You’re already planning an exotic getaway for your honeymoon, so why not move the entire wedding party to an interesting locale and let everyone enjoy the change of scenery?

By Teresa Wilds

Tahiti, Fiji, Hawaii, and Mexico … all girls dream of a tropical paradise for their honeymoon, now you can have your cake and eat it too with a destination wedding!

Destination weddings have become all the rage with the average American wedding costing between $20,000 to $30,000. Weddings in exotic locations are less expensive, and the guests have mini vacation while attending the wedding.

Many couples will opt for the all-inclusive beach resort option for their destination wedding. Many resorts offer a free wedding and stay for the bride and groom with a required number of rooms booked for friends and family. Several tour companies offer a program titled SelectEscapes, which gives a discount to guests and a rebate to the wedding couple.

Cruise ships are another popular choice for weddings. Couples can chose to be married onboard the ship in the chapel before they set sail for family and friends to attend the wedding.  Another choice would be for family and friends to cruise with the wedding couple.  Cruise ships also offer wedding packages for an island destination wedding while in port.  Royal Caribbean offer weddings on a roof top in Rome while in port in Italy. The options are endless!

Couples typically plan six to nine months in advance, but a wedding can be arranged in as little as 30 days. Each destination has legal requirements for weddings. Several destinations allow a couple to get married the day of arrival while others have a waiting period and a required blood test.  Mexico for example, has different laws in each state.  Puerto Vallarta, on the Pacific side, requires a short marriage counseling before the couple can be legally married, while Cancun, on the Caribbean side, does not require marriage counseling.   Couples may elect to marry prior to leaving the United States to eliminate most of the requirements, but have their ceremony on the beach at the destination of their choice. Marriage laws and restrictions are forever changing in foreign countries, all the more reason to use a destination wedding consultant at Journey House Travel.

From the moment the bride and groom contact one of Journey House’s wedding consultants, the couple will be walked through the process from choosing the best possible location and hotel based on price, weather, flight duration and availability. The wedding could be an elopement or a special day with friends and family.

Journey House agent Lia Vincent held her own destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta at sunset, in December 2010.

“Planning my own wedding has really given me insights to what couples are looking for on their special day,” Vincent said. “I know what was worth purchasing and what was not. My guests loved being in 78 degree weather the middle of December. Right after the ceremony, whales started jumping out of the ocean right behind us. It was incredible! Would I do a destination wedding again? Absolutely!”

Journey House can coordinate guests traveling from all over the country or world. The travel wedding coordinator also acts as an advocate for the couple to the resort and tour company, as well as a buffer to friends and family for individual travel questions.   With a required number of bookings, a Journey House representative will travel with the wedding party to ensure details are managed.

Join the many happy couples who have chosen a destination wedding and loved every minute of it! Planning a wedding does not have to be stressful. Journey House Travel will help to make your destination wedding dreams come true.

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Booking and planning travel details for the past 30 years, Teresa Wilds is vice president of Journey House Travel in Oklahoma City.  She enjoys giving back to her community by sharing helpful advice through ion Oklahoma Magazine’s travel section.