One of the biggest trends in weddings these days is destination weddings. What is a destination wedding? It is a wedding planned at a particular place in the world or a particular resort. The great thing about destination weddings is they can be much more cost effective for the couple and the planning involved is usually handled by either the resort or a wedding coordinator that works with your travel agent to secure the rooms and venue for the event.
I personally know a lot about destination weddings because my wedding to my beautiful wife Heidi was done at Disney World using their Fairytale Weddings department. Some of the venues that create your memorable event actually have programs where the bride and groom can stay free depending on the amount of guests they have in their wedding. There are locations all over the globe to have a destination wedding. The requirements for US citizens depend greatly on the venue and I would highly recommend that before you plan a destination wedding you get your travel agent involved to be sure everything is being taken care of and the marriage will be recognized in the states when you return.
The top destinations for weddings are as follow:
1. Mexico – Especially Cancun & Riviera Maya
2. Jamaica
3. Other Places in the Caribbean – Top other places include Puerto Rico, Aruba, Curacao,
The Bahamas, St Lucia & the US Virgin Islands
4. Hawaii
5. The South Pacific – Tahiti
6. Florida – Orlando & Key West
All of these destinations are fairly easy for US citizens or residents to get to and many are very affordable. Most couples will stay after the ceremony for their honeymoon at the same resort. Because of this the industry has come up with the word “Weddingmoon” to cover all aspects of this destination wedding.
There are hundreds of resorts around the world that have destination weddings available on their properties, if you have questions about a particular destination or resort feel free to reach out to me. To give you some idea of the “best” resorts and what they offer I will list the top 5 and some of their benefits.
1. amResorts - has several brands including; Zoetry, Secrets, Breathless, Dreams, Now & Sunscape
with locations in Mexico, The Dominican Republic, Aruba, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama & Curacao.
2. Iberostar Resorts – has locations in Mexico, Jamaica & The Dominican Republic.
3. Hard Rock Hotels – Their all-inclusive resorts that offer wedding packages are located in
Mexico and The Dominican Republic.
4. Karisma Hotels – has two brands El Dorado & Azul and they are located in Riviera Maya, Mexico.
5. Palace Resorts – their premium brand is Le Blanc with locations in Mexico & Jamaica.
Each of these brands have several different packages available depending on the number of guests and what you want included for your wedding. The basic packages include a toast, a cake, a location and some combination of rooms. Often the price of these packages are waived depending on the length of stay at the resort or the number of rooms you booked. Your travel agent can find out all the details when you are ready to pick your destination.
All in all this is a fun way to enjoy your wedding. Several of the resorts mentioned have brands available where the whole family can celebrate or if you prefer you can have adult only choices, it is really all up to you!!
To contact me to book your destination wedding or for any of your other travel needs, email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
