Destination Wedding!

November 16, 2007 12:18 PM

Can someone suggest a nice, funky location for a destination wedding?

Our resources are limited, and we've (painfully) shaved our guest list down to about 70-80. I trust the collective judgement of Ask Mefi users waaay more than the mixed results my Googling has turned up. We just don't want something that feels like a wedding factory.

posted by ghastlyfop to travel & transportation (29 comments total)

Zijuatenejo & Ixtapa was great for a wedding we went to last year. Flights were affordable, hotels were reasonable and available and the weather and scenery was great.

I guess it all depends on budget, what you are picking up for the guests @ the destination and what the guests are picking up.

We did ours in Sonoma county (California) at a farm, which I guess could be a destination for you, it wasn't at all factory like but it was very nice.
posted by iamabot at 12:34 PM on November 16, 2007

Ohh, you could also do Thailand although the flights are expensive, the scenery, especially in Chiang Mai is out of this world. Beware, it's hotter than you would believe there.
posted by iamabot at 12:35 PM on November 16, 2007

Key West? Austin? San Miguel de Allende?
posted by Amizu at 12:36 PM on November 16, 2007

We had ours in Costa Rica and it was lovely, and totally not wedding factory-ish. Once you get out of San Jose, the countryside and the people are wonderful.
posted by Addlepated at 12:41 PM on November 16, 2007

Dominica? Montserrat? Merida, Mexico?

Outside the Caribbean, and a little easier to get to, perhaps somewhere like a national park in wintertime?

And also: lol.
posted by mdonley at 12:49 PM on November 16, 2007

Time of year?
Any geographic constraints or preferences?
posted by beagle at 12:53 PM on November 16, 2007

i went to an august wedding in aspen that was lovely, and didn't feel like i was at a wedding warehouse in new jersey. aspen's a little hard to get to, though--a lot of us had to fly into denver and drive 5 hours because it was too expensive to fly directly into aspen.
posted by thinkingwoman at 1:06 PM on November 16, 2007

We're thinking September or Octoberish. And not much in the way of geographical preferences, but our budget probably won't allow for extensive travel.
posted by ghastlyfop at 1:09 PM on November 16, 2007

We're in the Northeast USA.
posted by ghastlyfop at 1:09 PM on November 16, 2007

Maine?
posted by chickaboo at 1:16 PM on November 16, 2007

isla mujeres. cheap plane tickets & hotels.

rent a summer camp in the catskills for the weekend.
posted by luriete at 1:18 PM on November 16, 2007

Maine is gorgeous that time of year.
posted by Floydd at 1:21 PM on November 16, 2007

I know this isn't answering the question, but you're planning to invite 70 people to a *destination* wedding? Unless most of them would already have had to travel to get to your wedding if it was in one or both of your hometowns, 70 people will not shell out for a trip to a destination wedding. That might help your price range a little if you calculate that you're probably only going to be paying for close family and very, very close friends.
posted by jacquilynne at 1:29 PM on November 16, 2007 [1 favorite]

Cadillac Mountain in Acadia, 'round sunrise.
posted by cocoagirl at 1:44 PM on November 16, 2007

70 people is probably over the capacity of the entire resort, but Matangi Island in Fiji is awesome and one of the 1000 places to see before you die. Some of the "rooms" are actually treehouses. They have wedding packages.

Mrs Butch and I honeymooned there and loved it. It's super mellow, and far off the beaten path. Extra points if you scuba.

English is spoken by everyone, and, interestingly, all the guests at the time were American.
posted by chocolate_butch at 1:52 PM on November 16, 2007

Block Island. Nantucket. Martha's Vineyard (October is off-season and so you'd just have the year-rounders. And it's still lovely). Somewhere near the Cape National Seashore.

Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are lovely during fall for the foliage. If you're pretty open-minded, you can find a whole lot of really great places and save a lot of money.
posted by buka at 2:01 PM on November 16, 2007

Given the way that the US dollar is tanking against almost every other currency in the world, if your resources are limited I'd advise you to stay in the US.
posted by Hogshead at 2:30 PM on November 16, 2007

Funky and nice is a perfect description of Vieques, off the northwestern coast of Puerto Rico, and a quick hop from San Juan Airport. Rent motorbikes, ride horses on beautiful beaches, swim in a bioluminescent bay, all easily accessible on this lush little island, which is largely unspoiled due to US Naval presence until a few years ago.
posted by rob511 at 2:35 PM on November 16, 2007

I'm from Austin, but I will go ahead and say that the idea of Austin as a wedding destination is a bit lackluster. It's pretty here, but not fly 70 people down here pretty. I'd say the other 2 suggestions in that comment of Key West and San Miguel would be nice.
posted by fructose at 2:38 PM on November 16, 2007

I just went to (actually officiated at, but don't tell the government) a destination wedding on Caye Caulker in Belize. It was surprisingly cheap and easy to get to from the West Coast of the US, and it's even more so from the east coast.

It's funky, attractive, the and the weather is nice. It's tourist-friendly without catering to the cruise ship crowd, and everyone who went to the wedding felt comfortable and had a great time, from the younger, more adventurous crowd, to the older generation. This is due in no small part to the fact that, despite being a very foreign country, the language is English, and the Belizean dollar is pegged 2-1 to the US dollar.

There's snorkeling and scuba diving, fishing, and much more.

(I stayed here, and it was great.)

I recommend it highly.
posted by dersins at 2:46 PM on November 16, 2007

I strongly second rob511's suggestion of Vieques. I went to a wedding there 2 years ago and it was phenomenal. It was wonderfully uncrowded and untouristed, affordable, and fun. We stayed at the Hix Island House, which is where the wedding was held. It's also quite a sight.
posted by scblackman at 3:01 PM on November 16, 2007

isla mujeres. cheap plane tickets & hotels.
posted by luriete

Wow- surprised someone else posted this, was coming here to suggest this myself. A small island that used to be a fishing village about 30 minutes ferry ride away from Cancun, but should have enough in the way of lodging on the island itself. Very picturesque and still somewhat inexpensive (at least it was 2 years ago).
posted by Challahtronix at 3:21 PM on November 16, 2007

Very much like Vieques is Culebra. Easy to get to, cheap, beautiful. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culebra,_Puerto_Rico
posted by xammerboy at 3:49 PM on November 16, 2007

Martha's Vineyard has already been mentioned and is a really lovely idea.

Another idea would be to consider Foxwoods Resort and Casino in CT.

Plenty of lodging, beautiful area in the fall, plenty of things to see and do.

Dave
posted by ChainzOnline at 3:50 PM on November 16, 2007

Cape Cod is wonderful in September, the crowds are gone but the water is still warm especially on the bay side. And Provincetown is so much damned fun. Have Clem and Ursies cater your food (if they do that).
posted by LarryC at 5:22 PM on November 16, 2007

Vermont.
Have your wedding and house the wedding party at Naulakha, Rudyard Kipling's home in Brattleboro. The guests can stay at various B&Bs and hotels in the area. Plenty funky.
posted by beagle at 5:23 PM on November 16, 2007

We had a great time in Key West at a wedding, and it's very casual and low-key. Maybe a little costly to get to, but inexpensive once you're there.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 5:24 PM on November 16, 2007

We got married in Nipton,CA and it kicked ass!

Definitely not a luxury resort, but how often can you essentially have the run of a town.
posted by a22lamia at 6:23 PM on November 16, 2007

I'm not sure if it passes the "funk" test, but a friend of mine was absolutely sold on her wedding at Disney World. And they have packages that take into account your budget, guest list, and tolerance for Disneyana.
posted by nax at 6:14 PM on November 17, 2007