Destination Weddings Discussions

Location, Location, Location?!

There are so many amazing places in this world how on earth do you research and decide on one? The only thing my FI and I have decided is that we want to go to an amazing beach and have a sunset ceremony; I am a little overwhelmed with all the options out there. I would love to hear what locations you are going to or considering and what lead you to that. Resort vs Cruise? Did you have the luxury of site visits? I can't really squeeze and extra trip from the midwest to a slew of exotic locations in to the schedule or budget so I am really going to be trusting websites, reviews and tips from wonderful people like you :) 

Re: Location, Location, Location?!

  • We are getting married in Clearwater Beach, Florida and also live in the Midwest. We were lucky enough to squeeze in an initial visit to check out places we liked as well as a follow-up visit to meet with our vendors. We relied a lot on recommendations from the hotels we looked in during our initial visit for vendor recommendations. Most had wedding booklets that included contact information for recommended vendors, and we put together a list of recommended vendors based on three resorts we visited on the first trip. We also checked out those vendors online and read lots of reviews.

    We chose to get married in Florida because we knew it would be fairly easy and not a crazy expensive places for our guests to travel to. There are direct flights from a couple decent-sized airports an hour or two away from were many of our guests live, and they also had the choice of arriving to two different, local airports in Florida or airports within an hour or two drive as well. Also, transport once they get to FL is easy (rental car, shuttle, taxi options aplenty). In all honesty, we wanted to make travel easy on our guests - some of whom very rarely travel. We also found a place we LOVED and wanted to get married at in Florida, so it all worked out. :)

    If you're considering a place outside the US, I'd venture to say you're on the right track with relying on online resources and reviews for all info. That's probably your best bet.

    Have fun planning! It goes by quickly, so enjoy each moment. :)
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  • Alot if girls on here used Beach Bum Vacations!  


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  • Australia! Haha. Ok that's crazy far but thats where about 90% of our guest list are travelling from to our vegas wedding. So it could work the other way around! Just throwing it out there :-)

    Can't wait to say 'I do' on April 14, 2014 - Planning Bio

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  • If you contact Beach Bum, they will have you fill out a questionnaire and can recommend locations/resorts to fit your tastes!  I did a lot of research on my own and actually the sites they recommended were ones that I liked in my own research, which made me trust and like them even more, lol!  They are no cost so you can't go wrong with contacting them :-)
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  • We picked Nassau, Bahamas because we can leave New Orleans and be there before noon. We actually got engaged at Atlantis and the water is so beautiful. We are still working on the details which is fun and stressful at the same time. No site visit to where our actual wedding will take place. We picked a wedding planner in Nassau who is taking care of all of our details. Good luck with everything and congrats!!
  • Thanks so much!! You all gave me some great avenues to research! 
  • missmo14 said:

    Australia! Haha. Ok that's crazy far but thats where about 90% of our guest list are travelling from to our vegas wedding. So it could work the other way around! Just throwing it out there :-)

    I got married on an island in Australia. It is possible :)

     







  • I'm getting married in Cozumel, Mexico. But, we've been there a few times and consider it "our" island. Budget will help decide where is a great location. Some really beautiful budget ideas include Cancun, Mexico and Jamaica. 

    I'd also always choose resort over a cruise. But, I don't like cruises. The idea of being trapped in one place for that long drives me nuts. I like to get off the resort and check out the town on my own. :)
    "There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." -Friedrich Nietzsche, "On Reading and Writing"
  • Budget is def a factor. We are both parents and feel like spending more than we need to is a bit selfish when it could go in college funds and such. 

  • Has anyone been to an Iberostar resort? 
  • Has anyone been to an Iberostar resort? 
    One of my best friends got married last year at a villa outside of Montego Bay, Jamaica. She arranged for guests who did not stay at the villa to stay at Iberostar Grand Hotel Rose Hall. It was spectacular! The rooms and beach were among the best I've ever seen. Food and service was very good. We usually go to Cancun because it's a shorter plane ride with nonstop service from Chicago. We are getting married at Azul Sensatori in Riviera Maya (about 20 minutes south of Cancun airport). We considered the Iberostar Grand Hotel in Cancun but it is adults only and we have children planning to attend. Otherwise, I would recommend Iberostar.
  • Azul is on my list! Can you tell me what made you pick it? 
  • Do you remember the name of the villa?

  • Azul Sensatori is the top of my list as well. Budget is a big factor for me. I am only looking at other options because their beach isn't that great from what I have read. I really want beautiful water for my pictures . :) 
  • The villa in Jamaica is Endless Summer.
  • Azul is on my list! Can you tell me what made you pick it? 
    One of our main reasons for picking Azul Sensatori is that it is next door to Secrets Silversands. We have stayed at Secrets Silversands for 3 vacations. It is one of the best resorts we have seen. Check out the reviews for both Azul Sensatori and Secrets Silversands on Trip Advisor.
  • @Harrijc Silver Sands is the resort my FI likes the most.  We haven't been (he's never been out of the US) but from what we've looked at he loves it.
  • We're getting married in September at the Moon Palace in Cancun! All of the palace resorts are fantastic and they provide a complimentary wedding package if you stay 3 nights which was great for us so we could spend our money on other things like the reception and pictures. They also offer a $1500 resort credit if you are there a week. I believe you get $500 at 3 nights and it continues to go up! 
  • @mrsmaggardtobe that sounds like an awesome deal! Thanks for sharing!! 
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