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Say Hello To The Weddingmoon
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 Welcome to the Weddingmoon

When my older sister decided to get married, it took her and her fiancé no time at all to plan the wedding. On Thanksgiving evening — a week after she announced her engagement — my family and I watched on an Internet live cam while she and her fiancé exchanged vows in Las Vegas. More and more people are deciding to walk down the aisle in a little Vegas chapel, alongside a tropical beach or even beneath a rainforest canopy. Welcome to the weddingmoon — where your honeymoon IS the wedding venue.


 How It Works

The best thing about a weddingmoon is that you can go anywhere at any time and bring as many or as few people as you like. Just remember that when you start looking for possible destinations, ask plenty of questions. It is important to know what kind of accommodations each place will have for the wedding couple and their guests. Find out what kind of wedding packages they offer and if they have on-site wedding coordinators. Once you have thoroughly checked out your possibilities — or you might hire someone to do all of this for you — give yourself at least three to four months to plan. Although a weddingmoon can be planned in much less time, getting the best deals for the best price is easier if planned a few months in advance.


 Guests/Cost

You can have a getaway for two or you could invite 20 of your closest family and friends — it’s completely up to you. Usually, the bride and groom will pay for the guests’ hotel rooms and food while the guests pay for airfare, attire and beauty services. This seems expensive, but remember that the average cost of a wedding is around $20,000. Oftentimes, destination weddings cost less than that because of the significant decrease in guests. Unfortunately, the cost will affect whether family and friends will be able to attend. On average, guests pay $900 to participate. However, the cost for being in a wedding is not low for most attendants; they might easily pay $500 or more by the time a traditional wedding is over.


 Things to Remember

  • Marriage license – when you decide the location, be sure to check with the local government to see what kind of rules or regulations there are for obtaining a marriage license. Some European countries require a month of residency before obtaining a marriage license while many Caribbean locations can take less than a day.

  • Marriage packages vary depending on the location, so shop around. Generally, they will include the marriage license, officiant, flowers, photo, champagne and hors d’oeuvres, wedding cake and an on-site coordinator.

  • discounted rates are often available from hotels and airlines if you have a group of 10 people or more. Call around and find out what is available.

  • Make time for each other while on your weddingmoon. You may want to schedule a few extra days either before your guests arrive or after they leave, so the two of you can have some quality alone time. A weddingmoon may be less stressful than a traditional wedding, but it is still easy to get wrapped up in your guests and lose time with each other.

  • Remember to send out wedding announcements to all of your family and friends not involved, to formally announce your marriage.

by Shanna A. Zuelch