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Destination Wedding | The Beach

For our brides who are finding themselves engaged this holiday season, if you are looking for the beach as your wedding destination, think Mexico or the Caribbean.

• Weddings at One&Only Palmilla Resort in Los Cabos, Mexico can be casual or elegant but will always be perfect.
• For an idea, view this StrictlyWeddings.com One&Only Palmilla destination wedding.
• Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios specializes in organizing dream weddings at a spot that has been called ” …the gem of the Caribbean.”
• The photos from this Jamaica Inn destination wedding are definitely gem-worthy!

San Juan, Puerto Rico makes for a beautiful wedding

Untamed, restrained, cosmopolitan and country, Puerto Rico has it all. El Yunque – America’s largest rain forest – and 19 other forest reserves are home to 20 orchid varieties and countless other flora and fauna. Water babies will love its 270 miles of coastline littered with innumerable snorkeling, sunning and world-class surfing beaches. The island’s massive central mountain range tops 4,000 feet and demands hikers take note. There’s even a phosphorescent bay that glows at night.

After dark, visit New San Juan for its flamenco dancers, piano bars, open-air concerts, clubs, casinos, folkloric shows and Latin revues. Casinos can be found in almost every major hotel, clubs for all shapes and tastes go in and out of trendy favor, and there are always new restaurants to sample.

These fabulous photographs are from a destination wedding in San Juan, Puerto Rico from Andy Marcus of Fred Marcus Photography at the beautiful Ritz-Carlton resort. One hundred friends partied the weekend away and had such a great time. The weather was amazing and only made the ceremony held on the beach even more special.

Honeymoon Destination: Escape to Bora Bora at the Four Seasons Resort

On a private motu, Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora offers a South Seas escape in a lush world of unsurpassed tropical beauty.

The most famous of French Polynesia’s Leeward Islands, Bora Bora is the quintessential tropical paradise. Volcanic in origin, it is surrounded by sand-fringed motus (small islets) on an outer coral reef that encloses a turquoise lagoon. With only one navigable pass, the crystal-clear lagoon is calm, warm and relatively shallow.

Settled by Polynesians around AD 900, French Polynesia was discovered by Europeans in the 16th century. For centuries, the French and English vied for the possession of Tahiti and its archipelago. A French colony since 1884, Bora Bora became an overseas territory in 1946. Its unequalled beauty has drawn artists and writers – perhaps most famously, author James A. Michener declared it the most beautiful island in the world. Today, most of Bora Bora’s 4,650 inhabitants live on a thin, flat coastal strip, many around the small port of Vaitape.

Four Seasons will be glad to arrange memorable experiences for the bridal couple to match your preferences. Examples include:

• Romantic breakfast in the privacy of your bungalow or villa – delivered by canoe
• Romantic couples spa treatment in our private Kahaia spa suite
• Sunset cruises
• Romantic photo services
• Taurua romantic dinners – Enjoy a special evening for two with a romantic Polynesian-style dining experience, surrounded by magnificent scenery. Dine either on the ocean-side terrace of your private bungalow or on our beautiful white sand beach, graced by impeccable Four Seasons service.

Source: Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora

The Orient-Express: Take a Luxury Train Journey for your Honeymoon

I don’t know about you, but just reading the words “Orient Express” conjure up images of 1930′s elegance, Agatha Christie murder mysteries, elegant attire and exotic locations. 

None more so than The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.

‘The train against which all other luxury trains are measured’ - Vanity Fair

A work of art in itself and a true Art Deco icon, the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train offers a journey unlike any other. Step aboard and you enter a more gracious, elegant age of travel.

Romance, adventure and style are all intimately bound up in journeys and tours that criss-cross Europe, rolling through sublime scenery to some of the continent’s most alluring cities.

Delightful vintage cabins, gastronomic cuisine and lively on-board entertainment make a journey aboard this iconic train one of the world’s finest travel experiences—a sequence of unforgettable moments

The Orient-Express offers guests the opportunity to search for something beyond the conventions of today’s luxury travel; something more enriching. You won’t find any uniform travel experiences on their journeys. They’re interested in the intangible qualities of travel captured in memorable and meaningful moments. A story that reveals a new side to a familiar place. A diverting conversation that gives an insight into the local culture and community. Each experience offers our guests the opportunity to discover more about the world around them.

There are so many journeys to be discovered through this luxury train carrier. Explore their exotic excursions through their website, then sign up for a honeymoon memory to last forever.

Photos from Venice Simplon Orient Express and Google Images

Honeymoon Destinations: Luxury Cruise with the Queen Mary 2

Queen Mary 2, affectionately known as QM2, was famous even before her first sailing and a worthy heir to Cunard’s rich legacy. As the flagship of the world’s most respected fleet of luxury ocean liners, you’ll delight in her accommodation and renowned restaurants, her breathtaking Grand Lobby and the amazing array of unsurpassed amenities she offers.

Her every detail harkens to the Golden Age of Ocean Travel, while providing one of the most modern travel experiences on earth.  From bow to stern, discover 14 spacious decks on which to relax and unwind; to indulge in pleasures and pursuits you never normally have time for. It also has the only Planetarium at sea. But words can only do such a lady so much justice. For to truly revel in the grandeur that is Queen Mary 2, you must sail with her. Indulge in every experience Queen Mary 2 has to offer on a 7 day Transatlantic cruise between Southampton and New York.

What an amazing honeymoon this could be!

There’s a great blog on the Queen Mary 2 we’re you can find many interesting tales and photos (several pictured here).

Queen Mary 2 on the other hand, is doing a different long voyage.  Many of you will know that for the forthcoming 2012 World Voyage Queen Mary 2 will undertake her first Royal Circumnavigation of Australia.  This 21 night voyage around all the best bits of Australia has sold extremely well and is popular both for those of our guests going right around the world and many Australians who will join for that sector.  There is something rather cool about showing Australians the best of Australia.  It wasn’t too difficult to work out the itinerary because all the best bits of Australia are in fact on the outside.

Source: Cunard Cruise

Bali – A Tranquil Choice for your Wedding or Honeymoon

The heat is just wearing us down! So we thought we’d plan a mental getaway – to Bali. Sounds divine doesn’t it? So many of our brides are honeymooning in exotic locations such as Bali, Tahiti, and others. So jump on a “vicarous” ride, if just for a few minutes. We’d love to hear about your wedding or honeymoon experiences at exotic locations.

AYANA Resort and Spa

The beautiful AYANA Resort and Spa is set on 77 hectares of cliff-top tropical gardens perched 35 meters above Jimbaran Bay. The AYANA Resort and Spa enjoys majestic views and a secluded location, yet is just 10 kilometers from Bali’s airport. With a 290-room hotel and 78 private freestanding villas spread out along its 1.3 kilometer coastline, this is the most spacious and one of the most acclaimed Bali luxury hotels.

Realize your wedding dreams on the majestic cliffs of AYANA Resort and Spa. The AYANA’s enthralling oceanfront hideaway sets a captivating stage for Bali destination weddings. Exchange vows in the vibrant Champa Garden amongst a grand canopy of 2,000 white frangipani trees or find a secluded ocean view gazebo for a private ceremony for two. On-site wedding planners will customize a Bali wedding package for your special day and set an unforgettable tone for your life together.

About Bali

This lush Indian Ocean isle is the perfect storm of intensity and serenity. Just 55 miles wide and 90 miles long, it’s home to 3 million people, all of whom seem to be riding motor scooters from dawn until dusk. Among its dramatic, wave-lapped coastline and emerald, rice-paddy-covered interior, there is a spiritual calm, a kind of magic some say reaches deep inside and guarantees your first visit will not be your last. That’s the romance of Bali — it speaks the language of the soul.

Wedding Requirements

Marrying here requires a religious ceremony (either Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Christian) that conforms to the laws of the couple’s country. For non-Muslims, the religious ceremony must be held first and a letter must be signed by the priest, then the marriage certificate will be issued by the Civil Registry Office. You’ll also need a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage from the U.S. Embassy in Bali (downloadable); other requirements include valid U.S. passports, birth certificates and six copies of the same photo of you together as a couple. To ease the process, consult with a certified wedding specialist.

Destination Weddings: Bayer Estate, Honolulu

Honolulu floral designer, Debbie Hemingway, created this romantic seaside dining canopy at the lovely Bayer Estate. The ocean-inspired scene was captured by the Hawaiian photographer Dave Miyamoto. Shown below are an intimate dining canopy using a distressed wood table, a rustic manzanita branch with Juliet peach roses, seashells, mother-of-pearl chargers, Dupioni silk napkins and a hanging capiz shell curtain. The chandelier and fabrics in sea glass blue add a shabby chic feel.

Source: Pacific Weddings

Honeymoon Destinations – St. Lucia – Simply Breathtaking

A View with a Room …It will take your breath away, that’s St. Lucia.

Pictured here is Ladera Resort,  a thousand feet below, an intensely blue Caribbean Sea dashes against the volcanic Piton Mountains. Faintly scented tropical breezes cool your skin. Your private plunge pool beckons. There are only 9 villas and 23 suites in this ultimate rainforest open-air hideaway. Each offers fine linens, luxurious amenities and four-poster beds made of polished tropical hardwood. And each, deliberately without a fourth wall, invites the spectacular sunsets and astonishing views right inside, to be a part of your very private, very special retreat.

For help planning your honeymoon destination, contact our StrictlyWeddings.com partner, Signature Travel.

StrictlyWeddings.com: Honeymoon Bliss

Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita
Beau Champ, Mauritius

Mauritius has attracted the European famous, the rich and discrete. In the Western Hemisphere though, it’s been a fairly well kept secret but the secret is out. Mauritius has been named the “Star of the Indian Ocean.” Lush green mountains surrounded with endless views of the blue ocean encompass this enchanted ancient island. Just 20 degrees south of the Equator, the weather is ideal year-round. Enjoy regionally-inspired spa treatments, Ernie Els 18-hole oceanfront championship golf course, or just frolic in the crystal blue lagoons.

The Four Seasons offers an unforgettable experience boasting luxury villas with thatched roofs, wooden decks and stone walls amid palm trees and tropical gardens, each with its own plunge pool, private garden and outdoor shower.

Singita Boulders Lodge
Singita Sabi Sand, South Africa

Let the vast wilderness leave you speechless while you indulge in a once in a lifetime safari experience seeing first hand the herds of buffalo and elephants, large prides of lion, and majestic leopard and antelope by the thousands which make Singita Private Game Reserve one of the finest locations for viewing the Big 5 anywhere in the world.

With privacy in mind, each of Singita Boulder’s 12 luxurious suites feature an expansive living space with glass walls bringing nature in, a double-sided fireplace, private wooden leisure and game viewing decks and a private heated plunge pool.

After your safari, enjoy a safari spa massage followed by an exquisite culinary experience complimented with wine from the Singita Boulders wine cellar which house only the finest South African wines.

Source: Signature Travel

Sedona – A Honeymoon with Beauty and Serenity

Your StrictlyWeddings.com post is coming straight from the majesty of Sedona, Arizona.

As I’ve toured Sedona and hiked many, many miles in the beauty of the Coconino National Forest, it made me realize what a wonderful honeymoon this could make for just the right kind of couple.

The Sedona honeymoon couple needs to love fresh, crisp air (so clean there is no overwhelming fragrance), the outdoors …as there is an abundance of beautiful places to hike where you go from semi-aired foliage to forests of pine, cedar and more and appreciate the history of a great land. Although we didn’t endulge, there are so many spas you don’t know which to choose!

I dropped into the tourist center and picked up some information on Weddings…seems like there are a lot of weddings in this place. It has a lot to do with the overall spirituality of Sedona and it’s location. Yet it could just as easily make for a memorable honeymoon.

We stayed in a very nice and comfortable Hampton Inn, but there are expensive resorts and cabins by the river in Oak Creek Canyon (5 minutes away). We had several great breakfasts at the Airport restaurant on top of a Mesa – tasty and affordable w/ a great view. Splurged a few times for dinner (must reward ourselves for all those calories we hiked off!). And enjoyed window shopping (and buying a few things) and looking at the various native arts and paintings.

There are side trips close by to Flagstaff, the old mining town of Jerome and other adventures to be found. Personally, your best bet is to go when the weather is cooler (we actually had snow on one of our hikes!). So it’s a perfect honeymoon destination from January through April.

Photos courtesy of my iPhone.

• Sedonna Luxury Weddings & Events
• Bliss Extraordinary Floral
• WeddingsinSedona.com
• SedonaWeddingCakes.com
• Sedona Tourist Center