The Travel Business, Inc.

A destination wedding is when you travel to a special place for your wedding. It might be just the two of you (also known as eloping!), or you might include a group of friends and family. It’s an appealing option if you want to do something different, ‘enforce’ a small guest list, hold the wedding at a place equally (in)convenient for far-flung family, or just ‘get away’!” Ten percent of weddings today are now considered “destination weddings”.

The first thing we recommend is to pick a location. You can best get started if you pick not only where (the country or city) but the hotel. It may help to think about whether you would like an all inclusive hotel or not. First, in choosing a city or country, you will want to consider the time of year you are thinking about for your wedding. The weather in Hawaii, Pacific Coast of Mexico, Atlantic Coast of Mexico are different at different times of the year and very different from each other. Take a look at our destinations page for detailed information about the weather in each location. Secondly, in choosing the hotel you should consider the following:

• How much do you want to spend and expect guests to spend on accommodations?
• How far are you willing to travel or expect guests to travel?
• How much control do you want over the details of your wedding?

It honestly depends on the location you select, the time of year (for certain locations), and your requested options. You could choose a wedding at an all inclusive resort where all the meals and drinks are included in the cost of total vacation price. Many of these resorts have a FREE Wedding Ceremony (flowers, the justice of the peace, wedding cake, decorated wedding area plus many more individual resort features), but keep in mind that you do have to pay the legal fees and may have to stay a certain amount of nights. Other resorts offer wedding plans under $1500 with many features such as a private cocktail party and wedding dinner for up to 20 people. This method does save you money, time and nerves. This is also great for groups, where everyone traveling pays one set price for the entire vacation. Normally a destination wedding can be very affordable, but they are so personalized and customizable that you can keep it within any budget.

Many resorts in the USA and outside of it offer banquet halls; however, you can also have a reception once you return home so that family and friends who could not attend can give you their well wishes. (If you really want to, you can have a reception at the destination as well as back home!) A neat thing to do at your reception post-destination would be to show the video from the ceremony so everyone can witness your special day and you can relive it all over again!

The first thing to do is decide with your fiancé that a destination wedding is right for you. Once you have decided that you want to get married in a gorgeous location away from your usual surroundings, call an agent at The Travel Business, Inc. and set up a meeting. Your agent will assist you in finding the perfect place to fit your taste, budget and specific needs so that your wedding day is truly the best day of your life. Your agent will also walk you through all the necessary steps to reserve your lodging, your guests lodging, airfare, transfers to/from airport, all the wedding details, and everything else that could possibly be a potential stressor for you…The Travel Business, Inc will take care of it all. All you have to do is call today and start planning the day that begins the rest of your life!

Yes, your marriage will be legal when you return. Each country and state (and sometimes city) will have regulations you have to follow but as long as you follow those to have a legal marriage in that country then your home country (state and city too) will recognize the marriage. Please call us for the legal requirements for destination weddings in Mexico & the Caribbean. We can check with your local registrar, where you will need to apply for a local marriage license, as to what documents they will need you to bring back from the wedding.

Click here to see a listing of different countries and their requirements.

It's easy to think that a destination wedding can ease all of the stress of a traditional wedding. In some ways it does, but many times the drama will just be different. Don't plan a destination wedding assuming it will be drama free. However, here is some advice to think about:

Don't back down. It's your wedding and you won't always please everyone. You have to do what is most special for you and your finance. Your wedding day will never mean as much to them as it does to you. Keep talking about how important this is to you. Have a reception when you return and find special ways to include close family and friends who are not able to attend. Record the wedding and show it at a reception when you return. Set photos or a photo album out for everyone to see. Depending on the number of guests, you can offer to pay for the rooms. This may help some family members that would find it hard to attend otherwise. This won’t make your beach wedding cheaper, but that may not be the reason you are doing this in the first place. Try to plan the wedding at a good time of the year for those that are unhappy. Do they generally take a vacation at the same time each year? Have some events planned for a few days before the wedding. Try to make a vacation out of it for the entire family. Beach weddings are not as traditional as ones at home. If your family is upset about this decision, find unique ways to include them in the ceremony. Have both your mother and father walk you down the 'sand aisle’. Have your finance's parents light a unity candle.

Absolutely! Someone in your family or a close friend can throw you a shower or a couple’s shower. It's not against any etiquette rules for someone to throw you a shower or party of some kind. You can still register to make sure you get the things you want and need. Gift giving is about someone wanting to celebrate your wedding and giving you something, not about expecting something in return (like to attend your reception and get a free dinner). If someone is upset because they cannot attend then they don't have to attend showers hosted for you and they don't have to buy you a present.

No. You are not expected to pay for travel or accommodations for guests. You are expected to pay for accommodations, but not travel, for the wedding party. Of course you can offer to pay for accommodations if you want to. Many couples may offer to pay for some coordinated excursions for guests before the wedding. And many couples will pay for a 'rehearsal' dinner the night before the wedding where all guests attend, not just those in the wedding.

The answer depends on how much of the planning you want to control. If you plan to get married at the resort, they will provide a coordinator who will find out what you want and make it happen (within limits). Their services are free of charge and included as part of your wedding package. If you want a little more control and a broader array of choices, you can hire a local wedding planner. Their services would be in addition to the cost of the wedding package but you might have more choices and control over picking music, flowers & photographers. However please note that some resorts will not allow you to bring outside vendors onsite. Please check with the individual hotel and wedding coordinator to be sure. If you do use a resort planner, your decisions will be few:

• at home: you still must pick your dress, grooms attire, bridesmaids dresses, picking invitations, writing vows, making the programs, etc.

• at the resort: you will choose how you want the site decorated (your choices will be limited, picking flowers, picking music.

You can also plan your own wedding and choose a site outside of a hotel or resort. You will most likely want to hire a local coordinator and should plan to make several trips to the site while planning.