Weddings Away: The Destination Weddings Community

Hi there,

My name is El, I'm 27 and a bride-to-be. I'm also a web developer and in the process of setting up a wedding community website called "Wedding Wishes" at http://www.weddingwishes.co

I'm looking to get the ball rolling and encourage some communication on the forums before I actually launch the site, and as such, I'd love to invite the community to join for free and even receive a couple of freebies I picked up while doing some marketing for work. There's a fantastic ebook worth $40 that you can download for free that claims to save you thousands. Not sure how accurate that is in practice, but I've read it and it is actually really good... and really very free!

Anyway, I'd love to see all of you over at Wedding Wishes to claim your membership and free goodies. Feel free to add my personal journal or message me if you have any questions or need a hand.

I apologise if some of you got caught in a cross-post or if this isn't an appropriate intro. Mods - please delete this message if you feel it lacks value to the community.

Wonderful to meet you all,
El

Venue: Local church and the Margarona Royal in Preveza, Greece
Photography: Molly & Matt at Luminaire Images

x-posted to over20kweddings , ido_destination , wed_photography 

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Las Vegas! I visited the bright lights of the strip as well as the lavish ambiance of Lake Las Vegas. I have to say, as an experienced travel agent I was pleasantly surprised at the sheer magnitude, serenity, and class of Lake Las Vegas, located just outside the flashing, bright lights and noise of the strip.
One would be surprised at the affordability of destination weddings and honeymoon packages. As of right now, I am currently working on six destination weddings and believe Las Vegas could serve as a wonderful location for a wedding within the United States, for those wishing to remain in the country. And for those looking to venture outside the U.S. there are fantastic deals on all inclusive resort stays. One of today's best buy locations include the beautiful, sandy beaches of Mexico.
For more locations and or information on destination weddings visit our website www.travelconnectionri.com

Sarah & Nate, married May 29, 2009
Hans Fahden Vineyards in Napa Valley, CA
Photography by Molly & Matt of Luminaire Images

(click to see more)

x-posted to ido_destination, wed_photography, and eloping

Chrys & Rick
May 22, 2009 • Sun Village Resort & Spa
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Photographed by Molly Ann & Matt of Luminaire Images

(See more here)

X-posted to wed_photography, ido_destination eloping

I just completed an invitation set for a local friend, and I was really happy with the way they turned out. We ended up designing two invitation sets, one for the ceremony (which was an intimate one on Drummond Island, MI) and one for the reception (which is going to be a large celebration with all of their family and friends back home), including a set of wedding maps, "Love is..." cards (in lieu of a guest book, guests will write messages and love notes to the happy couple).

Love their natural color scheme, which was also played up with some brown kraft envelopes to finish everything off. The fancier ceremony invitation also included a great two-layered belly band in natural and textured papers.

( xoxoxox )

Introduction
Name: Casandra (Casey)

Wedding Journal?: n/a

Hometown: Both from NJ, currently living in PA

Fiance's Name: Joshua

Fiance's LJ?: n/a

Fiance's Wedding Journal?: n/a

Destination Selected for Wedding: Aruba

Reason?: Honestly, because it's out of the hurricane zone, but still an island in the Carribean

Why would you like to have a destination wedding?: I've always wanted a small wedding, and I always swore I wasn't wearing shoes on my wedding. This is a great way to do that, have something truly unique and special, and save some money that I'd rather spend elsewhere.

What most influenced you in making your decision?: I feel like it was an inevitable decision, nothing else really made sense or felt right. When we decided it, it felt like it had always been that way.

What are you most looking forward to about your destination wedding?: Not going crazy trying to plan every detail, actually being able to ENJOY it.

Number of Bridesmaids: 5

Number of Groomsmen: 5 maybe 6

Number of Guests: 30+

Wedding Theme: tropical beach

Religious or Heritage Reflection?: I'm Christian, he's agnostic

Wedding Colours: tropical colors, especially burnt orange and bright purple (I think that will look amazing against the blue ocean

Wedding Song: At Last

Date of Wedding: tentatively, July 11, 2009

Additional Events: none planned yet, hopefully many!

Days of Celebration(how long will your guests be at the *Destination*?): about 5-7 days

Your Dress: Hopefully Greek Style

Your Shoes: NONE

Wedding Web Site?: None yet

Anything Else?:nope, still in the very early stages of this. I would appreciate any and all advice. I'm a teacher so I'm hoping to get most of the planning done before September.

Is it the norm for guest to pay their own acomadation for destination weddings?