Saturday, February 27, 2010

Mexico

I suppose this has turned into destination 'month' instead of 'week.'  Sorry!  I didn't realize how hectic last week was going to get.

I know that in my last blog the destinations I wrote about are absolutely stunning...but they may not be so affordable for most.  So I want to encourage the budget savvy bride to look into Mexico.  Mexico has some incredibly beautiful locations and the prices are an absolute bargain.  When choosing a destination, it is my personal opinion that it is best to choose an all inclusive resort because you will get the biggest bang for your buck.  Many all inclusives will offer special deals on wedding packages if you book a 5 day stay with them.  Just remember to always always ALWAYS check reviews before booking your stay/wedding.  A good website with tons of reviews is http://www.tripadvisor.com/  Also remember that when you are booking a resort in a country like Mexico, you want to always do a 4 or 5 star resort.  If you are nervous about booking online, just go to a local travel agent and be sure to give them your criteria and ask them to recommend places that have been a big hit amongst their clients.  To get you started, here are some cool places I found at great prices :)

The Royal Playa del Carmen & Cancun

The Royal Playa del Carmen is a four star all inclusive resort that boasts the 2010 Traveler's Choice Award (Trip Advisor).  The rates are great and their wedding packages give you tons of options. 

Playa Fiesta - Puerto Vallarta

I was really excited when I found Playa Fiesta.  The reviews on this place are all great and it looks like such a nice place.  They have tons of info for weddings and you can get anything from fireworks to live music.  This is a must see if you are considering a wedding in Mexico.  The only negative I have found with this place is it's availability.  It looks pretty well booked for 2010.  I would suggest calling and seeing when their next availablity is.

Dreams Resort and Spa - Huatulco

I wanted to include a resort located in Huatulco.  Huatulco is a lesser known resort town on the Pacific side of Mexico, and for this reason you can often get quite a deal.  Check this place out for a sure bet on a beautiful wedding. 

Be sure to check back soon for more on destination weddings!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Destination Week!!

So at the request of my good friend Leah, I'm going to be doing some fun stuff on destination weddings.  The more I looked into it, the more I realized there are so many different directions you can go and so many different options.  So I'm going to try and show you some of your different options (although I probably won't even scratch the surface) with my first being on lavish, tropical destinations.

Grand Old House ~ Grand Cayman
The first one I want to share with you is on Grand Cayman, and I chose this for two reasons.  The first being that I wanted to find something on the Cayman Islands because of Leah....being that she asked me to do this I wanted to do something that reminded me of her (I remember her going on a vacation there and loving it).  Then when I came across this specific place, I thought it was something a little different than your typical beach wedding, which I like.  It's a restaurant called Grand Old House and it's right on the beach.  What makes it different for me is that you can still have the amazing, tropical back drop but also have this traditional and elegant setting.  I suppose it's a little hard to explain, so check out the website for photos and more info.  http://www.grandoldhouse.com/  One negative that you might find with this one is that it is just a restaurant so you would have to find a different place to stay, where as with resorts you can usually do the whole package.

Turtle Bay Resort ~ Oahu, Hawaii

Okay so I had to do one in Hawaii.  I have never been there, but when I think tropical destination wedding I think Hawaii.  I chose this particular resort because I personally know someone who has stayed there and said it was just perfect and it was also the setting for one of my favorite movies...Forgetting Sarah Marshall :)  Having your wedding at the Turtle Bay Resort means having the total package.  They have several different options for location all throughout the resort, an amazing menu for catering, your very own team of experts helping you along the way, and different packages made to meet your individual needs.  Check out the website for all the details.  http://www.turtlebayresort.com/

Likuliku Lagoon ~ Fiji

I also wanted to do one that was absolutely exotic.  This location would not be for a larger group of guests.  Probably the more intimate the better, and I'm not going to lie, probably most of your guests wouldn't be able to afford it anyway.  This place is ridiculously expensive....but if you have the money then this place would be amazing.  I don't know how much it would help, but they do have a special right now when you book a 5 night stay they throw in their wedding package for free.  Check it out http://www.likulikulagoon.com/home.cfm

I could probably keep going and going on places like these, but I'm going to move on.  There will be more to come on budget locations, U.S. locations, beautiful color schemes to go along with your beach wedding, and even Vegas weddings!