Holly, a girl I used to work with, is having a destination wedding. Since I only had a vague idea about how they work, I figured I would ask her about it..and here is what she said…

When and where are you having your destination wedding? The Occidental Grand Aruba Resort on Palm Beach, Aruba. The date is set for October. 13, 2007. Aruba does require a civil ceremony performed at the town hall which is the day before our beach wedding to be performed by a minister.

Why did you choose a destination wedding? I didn’t want the expense & hassle of dealing with numerous vendors & trying to please both families. Plus, the Caribbean sea as the backdrop is truly amazing.

What is the thing you like best about your choice? The hotel is beautiful & they offer a great rate for our guests with a group discount. It’s also an all-inclusive hotel so that’s a big plus for a destination wedding, especially when you have a group of people joining you. The hotel also allows children which we needed since both sides of the family & friends have children that will be coming along on the trip.

What is the thing you like least thing about your choice? They only offer a free wedding package if you book 10 “royal club” rooms, which are the expensive upgraded rooms. Since that is not going to happen, we do have to pay for the wedding ceremony & any extras. It’s not bad though compared to the prices of having a wedding at home. We don’t have to worry about limos & all the flowers for the church which gets very costly. Everything we need is offered thru the hotel even the music & photographers.

Any advice or tips you would like to share with other brides who are considering having a destination wedding? The best advice I could give is to do what you want to do & go wherever you want your destination to be. Not everyone enjoys the beach so there are plenty of options for destinations weddings. If you are doing it in another country check all the legal requirements about getting married there. In Aruba, there are many legal documents I’m still working on & it does take some time & research.

If you are interested in perhaps having a destination wedding, here is a Useful Link from The Knot to get you started…

Are you thinking about a Destination Wedding? Or planning one of your own? We’d love to hear from you!