Destination Weddings

Denise Hinman, a wedding coordinator for The Wedding Experience, says that the Caribbean is one of the easiest parts of the world to have a destination, and discourages against weddings in Europe. "For many, a wedding in Europe will be symbolic because of the strict residency requirements--30 days in Spain, 60 days in France. Greece is one of the few European countries where it's not so complicated."

If you have questions regarding regulations we recommend contacting the consulate or tourist board of the country you'll be married in. (For a worldwide directory of tourism offices, go to: http://www.towd.com/). The Association of Bridal Consultants can also answer your questions by calling 860/355-0464, and destination wedding specialists at The Wedding Experience have an entire page devoted to marriage requirements and fees in the most popular destinations.

Guess who's coming to the wedding

Destination weddings provide the ideal excuse to limit your guest list to only the special people in your life, with many couples choosing quality over quantity when it comes to those with whom they want to share the event. This distillation process can also provide the perfect excuse for not inviting loud-mouthed Uncle Bob, but some still manage to pull-off a faraway wedding for 100.

On the flip-side, be aware that it's not always easy for elderly relatives and friends to attend a destination wedding due to the general wear and tear of travel. If it's important to you for your grandmother to be there, then you may want to talk to her about your plans. More often than not, friends and family will be happy for the invitation, and the opportunity to roll the special event into a vacation--provided they can afford it. With destination weddings, guests will have at least a few days to get to know one another before the ceremony, something that serves to unite the different circles in one's life, thereby creating a relaxed (and often highly festive) atmosphere.

The benefits of group travel

Unless you run around with true jetsetters for whom flitting to Buenos Aires for a birthday party bash is run-of-the-mill, you will want to take the cost of travel for your guests into consideration. Ways to ease the damage on their wallets include inquiring if airlines will give you a group discount and insisting, if possible, on discounted blocks of rooms. This request is not unreasonable when you consider a long wedding weekend at a resort in a foreign country can easily bring-in thousands of dollars.

Where the weddings are

Many of the Caribbean's biggest resort groups--Breezes, Couples, Superclubs, Sandals--offer "free" weddings. The couple will still pay for room and board, and there are minimum stay requirements to ensure that the husband and wife don't just have the ceremony and bolt. But in order to lure guests, these companies do throw in all of the accoutrements of the wedding itself, which can be a money-saver.

The basic packages vary from resort to resort, but most include: