How is working with a travel agent beneficial when booking a destination wedding?

When you book a block of hotel rooms directly or with an online travel site, you always pay the full fee upfront. When you work with an agent, s/he can negotiate a group hotel rate, and then renegotiate as your date gets closer, when hotels know more about their occupancy levels. Low occupancy equals deals! With an agent, final payment sometimes isn’t due until a month prior, which gives you extra time to firm up your guest list.

Are there discounts for group air travel?

Yes! For example, American Airlines will create a savings code — usually 5 percent off –if you have at least 10 people traveling their airline . They do not need to fly from the same airport.

How can newlyweds get upgrades?

When making a reservation, let your hotel know it’s your honeymoon! They’ll often give you a little something extra like a welcome bottle of Champagne, breakfast in bed, or even a nicer room at no extra charge. (Note: adults- and couples-only resorts don’t normally offer extras, as they cater almost exclusively to honeymooners.)

Any tips for arranging flights?

September us generally a cheap travel month as kids in the U.S. are back in school, Europeans are home from summer trips, and it’s hurricane season in the Caribbean and Mexico. Midweek flights can be cheaper than weekends. If you’re making numerous stops, consider a “circle trip,” which many airlines offer. It starts and ends at point A, but includes stops in between. This should cost less than buying a bunch of one-way tickets.

What  important issues do travelers often overlook?

Some airlines charge luggage fees. Some, like Delta, give you one free bag on international flights.  You also need to check visa requirements; many cruise lines leave it up to you to arrange visas for their ports of call.  And don’t forget to make sure your passport is valid. For countries like Costa Rica, your passport must be valid for 30 days after arrival, but others, like Fiji, count three months past departure date.

What are some necessities for long flights?

A blanket that comes in a bag is handy– you can use the bag to cover the airplane pillow!  Healthy snacks, like trail mix, are a must, since airplane food is either prepackaged or pricey. And DK Eyewitness Travel Guides are great for studying up on your destination.

Any advice for those who don’t use an agent?

If you can, book well in advance. Sign up for airline and hotel e-blasts, and monitor their Facebook and Twitter pages for deals, too.

So what can you do to make your dream a reality? A destination wedding may provide the answer, but there are a number of factors you need to take into consideration before deciding to whisk your loved ones away to an exotic destination.

TheBigDay.com discusses the pro’s and con’s of planning a wedding far from home.

Reasons to choose a Destination Wedding:

1. Increased intimacy

There’s no question that a wedding destination halfway around the world will have fewer guests than one in your hometown. Some guests will not be able to afford it, others will not be able to take the time and a majority of those ‘must-invite’ relatives and co-workers will graciously excuse themselves from the invitation.

Fewer people around means that you can spend more time with the ones who are there. Often guests view destination weddings as vacation opportunities, and will extend their trip into a full week, allowing the bride and groom to have lots of quality time together.

A smaller ceremony and guest list can help you focus on the important things, and not the chaos surrounding a large reception.

2. Cost effectiveness (for the couple!)

Chances are your destination wedding will cost less than the average American couple spends on their nuptials.  Even though you have to pay for transportation, shipping items ahead of time, and resort accommodation, a smaller guest list and favorable exchange rates will allow you to spend less while receiving equal or better quality. Often, the couple is able to splurge on things they would not be able to afford ‘back home’, such as an open bar, unique and personalized favors, a private tour of the area for all of the guests, or a morning-after brunch.

3. Extended vacation opportunity

The advantage of combing a wedding with a honeymoon destination is obvious. Instead of taking a week off of work prior to the wedding to organize and then rushing through a shortened honeymoon at an exotic location soon thereafter, couples can spend two weeks at their place of choice.

This doesn’t mean you have to honeymoon at the location where you were married. Although many people choose to do this, others will fly off to another resort in the same area, or, in visit another country before heading home.

4. Location, location, location!

The chances that Disney will build a replica of Cinderella’s carriage in Ontario for your fairy tale wedding are slim, so if that’s what you want, you’ll have to travel to where they are instead (hint: try Florida or California).

If your ideal wedding location is something more glamous (or warmer!) than you’ve got at home, you’re just going to have to pack your bags and jump on a plane to get there!

Reasons to avoid a Destination Wedding:

1. You want a big wedding

It’s going to be the wedding of the centry! A large church bursting with guests, a designer dress with a flowing train, an enormous ballroom reception that seats all of your 500 guests, with a stunning array of food and large dance floor with the city’s best DJ. 

It is possible to have a large destination wedding, but you won’t have nearly 500 people. Chances are your destination venue won’t seat more than a few hundred and your resort will probably host even less.

Although there are places that will cater to all your grandest wedding plans, expect an even greater amount of stress than you would planning a wedding of that size back home. There are pre-trip inspections, meetings with caterers, photographers and designers, and the coordination required with your must-have wedding planner.

Pick a place with an unfavorable exchange rate, such as Europe or French Polynesia, and you’ll also be looking at an even heftier bill than you would in North America. The bottom line? If you’re planning a large wedding, staying close to home might be best.

2. You want everyone to be there

Acceptance rates for destination weddings are lower than weddings close to home – usually 50 percent. This is due to varying factors including cost, time off work, inability to travel, etc. Those who are elderly, ill, or have small children probably won’t be able to make it either. If you and your fiancée are incredibly close to your family and friends and their presence at your wedding is very important to you, a destination wedding is not in the cards.

3. Control freak?

If you need to see things in person before making a decision, dislike shopping off the internet, or need to be involved in planning every detail, a destination wedding may not be for you.

Due to the distance, couples planning a destination wedding often rely on a wedding planner – or at least the internet – to plan their wedding. This is especially true if the wedding will occur in a foreign country and you do not speak the native language. As a result, things such as the hotel, reception site, design, and food may all be purchased ‘sight unseen’.

If you are unable to trust a wedding planner or travel websites to help with your destination wedding, don’t risk it.

4. Time constraints

If you only have a few days to spare for nuptial bliss, due to work, illness, or family requirements, you may not want to waste any precious time sitting around in airports. If you are working on a very tight timeline, consider marrying and celebrating your honeymoon later on when you actually have time to enjoy it!

For more Destination Wedding considerations, click on the links below. Bon Voyage!

Feature photo from AlexMoi Photography (destination wedding in Bali)

Family and friends are greeted with cool passion-fruit drinks, then dive into their goody bags to find bush hats for the men, cowrie shell jewelry for the women, sunscreen, disposable cameras, and some native sweets such as hertzog cookies and soetkoekies (recipes can be found at africhef.com and 3men.com).

The reserve’s open-air lobby is rustic yet polished. The wedding ceremony took place at sunset, underneath an arch of suspended, flickering lanterns. A burlap runner, hand-painted with a tribal motif and the bride and groom’s names, leads the bride to her groom. Then, instead of throwing rice, guests toss bush-willow pods as the couple shares their first married kiss.

The wedding feast takes place in a boma, an intimate enclosure of acacia branches. Here, mud-cloth covered chairs surround a long table decorated with beaded Zulu chargers, antique African dishes, and pyramids of brightly colored fruit. As they enjoyed the meal, guests were serenaded by the clicking of crickets and the crackling of the boma’s campfire. Mud cloths, wooden bowls, and pedestals add tribal panache. Pier 1 Imports, street fairs, museum and gift shops with a global outlook are good sources for rough-hewn wooden objects as well as African fabrics.

Place cards were made from torn paper and burlap are accented with porcupine quills. (Calligraphy by Ellen Weldon Design, 212-925-4483.) Chilled-tomato soup with crème fraiche hearts was followed by a traditional meal of roasted leg of kudu venison, accompanied by Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the country’s elegant blends.

After-dinner entertainment is provided by native performers who encourage everyone to join in the merriment. South African dancers and Shangaan tribal members wearing ceremonial feathers and skins sing native wedding songs. For your own party, African music CDs are widely available in shops and online; afropopshop.org has a huge selection.

Other great touches featured in this African wedding: an amarula cream liqueur wedding cake adorned with beads and feathers… A bouquet of wild savanna grass and an African wedding bowl… floral-and-citrus water for guests to freshen up with… and a bark-covered guest book, fastened with porcupine quills.

For more photos of this and other weddings, visit Brides.com.

Made of rustic tapestry fabric in exotic tonal neutrals with a print inspired by the Sahara landscape–palms, acacia trees and giraffes–this tapestry luggage tote bag is for anyone with an adventurous spirit. Makes a great bridesmaid gift!

Rustic homespun details

Outdoor weddings — on a farm, in a vineyard, or even in the backyard — are huge right now, and t’s really no wonder: An outdoor setting makes for a fun, laid-back vibe and the decor options are limitless. So what kinds of details are in store? Vintage vases filled with fresh-from-the-garden flowers, mismatched china in bright colors, and homemade wooden signs to direct guests. Even catering is in on the action with in-season ingredients paired with local wine.

• See photos from at-home real weddings
• Get hundreds of reception ideas

Jewel tones

Say good-bye to pale pastels and bright poppies. Rich gem colors like navy, plum, and amber are going to be hot. And instead of chocolate brown, look to a soft creme brulee hue, bronzes, coppers, and black. Yes, that’s right — black is back too. Yay!

• See hot color combos
• Search reception details by color

Patterns that pop

Gingham, checkered, polka-dotted, paisley, toile, damask — you name it, colorful patterns are in and in a big way. Add patterned overlays to your tables to instantly perk up the room… find an off-the-rack patterned dress for your bridesmaids… have your invitations and envelopes lined with colorful designs. The best part about this trend is that it lets you throw around a lot of different hues and still keep a cohesive look and feel.

• Get more decor ideas from our wedding style blog!

Ball gowns are back

The full A-line silhouette will make a huge resurgence down ceremony aisles this year. And you don’t have to have a ballroom wedding to pull it off either — the key is in the fabric. Find one with layers of airy tulle or even cotton for an outdoor spring or summer wedding; get a silk satin ball gown for a more formal wedding; or go for ultra-soft suede for a wintertime wedding.

• See hundreds of ball gowns
• Search 1,000+ dresses

Two-tiered wedding cakes

While cupcakes and dessert bars have been popular for the past few years, wedding cakes are making a comeback — but not in tall towers anymore. Now just two tiers is enough to make a statement! Order several small cakes and put them on each table as a centerpiece, or set up a table of tiny wedding cakes mixed with desserts, cookies, pies, and more. And vintage cake toppers are in too. Find one online at a site like Etsy.com, commission one from a local artist, or borrow your parents’ or grandparents’ to make your cake extra-memorable. And of course, you can always make your own!

• Search 1,500+ wedding cakes
• See 60+ dessert display photos

New centerpiece vessels

The classic floral vase has given way to mix-and-matched clusters of vintage pitchers, vases, jars, and galvanized buckets. Other ideas: apothecary jars with colorful rocks, sand, or even candy; uniquely shaped glass vases featuring fresh fruits like raspberries and blueberries; and mason jars loaded with fresh flowers like daisies and dahlias. To throw extra color or texture into the mix, line your flower-filled vases with patterned paper or even fabric. For a wintertime fete, get knit and sweater-like coverings to line your vases and complement a cozy decor.

• Get 800+ centerpiece ideas
• See our guide to wedding flowers

Chandeliers and creative lighting

Lighting designers are turning out impressive designs, projecting chandeliers, large trees, flowers, and even city skylines right onto the walls. When it comes to your space, hang chandeliers in different sizes, add colorful lamps and shades to the tables, line the room with strands of twinkling lights, and don’t skimp on the candles.

• Get lighting ideas from real weddings

The updated photo booth

Renting a photo booth has been growing in popularity over the past few years. The updated version? Entire photo sets with fabric backdrops and props. Set up a photo area at the reception that’s big enough for a group shot. Drape the background with fabric and add couches, chairs, and plenty of props (think easy-to-throw-on hats and scarves). You may be able to have your photographer or an assistant man the station, or ask a trusty friend to be on hand with a digital camera.

• See photo and video basics

US honeymoons

This year, newlyweds will prove that you don’t have to travel halfway around the world to find an amazing honeymoon spot. Many will be looking to book a honeymoon right here in the US. And there’s no shortage of domestic honeymoon-worthy options — from a romantic winery in Sonoma County, California, to a hot hotel in Miami, Florida, to a cozy lodge with a stunning view in Juneau, Alaska.

• See our top US honeymoon picks

Themed rehearsal dinners

Couples are getting more creative with their rehearsal dinners and making them extra-meaningful. Invite your guests to the local pizza and beer joint down the street where you shared your first date and rent out the back room. If he proposed over champagne and strawberries, serve them for dessert. Going to Mexico for your honeymoon? Have fajitas for dinner.

• Get rehearsal dinner basics

Tousled up-dos

Hairstyles will get a lift this year in the form of sweeping undone updos. Get a modern twist on a beehive hairstyle with a tousled look and added barrettes, or ask your hairstylist to give you a slightly undone, pulled-back chignon.

• See 150+ hairstyle photos

Navy is the new “something blue”

Light blue is cute, but the new sophisticated version of “something blue” is navy. Wear a pair of navy shoes for the reception, don a navy necklace or earrings, or wrap your bouquet in navy lace.

• See our navy accessories slideshow

Going-away dresses

The grand exit at the end of the night is coming back in style; more and more couples are skipping the post-wedding brunch and leaving straight for the honeymoon. An exit like this calls for a going-away outfit, like a blue dress and flats or another white dress with a higher hemline.

• See dramatic exit photos from real weddings

Bright eyes

Makeup artists say that more and more brides are asking to emphasize the eyes, keeping the look natural, dewy, and glowing. Try sheer pale eye shadows in peaches and gold, adding a few lash extensions to the middle of your lash line and using a little eyeliner in violet or dark gray.

• Get our top makeup tips

At-home workouts

Beyond the gym, brides are enhancing their workouts at home with yoga moves and virtual personal trainers, like Wii Fit and The 30-Day Shred by Jillian Michaels.

Many brides search for the ultimate outdoor wedding location to capture the romance of their special day. If you are looking for a wedding spot that’s out of the ordinary, a vineyard may be the perfect destination, adding a touch of sophistication and elegance to your outdoor wedding.  Perfect Outdoor Weddings chose the top five vineyards where you can treat yourselves to beauty, serenity, enjoyable group activities, and fine wines, while celebrating the most wonderful day of your lives.

1. The most popular, Martha’s Vineyard, located in Massachusetts, is known for being remote from the mainland. If you are looking for that private island, Martha’s Vineyard is the ideal wedding destination — only accessible by boat or air. Martha’s Vineyard offers several unique wedding locations, including five lovely lighthouses overlooking the vineyard. Or you can tie the knot in a gorgeous gazebo at one of the local inns or vacation rentals.

2. Located north of San Francisco, another great spot is California’s wine country in Sonoma and Napa Valley. The Vintage Estate in Napa Valley is a 23-acre wedding destination, known for its wine production and lush scenery. Napa Valley is also known for fine art museums and antique shops. Sonoma County is home to beautiful pastures, wineries, and mystical rivers, offering activities such as hot-air balloon rides, surfing, and canoeing.

3. The charismatic Newport Vineyards, located in Middletown, Rhode Island is a delightful place to get married. The private wine garden comes with a wedding package that also includes on-site catering and personal wine tasting. Gansett Cruises offers a unique “Breakfast Sunrise” cruise that all your guests will enjoy.

4. Looking for a dreamy outdoor wedding venue? The Grand River Vineyard, located in Palisade, Colorado will definitely make your heart beat faster. The Wine Country Inn, features a breath-taking view of the vineyard, and has a beautiful gazebo and open patio area, perfect for an outdoor wedding. The whole wedding party can enjoy activities such as horseback riding, fishing and hiking.

5. Finally, Millbrook Vineyard and Winery, located in Millbrook, New York is a diamond in the rough. Millbrook Vineyard allows you to rent out the entire vineyard for your wedding ceremony. Set atop a hill, this quaint vineyard has quite a stunning view. In addition to outdoor activities like hiking and fishing, you and your guests can treat yourselves to an indoor art show.

Add the perfect touch to your vineyard wedding with gorgeous, unique wedding favors! ]]> http://www.bride.net/2008/five-breathtaking-destinations-for-your-vineyard-wedding/feed/ 0 http://www.bride.net/2008/reaching-the-climax-the-mysterious-o/ http://www.bride.net/2008/reaching-the-climax-the-mysterious-o/#comments Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:40:24 +0000 dena http://www.bride.net/?p=636 Well, Americans have a new president, and we can hope change is on the way.

There’s one area that many would agree could use a change for the better: women’s sex life. According to HitchedMag‘s 3-part article on The Mysterious Orgasm:

Many studies, including a 2001 global study of sexual behavior with over 27,000 participants revealed that orgasmic dysfunction is more the norm than the exception. One-third of all women have never experienced orgasm, while the second third had experienced orgasm only rarely.

Part 1 claims that Finding the Sweet Spot Begins with Conversation:

The first step on this journey is removing the conversation about sensation, pleasure and orgasm out of the adult entertainment industry and into the privacy of the bedroom. This may seem like stating the obvious, but actual intimate sexual conversations are harder than you think. Your sense of safety in yourself and in your relationship is key to expressing your desires and living in the vulnerable place that opens to sexuality. This is a tall order given the combined impact when we consider the lack of sexual knowledge we are raised with, our shared cultural anxiety and how little scientific knowledge is available about sexual response. Read more here!

Part 2 of this series is called The Center of Letting Go:

It doesn’t work to focus on orgasms as the finish line. Aiming for it makes the journey anxiety-ridden and makes you forget that you are on a journey. Often times, it is the smallest of details that can push you to a place that you didn’t know was in you. But you can’t feel that place if you are looking for something big ahead of you. Presence is nothing if not the key to our sexual selves. Read more here!

Part 3 gives you 5 Steps to Getting There. These include seducing scents, motion, breathing, self control, and lubrication. Supposedly, Napoleon was well known for requesting his wife to not wash for a week when he was coming home. I prefer vanilla. Read more here!

“The good news is that the more orgasms you experience, the more orgasms you’re likely to have in the future.” Here’s to a brighter future for America and their sex lives!

Enter the Countdown to Wedding Bliss Sweepstakes, brought to you by iVillage and Schick® Intuition®, and get on the road to your happily-ever-after. One Grand Prize winner will receive the lovers’ getaway of her choice to one of five top honeymoon destinations; eight Weekly Prize winners will receive wedding and registry-related gifts worth up to $1,000! Plus, be among the first 100,000 iVillage members to respond and you can get a *FREE Schick® Intuition Plus® razor. Make it a beautiful beginning–enter today!

The wedding package is valued at over $30,000, including a 20-guest wedding with four nights at the Inn on Fifth, a beach ceremony with flowers and music, limousine service, wedding cake, a horse-drawn carriage, photography and video of the event.

The wedding party will not only stay at some of Naples’ best hotels, the package also includes eating out at several of the finest local restaurants, including brunch at Bellasera and a rehearsal dinner at Fleming’s Steakhouse.

After the wedding, the newly married couple will enjoy a 5-night honeymoon at LaPlaya in northern Collier County. Meanwhile, wedding guests will continue the celebration with an afternoon champagne cruise on the Naples Princess.

The couple may choose the color schemes, flowers, music, content and design of the invitations. They also may add on to the wedding package, including adding more guests, but must pay the additional costs.

You can submit a video by mail or by going online to the tourism bureau’s Web site www.paradisecoast.com. Good luck!

Beginning March 21, you can vote for your favorite couple! Visit www.paradisecoast.com. The winner will be announced on April 15.

Many people assume that when they marry The Right One, a fairy-tale marriage of perfect bliss will follow. But Redbook warns: You will look at the person lying next to you and wonder, Is this it? Forever?  When the disappointment creeps in, maybe even a frightning sense of loneliness and grief, recognize that this is just an awakening, “letting go of that sugarcoated fantasy of marriage that danced in your eyes” and learning that “marriage isn’t a destination; it’s a journey filled with equal parts excitement and tedium.”

And guess what? Although you may not feel like it at the time, this is a reason to celebrate! “Because once you let go of all the hokey stories of eternal bliss, you find that the reality of marriage is far richer and more rewarding than you ever could have guessed. Hard, yes. Frustrating, yes. But full of its own powerful, quiet enchantments just the same, and that’s better than any fairy tale.”

Another well-stated pearl of wisdom: You will sometimes go to bed mad (and maybe even wake up madder). This is OK. Sometimes, when you are tired after a stressful day at work or with the kids, bedtime is NOT the time to kiss and make up. You need to tune out, get some rest, and re-visit the issue in daylight. You may find that things were blown out of proportion and that the problem is no big deal. But if you are still hurt and angry, you will be able to address the issue in a calmer, more mature fashion after a good night’s sleep.

Another good one: You will go without sex — sometimes for a long time — and that’s okay. “Sexless periods are a natural part of married life.” Sometimes you are not in the mood, sometimes he is not in the mood. Sometimes your lust for sleep is just so much more urgent that anything else! ”And don’t kid yourself; no one in America is doing it as often as popular culture would have you believe.” 

As you face your fears and insecurities, you will find out what you’re really made of. No one is perfect; that means we are all a work in progress. Marriage entails soul-searching, analyzing yourself, your past, what makes you act the way you do. Confronting yourself. “But if you let it, this bumpy journey toward self-awareness can be one of the more fulfilling rewards of a committed, long-term relationship — you’ll learn to love your quirks and be compassionate toward yourself, just as you’re learning to do with him.”