Around one-third of couples who get engaged every year do so during the holiday season. Now that it’s a new year, it’s time to start planning those weddings! Many couples look forward to exchanging their vows and becoming man and wife in exotic and exciting places around the world. These following places are popular for destination weddings, and they can help you create the most special memories for your big day. Which one will you choose?
1. BAHAMAS
This archipelago of around 2,000 islands is actually located to the tip of Southern Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. Sailors, swimmers, beach bums and divers are all welcome here to spend time on the beach and in the water. Bahamas is good for couples who want an easily accessible and English-speaking destination wedding. Activities in the Bahamas range from dolphin watching to fishing to kayaking, kiteboarding and waverunning. A good place to get married is the One&Only Ocean Club on New Providence island, with its terraced gardens inspired by Versailles–perfect for a sophisticated beach wedding.
2. KAUAI
If you and your loved one are looking for an exotic tropical wedding destination, but you don’t want to leave the U.S., Kauai is your destination. This Garden Island is the oldest island in the Hawaiian chain. Check out the Waimea Canyon and amazing waterfalls as well as the laid-back and pristine beaches. A good place to get married here would be the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa on Keoneloa Bay, which offers a robust wedding program and beautiful grounds for a wedding and reception with your family and friends.
3. JAMAICA
Sandals’ Beautiful Beginnings wedding package will help you with all your planning here in Jamaica! Sandals is the granddaddy among destination wedding providers and offers its popular Weddingmoons program at all of its resorts on Jamaica and across the Caribbean. If you stay six nights or longer at the resort, the wedding package is complimentary. If that’s not enough to convince you, just picture yourself laying on miles of gold-sand beaches overlooking mountains covered with beautiful foliage.
4. ITALY
Try and name a more romantic place to get married in than Europe. It’s not possible! From its historic cities to getaways like Lake Como and the amazing Isle of Capri, there are thousands of unique and wonderful places across Italy to host an unforgettable Mediterranean destination wedding. Check out Rome for ancient ruins like the Colosseum, or check out Florence, which is home to the magnificent Uffizi Gallery with works of art by Michelangelo, da Vinci, and so much more. Or maybe you’re more of a Venice couple, with amazing architecture and beautiful gondola rides all around the city. Whatever city you’re into, Italy is a great place to exchange vows in the most romantic Mediterranean setting.
5. COSTA RICA
Imagine this: spending your special day surrounded by your family and friends on a soft, white-sand beach. Perfect, right? Or how about hiking through a rain forest with your wedding guests while taking in all of the wildlife? Costa Rica offers many different land and sea activities that can make your destination wedding unique and memorable. Check out the Four Seasons Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo. Wedding planners can show you sites from the beach, lawn, or golf course to the indoor/outdoor El Armadillo place that looks like the shell of an armadillo!