Wedding Blog

Weighing all the options for wedding destinations can be, admittedly, enormously overwhelming.

We found that the best place to start after asking ourselves these questions was to talk to friends and family that had been to the various Caribbean destinations we wer\ sort-of considering.

This kind of candid feedback can sometimes be incredibly helpful since it’s honest and trustworthy. However, if you want some advice based on personal experience, don’t ask too many people for their opinions. Not because you don’t love them all equally (obviously you do, or want them to think so, anyway) but if you don’t, you’ll just get massively, massively confused. It’s like going into Sephora when you want to try a new brand of mascara. GAHHH! They all sound so wonderful, how do you pick just one?!

If at this point you have already found a travel agent to work with, by all means do ask for his/her thoughts…but not before you have some sort of idea of what YOU want first. Trust me, it will make it easier for both of you.
When we first started thinking of where we should go, we didn’t have a clue or what was important to us. White sands? Good food? Sports activities? Cultural excursions? Nearby towns? Golf courses for the guys? Spas for the gals?

Yes, yes, yes, and YES PLEASE (that was for the last one).

Once we really started thinking about it though, we realized that of all our priorities, one of them stood out above the rest: to have as many of our friends and family there as possible. After all, that’s what it’s all about, right? Celebrating with the people you love!

Being Canadian-based with our guests coming from opposite ends of the continent, I gave up my pipe dreams of a green bower in St. Lucia to seriously consider Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic- the three Caribbean destinations which we found to be all comparatively accessible and affordable.

For us, picking the country was I think the easiest part of this entire process.

We’ve known many people who’ve already been to Mexico and even a couple who’d gotten married there, and we didn’t want a “been there, done that” experience for our guests. Several of my family members have been to Cuba for a cousin’s wedding and we also had some people on our list who would be coming from the States, so although it was tempting, we also nixed that option. But the Dominican Republic? Hmmm…

Sure, a few of our guests had already been to the DR, but I didn’t know anyone personally, or even to the 2nd, 3rd or 4th degree, who had gotten married there. And the more we read about it, the more we became enamored with it. It’s got the gorgeous beaches, a burgeoning tourist industry which is mounting all its efforts towards growth (i.e. they aim to please!), and it’s exotic enough to be different but not too exotic that our guests wouldn’t venture out of their rooms for fear of the unknown.

Most importantly, it was a destination which would be a good meeting place for all our family and friends.

Type of wedding? CHECK.

Destination of wedding? CHECK.

Venue for said wedding? (Up next).

What was your top priority when choosing your destination location?