CARIBBEAN BEACH WEDDING

Destination wedding planning can be trickier than organizing a wedding in your home town, though a destination wedding need not be more expensive. Many people opt for destination weddings when they do not want the frenzy of a massive wedding, and prefer the intimacy of something smaller with just a few special guests, and perhaps even none.




The Cost Of a Destination Wedding

Depends a lot on how much of the travel and accommodation costs of your guests you are going to pick up, but it need not cost as much as most people believe if you plan your date carefully and honeymoon at the same venue, or at least the same general location. Many hotels will offer a special deal for a wedding ceremony, reception and honeymoon package, and resort destinations can be cheaper if you book your wedding off season.

There are some aspects of planning a destination wedding that need to be considered irrespective of the destination, and are probably what most people like to be reminded of so that they do not miss anything. There could be little worse than arriving at your destination and then finding that your license is not acceptable in that state or country, or that you have not met the medical requirements.

It is frequently a good idea to have a professional wedding organizer carry out your destination wedding planning, since a professional will know all of the legal requirements of the country or state involved. In hiring a professional, though, make sure that he or she is based in the particular destination so that you have somebody ‘on site’ to look after arrangements from that end while you tend to what is necessary at home.

You must first acquaint yourself with the marriage laws of the country in which you are planning to marry. Even different states or areas of each country often have their own particular requirements. Blood test, medical certificates, immunizations and licenses must all be considered and arranged well in advance. You might also need a specific number of witnesses or have been either a resident for a period of time, or have a set waiting time between application to be married and having it granted. You might require permission, so contact the local authorities to check this out. Get everything agreed in writing.

All-Inclusive Caribbean Vacations


If you are planning to invite more than just one or two guests, keep their needs in mind. Is there sufficient local accommodation available and how about the food? Is the local food suitable for the range of diets your guests might have, and is there enough locally to keep them occupied? You don’t want your guests sitting in their rooms all weekend if the weather is bad.

If you are not hiring a wedding planner, check out the local inns and hotels for available accommodation yourself. You might find that some offer good wedding party packages at discounted prices. If you know how many guests are coming, and how many rooms you need, you can generally get them cheaper as a block booking than if they were booked individually.



You will also have to arrange the location for the ceremony, and it is this and the reception venue that might determine the date for your big day. The church, chapel or wherever you get married will generally be the simplest of the arrangements you have to make. It is generally limited to making the booking, and the rest is done. Try to find a venue that provides everything needed such as the flowers and other decoration, the minister or judge and the music and order of service. You can plan this yourself, but it is not so easy done remotely without a professional organizer to help you.

There are some benefits in doing it all yourself, such as the flowers, the organist, etc. You have control and get exactly what you want, or close enough, but it is not easy and you might not want the worry when you have so many other things to organize. However, the ceremony is the most important part of the whole day: it is what it is all about in fact, and you might want to do it yourself. The choice is yours; just be aware of the possibilities.

The reception will depend upon the number of guests traveling, and you should know that number exactly a few weeks before the date. You are probably best to leave the arrangements to the venue if you have been able to book one that specializes in weddings, particularly destination weddings. Failing that employ somebody to look after this part of it for you. This will be cheaper than a full time wedding organizer since it will only be for the reception, and possibly the ceremony.

It will take a lot of the weight off your mind if you have this part of the proceedings done for you by somebody local. Once that has been planned, all you need do is to make sure you have invited those that you want to attend, and you will have a great weekend, or however long you are staying.

Finally, plan your packing in advance and make sure you have a check list of everything you will need. Without that you are sure to forget something. If you keep all of the above in mind, then you will have a wonderful wedding due to good and imaginative destination wedding planning.

Labels: Caribbean Beach Wedding, Destination wedding, Destination Wedding Caribbean, Destination wedding Planning

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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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