The OurWeddingDay Blog

Decide on your destination.
While this may seem obvious, it is sometimes more difficult than expected. There are many things to consider, especially if you are getting married abroad, such as language, culture, climate, whether you will need passports, immunization records, birth certificates, or embassy consent letters. If you choose a wedding destination in a place like the Caribbean, you are more likely to find resorts that offer all inclusive wedding packages, as well as professional destination wedding planners that make the entire ordeal a lot simpler.

Figure out your guest list.
Typically, destination wedding is a lot smaller and more intimate, including close family and friends. Because of the expense and potential complications of things like airfare, it is a great idea to create a personal wedding website. For example, you can post links to excellent airfares when you find them, or give a detailed list of accommodations that are reasonable—or ones where you have already negotiated a discounted group price. A guest who really wants to make it to your wedding will be thankful for this resource.

Consider hiring a wedding planner.
Good destination wedding planners are worth the cost, especially when dealing with travel logistics and ceremony/reception details. This person should specialize in destination weddings and have excellent reviews. Don’t be afraid to ask for a complete portfolio with pictures of previous destination weddings in order to help you make the right choice.

Read more:

• Hiring a Part-Time Wedding Planner
• Hiring a Wedding Planner
• Creating Your Guest List

A luxury honeymoon can end up costing as much or more than a wedding, so it can be tempting to skip the trip all together. Instead, consider honeymoon locations and ideas that allow you to relax with your new spouse after the stress of wedding planning without spending (another) small fortune.

Best Honeymoon Locations For A Limited Budget

• Las Vegas, NV
  You can always find a great deal on a honeymoon vacation package in Las Vegas. The key is to make sure you don't spend all the money you saved in the casinos. Look for deals on hotel and air fare combinations. Many hotels will also offer discounts on dining and entertainment if you book through their site.
• The Pocono Mountains, PA
  Northeastern Pennsylvania is home to some of the country's most beautiful scenery. Enjoy hiking, cycling, scenic drives or quiet time in a secluded cabin.
• Hilton Head, SC
  Enjoy the beauty of the beaches without the expense of popular tropical honeymoon locations. Visitors can play a round of golf on a top tier course, explore the local plantations, or spend your entire honeymoon in a vacation rental on the beach.
• Local luxury hotel
  Eliminate air fare and check into a nearby five star hotel instead. Ask about packages that include credit at the on-site spa or room service vouchers.
• Bed & breakfast honeymoon packages
  You might find the best honeymoon locations are closer than you think. Search bed & breakfast directories for getaways close to home and you might discover tourist attractions right in your backyard.

Read more:

• The Las Vegas Wedding Guide
• Bed & Breakfast Honeymoons
• Is Your Honeymoon Budget Ruining Your Honeymoon?

Starting now, OurWeddingDay and Palace Resorts are offering you a chance to win a fabulous honeymoon package in the Dominican Republic or Mexico!

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After the stress of planning the wedding, a paradise island honeymoon may be just the relaxation you need. Check out these popular tropical honeymoon destinations.

Island Honeymoon Hot Spots

• Bora Bora, Tahiti
  Enjoy a luxury honeymoon complete with a private over-the-water bungalows where you can literally step out your front door into clear blue waters. Spend your days snorkeling and your evenings listening to the sound of the ocean.
• Hawaii
  A Hawaiian honeymoon won't be inexpensive, but it also won't require a passport. You're just a plane ride away from surf, sand, volcanoes and waterfalls. Whether you want to spend you're island honeymoon sunbathing or bike riding down volcanoes, you'll find it on one of the islands.
• Fiji
  Enjoy the legendary hospitality of the Fijian people while you wander from one secluded beach to another. Fiji has 300 islands, including the famous Turtle Island that only allows 14 couples at a time.
• Jamaica
  You'll find plenty of all-inclusive resorts here to make budgeting a breeze. For couples looking for more affordable options, this is one of the few tropical honeymoon destinations that provides packages at several price points.
• Bali
  Although tourists from all over the world have discovered the natural beauty of this island paradise, the local culture remains strong. Enjoy luxurious pampering of the body balanced with a quiet peace of mind.

Read more:

• Planning a Hawaiian Wedding During an Island Festival
• Island Wedding Planning
• Top 10 Honeymoon Destinations You Haven't Thought Of

With more and more people looking to "go green," it's no surprise that eco honeymoon destinations are growing in popularity. Start your green honeymoon planning journey with a top environmentally friendly honeymoon resort.

Top 4 Eco Honeymoon Resorts

1. Arenas del Mar Beach & Nature Resort, Costa Rica
   Who says you can't shrink your carbon footprint while enjoying a little luxury? The Arenas del Mar Beach & Nature Resort provides the romance of a beachside honeymoon resort while respecting the surrounding rain forest. Your eco honeymoon is guaranteed to be solar-powered and energy-efficient.
2. Maho Bay Camp, St. John, Virgin Islands
   While the eco honeymoon trend may be new, Maho Bay Camp has been offering sustainable vacations for almost three decades. Guests stay in tent-cottages that were made by hand and connected with elevated walkways in order to preserve the natural environment. This honeymoon resort offers a chance to not only protect the environment, but to connect with it along beaches and hiking trails.
3. The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, Sonoma County, Calif.
   If your honeymoon planning doesn't involve visions of remote locations, consider a trip to this luxury spa. The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa practices conservation, but doesn't take away the television and mini-bar.
4. Aspen Mountain Ski Resort, Pitkin County, Colorado
   There's no rule that says a honeymoon resort has to be on a beach. If you prefer snow to sand, the Aspen Mountain Ski Resort offers a chance to hit the slopes without hurting the planet. The resort was built with an eye toward habitat protection and practices water and energy conservation.

Read more:

• Plan a "simply Green" Wedding with Danny Seo
• How to Have a Green Honeymoon
• Top 4 California Beach Locations

"Lucky editor Danielle Pergament and magazine writer Devin Friedman are one of the funniest and most charming couples I know. Today they live in Brooklyn with their daughter--and are expecting a baby boy!--but three years ago, on a sunny July evening, they got hitched in Tuscany. Let's take a look...xoxo" [via A Cup of Joe]

The happy couple is interviewed on their fabulous Tuscan wedding, along with a lot more gorgeous pictures, over at A Cup of Joe.

Read more:

• Destination Wedding Advice: Hire a Photographer!
• Top 10 Destination Wedding Locations You Haven't Thought Of!
• Should You Help with Guests' Travel Expenses?

This is a sponsored post by Delta Vacations

Do you think of Las Vegas as only a place for eloping couples to wed? Think again! Couples are now creating a trend—elegant and personalized destination weddings in Las Vegas. These weddings can be tailored to fit any budget, and can easily be customized to your heart’s desire.

With your destination wedding to Las Vegas from Delta Vacations® and the LIFESTYLE Collection featuring Romance, you’ll be able to enjoy a fabulous array of hotels for every budget, whether you’re looking for pampering spots or more low-key accommodations.

You’ll also get to choose your own wedding package—you can pick from the most basic to the most elaborate. Do you want an elegant ceremony? Try the Chapel of Flowers. How about something fun and upbeat? Look no further than the Graceland Wedding Chapel, where you’ll be serenaded by a smooth-talking Elvis look-alike. The choices and options seem endless here in this brightly-lit city of love.

Plus, your family and friends can join you for all the fun that your Las Vegas destination wedding is sure to be. There is a vast array of activities and entertainment to be had for everyone, including exceptional dining and ultra-gourmet restaurants, sumptuous spas at almost every hotel in the city, championship golf courses galore, and of course, plenty of fabulous shows and entertainment.

And if your friends and family can’t make it to your Las Vegas wedding, don’t worry, many wedding packages feature a live web cam recording of your ceremony, so your loved ones can still watch you say “I do.”

Delta Vacations offers honeymoon getaways and destination wedding packages from the LIFESTYLE Collection featuring Romance to fantastic destinations for every budget. For more information, visit DeltaVacations.com, call 1-866-238-5378, or contact your travel agent.

Read more:

• The Las Vegas Wedding Guide
• Destination Wedding Planning Advice: Hire a Photographer!
• Top 3 Domestic Destination Locations

Although a fancy overseas wedding would be ultra fabulous, a domestic destination wedding has the potential to be just as amazing, if not more so. Use the following domestic destination wedding locations as a launching point in your search for the perfect location for your dream wedding.

1. New York City
   Do it right in one of the most exciting and posh cities in the world. Take the city for all it’s worth and use Manhattan as a backdrop and hold your wedding at a hot New York hotel that gives you access to a rooftop area ideal for a cityscape filled reception.
2. Las Vegas
   Oh c’mon, you know you’ve secretly fantasized about planning a destination wedding in Sin City. It truly is a great city for weddings since it has around the clock entertainment and access to the most fabulous hotels in the U.S.
3. Northern California
   Northern California is hands down, one of the most beautiful places in the world. Ideal for lovers of wine and the beauty of rolling hills that seem to go on forever. Specifically, Napa and Sonoma Valley have the most grand wineries and restaurants offering plenty of options. Many of the hotels offer all-inclusive wedding packages that make the planning process easier for you and your hubby to be.

Read more:

• The New York Metro Wedding Guide
• The Las Vegas Wedding Guide
• The San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Guide

For those us who have assumed the role of destination wedding planners, I’m sure you’re wondering how to hire the best possible photographer at your chosen destination. The task of finding the right photographer could get tricky since you may not be able to meet with him or her prior to the wedding, but as long as you know your options, you’ll be able to effortlessly tackle this important wedding ingredient.

How to Find Your Photographer
Before we delve into the "finding" specifics, you actually have two options when choosing a photographer: you can either choose one in your home city, and pay for his or her travel expenses, or find a destination wedding photographer. Either choice is perfect. The most important thing is that you’re happy with your photos, so however you get that person to your wedding is up to you.

If you choose to find a destination wedding photographer, contact your destination wedding planners or coordinators for references since they're familiar with the local talent. If you're holding your wedding abroad at a resort, you should contact the wedding coordinator at the resort for information about their photographers. Some resorts use the same photographers on a regular basis. This usually doesn’t mean you have to use any of them, but go ahead and request website info and see if there might be a match.

If you’re concerned about your budget, keep in mind that many resorts include photography within their wedding packages. If the resort photographer’s work does not match your style, don’t be discouraged; photographers are skilled artists who might be able and willing to work to achieve your vision. Make sure you can articulate the look you want to the photographers; bring along magazine clippings or websites for inspiration.

Read  more:

• Destination Wedding Vendors 101
• Destination Wedding Planning
• Should You Ever Hire a Friends as Wedding Vendors?

Hawaiian Island weddings are always a thrill to attend because they’re exotic, fabulous, and offer an excuse to take a vacation. Since you’ve already chosen Hawaii as your location for your dream wedding on the beach, why not set the date during a special Hawaiian festival? The following festivals are the most popular on the Hawaiian Islands throughout the year.

Lei Day
Celebrated throughout Hawaii, this special day takes place on the first of May, and is also known as May Day. The islanders celebrate by wearing flowers, holding lei-making competitions, and at the end of the day crown a lucky lady as Lei Queen.

Moloka’I Ka Hula Piko
This festival takes place on Molokai in the middle of May and honors the birth of hula. Hawaiian cultural demonstrations, traditional dance performances, and only the best traditional Hawaiian food ensure this festival offers copious amounts of fun.

Kamehameha Day Celebration
A holiday celebrated on all of the islands, but mostly the Big Island of Hawaii in North Kohala, every year on June 11th since 1871. Kamehameha Day honors King Kamehameha who was a strong figure who represented Hawaiian self-determination and united the islands in 1795.

Maui Film Festival
This is a fantastic festival for theater lovers and film buffs. This festival, which takes place in June, includes film premieres at an outdoor venue called The Sand Dance Theater. You can dip your feet in the sand and sit under the stars while watching newly released films. Other locations for premiers include the Castle Theater at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center and the Maui Digital Theater. Food and wine events also take place during the festival giving you even more reasons to invite your wedding party to attend.

Other fantastic festivals that take place in Hawaii

• Pan Pacific Festival
• Flavor of Honolulu
• Pu’uhonua O Honaunau Cultural Festival

Plan your tropical wedding around one of these fun festivals, and you’ll leave your wedding guests with more amazing memories than they’ll know what to do with.

Read more:

• Top 10 Honeymoon Hotspots You Haven't Thought Of
• Beach Wedding Attire
• Planning a Beach-Themed Wedding