Anne-Marie & Chris - Wedding at Isla Mujeres, Mexico
The 15 Minutes of Fame Returns! Anne-Marie & Chris were married at Zama Beach Club in Isla Mujeres, Mexico on April 30, 2007. The island is off the coast of Cancun, and they decided to leave their northern Washington home for a destination wedding because they wanted to elope and have only close family and friends at their wedding. Once they started their wedding planning, they decided that they wanted to go to a tropical location where they could scuba dive - making Isla Mujeres ideal!
Anne-Marie & Chris met on April 30, 2005, Chris proposed to Anne-Marie with an absolutely stunning ring designed by one of Tiffany’s former lead designers, Ritani, on April 30, 2006 - so picking April 30, 2007 as their wedding date was the perfect choice!
Chris’s brother is a monk, and he performed the ceremony for them. They had a cellist play for the ceremony on the beach.
Once they selected their destination, they planned a scouting trip to Mexico to check it out. While there, they met with Juliette of Papillion Weddings and hired her to be their wedding planner. This made the planning easier for Anne-Marie, who was planning from a distance while running a large successful business at the same time. The rest of the planning was done via email, making it a breeze!
Anne-Marie & Chris hired Wendy Kromer, Martha Stewart’s cake designer, to create 8 mini-cakes for them, designed to match the sash on Anne-Marie’s dress in the photo above. The cakes featured orchids that were simply stunning, and Chris carried them on the flight from Washington to Mexico! He actually made two trips to the airport before they left to make sure that they could make it onto the plane with him - once to make sure the would fit as a carry-on, and again to make sure that the wires in the cakes wouldn’t pose a problem with security. If planning something special like that that is that crucial to your wedding day plans, it is always wise to make sure that everything will work out well in advance!
Their fabulous wedding day photography is by Cecilia Dumas of Cancun and the Maya Riviera, and Anne-Marie and Chris truly loved working with her - they said that they can’t get enough of looking at their wedding photos!
Destination Wedding Podcast!
When planning your destination wedding, it is smart to check out as many resources as possible. Now there is one more — wedding planning goes high tech, and there is a destination wedding planning podcast out there for you to listen to! Check it out at the wedding planning audiocast site.
While you’re there, be sure to check out all of the other great podcasts full of wedding planning information! You can check them all out here! Lots of topics covered, from wedding planners, photographers, cakes, and … well, almost everything else you can think of!
Getting Your Dress to Your Destination Wedding
Having a destination wedding and trying to figure out how to get your dress there? You have a few options. You can ship it via FedEx so the dress is tracked — but you always run the risk of it getting lost, especially if your destination wedding is held out of the country.
You can also try to arrange with your airline beforehand to use the first class coat closet for your dress. (Just remember that “value” airlines like Southwest do not have this option, unfortunately.) That way your dress is actually in your possession from start to finish, as long as you are able to find a sympathetic flight attendant to help you with proper storage.
We drove - 12 hours - to our wedding, and kept my dress spread out in the backseat. (It was carefully hidden in a garment bag, of course, so the groom did not see it.) Even so, my dress still required steaming when we arrived in New Orleans.
I have a close friend that flew her dress from New York to Florida in an American Airlines first class coat closet — and even though she had the cabinet all to herself, her dress still needed spot-pressing as well. It’s best to check with your hotel or resort to see if they offer dry cleaning services on site — or to at least get a recommendation early and let the cleaners you choose know of the circumstances beforehand.
In our case, as long as we got my dress in to the cleaners by 9 a.m. on Friday, they guaranteed to have it ready by that day’s close of business for our wedding on Saturday. They had known to plan for its arrival several weeks in advance (and my dress wasn’t overly ornate).
- By Robyn Pollman
Getting Maui’d!
Karen & Scott were married in Makena, Maui, Hawaii and shared their wedding story with WM! Considering getting married in Maui? Share your story with us too!
Why have a destination wedding on Maui? Very simply, we decided on a destination wedding to avoid both the politics and the over inflated expenses that goes with hosting a nice wedding affair in California, and to bring the wedding to “neutral grounds” for all of our guests.
We knew we wanted something special; a private wedding in a beautiful location and to be surrounded by people we love the most. But we realized quickly that was going to be a challenge as neither of us have any family living in California, yet this is where our life and most all of our friends are. To host a wedding here meant a great deal of traveling for our relatives. In all likelihood, only a few would be able to attend due to the high cost of traveling to California. And the same issue would be true for our friends if we didn’t host a wedding locally. So we quickly realized no matter what location we picked we were not going to have everyone we care about the most attending.
We ruled out having a wedding in our area quickly. The Bay Area of California is rated as the second most expensive region in the world to marry, (New York being first), and we quickly discovered how true that was! And on top of that many places wanted to control your event, from the food, drink, decorations, music and more. At every location we looked at there were restrictions and rules that didn’t fit into our plans or budget. No thanks!!
This left us with one option and a very simple solution; take the wedding to neutral grounds (where we can have a wedding exactly the way we want), then host some celebrations when we return. My father was the first to suggest we forgo the formal affair and instead marry in Hawaii, and the idea really just clicked. We were fairly sure we were going to honeymoon on Maui, so why not just get married there too?? Dad said he would be there, and for me that was most important.
We did some checking and realized you can have a beautiful wedding in Maui, hire a coordinator to set everything up for you just the way you want, and for no more then a song compared to a wedding in California. And Maui is rated the number one island to visit in the world! This was our perfect solution. From that moment on we knew we were not only going to get married, we were going to get “Maui’ed”! We notified everyone, set the date, and on June 29th we exchanged our marriage vows ocean-side in Makena, Maui. (Visit their website.)
Don’t Let a Hurricane Ruin Your Plans!
Planning a destination wedding? Don’t forget to keep hurricane season in mind!
Hurricane season can be a rather tricky time for summer weddings. The official hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1 and extends until November 30, encompassing the entire summer season in the Caribbean. The Pacific season starts officially on May 15. If you’re planning a Caribbean cruise from June through November, it pays to be aware of the possibilities.
A lot of travelers second guess their wedding plans, thinking that having their wedding on cruise ships is a bad idea. Of course, hurricane season and cruise liners do not go together well at all, but somehow the cruising industry has managed to stay above the hurricane season at least most of the time, making the summer one of the best times ever to take a cruise to the Caribbean. From August to December, the prices of cruises and everything that goes along with it (dining, ship lodging, activities and such) are at an all time low.
You might be thinking, is it even safe enough to take cruise during the middle of hurricane season? You might never find out. That’s because cruise line main strategy is to avoid the storms not fight them. Cruise lines have been operating in the Caribbean for years and have, by virtue of experience, specific hurricane/tropical storm emergency response plans in effect. These cover everything from designating a bridge officer as the weather monitor during the season to outfitting ships with state-of-the-art satellites to backing up onboard efforts with expanded staff at headquarters.
Hurricane season can be a real bummer, and especially for those of you who have had your hearts set on a summer wedding on a cruise line. Being displaced by a pesky hurricane or have had your long-awaited wedding planned and everyone flown in, be cancelled due to inclement weather know exactly how it feels. The good thing in all this is that the capabilities of the cruise liners and the liner companies themselves, have the technology to get through the storms. This means that shipping companies and weather services go to extra measures to insure that there are no mishaps.
Of course, this means that nothing is promised. Do not take any cruise reservations to be final ones, because any slight inkling or joke of a storm will cause the shipping company to pull their ship and their passengers off of the ocean in a heart beat, for everyones safety. Some might advise that it is smart not to finalize anything! Don’t pay any hefty deposits for anything having to do with your cruise during the summer months, the peak of the hurricane season. If this isn’t an option, look into insurance to cover your wedding plans. There are policies available specifically for this type of need.
Also, hurricane season means rainy season. Expect more showers to pop up during humid afternoons than you’d find during drier winter months. During hurricane season in Florida on the west coast you can set your clock by the afternoon storms that they have during hurricane season.
Bottom line is that should you chance a honeymoon or romantic getaway to the Caribbean, Mexico, or southern U.S. during the season, when lower hotel rates make such a trip more affordable? If the answer is yes, acquaint yourself with places that offer a hurricane guarantee, read the fine print in any hurricane guarantee… well before the rain has a chance to wash it away.
You can keep an eye on hurricane season and other weather related information at the NOAA website.
Original article by Heather.
Good Wedding, Bad Wedding
Ok, not really. To me, all weddings are pretty good … although I’m all ears if you have a bad wedding story that you want to share! But this post has nothing to do with actual weddings at all, but instead I just wanted to send a shout out of THANKS! to the women over at Good Mom, Bad Mom for the link love to the site. You guys ROCK!
I’ve already added the shiny new “featured at” button over in the sidebar over there. I’ll wear it with pride!
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Wedding Destinations
Finding the right setting to match your ceremony is more than the finishing touch. After all the wedding planning is done and your just remembering what it is like to relax, consider a magical location to top off the biggest day of your life. No pressure, the stress of making all the arrangements is over. This part is fun!
Close your eyes for a moment and try to recall how your wedding looked when you imagined it years ago. What did your dream wedding look like? Now is your chance to make that dream a reality. And keep in mind that no matter what, that reverie is within your reach!
Your options for a romantic destination are literally endless. For tropical, beachside getaways don’t forget about, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Ka’anapali Bay, Hawaii; San Jose, Costa Rica; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Ko Samui, Thailand; and Auckland, New Zealand. I know what you’re thinking: I can’t afford these places! Not true. A little help from a wedding timeshare and you are practically there. Of course these six locations are just an example. Your paradise may be at the base of a snowy peak, or on the banks of a shimmering lake. Get married in Paris or London! The choice is yours…
For those of you who remain a little skeptical, here is an explanation. The evolution of the vacation real estate industry has brought potential vacationers from every socio-economic bracket to the same level. How this works is accessibility. Resorts that feature timeshares recognized how popular certain destinations were becoming and invested in those locations.
Now there are so many timeshare rentals available that the cost of vacationing has been on a steady plummet for the last decade. The result is that your dream wedding on the beaches in Maui is now completely doable.
To assist you in the celebration look into the advantages you have when you buy timeshares. This opportunity may be beneficial in saving time and money. A romantic wedding at a breathtaking locale is the perfect way to commemorate this exciting bound into a blissful stage of life. The process is easy and I promise no hassle for you! Step one: Where have you always wanted to go? Step two: go there and get married. Step three: live happily ever after…
Author: Jesse McMahon
New Orleans Needs You!
New Orleans Needs You!
Before Katrina, New Orleans was second only to Las Vegas for American destination weddings. With your help, it can return to it’s former glory. New Orleans still boasts world-class restaurants, hotels, museums, theater, and the most unique and exciting music scene you’ll ever find.
The French Quarter escaped largely intact. The Canal Street Streetcar line is up and running and the historic St. Charles line is due to return late autumn. The Audubon Zoo is open, and the Aquarium of the Americas will be back May 26th. We just had one of the most successful and memorable JazzFests ever, and I personally performed two weddings there!
We are still rebuilding, and things will never be the same. We’re determined to make them better.
Before the storm, you could go to City Hall Monday through Saturday, get your marriage license, and be married the same day. Unfortunately Saturday is no longer an option. The office at City Hall is closed indefinitely, but you can take a short ferry ride across the Mississippi River to the Algiers Courthouse and get one there. The ferry is free to pedestrians, the courthouse is right next to the ferry landing, and there are some great local restaurants and bars for lunch. If you’re coming in from Louis Armstrong Airport, you can get an Orleans Parish license at 111 N. Causeway Blvd. in Metairie.
As long as you get an Orleans Parish license, the ceremony takes place in New Orleans, and one of you are a non-resident, the officiate can waive the 72 hour waiting period.
New Orleans still offers many beautiful and unique venues for your wedding. From grand ballrooms to romantic courtyards, our hotels and B&B’s have a wide variety for you to choose from. For outdoor weddings, Audubon Park is in great shape, and City Park is making a remarkable recovery.
By having your wedding in “The Crescent City” you’ll be part of the re-birth of one of the world’s most romantic places. There’s always a festival, a concert, a play or a gallery opening. You’ll never want for something to do, or you can relax and do nothing at all.
So come be a part of history. New Orleans needs you now, more than ever.
Author: Rev. Donald Bohn
RomanceInNewOrleans.com
don@RomanceinNewOrleans.com
504-343-0574
Las Vegas Wedding Services You Must Have
A Las Vegas wedding can be exciting and special. The glamour of Vegas, and all the many options and services available to you make saying “I do” a snap! Here we discuss some wedding services that are essential to making your special day a memorable one.
Reserved for customers of A Special Memory Wedding Chapel is a stylish Lincoln limousine, which will pick you up at your hotel or residence and drive you to the beautiful Cape Cod chapel. You will see an elegance expressed when entering the chapel’s lobby, and feel the satisfaction of knowing your wedding day will be more than you expected.
Before your wedding, be sure to bring your wedding party along to at least one of Vegas’ nightclubs. For women, “Chippendales, The Show” is now being featured inside the Chippendale Theater at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Men can go to Cheetahs, possibly the most famous topless club in the world.
One of the good things about Vegas is that you can find a Las Vegas wedding package to suit any budget. From the basic drive-through to the sumptuous VIP treatment at any of several casinos – no matter what your budget, you will find a wedding planning service in Las Vegas that can create a package for you. Contact a wedding planner, say how much you’d like to spend and some of the things you’d like to have at hand and the whole thing can be set up for you in a matter of a few hours.
A few of the things to know about getting married in Vegas:
· No blood tests are required
· There is no waiting period
· Both parties must be present at the Marriage License Bureau
· Adults 18 and older do not need consent, proof of age is required
· One witness other than the individual performing the ceremony required
You may not know about all the opportunities that you have available to you if you are planning a wedding in Las Vegas. Here are some of them:
1. Helicopter weddings – many Las Vegas wedding chapels, as well as Papillon Helicopter Tours, offer helicopter weddings
2. Yacht weddings – you can have your wedding on a 60-foot private yacht as it floats around on beautiful Lake Las Vegas
3. Gondola wedding – weddings can also take place on a gondola on Lake Las Vegas
4. Stratosphere Roller Coaster – if you are really adventurous, say “I do” on this roller coaster, which is located near the top of an 1100 foot tower.
Article by: Adam O’Connor, Las Vegas Honeymoons
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