Happy Hour with Allure {Save Some Money!}

I found an article on www.moneysmartlife.com and thought it was something that all of you destination brides and grooms could benefit from:

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON A DESTINATION WEDDING:

1. Give yourself as much time to plan as possible – Booking your flights and hotels as far in advance as possible will save a considerable amount of money for you and your guests. Keep in mind that when you plan a destination wedding, the polite thing to do is to pay the hotel and some meal expenses for your guests. Guests at a destination wedding are typically expected to pay for their own flights, but not much else.

2. Consider getting married in the off-season – Flights, hotels and nearly everything you can imagine will be cheaper this way. Now, I am not telling you to get married on a beach in the middle of winter! If you can time your wedding just before, or just after the area’s peak season, then all of the associated discounts are yours for the taking.

3. Keep your guest list small – Having a destination wedding gives you the perfect excuse to pare down your guest list. After all, not everyone is going to be able to take off work and travel to your wedding – no matter how much they might want to. By keeping your guest list to the bare minimum (i.e. the wedding party, close family, and best friends) you will have the people there that really matter to you and your future spouse, and you will get to spend a lot more time with them before and after the ceremony.

4. Always ask for a group discount – Both hotels and airlines offer excellent group discount rates when you have parties of ten or more. The best way to maximize your money is to combine group rates with early bookings and off-season specials. If you can manage to do all of those things, then you could save as much as 40% off of your total travel costs.

5. Consider getting married at a resort, or on a cruise – Destination resorts and even some cruise ships often keep a wedding planner on staff. The planner they provide to you will already be familiar with the local caterers, bakeries and florists, and they can usually help you save money on every aspect of your dream wedding.

6. Buy a “package deal” – Destination resorts also usually offer pre-planned wedding packages where all you have to do is make a few decisions, and then show up for the big day. The wedding packages range from simple and elegant, to the truly extravagant. If you take some time to research online, and call around, then you should not have any trouble finding a package that fits your needs, and your budget.

7. Give simple favors to your guests – Suntan lotion, local chocolates and specialties, or even a group scuba trip are all nice ways to treat your guests to the local culture and encourage them to have fun – without spending a ton of money.

Don’t be fooled:
Paying for your wedding guest’s food and lodging might seem outrageously expensive, but if you put it in perspective, it’s really not. Consider this:

If you stayed at home, rented a church, and had a large traditional wedding with a sit down reception you could end up paying upwards of $50 - $100 per guest. Getting married locally would encourage everyone you knew to attend, so that $50 to $100 per person could easily turn into $5,000 - $10,000 dollars if you have close to 100 guests.

A destination wedding on the other hand, requires only that you pay for the hotel rooms and several of your guest’s meals. Some resorts will even offer you a free wedding package in exchange for booking your group into their hotel!

If you took ten people to your destination wedding, and paid an average of $500 each, you would still only be out $5,000 on your guests. And you would have a more intimate, romantic setting for everyone involved.

Where ever you choose to have your destination wedding please be sure that you give yourself and your guests enough time to get passports, book flights and take off of work. This will be one of the most special days of your entire life. Careful planning will not only make things run smoother, but will save you a lot of money in the end.

Happy Hour with Allure {Cute Save the Dates}

I don't think I have ever seen cuter Save the Dates than these! My husband and I love to travel and ALWAYS use luggage tags so we make sure that the bag we are grabbing off of the belt is ours and not Joe Blows. What a great way to set off your Destination Wedding! These tags will get everyone excited for their trip and wedding. I love that you can keep reusing them too...what a perfect gift! Check them out on their website!

Honeymoon: St. Lucia

Beth & Greg

We went to St. Lucia for our honeymoon. We stayed at the Sandals Grande and I would highly recommend that to other couples. We have great weather, great service, great food and a great time relaxing in the sun! Tyler and Seth (2 of Greg's groomsmen) got us a canopy tour for our wedding present. I was a little scared and was secretly wishing they just got us a couple's massage, but I was grateful for the gift when we were ziplining through the rain forest :)

When we were on our honeymoon, we saw a couple getting married on the beach - just the 2 of them. They had dinner (or their reception if you want to get technical) in a hut that was directly in front of the hot tub we were sitting in, so we literally had a front row seat to their wedding. A gentleman from the resort was taking pictures, but all of them were posed and he didn't take as many as I thought he should have!! I desperately wanted to take them to the beach for a photo shoot by the water, but Greg said I shouldn't bother them while they were trying to get MARRIED! When they were finished with dinner, I just couldn't help myself and I hopped out of the hot tub before Greg could catch me. Turns out they were very excited to have more pictures from their wedding day and I had a great time "playing Tracy" for 20 minutes. The POINT of my story is that I am so glad you are doing destination weddings...there are lots of brides getting married on beaches that need a professional photographer like YOU to document their day :)

Happy Hour with Allure {Book an agent}

One of the most important things in planning a Destination Wedding is to book a travel agent. If you are not very familiar with your location (and most likely you are not) booking an agent can save you both time and headaches. While American-based travel agencies are great for weddings that take place on American soil, they are typically not what I go with when planning a wedding in another country. If you are wanting to plan a wedding in London, a London-based agent will know much more about the hotels, travel arrangements, construction that is going on, etc. Most agents only are able to travel to places one (if that) time a year and they just can't know everything that you would need to know about the area.

While a wedding planner is a necessity for your wedding, they are not travel agents. Yes, we can assist you with booking venues, etc. but to give you the inside scoop on the location and all of it's secrets, that is a travel agent's job. Travel agents can also give your guests the peace of mind that you want them to have. If Aunt Ida hasn't ever left the country, questions will be racing her mind like, "How do I know if the hotel is nice?", "Will I be safe?", "What is closest store in case of my hose run?" and so on. A good travel agent should know all the answers to these questions, putting Aunt Ida to ease, therefore putting you to ease knowing that your guests are not worried.

To find a good travel agent research those that are in the area that you are going to have your Destination Wedding. Find three agents and contact all of them by phone, email and web form (if they have one on their website) to see how timely they are in getting back to you. This will be the first indication of a good travel agent. Don't be afraid to ask a million questions either. That is what they are there for. It is better to ask them now than end up having a situation that could have been avoided with one little question.

Link from Stephanie Wheeler: Destination Bride

Secrets of a successful destination wedding
Take advantages of resources to make your wedding a spectacular event

Read more here

Happy Hour with Allure {Color Board}

I just love the Tiffany Blue color that is popping up everywhere. It is so light and fun and definitely goes well with a beach wedding! The inspiration for this board came from the middle picture of the bride and groom running through the water.

Thanks to the following for the pictures: www.weddingthemes.net/, www.budgetdreamweddings.com, www.weddingpaperdivas.com, www.trippon.com, www.cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com, www.alohaislandweddings.com, www.weddingbycolor.com, www.brides.com

Happy Hour with Allure {Win a Honeymoon!}

JW Marriott Las Vegas Sweepstakes!

Have you ever wanted to spend your honeymoon in one of the most fun cities in America???? Well here is your chance to win a fabulous honeymoon to Las Vegas!!! Wine and dine in some of the world-renowned restaurants, try your luck at the tables, get a romantic couples massage and go see a show! It is all there waiting for you...all you have to do is sign up through Destination Weddings Magazine's website.

The prize package includes:

4 nights accommodations in a suite
50-minute Couples Massage at Aquae Sulis Spa
Champagne & Strawberries upon arrival
Breakfast Buffet in Ceres Restaurant each morning
One dinner for 2 in Ceres (Value $150)

GOOD LUCK!

Happy Hour with Allure {Hot Spots to Tie the Knot!}

www.afterelton.com

I found this article on MSN.com about Hot Spots to Tie the Knot and it caught my attention. Yes, everyone has heard about the grand weddings that Walt Disney World has to offer brides, but what about these other places...have any of you ever thought about doing something like the following? If so then let us know..we would love to hear your ideas!

-The Culinary Institute of America (St. Helena, CA)

-Colonial Williamsburg (Williamsburg, VA)

-Bridal Cave (Camdenton, MO)

-Underground Seattle (Seattle, WA)

-Disney's Fairytale Weddings (Disneyland, Anaheim, CA)

-Burning Man (Black Rock City, NV)

-Hot Air Balloon Wedding over the Rockies (Colorado)

Happy Hour with Allure {Win a Trip!}

You could win a trip to FABULOUS Chattanooga!!! Just go to Tennessee's Website and enter to win. It is just that easy! Chattanooga really is a wonderful place. There is SO much to do there that you will definitely need to bring good walking shoes! It is right on the river so you have the beautiful view with the mountains surrounding the winding river, parks along the river, a walking bridge that is made just for walkers or bikers that hangs high over the water and lights up beautifully at night, plus much much much more! For a full listing of everything there is to do in Chattanooga, go to www.chattanoogafun.com. Good Luck!

Happy Hour with Allure {Wedding Customs Around the World}

Photo by dioneanddinesh.com

I found this article on RealSimple.com and found it interesting. I always love to learn about other cultures especially when it comes to their wedding traditions! If you are doing a destination wedding to any of these places, through in some of the local culture to make your wedding special!

India: Hindu weddings include a ritual called saptapadi, a religious rite that traditionally involves the bride and groom taking seven steps around a ceremonial fire. The steps go hand in hand with seven vows, representing nourishment, strength and health, spirituality, happiness, progeny, longevity, and friendship and fidelity. Under Hindu law, the marriage is not legal until the saptapadi is complete.

Mexico: It's customary for the groom to give the bride 13 gold coins, trece monedas de oro, to represent his commitment, trust, and confidence in her. Her acceptance means that she receives his trust and confidence unconditionally, with total dedication and prudence. The coins are then blessed by the priest during the ceremony.

Italy: Food figures big in an Italian wedding — even before the reception begins. At the end of the ceremony, candy-coated almonds, called confetti, meant to represent the sweetness in life, are tied into small bags and tossed to the bride and groom. The bags are also presented to guests as wedding favors.

Sri Lanka: Buddhist weddings take place on beautifully carved wooden platforms called magul poru.

Morocco: Before the wedding, a Moroccan bride has her hands and feet painted with henna tattoos to represent good luck, protection, and the transition from unwed woman to wife.

China: A bride is virtually guaranteed a good hair day for the wedding, since a "good luck woman" (any woman who has a healthy son, husband, or daughter) prepares the bride's hair for the ceremony. The hair is combed four times.

Ireland: A bride sews an ornament in the shape of a horseshoe into her dress for good luck, or she may carry a horseshoe in her bouquet.

Brazil: It's customary for a bride to be fashionably late to her wedding. This helps ensure that the groom will not see her in her wedding dress before the ceremony begins.
Kenya: The day after the "real" wedding, Swahili brides are the focus of a ceremony called kupamba. It's a chance for the bride and other women to show off elaborate dresses and hairstyles.

Kenya: The day after the "real" wedding, Swahili brides are the focus of a ceremony called kupamba. It's a chance for the bride and other women to show off elaborate dresses and hairstyles.

Happy Hour with Allure {Chinese Inspiration Board}

Since the focus has been on China, I thought I would create an board for all of you brides to inspired by :)

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Chinese Proverb: Married couples tell each other a thousand things without speech.

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Thanks to the following for pictures: www.juliefleming.com, www.standardmandarin.com, www.oneinchpunch.net, www.wildflowersbylori.com, www.brighton.virtualmuseum.info, www.icatchingcards.com, www.kaboodle.com, www.shopreorient.com, www.cherryblossomgardens.com, www.theknot.com

Happy Hour with Allure {Destination Spotlight: China}

http://www.beijingvisitor.blogspot.com/

With the Olympic games beginning this evening, I thought it was no better time than now to spotlight China as a Destination Wedding location. If you have ever been to China you know that it is not your typical vacation spot...so do not go expecting to lounge around on the beach and do nothing. China is romantic, but in a completely different way than someplace like Paris. It has a vast amount of history and culture, and if you let yourself really experience the "true" heritage, it can be a vacation like no other.

With ancient temples, statues, and botanical gardens with exotic flowers, it is the perfect setting for a wedding. You can step back in time (over 5000 years) by visiting these sites, while still being surrounded by new and astounding skyscrapers that seem to go on forever.

The best times to travel to China are around the Chinese New Year (which is in Jan. - Feb. depending on the lunar calendar), May 1st, July - August, and in the Fall (but avoid October 1st, it is a holiday week for China).

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