Your Wedding Advice - StrictlyWeddings.com Blog

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

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.

Honeymoon Destinations – Little Palm Island

Little Palm Island is a piece of paradise. At first glimpse from the private boat transfer, Little Palm Island appears, floating like a brilliant mirage, in the Florida Straits. The resort is set on a sweep of powder-soft sand with just 30 remarkable, oceanfront suites.

Essential island accessories are a good book and several appointments at the resort’s Indonesian-themed spa, SpaTerre. This sanctuary exists solely to promote health and well being for mind, body and soul. Here exotic Balinese spa treatments and Thai body rituals are custom-designed, incorporating a blend of ancient spa traditions once reserved for royalty.

SpaTerre’s outdoor treatment areas are also designed to be meditative spaces, where lapping water, rustling palm fronds and the gentle sound of birds set the mood. (more…)

Hawaiian Wedding Inspiration: Oahu South Shore

Many brides share a lifelong dream of getting married barefoot on the beach. This bride’s vision was realized in an intimate ceremony at Paiko Beach, a hidden strip of sand on Oahu’s south shore. The couple then switched gears (and clothes) with a traditional Catholic ceremony at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, which happens to be the oldest Catholic cathedral in the United States.

The bride did not hesitate in planning her wedding, as the Cathedral is where her mother was married.

The bride wore a dramatic mermaid gown that she found at a bridal shop in Chinatown…ironically, the same boutique where her mother found her own gown. The tulle skirt on the dress reminded her of a ballerina’s costume. An avid dancer, the bride paired the dress with her pointe shoes! She carried a bouquet of white roses, her favorite flower. The bridesmaids wore one-of-a-kind cocktail dresses in bright confetti colors by fashion designer Cindy King of the label Acid Dolls.

The groom opted for a stylish beige suit with a pale pink bowtie.

Photographer Ja Tecson captured the couple perfectly.

Source: PacificWeddings.com

A Honeymoon in Venice, Italy Touches All The Senses

Since one of our New York Partners is Cipriani, we thought we would let you experience Venice from the lens of our StrictlyWeddings.com friend, Italian Photographer Rochelle Cheever. She rang me up and asked me what I loved about Venice. I gave her my list and off she went. These photos are so wonderful and beautifully capture the romance of Venice – a perfect Honeymoon destination. Strolling the city, it is all so inviting. It’s a glorious, theatrical experience that touches all the senses.

And if Venice is a theatre, the Hotel Cipriani is the Royal Box. Four minutes by private launch from San Marco, on the tip of Giudecca Island, this iconic Orient-Express hotel commands unrivaled views of the lagoon and Doge’s Palace. Steeped in Venetian style, it is known for interiors decorated in exquisite local artifacts, classic cuisine with an innovative twist and the most fabulous swimming pool in the city. Then, of course, there’s Harry’s Bar and you know what they are known for – The Bellini – a must when in Venice.

When there, don’t miss the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. These can be covered in one outing using the public vaporetto (water bus). The vaporetto ride on Venice’s waterways is always fun, plus you’ll love the glass products and lace found on Murano and Burano.

(more…)

Honeymoon Destinations – Seychelles

Planning your honeymoon? Consider this dreamy escape found under our New York City Honeymoon options.

At the Four Seasons Resort Seychelles you’ll experience a brilliantly green coastline where tree-house villas perch on a jungled hillside. Lounge by your plunge pool, then stroll to the powder-sand beach – considered one of the island’s best. Revel in days of barefoot ease, serenaded by tropical birdsong and scented by cinnamon trees and frangipani. Recharge the spirit with storybook adventure, exploring jungle and sea. With refreshing warmth and devoted attention, Four Seasons awakens the joy of fresh discovery.

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.

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