.

The final part of your planning involves everybody who could not attend. It has already been suggested that you could have a full reception after you return from your honeymoon, and that is an option that many people go for. It can actually present some people with a problem in who to invite, since inviting friends and relatives that you know will be unlikely to be able to attend might seem as though you are just asking them to get a wedding gift. However, you will find that your friends will provide the gift irrespective of them being invited.

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You are far better to invite only those you are sure will be able to attend the ceremony, and then invite everybody else to a celebration to be held on your return from the honeymoon. That keeps everybody happy and allows everybody that wants to give you a wedding gift to do so ‘legitimately’.

Once the decision has been made, you have to plan the date and organize the ceremony. That should not be difficult since most Caribbean islands have comprehensive wedding facilities for both the ceremony and the reception. Many people find it much easier to hire a wedding planner at the Caribbean end to keep an eye on the arrangements there and also to keep you informed of the license situation and any shots or medical tests you need done. Somebody with a good knowledge of local marriage laws and also of local reception and ceremony venues is very useful.

Planning a Caribbean destination wedding is not as difficult as it appears to be since the destination itself will likely be very used to providing the service you are looking for. Do it right and with some imagination, and you and your guests are sure to enjoy a fantastic wedding.

Labels: Beach Wedding, Caribbean Beach Wedding, Destination Wedding Caribbean, planning Caribbean destination wedding

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If you're planning a Caribbean beach wedding, you'll have to adjust all the other details to the natural location. For instance, the bride's dress should be adequate to the location, you may have dreamt of a great tail, but dragging it on the wet sand and dirt will turn it into a nightmare. When planning a romantic wedding abroad you'll have to adjust the bride's and the bridesmaids' shoes to the beach location: spike heels for instance are not a good choice since they sink in the ground.

Are you wondering what type of tropical wedding dress you should wear on your wedding day? Will you be walking down a sandy aisle or will you be walking on stone or a boardwalk? If you plan to have a comfortable wedding day at the beach, you should match your wedding dress with shoes that will allow you to walk in the sand.

What Is Your Wedding Style?

To match your setting, a couple of looks that you can consider are the party wedding or the soulful ceremony. You can look as lovely as a goddess looks in your simple hot weather/wedding attire no matter what your fashion style and be as comfortable as any other day on the beach. The dress style and the material that you finally choose for the dress will have to relate to whether you are choosing a formal or informal wedding in a tropical location.

Caribbean Accessories

When you are choosing accessories for your tropical wedding dress, consider using lace, pearls, shells, beads, flowers, gauzy materials and natural colors and textures that will enhance the beach theme of your wedding. If necessary, try to incorporate some of the lighter and natural colors that will be present at the location into your outfit so that the whites of your wedding props will not class with the whites of the natural setting around you for the photographs.

Tropical Wedding Dress Styles

Tropical wedding dress styles include your choice of dress or gown style including traditional wedding style dresses, sarong-wedding dresses, halters, bandeaus, bikini tops, tunics, straight skirts, full skirts, sarongs, shawls and scarves.

Wear The Most Flattering Style

You can customize your wedding outfit to match whatever style is most flattering to you and you can wear whatever you like because the light gauzy cottons or other suitable beachwear materials are suitable for different styling. You can choose chiffon, satin, silk and other fine fabrics for your tropical wedding dress. As for your hairstyle, you will need a hairdo that will look fine even if the wind starts to blow so think about a casual up-do with a few tendrils hanging down with a flower or more as an accent or headwear.

It is possible to have an elegant romantic wedding and to wear a beautiful and memorable Caribbean beach wedding dress. Many brides are choosing to have beach weddings because of how fun, relaxed and peaceful such a wedding can be compared to a formal wedding.

Labels: Beach Casual Wedding Dress., Beach Wedding Dress, Caribbean Beach Wedding Dress, Destination Wedding Gowns

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For many people romantic weddings abroad are a dream that they feel they could never bring to reality, while for others they are simply another option when they decide to get married. In fact, there is no need for such distinctions since weddings abroad are realistic options for any couple irrespective of their country of residence.

Many couples want to have a beach wedding and generally go to California or Florida. Others who want to be married abroad opt for the Caribbean where they have Jamaica, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia and over 100 other islands to choose from. However, if you prefer something really different for your beach wedding get married right on Copacabana Beach. There are lots of possibilities in romantic Rio and you can get married on the beach for around $1000 including flowers, cake and champagne, and less than $20 a guest for the reception dinner.

Caribbean Weddings


One of the major obstacles in the minds of many people considering being married abroad is the lack of direct control over the preparations, for the simple reason that you cannot check out the venues beforehand, and are unable to visually check that your wishes are being properly met. To many people this is more of an obstacle than price, since foreign weddings can often be significantly less expensive than those at home.

However, you can alleviate yourself of that problem by hiring a professional wedding organizer to tend to the arrangements in the country of your choice. He or she will not only be able to check out the venues and see to their hiring, but also keep you informed of the legal necessities such as the reading of the Marriage Banns and any local licensing and residency requirements. There is also the question of visas and passports. A professional organizer can ensure that you clear all statutory obstacles and iron out all the creases to make your dream wedding a reality.




You can also do this yourself, and many couples prefer to take this route for the satisfaction that it gives them. However, it is easy to miss something and it would be a bit annoying having your wedding stopped because you did not have local authority permission. If your heart is set on a beach wedding, they are not legal in many European countries. Also, if you want to be married in France, there is a residency period of 60 days and applications have to be made in person.

Had you arrived in Paris expecting to be married within a few days you would have been very disappointed to find that you would have to live there for two months first. So would your guests who had just arrived at the airport!




However, if you find out the rules and regulations beforehand, then all you need do now is to let your friends and relatives know where you intend to marry, and find out who are able to join you. It is your decision whether to send formal invitations or not, since most of your friends might find it difficult to attend a wedding in another country with the travel and accommodation costs involved, and the possibility of visas and even passport renewals.

Travelling Documents For Romantic Weddings Abroad

It is calculated that less than 20% of Americans possess passports, and most of these are due to business requirements. The reason is the size of the country, and the fact that the majority of Americans do not travel abroad for vacations. Your potential guests should be made aware of the fact that the average waiting time for a first passport is 25 to 30 days. You should give your guests plenty time to make a decision and then apply for the passport. If a visa is needed for your destination, then also keep in mind that a passport is needed before a visa can be applied for, and visas can take over a month to arrive.

All of this and we have not yet got past the passport and visa problem! However, get over that problem and you should be all set. You will likely be set on marrying in a well known foreign location that will be well used to handling weddings and will know what you will need. If it is a beach wedding you want then make sure that no specific permissions are required, since beach weddings are neither popular nor common in Europe, as they are in the USA. The same is true of Asia. You should also be aware of the prevailing weather conditions, and have indoor facilities such as a hall booked in case of rain, hail or snow!




Don’t let all that worry you though. You should not find it difficult to find a venue for your ceremony or your reception, though are probably advised to get these booked and then set your wedding date round that. It is difficult to book a reception first, or to send out invitations before doing so without knowing the available capacity, but this is true of any wedding. For a wedding abroad you are likely best to get the venues provisionally booked and then find out who will be able to make it. You can then confirm the numbers.

Caribbean Weddings


Once you have achieved all of that, then you can tidy up the details and enjoy your carefully planned romantic wedding abroad, secure in the knowledge that all will go well and without a single hitch.

Wedding Abroad Activities

As brides get more and more creative and excited in planning their wedding abroad activities, beach wedding funs are becoming more and more popular. Although this might result in a smaller guest list, it can also result in some fun opportunities for activities.

The trend with new brides is that they like to have their weddings at seaside, so they move the festivities to a beach locale, either on their local coast or somewhere more exotic like Barbados or the Bahamas. In any event, there are several activities that can be planned around this theme. If the wedding is also a weekend event where guests will be around for more than just the wedding, the bride can plan a sailing excursion. Charter a boat for a day and bring your guests out on the water to relax, rejuvenate, and perhaps enjoy a meal.

Labels: Destination wedding, Romantic Wedding Abroad, Romantic Weddings Abroad, Wedding Abroad Activities

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Why should you have a Caribbean beach wedding? Imagine the romance of exchanging your vows on a beautiful Caribbean evening, the most wonderful golden sunset matching the lovely coral sand, slowly changing into an irresistibly bewitching deep orange imparting a red tinge to the rocks and coral reefs.

Imagine the daylight heat of the sun dropping to an agreeably pleasant warmth that you and your guests can enjoy as you taste the delights of a reception feast to die for. Then ask why you should have a Caribbean wedding! Nobody has such a wedding and wishes she were elsewhere. You will be no different, so stop wondering why and decide when.




That after all is the big choice for brides. When is she to be married? Once you have decided on your Caribbean wedding the venue chooses itself. You are not going to travel to Jamaica, the Bahamas, Guadeloupe or St. Lucia and just sit in a hotel. A beach wedding is a must, and it will be a wedding to remember all your life. If the cost is worrying, don’t let it be. Today, wedding on beach are very inexpensive compared to mainland USA wedding reception venues, and you can also fit your honeymoon in there as well, so the overall cost to you is lower than you might think it would be.

In fact a Caribbean wedding can be very cost effective. Unless you actually live there your guest list will be relatively small in comparison with that in your home town. Fewer people will be prepared to travel, and so you can basically have more for the same cost in the Bahamas or in Barbados. A beach wedding is something you will remember all your life. You can even be married on a cliff-top or under a gazebo to keep you in the shade, and then move to the beach for your reception.

Due to their location, many islands offer weddings for couples with limited numbers of guests, and offer complete packages including transport, flowers, the wedding cake and a small Caribbean meal with champagne. You can even have a short tour thrown in for you and your guests if you wish, but the whole effect is designed to make you remember your wedding day for ever.




Destinations such as Grand Cayman offer weddings for couples only, and even provide the witnesses. All you need is a license and they provide the rest. You get married right on the beach with flowers and a cake if you want one, plus a photographer, all for less than $1000. It’s a dream wedding if you want to be married to the man of your choice on a Caribbean beach without all the problems of a reception and having to rush things. Many couples choose to do this, and then have a blessing back home with a regular large reception with all their friends and family.

It’s a brilliant idea, and for those that want their parents to be there, there is also that possibility. Most islands offer that type of service, although they are popular so you will have to book early to secure the date of your choice. It’s also a good idea to be married in the evening, as suggested above, or in the morning, when the sun is not at its highest. Being married on a beautiful morning and then having a lunchtime reception on the pristine white or coral pink sand of Guadeloupe sounds a marvelous way to start off married life together, and you could also have a game of beach volleyball later! Or perhaps you will have other things on your minds. However, the seafood is unbelievable, and so are the specialty Guadeloupe curries!

Always keep in mind that any wedding on beach is outdoors, and you are therefore very much at the mercy of the weather. Nevertheless, if you keep clear of the hurricane season you can be confident that you will have nothing but sea and sun. The Caribbean has 115 main islands plus over 3000 more small islets and cays on which you can conceivably arrange a private wedding. It has an amazing biodiversity if that is your thing, and equally amazing beaches if it is not.

So if your are seeking a wedding venue with a difference, that you and your guests will remember for ever, then consider a Caribbean beach wedding. It ticks all the right boxes, and can offer anything that you will get back home, and some!

Labels: Caribbean Beach Wedding, Caribbean Weddings, Destination Wedding Caribbean, Wedding on Beach

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