Comments on: Destination Wedding!

Question: Destination Wedding!

ghastlyfop — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:18:39 -0800

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.

By: iamabot

iamabot — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:34:14 -0800

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.

By: iamabot

iamabot — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:35:23 -0800

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.

By: Amizu

Amizu — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:36:06 -0800

Key West? Austin? San Miguel de Allende?

By: Addlepated

Addlepated — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:41:33 -0800

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.

By: mdonley

mdonley — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:49:05 -0800

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.

By: beagle

beagle — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:53:48 -0800

Time of year?
Any geographic constraints or preferences?

By: thinkingwoman

thinkingwoman — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:06:30 -0800

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.

By: ghastlyfop

ghastlyfop — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:09:16 -0800

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.

By: ghastlyfop

ghastlyfop — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:09:38 -0800

We're in the Northeast USA.

By: chickaboo

chickaboo — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:16:43 -0800

Maine?

By: luriete

luriete — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:18:57 -0800

isla mujeres. cheap plane tickets & hotels.

rent a summer camp in the catskills for the weekend.

By: Floydd

Floydd — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:21:20 -0800

Maine is gorgeous that time of year.

By: jacquilynne

jacquilynne — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:29:13 -0800

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.

By: cocoagirl

cocoagirl — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:44:19 -0800

Cadillac Mountain in Acadia, 'round sunrise.

By: chocolate_butch

chocolate_butch — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:52:16 -0800

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.

By: buka

buka — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:01:37 -0800

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.

By: Hogshead

Hogshead — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:30:15 -0800

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.

By: rob511

rob511 — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:35:20 -0800

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.

By: fructose

fructose — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:38:56 -0800

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.

By: dersins

dersins — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:46:39 -0800

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.

By: scblackman

scblackman — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:01:40 -0800

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.

By: Challahtronix

Challahtronix — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:21:26 -0800

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).

By: xammerboy

xammerboy — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:49:40 -0800

Very much like Vieques is Culebra. Easy to get to, cheap, beautiful. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culebra,_Puerto_Rico

By: ChainzOnline

ChainzOnline — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:50:45 -0800

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

By: LarryC

LarryC — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:22:35 -0800

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).

By: beagle

beagle — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:23:14 -0800

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.

By: Mr. Gunn

Mr. Gunn — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:24:24 -0800

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.

By: a22lamia

a22lamia — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:23:38 -0800

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.

By: nax

nax — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 18:14:35 -0800

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.