| With the average cost of a wedding topping | | | | |
| $20,000, couples - particularly those who are | | | | |
| making their second trip down the aisle - are | | | | Increasingly, resorts at beaches and other |
| looking for exciting alternatives to the | | | | locales have wedding coordinators who can |
| typical church and reception soiree. For that | | | | help the couple plan all aspects of their |
| reason, destination weddings are becoming | | | | ceremony - even when the couple lives |
| increasingly popular. Today, the bride may | | | | thousands of miles away. These services range |
| wear a simple princess gown and the groom | | | | from coordinating flowers and other |
| decked out in linen pants and an open-necked | | | | decorations to the bachelor party and the |
| shirt - and both may be wearing sandals. | | | | reception. They can even help facilitate |
| | | | obtaining a marriage license for the couple. |
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| Ceremonies are taking place on Cancun | | | | |
| beaches, in forests, and on cruise ships. | | | | The advantages to a destination wedding are |
| Couples are leaving behind the carnival | | | | numerous. First, because weddings held at |
| atmosphere and celebrity grandeur of the | | | | beaches and other locales are less formal, |
| large wedding and are embracing simpler, more | | | | the pressure to host the "perfect" wedding is |
| intimate settings for their ceremonies. | | | | absent. Less stress on the bride and groom |
| | | | mean they can actually enjoy themselves. |
| | | | Second, because destination weddings |
| | | | typically have smaller guest lists, the |
| With a destination wedding, the couple | | | | couple can enjoy the company of the people to |
| selects the locale where they'd like to both | | | | whom they are closest, and don't have to |
| hold their ceremony and their honeymoon. | | | | worry about dozens of virtual strangers in |
| Cruise ships, Caribbean getaways, and | | | | attendance. Third, because the wedding and |
| Hawaiian resorts top the list of desirable | | | | honeymoon are in the same location, the |
| destinations. Once they decide on a location, | | | | couple can enjoy their ceremony and |
| the couple typically draws up a small guest | | | | reception, knowing that they can simply relax |
| list - sometimes including as few as a half | | | | and enjoy themselves afterwards. |
| dozen family members and other times | | | | |
| incorporating fifty or more guests. | | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | With the help of a great travel agency and a |
| | | | wedding coordinator at the destination, |
| Working with a travel agent, they book | | | | getting married can be like a day at the |
| reservations at the resort or on the cruise | | | | beach - in your sandals! |
| of their choosing. When they're able, the | | | | |
| couple often picks up the tab for both guest | | | | Chris Robertson is an author of Majon |
| transportation and lodging; other times, the | | | | International, one of the worlds MOST popular |
| guests are responsible for their own | | | | internet marketing companies on the web. |
| transportation, but are provided with lodging | | | | |
| for at least three nights. | | | | Learn more about Sandals, Beaches, |
| | | | and...Weddings? or Majon's Travel directory. |