Say ‘I do’ to a postcard-perfect setting for your wedding
Planning a wedding requires patience and imagination, and then there’s the time and skill needed to plan just the right honeymoon. Wouldn’t it be easier to just do the fun part, such as simply figuring out the getaway element?
Um, yes. That’s why destination weddings have become nearly as popular as matrimony itself, with a growth in the “weddingmoon” trend of something like 400 percent in the last two years.
And why not? Getting hitched on the honeymoon makes perfect sense — the spectacular setting is provided, and there’s an expert at your destination to mind all those niggling nuptial details.
All you have to do is show up with your intended, your clothes and your guests. The rest is handled for you, and happily ever after can commence immediately.
Here are five beautiful places to say “I do” and have fun all at once.
Clearwater Beach, Fla.
Where: Sandpearl Resort Romance quotient: The first new resort built on Clearwater Beach in a quarter-century, this eco-friendly retreat offers healthful food and numerous nature-oriented programs. Book one of the suites, with private balconies overlooking a picture-perfect beachfront, full kitchen and fabulous jet tubs.
Saying “I do”: The wedding event staff will put together all the plans, including flowers, live music, beautiful cakes, photography, menus and wedding party luncheons, dinners, spa visits and golf excursions. You can incorporate a beach brunch or a formal dinner dance into your wedding, too.
The honeymoon: You can book yourself into the spa for a day or two, then venture out for kayaking, a moonlight nature walk or a deep-sea fishing trip.
Details: Fly to the Tampa airport, about 22 miles from the resort, or the St. Petersburg airport, 25 miles from the resort. Suites start at $299 per night, double occupancy, and wedding packages are $1,000 to $30,000. www.sandpearl.com.
On the Gulf Coast west of Tampa, Fla., Sandpearl is the first resort built at Clearwater Beach in the last 25 years.
Florence, Italy
Where: Villa Olmi
Romance quotient: You can’t help but melt at the sight of this 18th-century villa on a sprawling estate, where important Florentine families have lived in one country house or another since the 15th century. Frescoes and magnificent marble appointments add heady notes of elegance, and there are terribly posh suites for you and your guests in three buildings.
Saying “I do”: Weddings are celebrated in a small private chapel on the estate, where the staff handles all arrangements for lodging, food, music, video, photography, flowers and entertainment.
The honeymoon: When you’re not lounging beside the pool within the villa’s cloisters, you can take on-site cooking classes, laze around the wine bar or go sightseeing in a helicopter and hot-air balloon. The property lies just outside the ancient Florence gates, so you’re in easy reach of famous sites such as the Uffizi Gallery and Ponte Vecchio. Drives to renowned Tuscan towns such as Siena and Pisa are a snap.
Details: Villa Olmi is about 10 miles from the Florence airport. Suites start about $720, based on double occupancy. www.slh.com.
Near Florence, Italy, Villa Olmi dates to the 18th century, but the estate is actually much older.
Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
Where: Rosewood Little Dix Bay
Romance quotient:On a quiet crescent of pearly Caribbean beach, this small resort overlooks a barrier reef where you’re lulled into believing that the world is a most perfect place. And it is, there, where the ocean is always azure and gardens are forever lush and your biggest decision is whether to shower outside in your suite’s garden or take a long soak in your enormous tub.
Saying “I do”:The resort staff includes wedding specialists who will put together the whole package. You can choose from a soloist or a full band for your live music option, and you can pick an intimate torch-lit beach dinner or a big seated bash in one of the resort restaurants for the celebration.
The honeymoon:Hiking trails, tennis courts, guided snorkeling tours and sailboats and kayaks are right on the property, or you can venture nearby to boulder-strewn beaches for picnics. Book a fishing charter, glass-bottom boat tour or sunset cocktail cruise, or simply while the day away in the resort’s spa.
Details: Fly to Tortola, British Virgin Islands, and take a 20-minute boat ride to Virgin Gorda. Suite rates start at $875 per room, double occupancy. Wedding packages start at $1,400. www.littledixbay.com.
Colorful gardens and white-sand beaches create a perfect Caribbean backdrop for wedding ceremonies at Rosewood Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands.
Christchurch,New Zealand
Where: Otahuna Lodge.
Romance quotient: Resting at the top of a valley on New Zealand’s South Island, this location is ideal for the couple who want an intimate ceremony far, far off the beaten path. The seven-room lodge, built in 1895, is thought to be one of the purest examples of Queen Anne architecture in that part of the world. Within the country estate, five suites and two master suites showcase local wood in carved nooks, elaborately designed fireplaces and stained-glass windows. You’re pampered with custom linens, rain showerheads and separate deep baths and stunning views.
Saying “I do”: Six to eight wedding parties take over the lodge each year. You can choose from woodlands, gardens and the great lawn, leading to the lakeside, for your wedding site, and there’s a beautiful ballroom for a dinner dance, too.
The honeymoon: If you’ve come all this way, you might as well learn how to simply lounge about and enjoy the setting. The breathtaking 110-year-old gardens were designed by an architect who trained at London’s Kew Gardens, and there are quiet walks to be taken through the orchards. You can swim and play tennis, ride a horse or a bicycle, but the favorite afternoon activity is enjoying a glass of local wine while playing a little croquet. You’re only 20 minutes from Christchurch, where botanic gardens, art galleries, river boat rides and bistros await.
Details: Flights to Christchurch often connect through Auckland. Suites start about $378 per person and include five-course dinner with wine pairings, pre-dinner cocktails and breakfast. www.otahuna.co.nz.
The seven-room Otahuna Lodge in Christchurch, New Zealand, is acclaimed as one of the best examples of Queen Anne architecture in that part of the world. It was built in 1895.
Big Island, Hawaii
Where: Four Seasons Hualalai at Historic Ka’upulehu
Romance quotient: Few places, if any, are more spectacular to behold than the Kona-Kohala Coast of the Big Island. The resort is exclusive, secluded and oozes luxury, with dining on a palm-shaded veranda overlooking the ocean and bungalow suites with lanais, rock gardens and lava rock showers.
Saying “I do”: A wedding expert works with you to coordinate everything from food and beverages to menus, table linens, photographs, marriage license, cake, flowers, table décor, pre-ceremony spa treatments and pressing or steaming of your wedding clothes. The resort’s cultural center manager is ordained by Universal Ministries to perform weddings, and new ceremony options include weaving in Hawaiian symbolism, including the use of Hawaiian salt for cleansing/blessings and coconut water for its purity, with an old Hawaiian chant that speaks to relationships.
The honeymoon: You name it — you have an on-site sports club and spa and a private Jack Nicklaus signature golf course at the ready, and you can book excursions such as whale-watching boat trips, horseback riding on the historic Parker Ranch and trips to the volcanoes and to stargaze high above the clouds.
Details: The resort is 10 miles from the Kona airport. Rates start about $700 per room. All-inclusive wedding packages are priced from $7,100 to $22,000. www.fourseasons.com/hualalai.
Writer June Naylor of Fort Worth, Texas, was married on a mountaintop in West Texas and still thinks eloping is the way to go.
