Top Destination Wedding Spots
Check out our updated list of Top States for Destination Weddings!
Destination weddings are on the rise. Whether all the guests travel abroad, or a select few are invited, an increasing number of couples are heading to the altar (or beach) away from home.
I had the great pleasure of being a guest at a handful of destination weddings. The most obscure was in Bogotá, Colombia, the most picturesque was in Tuscany, Italy. Due to their exotic locations and the experience of going with a group, they were some of the most memorable occasions.
Here are some of the top places to exchange vows (other than home):
1. Las Vegas – Vegas is entertainment central with seemingly more wedding chapels than anywhere on earth. You can plan a complete wedding with chapel, flowers, officiant, photographer, and coordinator all for a few hundred bucks. Many chapels offer packages to suit your budget and taste. Get a video, have Elvis preside over the ceremony, arrive in a limo – you name it, Vegas has it.
2. Caribbean – Jamaica tops the list of Caribbean islands for weddings, but there are numerous island countries to choose from, rich with cultures and traditions and unique ways to experience a beach wedding. Set your budget, figure out which island best suits your love and plan an idyllic wedding that will leave your guests thanking you for getting married.
3. Hawaii – The Hawaiian islands seem perfectly poised to host wedding ceremonies with that famous aloha spirit of family, community, and tranquility. You can find intimate comfort at a number of beaches in Hawaii… dreamy, rugged rocky, long expanses of sandy, and other styles of shore all embrace couples with a warm charm. Hawaii is well known as a destination wedding mecca with plentiful wedding services.
4. Florida – Two things stand out about Florida for newly engaged couples: white, sandy beaches and fantasy-come-to-life Walt Disney World Resort. Couples who prefer sand in their toes, lapping waves, and sun are all set: beaches line the Florida coast. Choose your favorite Florida beach. Couples attached to the kid inside them can plan a fairy tale wedding at Walt Disney World.
5. Mexico – The spicy south of North America not only has blissful beaches for the vows, but resorts as destinations unto themselves for the whole festivity. While legal requirements may seem a little more cumbersome than other destinations, Mexico offers an experience all its own for you, the wedding party, your guests, and your honeymoon. Olé!
6. Europe – An increasingly popular destination for weddings. Europe is in a bit of a renaissance with a strong euro, European Union formed, and tourism booming. Brides and/or grooms with familial roots in Europe may want to reconnect with their heritage via the wedding ceremony.