Happy Hour with Allure {Destination Spotlight: Greece}

Normally when people think about a "destination wedding" they think about the Caribbean, Mexico or Hawaii...all places that are focused mainly around the beach and the ocean. Why not surprise everyone and get married somewhere that has so much more to offer, while still having the beach......GREECE! Greece is a magical place that has so much history, beauty and culture. No, your wedding does not have to match the wedding that was portrayed in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but it can still have the culture just by being surrounded by all things Greek. And just think....that antipasti spread will be evgefstos (delicious!)

To learn more about getting married in Greece, read about the laws Here.

Thanks to www.harmonicminor.com, wwp.greenwichmeantime.com, www.almiyachts.com for the beautiful pictures of Greece!

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Nina & Vlad: Honeymoon

We went to Ocho Rios, Jamaica for 10 days. We didn't leave for Jamaica until a week after our wedding because we didn't want to be rushing around trying to leave the Sunday after our wedding in Dayton. Plus, I knew I'd be packing at 3 am the night of my wedding! :)

We stayed at an all-inclusive Sandals resort that offers free renewal of vows ceremonies to guests if you stay a certain amount of time. During the wedding planning process of our ceremony and reception in Dayton, Vlad and I would jokingly say that maybe we should just run off and get married by the beach just the two of us, but we knew how important it was to both of us to have that one chance to have all of our family and friends in one place for a wedding in Dayton. So, when we booked our honeymoon and saw that they offered free vow renewals, we thought it would be a great opportunity to still have that quiet wedding by the beach just the two of us. So, that's just what we did. We made a reservation with the wedding departments, and then got to meet with a wedding planner (who was fantastic!) when we arrived at the resort to choose final details such as flowers (a bout and bouquet were included), ceremony and cake reception location (we chose a gazebo that looked out over the beach for the ceremony and a shaded terrace for our first dance, cake, and champagne toast), cake flavor (Caribbean fruit), and music. We just kept it super basic, and tried to choose things completely different than what we did at home. Our wedding in Dayton was pretty big, more formal, with a full Catholic Mass, and all about winter and ice blue, and so we chose warm, summer, beachy colors and super casual clothes. We both wore flip flops (I got us both "Just Married" flip flops as our fun honeymoon gift). He wore khakis and a button down shirt, and I wore a simple white dress from David's bridal because my Dayton wedding dress was ice blue.

The ceremony was short and simple and nondenominational, and it gave us a chance to recommit to each other in a much calmer, more intimate way than the whirlwind that is a wedding day. We also got to have a first dance and cake and champagne alone together in such a beautiful setting. Then, the best part was that afterwards, we could go to our room and change and go straight to the beach and enjoy some tropical drinks on the Caribbean Sea!

The rest of the honeymoon was great, as well. Great food/drinks, great service, great beach and pool. Mostly, we just did a lot of relaxing because your honeymoon really is one of the only times in your life where people just leave you alone to spend time together regardless of where you go. We had a couples spa treatment that included a body scrub and wrap, an essential oil bath, and a massage (the hubby is not a big "spa" person, but he enjoyed it). We also tried to get off the resort property and hiked up Dunn's River Falls and went on a canopy tour, which is a series of zip lines through the trees in the canopy of the rain forest (the absolute highlight of the trip). 10 days absolutely flew by! Our last night, we wanted to splurge a bit before we got back to "normal life" so we had a private candlelit dinner in a gazebo atop the waterfall at the main pool area of the resort complete with 4 course meal and white glove service. It was a fantastic way to end a great trip!

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Thank you Nina for this great post!

Happy Hour with Allure {Your Photos}

Hey happy newlyweds, we want your photos! If you have any pictures that you love from your destination wedding (or a friend's DW) we would love for you to share them with us and our continuously growing readership. Pictures by Tracy, Michelle McKibben Photography, and I(Allure Event Consulting) would love to let you shine through our blog. Please make sure that you include any fun details and information that you think would be enjoyable for our readers. Also, if you do send a photo, make sure that you include credit and source information.

All you have to do is email us your information and we will take care of the rest! Email pictures and stories to: natasha@allureeventconsulting.com, email@picturesbytracy.com, or bmckinc@aol.com.

We look forward to seeing what kind of destination wedding you had!

RECEIVING THANK YOU TESTIMONIAL....

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Chris and I had gone to Tracy for our engagement pictures and we were so thrilled with them that we wanted her to do our reception the weekend we got back from our destination wedding, but unfortunately she was already booked. We had decided to get married in Turks and Caicos and were planning on purchasing a package through the resort. After we did further research and weighed all of our options, we decided to bring Tracy with us. The resorts package only included 40 pictures and we did not know what the quality of the pictures would be. We knew what Tracy would do and we knew that we would love the pictures! Tracy was able capture our rehearsal dinner, getting ready the day of the wedding, pictures of the resort and then also a few pictures the next day! If we went with the package from the resort we would not have gotten any of those beautiful images. Tracy was also able to do a slideshow for us so that we could play it at the reception we had the following weekend. Everyone at the reception loved the slideshow, they said they felt like they were right there with us. It was amazing and we are so thankful we have found Tracy and we appreciate her flying down to Turks and Caicos with us! Thanks you so much!!!!!

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We did a whole table with our wedding and engagement pictures at our recption. People were talking about the pictures all night long. That is all everyone talked about! We really appreciate what you have done.

"Model In A Bottle"

"Model In A Bottle" can be purchased through Brideface locally or on http://www.modelinabottle.com/ . It is AMAZING! Check out modelinabottle for tips on applying your makeup, tips, trends and more.

Great tip from : Stephanie Huber, DW Bride

Happy Hour with Allure {Beat the Heat!}

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Don't be caught taking your cloths off! Beat the Heat in other ways...

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Picture from www.readthehook.com

A lot of destination weddings take place in a location that is known for it's warm weather. It sounds so perfect, a beautiful summer day with a glorious view and two people expressing their love through their vowels.....until one of the groomsmen passes out due to overheating. Yes, it has happened, and yes it will happen again. Just make sure that it doesn't happen to you! Remember that your bridesmaids and groomsmen aren't just decoration at your wedding, they are supposed to be your closest friends. Don't let them be miserable! Here are a few things that you can do to protect them and yourself from that oh-so-hot sun.

1. As hard as it will be for some....DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL BEFORE THE CEREMONY!!! I cannot express this enough...especially for those weddings that are outside, in a hot location, in the middle of the day. This is a perfect way to dehydrate your body. Drink LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of water. If you are wanting some flavor, drink Gatorade instead of soda.

2. Choose attire that your bridal party can be comfortable in. Even though you may be traditional and like the look of tuxes on your groomsmen, they are not a good idea for an outdoor destination wedding that takes place in a warm weather location. Choose something that will be light and airy and will give their body room to breathe. They will love you so much more if you let them wear linen pants and sandals rather than a full on tux.

3. Make the ceremony short. This will not only help your bridal party, but your guests as well. Everyone spends a lot of time getting ready for your wedding, they don't want to have to sweat through an hour long service and have to try to re-do their makeup before the reception.

4. Consider printing your wedding programs on hand-held fans. Your guests will use them...I guarantee it.

5. Create a shady location for those who can't bare the sun. You can do this with some fabric and bamboo poles. It doesn't have to be too big, just enough space for those who can't take the sun (ex. grandparents, small children, etc.)

6. Monogrammed handkerchiefs might just be about the best groomsmen gift that you can give your guys for a hot destination wedding. They can slip it into their pocket and during prayers or other times the crowd isn't looking, they can wipe off and look refreshed for pictures.

7. A gift for the girls....sweat proof makeup. Perfect for your girls to look flawless and sweat proof! A couple of suggestions are Stila Sheer Color and Clinique Moisture Sheer Tint.

8. For your guests, have a nicely stacked pile of chilled washcloths, rolled up and tied with ribbon. They can use it to cool their faces and neck. This will send a statement that you are trying to pamper your guests who have traveled so far for your wedding!

Hope this helps both you, your bridal party and your guests enjoy your wedding even more! They will appreciate your efforts and will be happy that they attended!

Happy Planning,

Happy Hour with Allure {Travel Easy-Minded!}

Traveling to a destination to get married seems like a dream for most. However...when there are dreams, unfortunately there can be nightmares as well. While I am hoping that nothing ever goes wrong with any of your trips that you plan on taking, I do have to warn you. If you are traveling out of the United States I HIGHLY recommend that you and whoever is traveling with you get Traveler's Insurance.

My next door neighbor is a traveling nurse. He tells me of horror stories all the time where someone traveled out of the country, got sick, hurt, whatever it may be and had to pay a FORTUNE to come back home. It is what he does for a living...goes and gets people from other coutnries and is the in-flight nurse. He has been all over the world doing this. He knows what he is talking about.

In some cases you may not want just any old doctor working on you. You may need your doctor with your medical history or just the care that you know that you will get here in America verses another coutnry. If you purchase traveler's insurance before you go on your trip then you can be rest assured that whatever might happen while you are away, you will be taken care of...and not have to get slapped with a $250,000.00 bill! Trust me, it happens every day. People leave the country, have a medical emergency, have to get a flight with a medical staff to come back to America and then Wham! the bill comes.

Getting married in a foreign place is very exciting...just make sure that you are prepared and everything will turn out great!

You can find traveler's insurance at http://www.insuremytrip.com/, http://www.travelguard.com/, http://www.travelinsured.com/. Thanks to http://www.storesonlinepro.com/ for the plane picture...very pretty!

Happy Planning!

Is a Destination Wedding Right for You?

While many couples dream of a wedding day far from the hassles of home and in virtually guaranteed glorious sunshine, it isn't the right option for everyone.

Couples who decide to get married abroad usually fall into one of these groups:

*Those who do not wish to go to the expense of having a big wedding
*Those who want to avoid all the fuss that inevitably comes with a big wedding at home
*People who the idea of combining their wedding with a honeymoon somewhere exotic
*Couples who like the idea of going away somewhere with just close friends and family and combining a holiday with their wedding
*Couples one or both of whom are marrying for the second time and do not want to have a big wedding at home the second time around

Read more about the pros & cons at Flyway Weddings

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Happy Hour with Allure {Invitations}

This is my first post on Destination Weddings and let me say....I AM EXCITED! Not only am I excited for myself, but I am also excited for the two WONDERFUL photographers who started the blog, and most importantly, I'm excited for YOU! This is a great time in your life and you are doing what most couples would love to do....getting married in some place fabulous!

For my first post, I wanted to get the ball rolling with invitation ideas. Most invitations are now getting more personalized than the traditional white or ivory with the tissue paper inside the envelope. Make your guests excited about your wedding by sending them an invitation that gives them an idea of what to expect. The pictures from above are from Invitation Consultants and you can find tons of other ideas on invitations and Save the Dates.

There will be tons more to come on the new Destination Wedding blog from me. Keep watching for great ideas from all of us!

Happy Planning!

Flattering Hairstyles for Your Wedding Day

For your wedding day, you will not only want to look beautiful for your groom, you want to feel confident. This will mean finding just the right hairstyle to complement your wedding theme, your personality and your dress. There are so many hairstyles to choose from, it may be hard to decide which will look best on you.

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For the bride that wants to reflect her unique style -- check out my sweet friend Dorene at Unveiled Bridal Designs. Dorene will not only create a beautiful veil for you, she also gives the very best customer service a bride could hope for.

The birdcage....

For those beach wedding brides, wearing your hair long and loose or with braids with flowers entwined is the perfect touch. Short and sassy will look just as beautiful framed by a headband of colorfully hued blooms.

.Love it!

I just love this....

Turks Caicos

Destination Wedding Basics: 13 Must-read Tips

Great tips from The Knot

Click Here

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Welcome...

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