Destination weddings: Couples put a new spin on honeymoon travel

Destination weddings have grown in popularity with area couples. Linda VanBeek, owner of A-1 Global Travel and Cruise in Iron Mountain, displays a new brochure. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photos)

IRON MOUNTAIN — Destination weddings — in which the couple travels to a location where they can combine taking vows with the honeymoon — have become increasingly popular with local couples, area trip advisors say.

Such trips can offer numerous advantages, with budget being high on the list, they said.

“With costs increasing in the U.S. for extravagant weddings and large receptions, they are looking for alternatives,” said Dawn Griggs, consultant with Sunshine Travel and Tours in Iron Mountain. “There definitely has been a huge rise in destination weddings.”

The national average cost of a wedding day in 2016 was $35,329, according to a survey by The Knot, an online wedding planning site.

Suitable venues close to home can be limited as well, especially during the more desirable months. Some sites may be locked up years in advance.

Dawn Griggs, consultant with Sunshine Travel and Tours in Iron Mountain, works on planning an upcoming destination wedding for a couple.

“There is only so many facilities locally you can book and they fill up fast,” Griggs explained.

But destination weddings can be a more affordable option because they tend to be smaller and more intimate, said Linda VanBeek, owner of A-1 Global Travel and Cruise in Iron Mountain.

Planning a destination wedding, however, does offer some challenges of its own. With prime sites around the globe, the hardest decision can be picking the place.

Local consultants say its very important individuals work with a local travel agent in the research and selection process.

“A large percentage of bridal couples don’t know what they are looking for when coming in for the first time, so it’s important we work with them,” VanBeek advised.

Griggs agreed. “Reaching out for help is the key.”

They find the majority of couples gravitate to some place warm and tropical, usually during the winter months here.

Popular resorts VanBeek recently booked for destination weddings include Punta Cana in Dominican Republic and Mexico’s Riviera Maya and Puerto Vallarta.

“These resorts are beautiful and wedding coordinators (there) begin working with the couples as soon as they book with them,” VanBeek said.

“Another nice option is Hawaii,” VanBeek added. “Couples love it there.”

The wedding itself can be customized for every couple’s tastes. They can choose from a simple beach ceremony with just parents or a couple of close friends to an elaborate ceremony with a reception for 40 or more guests.

Griggs said Jamaica is the most popular location she books.

“Jamaica is one of the easiest places to get married because there isn’t a change of language,” she said. “The coordinators are super-easy to work with and very laid back.”

As in planning a traditional wedding, it’s recommended the process at least six to seven months in advance.

Another benefit in working with a travel agent is they can explain all the requirements and preparations needed if traveling outside the U.S., such as how long the couple must be in the country before they can be married, any vaccinations needed and other details that might otherwise be overlooked.

For example, about 98 percent of weddings done in Mexico are only symbolic, they said. Couples first will get legally married in the United States, then have a second ceremony in Mexico, they explained.

Booking through a travel agency doesn’t just reduce the stress of planning such a trip but can offer some additional perks.

“We will assure you stay within your budget, and in many cases a number of the resorts present the bridal couple with complimentary weddings or rooms depending on the guests they have traveling with them,” VanBeek said.

Destination options doesn’t mean you have to leave the continental U.S., either. Las Vegas remains popular and offers “endless ways and locations on ceremonies,” Griggs said. “You can even get married sky diving.”

An unusual wedding VanBeek recently coordinated was a couple who had the ceremony, with wedding party, on a chartered aircraft.

“We arranged the whole thing for them,” she said.

In all, a destination wedding can be a great alternative that doesn’t break the bank, Griggs said. Options abound for couples seeking something different, they said.

Griggs believes couples, too, are changing how they view and plan weddings, wanting to make them unique and memorable.

A destination wedding often is not just attractive for the couple but also any parents, family and friends who get an excuse for a vacation.

“I have only heard great things,” VanBeek said, “from anyone who has done a destination wedding.”

Terri Castelaz can be reached at 906-774-2772 ext. 39 or tcastelaz@ironmountaindailynews.com