Ways to Save on Destination Wedding Accommodations

There are many ways that you, and your wedding guests, can save on destination wedding accommodations. If you choose to have your wedding in the “off season” (a less popular time of year to travel to your destination), you can often save almost half of the cost of full rates. Booking large amounts of rooms at the same time can also save you money - you or your wedding planner can negotiate a group rate for your accommodations, making the cost per room less for your guests. Another way to lower your accommodation costs is to have wedding guests stay at a cheaper (but still nice) hotel or resort that's nearby. If you want to stay at the four star resort you're holding your wedding at, you can choose to have your wedding guests stay at the two or three star hotel next door. It's also nice to give your guests a choice of rooms; that way, they can decide how much they want to pay for their accommodations. Remember, your destination wedding is a vacation for them as well!

Choosing a Destination Wedding Coordinator

If you decide that using a destination wedding coordinator is the right idea for you, there are some easy ways to find a coordinator that you will feel comfortable with. One of the first things you can do is ask around. If you know other couples who got married at your destination, or if you find someone on-line who did, ask which coordinator they used. Another way to get a wedding coordinator referral is through a destination wedding planner/travel agent. These sites help to book travel plans and stays at your destination, and they can also put you in contact with wedding planners in your area. For example, if you're planning a Costa Rica wedding, a travel company specializing in destination weddings can help you to book your trip as well as find a wedding planner in Costa Rica. A third way to find a wedding planner for your destination is to look at bridal planner associations, and get referrals that way. A good one to use is the Association for Wedding Professionals International (http://www.afwpi.com/).

Ways to Have a Celebrity Wedding With a Low Budget

Although many brides and grooms would love to have the kind of extravaganza that celebrities can afford for their weddings, few couples can match that kind of expense account. To recreate the celebrity wedding feel, you can emulate their ceremonies and style for a cheaper price. Window shop for your celebrity wedding gown on different sites such as the Knot and then find a similar one by a lower-end designer. Often, you can get a gown that's close to looking like the real thing for less than a tenth of the price. You can look at pictures of celebrity wedding cakes, and then ask your local baker for a quote on how much it would cost to recreate it (using different ingredients and less embellishments can lower the price).

Destination Weddings in the Bahamas

The islands of the Bahamas are known for their exotic beauty and unique culture. These attributes can definitely carry over to your wedding and give you many lasting memories. Planning a Bahamas wedding starts with a residency requirement of one day; you can't get married in the Bahamas on the same day you arrive. Legally, you must also provide photo ID, sign a declaration with the US Consul at the American Embassy, and provide documentation of when you arrived in the Bahamas. The Bahamas actually has its own state-run complimentary Weddings and Honeymoon Unit of the Ministry of Tourism, which can help you to plan your wedding here, and many resorts also provide help with planning.

Booking a Location for a Destination Wedding

When booking a location for your destination wedding, there are many things you must consider. If you're planning to have a wedding at a resort, make sure that you find out whether or not the ceremony is included in your resort stay, where you can get married on the resort, and who can attend (if children are welcome). If you're planning on a different sort of location, such as a hotel or a chapel, make sure you contact the site to find out particulars such as the size of the location (how many guests can be present) and the facilities available. Find out about details such as décor, catering (in-house, or can you use your own), and even seemingly obvious things such as parking. It may be a bit harder to judge whether your chosen location is perfect from long distance, so it can help to have a “local” in the area scout the sites for you, or better yet, hire a local wedding planner.

Celebrity Wedding Dresses for Less

One of the ways that any bride can emulate a celebrity wedding is by copying a celebrity wedding dress. Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier and other bridal designers to the stars create beautiful dresses, but their price tags can reach tens of thousands of dollars. One way to purchase celebrity wedding dresses on a budget is to buy copies - often if a dress is very popular, moderately priced designers will copy it for sale to the general public. Or you can take a picture of the dress you want to a seamstress to have it copied for you, at a great discount. Another way is to buy a used wedding dress in a boutique or online. If wearing a dress that someone else already wore isn't your idea of the perfect gown, you can also brave Filene's Basement's annual wedding gown sale, where designer dresses that normally sell for up to $8000 are marked down to prices between $249 and $500.