The average wedding costs $36,000 to host 127 guests, according to Wedding Wire. Many couples are deciding that downsizing the wedding list and adding in an exotic location can cost less and provide for more enjoyment and memories. Many resorts and cruise lines offer cost-effective wedding packages to entice couples in love with add-ons like pre-wedding site visits and honeymoons.
At the luxury all-inclusive Sandals (for adults-only) and Beaches (for family) Resorts located in Jamaica, the Bahamas, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados, Turks and Caicos and Antigua, a basic wedding package is free with a paid stay of three nights or longer. With the Beautiful Beginnings package, you get flowers, a wedding table for eight, and a white wedding cake. Plus, you can customize your wedding from there, adding special touches based on your preferred flowers, wedding colors and personal style. Free wedding packages also include everything from document preparation to an on- site wedding coordinator, music, a registry website and more. You not only get your perfect wedding but these resorts feature unlimited gourmet dining, unique bars serving premium spirits and wines, land and water sports, including complimentary green fees at their golf resorts and PADI certified scuba dining at most resorts. A room at these incredible resorts start at $171 per person per night.
Since only 36 percent of Americans have passports, these exotic destination weddings may be too limiting for some. To get your wedding in paradise and please more people, cruise weddings are a great option. You don’t need to have a passport when you leave and return to a U.S. port, and you can get married on the ship or at port. The top three cruise lines for a premium vacation plus wedding package are Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Disney Cruise Line for their Fairy Tale Weddings. Princess offers wedding packages ranging from $3000 to $5000, and you have your choice of using the onboard chapel or being married at port, beachside, at a garden, or even on a glacier. They can even webcast your ceremony so your friends and family can watch from home. Celebrity Cruises also offers an interactive website and options including a welcome reception, tea service, cigar and whiskey party and a trash-the- dress photo shoot. Disney packages add in magical features plus offers weddings on their private island, Castaway Cay, starting at $4000.
Reserve your dream vacation by contacting Lainey Melnick, the owner of the Westlake-area branch of Dream Vacations, 855-GR8-TRIP, www.855GR8TRIP.com, lmelnick@dreamvacations.com. Lainey has been a part of the Westlake community and an Eanes ISD parent for more than 20 years. She is the recipient of the 2018 Travel Influencer Award, 2017 Club Med Top Producer, and 2017 OPAL Award for Women, and serves on the Westlake Chamber of Commerce Humanitarian Committee.