What is a Destination Wedding?
A destination wedding is a wedding that is held in a location away from where you live. Some persons choose to have their wedding and the honeymoon at the same venue. Destination weddings are growing increasingly popular and they can be intimate, involving only the couple, can involve a few of their close friends and family or can be an extravagant affair with hundreds of guests. The ceremony, reception and honeymoon all occur over a long weekend. Etiquette for this type of wedding dictates that the invited guests pay their own airfare while the bride and groom pay for accommodation, food and drinks. Surprisingly, a destination wedding with a few close friends and family can cost only a fraction of what a regular wedding usually does. As a result, many couples tend to choose destination weddings as they are usually very cost effective.
Trendy Spots for a Destination Wedding
Cabo San Lucas
- Australia
- Cabo, San Lucas, Mexico
- The Caribbean
- Fiji
- France
- India
- Italy
- Spain
- South Africa
Closer to Home: Caribbean Locations for a Destination Wedding
Many destination weddings take place in the Caribbean, both for celebrities and non-celebrities. The Caribbean tends attract such weddings because of its amazing white sandy beaches as well as the tropical atmosphere that persons crave. Some of the popular spots in the Caribbean that persons choose to get married are:
- Caneel Bay, St. John Island – this location is very quiet and intimate and very ideal for those who desire privacy.
- Peter Island Resort, British Virgin Islands – this is the largest of the British Virgin Islands, and has a very romantic setting and an absolutely gorgeous beach.
- Sandals Hotel in Jamaica, St. Lucia, Bahamas, Antigua, Grenada and Barbados – the various Caribbean locations of the Sandals Hotel are ideal for destination weddings. The hotel includes a wedding planner in their wedding packages, provide excellent service and create wonderfully romantic settings with ideal accommodations for the honeymoon phase.
One&Only Ocean Club Bahamas
- One&Only Ocean Club, Paradise Island, The Bahamas – can host weddings that have up to 120 guests. The rooms at this property offer panoramic views of the ocean.
- Half Moon, Jamaica – allows persons to rent out royal villas that have about seven bedrooms each. There is also the option of guests staying in the rooms of the resort itself. Couples have a few locations to choose where to have their ceremony – the beach, gazebo or the terrace.
- Jumbo Bay Resort, Antigua – located on a private 300 acre island a few
The Reefs, Bermuda
miles off of Antigua, couples have their pick of beaches to choose where they want to get married. There is also the opportunity to reserve the entire resort for their special occasion.
- The Reefs Resort, Bermuda – this award winning resort is located on a private beach. Like many of the properties on this list, there is the option of staying in an oceanview room or reserving one of the cottages located on the property
Celebrity Destination Weddings
As mentioned previously, destination weddings are very popular especially among celebrities. Here are a few of the celebrities who have chosen to have Destination Weddings, both in the Caribbean and at other trendy destination wedding locations.
- Diane Neal – the Dominican Republic
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel
- Jason Priestly – the Bahamas
- Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellweger – Island of St. John
- Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner – Turks and Caicos Islands
- Kelly Rowland and Tim Witherspoon – Costa Rica
- Matt Damon and Luciana Barrosso – St. Lucia
- Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem – The Bahamas
- Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel – Italy
- Katy Perry and Russel Brand – India
- Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott – Fiji
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