Why You Shouldn’t Do a Destination Wedding

It’s a lovely thought: Have 50 of your closest friends and relatives meet you in an exotic locale so they can witness the biggest day of your life. After all, there’s just something special about having those you love around you to witness the big occasion. There’s something even more memorable about tying the knot in a beautiful location far from home.

Just picture yourself saying “I do” in a picturesque European town or on a beach in the middle of the Caribbean. Once the ceremony is over, you can enjoy the fun, adventure and romantic scenery of your destination of choice – just you, your sweetheart … and those 50 guests.

If that’s not enough of a mental picture to help you see why destination weddings just aren’t for everyone, there’s more. While a destination wedding can be a beautiful experience, the fact is this often immense undertaking just doesn’t fit the needs of many brides and grooms.

Should you and your sweetheart be considering a destination wedding followed by a honeymoon in that location, take pause. Consider these things:

• You will have to give up a lot of control – Want to plan out every single little detail for your big day? If you do, a destination wedding just might not be in the cards for you. In order to plan things out miles from home and even across a sea, you’ll have to give up some control. The reality is destination wedding coordinators as some of the world’s best resorts take time to reply. They just won’t be available to cater to your every need.
• You could lose the privacy you want for your honeymoon – Chances are if you’re spending a lot of money on the wedding and getting to the destination that you’ll have to honeymoon on site. Guess what? Your guests will probably stay, too. This means that quiet, alone time many couples enjoy on their honeymoons just might not be in the cards for you.
• You may have to shrink your guest list – The fact of the matter is not everyone can afford to attend a destination wedding. If you have your heart set on your best friends, closest relatives and Great Aunt Sue showing up for a European jaunt, you might be greatly disappointed.

While destination weddings can be amazing, many couples find they’re more trouble than they’re worth. If you’re considering this route, take a step back. Talk with our wedding travel experts, consult your soon-to-be-spouse and make sure this option really fits your needs before you dive in. After all, you can still have your cake and eat it too by getting married a little closer to home and enjoying a honeymoon in whatever destination sounds like paradise to you!

If you’re on the hunt for a great place to celebrate a special anniversary, go off the beaten path a bit and visit Scottsdale, Arizona. Here you will find the Hotel Valley Ho. This destination will cover all the bases so you and your honey can celebrate in style without a worry in the world.

While the Hotel Valley Ho is a sprawling resort, couples on their anniversary will find this desert retreat offers them plenty of privacy for a romantic getaway. Guests that stay in the hotel’s Tower Suites will find they are treated to their own private sanctuaries.

Wondering why the desert is just a great place to visit for an anniversary trip? Here are just few reasons why this destination is suitable for even the most discriminating of couples:

• The rooms – The Hotel Valley Ho is famed for its highly modern, yet distinctly romantic rooms. The suites are self-contained so guests don’t have to leave their sanctuaries for anything unless they want to.
• The service – Hotel Valley Ho is famed the world over for its impeccable service. From its personal shoppers that will stock suite kitchens before your arrival to the on-site concierge service that will ensure your stay is memorable, you don’t have to worry about being pampered when you select this destination for your anniversary trip.
• The spa- The hotel has its own on-site spa that you can enjoy. You can pamper yourself and your sweetheart with an entire day at this famed spa and delight as your stress and tensions melt away.
• The food – If you don’t want to cook in your own private suite, you don’t have to worry about it! The hotel has its own restaurant and romantic, in-room dining is always an option courtesy of room service.
• The nearby attractions – If you want to get out and explore, you’ll find the famed golfing destination, desert attractions and much more all within reach of the Hotel Valley Ho. If you want to book something special during your stay, just check with the concierge service for assistance.

If you want an anniversary destination you’ll never forget, think Scottsdale. This desert attraction is famed for its beautiful landscapes, outstanding golf and the Hotel Valley Ho. Select this resort and you’ll discover what it’s like to be pampered in style.

Elopement: A Very Attractive Option

Ah, weddings.  Most of us have dreamed about them at least once or twice in our lives and some of us spend most of our adolescent years planning in our minds about that perfect day.  Yes, boys do it too!  Not all of us get terribly excited about planning big weddings, though.  As magical and memorable as they may be, many people actually think they are stressful and expensive.

Eloping with your sweetheart can be a very attractive option.  Some couples do this so that they can spend their money on an amazing honeymoon.  Some do it because of personal troubles with their families or because the moment is right…right now!  Eloping is just as romantic and special as a huge wedding.  After all, the wedding isn’t about friends or family (as much as sharing the joy with them is wonderful).  It’s about you and your prince or princess.  And for some, the perfect wedding is a private, quiet affair.

Just because you and your soon to be spouse prefer a quiet, private wedding doesn’t mean it can’t be amazing. Eloping isn’t just about “running off”.  It’s an adventure all its own.  A major advantage to eloping is the opportunity to combine it with a honeymoon and do things for your wedding you wouldn’t necessarily want to do in front of 200 people.  Some of the amazing things you can do for weddings tend to get extremely expensive when you start talking about family and friends joining in.  Some of the most creative weddings have involved things like, scuba gear and an underwater priest, secluded beach weddings at sunset, or even taking a tour around Europe and stopping in Spain to have a ceremony for two in an elaborate, picturesque cathedral.  Eloping opens up opportunities for you and you and your fiancé to get creative.

One thing that is important to bear in mind when planning to elope is how your family feels about it.  For many people, the tradition of witnessing the vows between the couple is a vital part of the wedding and is what makes it valid to them.  Discussing your plans to elope beforehand can go a long way to soothing hurt feelings and keep stress low.  Try to impress upon your loved ones that your decision to elope isn’t because of them but because it’s what the two of you really want.  Planning a celebratory ceremony afterwards might be worth considering.  Skip the wedding and throw a party!

Whatever you choose to do, remember that your wedding is a very special occasion and no matter what, don’t settle for anything less than what you want, how you want it. At Bliss Honeymoons we can help you put together the perfect elopement package today!

A couple of times a week we’ll get a phone call or an email from someone who is just looking for a price on a honeymoon or wedding package. Some have seen a place online that they think looks nice, others may have heard about a place that a friend or family member enjoyed.

Your honeymoon is one of the most important trips you’ll ever take. But all too often we see couples focusing on finding a good deal on a honeymoon without really taking into consideration if that resort or destination is  really a good fit for them.

There are a million intangibles to consider when planning a trip. What kind of people does this resort attract? Will there be other honeymoon & destination wedding couples there, or will there be a million screaming kids in the pool? What is the food like? If you’re a vegetarian or have special dietary needs, can they assist you, or will you spend the whole week living on chicken nuggets and Jell-o Jigglers? Which rooms offer the kind of privacy and amenities that you’re looking for? Does it really look as good in person as it does online?

Just as each couple is unique, each destination offers it’s own culture and lifestyle. Here at Bliss Honeymoons, we travel several times of year to check out the resorts that we recommend, and are able to match our clients with the right destination for them, based on factors that go far beyond the price tag. How? Well because unlike an online site that is happy to relieve you of your hard earned money without knowing the first thing about you, we take the time to get to know our clients before we start making recommendations. The results? You’ll wind up with a honeymoon or anniversary package that you’re thrilled with, rather than a pile of regret.

If you were lucky enough to find something big and sparkly under the tree this year, it’s likely that you’ll be planning to attend a bridal show within the next few months. A bridal show can be an overwhelming experience. Here’s some of our top tips to help make your bridal show experience an enjoyable one.

Create a wedding email: many brides are completely unprepared for the barrage of emails and phone calls they will get following a bridal show. And sadly, some wedding vendors don’t know the difference between marketing and stalking. So to help maintain your sanity, create an email just for wedding related correspondense, such as lauraandbobswedding@. Then you can simply close this account once your wedding date has passed. Because there’s no way that you can possibly make it to each and every booth at a show, it’s important to note that each vendor at the show is given a list of every bride that registers for the show, whether you personally visit their booth or not. And if you don’t want any calls from vendors, don’t list your number at registration time. You can then select which vendors you want to be able to call you.

Print some address labels: Almost every booth at the show will have some kind of give-away that you can register for. Printing up a sheet of return address labels with your email address and wedding date will save you from a serious case of writer’s cramp.

Bring a camera: you’ll see amazing cakes and wedding dresses at a show. Taking a photo will help you remember what items you wanted to learn more about.

Bring a friend: Bring a trusted friend along to help you determine which vendors may be a good fit for you, and to help you carry all that bridal show loot!

Beware the free honeymoon: Following a bridal show you may find yourself being bombarded with phone calls from someone claiming that you’ve won a free honeymoon, and all you have to do is come in and watch a presentation to get the certificate-no strings attached. This will likely come from some sort of cookware or timeshare company. Run as fast as you can in the other direction.

Download our checklist:Each vendor will likely hand you a business card, brochure, or both! Trying to remember which vendors impressed you the most can be next to impossible. So download our handy bridal show checklist to help you remember which vendors you would like to follow up with after the show.

You’ll find Bliss Honeymoons at bridal shows in Ohio, Michigan, California, and New Jersey. Be sure to check our events calendar for a bridal show in your area.

Have fun at the show!

You’re supposed to enjoy your honeymoon-not stress over it. So why do you feel so overwhelmed? What you need is a good plan, a few expert tips, and perhaps the guidance of a professional honeymoon planner.

Here are 7 tips from the pros here at Bliss Honeymoons to de-stress your honeymoon planning.

Choose a destination that suites your “couples personality”

You love to hike and be outdoors and he would rather nap under a beach cabana, but you both love food. Focus on what you both love-look for all inclusive honeymoon packages with five star dining-chances are you can find amazing food at a resort with a tropical location for him and lots of outdoor excursions for you. When you find your common ground you can define your “couples personality” and knowing that will make all the difference when deciding on your destination.

Decide what your budget is and stick to it

You may have already decided your honeymoon budget during your wedding planning. But if not, now is the time to have this discussion. Look at your frequent flyer miles, or ask family to donate theirs as a wedding gift. You can even utilize our honeymoon registry to get help with the cost.  Whatever you decide, when you land on a number make sure you’re committed to it. The last thing you want is to be thinking about credit card debt while you’re on your honeymoon.

Finding a good honeymoon planner can help keep your cost down and they can even end up paying for their fees in the savings they can get you from unpublished airfares and long-standing relationships with resorts and hotels.

Figure out how long you can stay and when you want to go

Maybe you know you want to take a tropical cruise but your wedding date is smack in the middle of hurricane season. Or, maybe you want a five-day honeymoon package but you can’t find one online for the resort you want. Decide when your want to take your honeymoon and how long you want to be away, then talk to a honeymoon planner to see what the seasonal deals are and if you can book a custom designed package for the exact days you want to travel. Flight itineraries and seasonal deals can be tricky to coordinate, but a professional will know what flights to take and what locations are offering the best deals during every season.

Get your travel documents in order

If you’re planning an exotic honeymoon you need to know exactly what travel documents, visas and passports are needed and how long it will take to acquire all necessary paperwork before you book your trip.

Find your professional honeymoon planner

You may be a do-it-yourself guru, but some things are best handled by a professional. A professional honeymoon planner knows the resorts, because they stay there. Planners know how to create the most efficient flight itineraries and have access to unpublished flight deals you can’t find on the Internet. Maybe most importantly, honeymoon planners can guarantee a stress-free honeymoon-they deal with problems before, during and after your trip so you don’t have to.

Make sure to stay healthy before your trip…and during your stay

First, check with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before your tip. It’s important to check the traveler’s vaccination requirements for travel to certain locations. The CDC Web site also has water-quality lists for all destinations that pose a water quality threat. Your professional honeymoon planner will provide all this information for you as well as information on your specific resort or hotels water filtration system.

Follow your packing checklist

Layout both his and hers clothing and bathroom items before your trip and take an inventory. This inventory will act as your packing checklist. Don’t forget basic medical needs; such as Band Aids, sun screen and sun burn relief gel, anti-bacterial gel, and anti-diarrhea pills. Make sure all prescriptions are filled before leaving for your trip.

Know that you have the pros tips for a stress-free honeymoon learn how to register for your honeymoon.

Still not sure where you want to go? Check out our Top 5 Sexiest Honeymoon Locations.