New to BWW :) Hi

[dawnabee]

Hey All!! New to BWW!
Engaged August 13th and still have a way to go before we get married (projecting for May 2012) but wanted to introduce myself! Next year FI and I have a big wedding to go to in July and possibly a second one plus we've decided to look into condos, townhouses and home shopping beforehand Its all super exciting.

Recently I've been discussing with FI how I would really love to elope somewhere tropical to marry on the beach with just us and then continue our honeymoon! Its rare that we find time away from the hustle and bustle of life and I really think it would be a special memory for us to do that. We would be footing the wedding bill all on our own and I just cant justify spending 20-30k+ on a wedding here in North Jersey. Even when people say have less guests or cut back on this or that... I cant do it... its all or nothing for us. So after some thought and consideration and reading some threads on here... I am hooked on the idea of a Maui wedding and honeymoon If anyone has taken this route and can throw some information, ideas, inspiration, and comments my way it would be highly appreciated!

 

[mrscushion]

Hello, dawnabee! Congratulations on your recent engagement!

 

[Pushin40]

Welcome to BWW, Dawnabee!

I HIGHLY recommend eloping or a DW.

Check out this website - I just found it last week. There are lots of good ideas here, and there is even a section for Hawaii!

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/

 

[Amys Bling]

welcome- also from North Jersey!

 

[lulu66]

welcome to bww, dawnabee!

 

[dawnabee]

Thanks mscushion, pushin, amysbling, lulu!!

The website I am leaning the most towards is http://www.simplemauiwedding.com/ because it has a great photogropher included which will be important for us to show our families later on. Its a little pricier than some other packages I've seen because I was looking into FL and CA but really wouldn't want to honeymoon in either

Luckily all my wedding dress contenders fit in with a beach wedding Here are some:
http://www.maggiesottero.com/dress.aspx?page=7&style=RD1068

 

[Pushin40]

Wow that maggie sottero gown is STUNNING....
And I love the 3 pictures you posted as well. So gorgeous!

 

[dawnabee]

Thanks Pushin!

 

[titian23]

Hi Dawnabee

Not sure where in the states you are but have you considered Bermuda for a destination wedding?

It's definitely beautiful, and if you are on the east coast it's very easy to get to

 

[dawnabee]

Hi Titian! I live in NJ and we have considered Bermuda but I'm not sure what there marriage laws are or how difficult it will be to go about that.. Do you?

 

[titian23]

Hey Dawn

It's super easy as Bermuda really is a destination wedding type of place. I live here at the moment and I can tell you, you won't find more beautiful beaches anywhere, let alone 2 hours away from your home. On the website I posted you will see a tab called weddings, and under the what you will need section it will tell you what the legal requirements are. They are relatively simple.

A great way to go is to coordinate with a hotel who would easily be able to guide you through the process as they have lots of weddings every year. Also the hotel generally have the nicest and most private beaches if you wanted to have your ceremony right on the beach. My favorite hotels are - Elbow Beach (great terrace for receptions, right on the Ocean) Southampton Princess (again right on the water) or depending on how far your budget stretches there is Tuckers Point Hotel and Spa

Sometimes it can be a bit expensive for hotels here esp in peak season however an interesting idea some people do is have their guests come on a cruise to Bermuda and then have the wedding at one of the hotels. I believe there are short length cruises leaving out of New York that go just to Bermuda and then back. You would probably get the whole cruise for less then 3 nights in a hotel.

Anyway if you are seriously interested I can probably give you loads more information, just ask! Good luck planning!

 

[titian23]

Oops - just realised I didn't post the link to the original website:

www.bermudatourism.com

 

[dawnabee]

Thanks Titian!! Thats really helpful and nice of you

 

[RhubarbPie]

Hi dawnabee! We got engaged this past July and were also getting married on Maui in August 2012 (just 2 months after you!)! Ive just started the preliminary planning for the wedding, but I'll keep checking this thread so we can share Maui ideas with one another! Also, I love your gown choices So beautiful!