Destination wedding?

[BrightSpot]

Hi all,

First, a bit of background. My fiancé & I are in our early 30’s (ugh, that sounds horrible!

I just turned 30 in May…) & this will be a second wedding for both of us. We both married young & our first weddings were big church weddings & receptions planned primarily by our parents. While my family is small (I’m an only child as are both of my parents & my only living grandparent!), my fiance’s family is very large. We both live in NYC & much of my fiance’s family is from this area, while my folks live in VA. Neither of us wants to have a huge local wedding. Because of the size of FI’s family, it wouldn’t be possible to have a small wedding locally (his family alone would total 100 people!) and we don’t want to blow a ton of money on a big NYC wedding. Also, neither of us wants to get caught up in all of the details of planning a wedding, not to mention all of the negotiating with the in-laws. (My mother, especially, will likely have very specific ideas about this wedding! She doesn’t tend to be very flexible either…

) We just want to plan the celebration ourselves.

Ever since we first started getting serious, my boy & I have been dreaming of a destination wedding. I love the idea of making a handful of decisions up front, (choosing a resort, a date, a wedding package, invitations &, of course, a dress!), then relaxing & enjoying our engagement, and finally showing up at a beautiful, beachy resort (I’m thinking an all-inclusive resort somewhere in the Caribbean) & getting married.

I love the idea of being able to spend lots of quality time with each other & our guests, rather than worrying about every detail coming off as planned.

Also, as we’ll be paying for the wedding ourselves, a destination wedding, especially at an all-inclusive resort, would be very cost effective for us. We were thinking of having a big, casual party back home after the honeymoon so people who weren’t able to make the wedding will be able to celebrate with us & feel included.

As we already live together, we don’t need a lot of wedding gifts. (In fact, as we live in NYC, there’s no space for a lot of wedding gifts!) So, we want to request that our guests *not* buy us a gift. Hopefully that will ease expenses for those who attend our celebration & will not make those who choose not to attend feel obligated to buy us a gift.

I still want to wear a dress that looks like a wedding dress, but maybe one that’s not as elaborate as last time. (and is appropriate for a tropical climate!) I assume a veil is out…

Also, dancing is very important to my FI & I & to my family. We love ballroom dancing (swing, salsa, fox trot, etc.), but I’m not so keen on pop/club music. (gosh, that makes me sound old!) So, while I’m willing to give up the big, choreographed “first dance,” my wedding just wouldn’t feel complete if I couldn’t dance with my dad & my new hubbie.

So, does anyone have any tips, suggestions or considerations for a destination wedding? Or a second wedding in general?

I’d love to hear your thoughts, especially from those who have had a destination wedding…

Thanks!

 

[ammayernyc]

No suggestions, unfortunately... However, I was shocked to discover how similar our stories are!

 

[heart prongs]

Bright Spot...What you envision sounds perfect! While we were on our HM in Hawaii last summer, we saw a handful of destination weddings that looked so beautiful! The Hanalei Bay Resort on the North Shore of Kauai, I think, would be the perfect locale. And there are so many others as well! I agree on the dress style...but get a veil...they look so beautiful in pictures blowing on the beach...you can take it off after! Have fun! klr

prongs

 

[AmantdeChat]

Hello!

We are planning a destination wedding also. I am leaning towards the American Virgin Islands as they do not have the waiting period that other Caribbean islands do. One of the ones we were looking at was St Lucia, at a Sandals resort. The problem is that you have to be on the island for 3 - 4 business days (depending on which web site you look at). This does not include the day you arrive, holidays, weekends or the day you want to get married!

Since I want to combine our wedding and honeymoon, I didn''t want to spend the majority of our "weddingmoon" waiting to get married!

Whatever you choose, be sure and check on the "residency" requirements, papers needed, etc. Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[BrightSpot]

AmandaPanda, that''s funny! Maybe we should do lunch sometime & discuss!

Heart prongs, thanks for your thoughts. Your honeymoon resort sounds amazing! I think the Caribbean would be cheaper to get to from the East coast than Hawaii, but it sounds like it would be a similar feel.

I too love the look of a veil blowing on the beach. Would it be wrong to wear one to a 2nd wedding?

Maybe if I wore a red dress....

I''m thinking of a chiffon dress--halter or strapless--with a sweep train. Something cool that moves well. Oh, I''m getting excited...

AmantdeChat--good call about checking on residency requirements. That would suck to spend half of your weddingmoon waiting to get married!! Good luck to you too--keep me posted on what you decide!

Please keep the ideas/suggestions coming! I''m also curious to know how your guests handled the destination wedding concept. Was it disappointing to have a lower turnout than at a hometown wedding? Were guests offended at the cost to attend? Did the families flip out at your plans? Also, was it weird to hang out w. the guests for so long (and after the wedding)?

Paging Mara for advice...

 

[icekid]

BrightSpot-

looks like we have more in common than our octagonal halos!

My bf and I are also considering a destination wedding pretty seriously, though it will be our first (and only

) marriage. Both of my bf''s parents are only children, so he has no aunt, uncles, cousins- and one sister! I guess his mother has some aunts who are older, but he is not close with them. Grandparents are in really bad shape and won''t be attending the wedding either way. I don''t have a big family either- basically an aunt/uncle and two cousins, plus siblings and parents. So, I feel like doing a big blowout wedding is kind of silly. I''m not sure who we would even invite! Parents'' co-workers?!

The only thing I am concerned about is some close friends not being able to come, since we are mostly in med school now and therefore BROKE!

bf LOVES the beach though, and would be thrilled if I decide to give up the hometown wedding.

I''ve started doing a little preliminary research, but nothing too serious. I read the destination boards on the knot a bit, and it seems like depending on where you go the licensing aspect can be a pain.

Also, I think my biggest priority for my wedding is going to be the pictures. Do most people hire photographers that are local to their destination? I would be really worried then about not getting quality pics. We have a family friend who is a good photographer, so I figure my parents could probably convince him to come to the wedding, but that would be pretty expensive.

So basically, I apparently don''t have anything helpful to say

except I think you should wear whatever makes you happy!! Maybe we''ll go through the destination planning "together" too...

 

[jellybean]

There''s been quite a few threads on destination weddings. Have you searched those yet for advice?

I didn''t have a destination wedding b/c our elderly grandparents would not be able to attend due to their health. One of my girlfriends did have a destination wedding and while she said it was beautiful (I couldn''t go b/c I couldn''t take that much time off from pharmacy school nor my DH from law school) she was disappointed that more people couldn''t attend.

What I would suggest is determine who you *really* want at the wedding. Then I would ask them personally if they would be able to attend a destination wedding. Some people may not be able to take extended time off of work -- which was the big problem for my friends wedding. She only had immediate family there - only one of her close friends could make it. Plus, many times people don''t want to take that kind of time off of work for "someone else''s" wedding (not to be rude, but that''s what my friend found out too). Cost unfortunately was a factor as well. Her wedding was in Hawaii, and as you know, ain''t cheap! Many I''m sure didn''t go b/c of the $$$ factor -- that was also a consideration for us even if we could take the time off from school.

On the other hand, having a destination wedding would also take a lot of pressure off of you, at least worrying about having your mom involved with all the details.

My girlfriend also did say that she felt bad not spending all her time with her family. Her family understood that there were days that she just wanted to do things with her new husband, but she felt guilty doing that since they traveled all the way to Hawaii for their wedding. She said it really didn''t feel like they had a honeymoon, just a big trip with their families. They are planning on going on a trip by themselves this winter.

Don''t worry about the white dress and veil -- if that''s what you want to wear then go for it! Nowadays, second weddings are so common I don''t think anyone thinks twice about the bride wearing white or a veil (at least I don''t!

)

My girlfriend used a local photographer that the hotel recommended.

Sorry I can''t be more helpful. Maybe Mara will see this and chime in.

 

[abradabra]

BrightSpot,

I would highly, highly, highly recommend a destination wedding. Last Christmas I went to the wedding of my future sister-in-law in Anguilla. There were only 10 of us there (family plus me--almost family!) and it was wonderful. I have never been to such an intimate wedding and it was a great excuse to have a wonderful Caribbean vacation.

I can give you more details if you want, but what they did was rent a house with a small private beach (where they were married) for two weeks. They found a minister to marry them. They had the rehearsal dinner at one nice restaurant and the "reception" at another. After dinner at the reception, everyone headed back to the house and danced/hung out. It wasn't traditional/formal, but it was one of the best weddings I have been to. I got the impression they did little to no planning for it as well. They pretty much picked local flowers for a bouquet (better than any florist could have done!) and build a palm arch for the ceremony. It is my understanding that the whole affair was significantly less than a more traditional wedding, but I couldn't give you any details about costs.

Part of me really wishes that we would have done something similar because I don't feel like I've been able to enjoy my engagement as much as I would like because of pre-wedding planning stress. I would have loved to have gone to France for my wedding and thrown a party when we got back. Alas, I didn't think about all of this when I first got engaged (had the date set within 48 hours).

One last thought--I don't know about your religious affiliation, but if getting married in a specific religion is important to you, this could be more difficult. Certain churches have rules about residency, etc. to marry couples--so you have to be prepared to be flexible on this matter.

 

[JulieN]

A destination wedding sounds wonderful, and it''s also a good way to cut down on the guest list.

There is no easy way to request that guests not bring presents because that presumes that they will bring a present, when your invitations only request that the honour of their presence or the pleasure of their company. I think you should try to spread that by word of mouth through bridesmaids/mom.

"Where is the happy couple registered?"

"Oh, they really just want you to be at the wedding!"

 

[decodelighted]

Hi there,
I''m from VA originally, family all there & now live in the NYC area - bf''s family all up here. As a fellow thirtysomething too a destination wedding sounds perfect to me (his 2nd, my first). One of my best friends got married a couple years ago and started planning a family-only DW in Italy & found it very difficult to plan long distance & hard to "rally the troops" per se. In the end she had a small, family only church ceremony in Queens and a Manhattan dinner for 40 friends. A resort that is skilled in such things (she was trying castles & the like) would make the process much more do-able from afar. I''ve loved hearing about Renee Zellweger & Jennifer Garner''s beach nuptuals (silly gossip monger: me). I''ve been to two resorts I''d very much recommend: Le Sport in St. Lucia and The St. James Club in Antiqua - both all-inclusive, but IMO a cut above the Sandals ilk (less partying singles, more European clientele). In fact I tried to convince my sister to go to Le Sport for her honeymoon but she went to Sandals after having a good experience in a different Sandals - was dissapointed!
Sorry so long ... am excited to find out what you select! Not engaged yet myself but will def. be considering options like this when (and if!!) that brilliant day comes!
Best,
Decodelighted

 

[Mara]

I've posted a few times in the past re: our destination wedding, I'd check out those threads too for more details, but here is our story and my thoughts...

We did a destination wedding in Kauai after being given the idea from a friend. We visited Kauai 9 months before to check it out, I had found the place online and all the vendors through the Knot recommendations. Met with all the vendors once, loved them all...brainstormed on our visit etc. We came back and decided to go for it. The beauty of the destination wedding boils down to three simple points really, from my perspective. Cheaper because less people come, more intimate because less people come and also less stressful because less people come and also because more of the details are out of your hands.

We invited all 80-90 people who would have been invited locally but we knew we'd only get about 30. We got that amount, and they were all the most important people to us. I think not getting gifts and letting them put it towards their stay is a great idea. Keep in mind also that their costs while visiting can be alot. We chose a plantation out in the West End of Kauai because it would be cheaper than getting a hotel and making people pay $250 or $300 a night (typical in a nice Hawaii hotel) to attend your wedding, nevermind airfare! The plantation had cottages, so single friends shared a 4 bedroom cottage and split the costs, families could fit themselves into a 2 bedroom, etc. It was much cheaper, everyone was on the premises and it gave it all a very personal feel vs a hotel room feel. We had the wedding outside the large managers house where we and our families stayed and overlooked the ocean. I didn't want a beach wedding so we did it on the grass outside the house but overlooking the ocean. It was perfect and we have the best memories. Instead of one day of bliss we had about 4-5 days with our favorite friends and families and we did events together, everyone was invited to the rehearsal and the dinner etc. The memories we have are priceless.

We also saved about $5-7k over doing it locally here and not in such a great way. I was able to get things in Kauai that would have cost more here like go nuts on the flowers, orchids, get better food because it was cheaper and less people etc. I did gift bags for everyone that I would not have done if it was local...it was more personal this way and had thank yous etc.

That said the one thing that did kind of get to me was the stress that naturally ensues when you have so many people present who you care for. You feel like you have to make sure everyone is taken care of and everyone is having a good time because they tarveled all that way and paid all that $$ to attend! It was really alot of pressure for me particularly since I am the caretaker between Greg and I. Single friend came alone and doesn't know other friends? Make sure he is always included in group outings even if we aren't around, etc. It's a real balancing act. Where's grandma? Does she feel left out? So while I was not super stressed about the details of the wedding, I got stressed about all the people involved etc.

But other than that it was great. The day after was the best, we had the one last day to relax after all the festivities, and chill out, see off most of the guests and then we took off for our honeymoon. The night before we had dinner with whoever was left and ate the rest of the wedding dinner and the cake! Then we had a blast on our honeymoon, we went to Tahiti. The best thing about the honeymoon was it was JUST US for SEVEN DAYS. Heaven!

I highly recommend going destination, I am SO GLAD we did. We have the best memories of our friends and families together, and we brought our photographer from SF and split expenses with him, he did an absolutely fabulous job and he shot the rehearsal dinner and all that for free basically.

Ok I wrote more than I wanted to but I say DO IT! Do it the way you want to! It's the best feeling. Just make sure your most important people will come. We did that before we decided and once we knew that the majority of families and best friends would be there, it was a no brainer. We got a week in Kauai and a stunning wedding on the ocean for less than a 1 day wedding locally.

 

[Tybee]

Hurray for destination weddings!
there are so many to choose from. I''m being a spazz right now because I should be leaving for work---(long story, FI has taken a break from video games, but requested that i take a break from here.)

We are planning a destination wedding in the US Virgin Islands, but mostly because FI''s brother is a minister, and we want him to marry us. He can only marry us in the US. I''ve also read a lot about some WONDERFUL all inclusive weddings in Jamaica.

I promise to post more details about our decision later...
but summer''s over, got to get to school!

Good LUck!

 

[Diamonds4Me]

BrightSpot, that''s exactly what we are doing only we aren''t going to have any family at the actual wedding. We are planning on having a party when we get back.
I wish I could give some pointers but I haven''t made it that far yet. I hope you enjoy it wherever you go! Sounds like its going to be a blast.

 

[BrightSpot]

Thanks so much to everyone for your helpful thoughts & comments!

icekid, that''s pretty funny. Perhaps our weddings & our rings could match! I showed this thread to my FI & had to cover the screen quickly to make sure you didn''t mention the other thing that might match as well...

...don''t want to spoil the surprise!

It seems a destination wedding would be perfectly suited for you! Doesn''t a beach wedding just sound divine? I''ve been dreaming of one for sooo long...

I too am concerned about friends not being able to afford to attend, though. I''d be concerned about getting good photos too. It seems most resorts have a wedding photog you can hire--don''t know about the quality of the pics.

jellybean, thanks for sharing your friend''s story. I read your post in another thread & it gave me some serious pause. While I say now that it''s ok if it''s a small group in attendance, I wonder if I would be disappointed if lots of friends couldn''t make it. (I totally understand your comment about people not wanting to take so much time/incur so much expense to go to someone else''s wedding.) I''ll take your suggestion & check with those I''d really want to have present to see if they could make it.

abracadabra, thanks for telling me about your friend''s dest. wedding. I hadn''t thought about renting a house on the beach, but that''s an interesting idea. It would make things less expensive for the guests & enable everyone to spend lots of time together. I''m totally flexible about the type of ceremony we have. (religious/civil) Wow, you had to set your date w/in 48 hours? That must''ve been stressful! I hope the following wedding planning has been going smoothly.

Good call on the gifts issue, julie. I did a bit of research & etiqqette confirms that the way to do it is spread the word verbally or via a wedding website.

decodelighted, my FI & I have also discussed the possibility of having a small wedding dinner in NYC, but I think personally I''d be really disappointed if we couldn''t dance at our wedding. (though we''ve also batted around the idea of having a small reception at our favorite Brazilian dinner/dance club!) Thanks for the resort recommendations--I''ll check them out. I probably wouldn''t do Sandals per se b/c they''re couples only & we might have single guests, but I was looking at similar resorts. (your brilliant day will come soon!)

Mara, thanks so much for your detailed & helpful post! I''ve read lots of your posts over time (will have to re-read them) & they gave me a lot to think about. LOL about less people coming! I hate to say it, but that''s one of the primary draws of the destination wedding to me. Well, that and not having to do much planning to make it happen, the beautiful surroundings, & the ability to spend quality time relaxing w/ friends and family. I''m glad the people who were most important to you & Greg could attend. Renting cottages was a great idea--more cost effective for your guests & homier as well.

I hesitate to have a destination wedding *just* to cut down on the guest list, but it sounds like for a similar amount of money as having a small, local wedding, you get a several day-long vacation wtih your friends & family. That sounds better to me! Also, you''re right about being able to get nicer food, flowers, etc. b/c they were cheaper at your destination than they were in CA.

That''s a great point about having to look after your guests. My FI is probably more the caretaker in our relationship than I am, so I''m sure he''d be the one running around making sure everyone was happy. That could be stressful for him & stressful for me as well b/c he''d be paying attention to other people, not me! LOL...

How did your grandma do w/ the trip? My Gran is 88 years old & I''m a bit concerned about her making a trip like this.

Another thing I''ve taken from your experience is the importance of having a separate honeymoon following the dest. wedding. It seems that, while you are indeed in paradise, you''re also surrounded by other people so it doesn''t have much of a honeymoon feel to it. I was thinking if we did it in Jamaica, we could perhaps just transfer to a different resort on the island. Do you think that would provide enough of a change?

Ok, I definitely need to find out if the best friends could make it...

Tybee, oh no, you have to take a break from PS? How cruel....

I can''t wait to hear about your dest. wedding plans! Please post details when you can & good luck w/ the new school year.

Diamonds4Me, so you guys are eloping? Sounds so romantic & easy! Yay! The party when you get back will be a wonderful way to celebrate w/ everyone! Keep me posted as your plans develop.

 

[Tybee]

I have a little time to post (ha! voice in my head is reminding me of the other things I should be doing.)

BrightSpot,

I''m 36, my FI is 30. This is the first marriage for both of us. We''ve decided on a destination wedding for so many reasons. One is the guest list dilemna...sorry, but it''s true. I really only want the people I love to be there. It''s such an intensly intimate moment, and as much as I like my coworkers, I don''t want to have to go down that path. Also, we are really social involved in a sports league. We know and like so many people in that league, but if you start inviting a few, it''s a slippery slope.

The biggest reason, though, is my mother. She passed away when I was in college. I just hated the thought of planning my wedding without her there. I was seriously dragging my feet about making plans. Then it hit me. My mother''s favorite place in the world was St. John in the USVI. We went on vacation there several times. My brothers and I have even discussed possibly going there together to spread her ashes. Well, we''re not going to do that, but if I got married there it would be a chance for my brothers and I to be there again, and perhaps feel her presence.

FI is fine with it, and actually pretty excited. All her really wants if for his brother to marry us (he''s a Presb. minister.)
In the USVI that would be okay, if we had our DW in another country (Mexico, Jamaica) he wouldn''t be able to do it.

As far as price goes, it''s more expensive than we thought, but mostly because the location we chose was a more expensive choice. We (HOPE) we''re going to get married at Cannel Bay. It''s a pretty beautiful resort, but not an all inclusive or anything like that. We love it because it''s quiet and gorgeous. The place where we would have our ceremony is secluded and there wouldn''t be a lot of people passing by.

In short, that''s our deal. I''m going to go and visit my daddy soon and hopefully solidify some plans.

As far as not having a lot of friends go, we found the opposite, we were hoping that the list would cut itself down, but now our friends are so excited to plan their vacations around our wedding! It''s pretty sweet really. Luckily we''re planning on getting married in the summer, and that''s the off season down there. I''ve looked into house rentals for friends to share, and it''s MUCH cheaper than hotels or resorts.

I curious to know what else you guys decide! Good luck!

 

[flutterby]

A friend of mine had a wedding at Radisson Cable Beach in Nassau, Bahamas last summer. It was fantastic! They live in NY and families in AZ and WI. This worked out perfect. It was all inclusive, she booked it far enough in advance that people could make payments with her travel agent, so no one was overwhelmed by the price. It was a nice resort, beautiful wedding, great restaurants, and fairly inexpensive for the bride and groom. The wedding and reception were free with 10 booked rooms!

It was pretty inexpesive for us as well, since it was just a vacation, and all food and drinks were included. Definately worth checking into.

Also, there is a website destinationweddings.com. You have to put down a $50 deposit for them to do research for you, but they can do it so that it is around $700-900 pp. We are looking into this, but I really want to get married in Vegas (bf leaning toward mexico).

Good luck with your planning

 

[BrightSpot]

Tybee, thank you for sharing your story with me. I''m so sorry you lost your mom--it must be difficult to plan a wedding without her. I think having your wedding in the USVI will be a wonderful tribute to her. Of course, she would be present in spirit no matter where you held your celebration, but how wonderful that she can "visit" you in one of her favorite places!

That''s also great that your FI''s brother can marry you too. The resort you chose sounds lovely. I''m so glad lots of your friends are going to plan their vacations to attend your wedding! How wonderful! When are you getting married & how much notice did you give your friends of your plans? That''s a good point about the house rentals being less expensive for guests.

mrsflutter, what a gorgeous ring in your avatar! Yum! Thanks for your thoughts. That''s a really good point about a payment plan for guests. That would be really helpful--I''ll have to look into that. Thanks for the website referral. I was looking pretty heavily into a site called roadslesstaken.com but will check this one out as well.

I haven''t come to any more conclusions yet, but reading about everyone''s experiences is so helpful! Please keep your thoughts coming!

 

[Mara]

BS...possibly it would help your decision if you could take a trip to the locale you are considering for the wedding. This really clinched it for us. We found some good deals and took a scouting trip and when we came back we thought wow we''d love to be married there. The feel was just very US. After that it would have been impossible to think about locally getting married.

Re: Grandma, well she''s a bit of a land lubber, doesn''t love flying long distances and especially not over water. But of course she was coming (after a bit of persuasion and Greg saying she could fly with us and he would sit next to her etc which wasn''t necessary in the end as she flew over with my parents, but I think it got her part of the way there mentally!) and she had a WONDERFUL time. She had never been to Hawaii and she loved it. She still talks about it and would like to go live there. I told her to sell all her stuff including her property and go live out the rest of her years in Hawaii since she loved it so much. The climate was very good for her older bones and one day we were there the senior citizen community came and did a big kind of craft sale at our plantation property at the main house area so Grandma was in her element amidst all the older folks etc. I doubt she would do anything so crazy as to move permanently but I think it''d be a wonderful thing for her.

That said, there were alot of personalities involved, so as I mentioned, it was hard to juggle them all and keep everyone feeling happy and noticed..they did come all the way out there to see you. As for coddling or taking care of, normally that is not me at all but it''s amazing how that instinct just came out for me, maybe because it was a party for us and I knew how much everyone had really had to do to get out there to see us...some people flew from the East Coast, aka 10-11 hours! And flight tickets from the EC, not cheaper like from CA. Etc. Greg was very blase about the whole thing and figured everyone would mostly take care of himself, the little devil!

 

[kanne]

Brightspot..

I''m sorry! I''m supposed to be working so not much time to read through the whole thread..but I just wanted to second the north shore of Kuai idea. Very nice. And I''m a huge fan of St John. Also....Key West is a good option..the air prices are good and it is not too far. Some very pretty hotels there..the Hyatt is very nice. We stayed at a small inn called the Heron House which was PERFECT, very quiet and a short walk into town. They have the cutest honeymoon suite too!

We love fox trot and swing too!! We should all meet up sometime and go out dancing!!!!

 

[BrightSpot]

Mara, that''s a great idea to take a trip to visit the resort(s) we''re seriously considering. FI actually recommended this as well. I''m pretty certain that would clinch it for us either way!

How old was your grandma when you guys got married? I think mine would take some convincing to make a trip like this, but I couldn''t imagine her not being there. I think getting her part of the way there mentally is indeed the key...

I''m so glad yours loved it so much she thinks of moving there. Perhaps you & Greg could take her on a vacation there at some point even if she doesn''t relocate to the island permanently.

That''s funny that Greg was blase about looking after the guests...am I correctly recalling that he seemed more concerned about this than you when you were in the planning stages?

Lovey, I actually thought pretty seriously about Key West. I think it''s gorgeous there & it''s in the US, which is nice, but I was concerned that getting there could be difficult. Either you have to fly into one of the other keys & drive to Key West or take a (possibly more expensive?) flight directly into Key West. But it still might be much more convenient than someplace in the Caribbean. I think I remember seeing some sort of wedding planner (probably the southernmost?

) advertised locally when I vacationed there last year.

I would LOVE to go dancing w/ you guys! It''d be great fun to go out--it''s so difficult to find swing dancing friends!! (and then I could see your gorgeous ring in person!!) Seriously, if you''re game, PM me! Are you guys taking dance lessons for your wedding? We took lessons before we were engaged, but there''s even more incentive now.

 

[ammayernyc]

There is an article on MSNBC about destination weddings: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5934671/

My bf and I have been planning (for over two years) to take dancing lessons... can we come too!

 

[BrightSpot]

Ooh, thanks for the article, AmandaPanda!

You can absolutely come dancing!!

Maybe we can start a PS dance group!

What kind of dance are you interested in? My FI & I have taken classes in basic 6 ballroom (waltz, fox trot, swing, rhumba, tango, cha-cha), several swing classes & a salsa class. We''re especially interested in taking more Latin dance classes now, or whatever dance style will wind up being most suited to our wedding. Gosh, I kind of hope it''s not reggae as I''m no good at dancing by myself!

Do they offer classes in that?

 

[ammayernyc]

We''ll definitely have to start with the basic six. Although I fancy myself as an okay dancer (can find the beat easily and can actually dance to any song), my dear, sweet, loveable boyfriend is without any sense of rhythm. He''s one of those random clappers. A song will be playing and he''ll just start clapping, whether it''s on the beat or not. A little sad, but kind of funny!

 

[kanne]

random clapper!!! a ha ha hahahahahhahhaahh ha. I can just picture that. Too funny! But very, very cute!

We''ve taken lessons in the basic swing, foxtrot, rhumba, waltz, salsa and very very basic hustle. We are beginners and just like to get out there and have fun. We are signed up for lessons every Sunday until our wedding.

Give us a few weeks to brush up and then let''s all get together! That would be so much fun!!

btw...RT flights to Key West from LGA seem to average about $300. Last time we went there, we flew down with a bride and her family/fiance. They let her stow her dress in the cabin rather than checking in (of course I would notice that!!)

 

[Mara]

Grandma is something like 85 or so, I can never remember exactly. Definitely not a spring chicken though she is young at heart!

It did take alot of convincing, at first she said she wasn''t going but I wasn''t having it!!

 

[BrightSpot]

Amanda, ROTFLMAO re: the random clapping! Hee hee! That''s so cute! Is your bf open to taking lessons? In most of the classes I''ve taken, you alternate partners, which gives you a chance to dance w/ (and learn from) lots of people. It''s really helpful. It''s amazing how much the guys improve in a short period of time.

Lovey, Are you guys choreographing a first dance for your wedding? If so, which one? What lessons are you currently taking?

Yes, let''s definitely get together in a few weeks! My FI & I are going to try to make it to a (free) open house at SoHo dance this Thurs. night if anyone wants to join...it should be a nice opportunity to check out the studio & different styles of dance. $300 for a flight is very reasonable. Hmm....I''ll have to think about Key West.

Mara, lol! My Gran is 88, but also young at heart. I''ll have to start the campaign soon. I suspect it might take me a bit of convincing too, but perhaps I just won''t take no for an answer!!