WeddingCreativo

Hi Erica, There are a lot of ocean-view options you can ask locations about. I can't vouch for this place....has anyone on the boards used Fantasia in St. Thomas for a custom wedding? Perhaps just check out their website for ideas for non-beach options, which you can ask any venue you are considering. St. Thomas Weddings & Weddings in St. Thomas | Fantasia Weddings in St. Thomas US Virgin Islands

Welcome Kelly, Location, location, location.....that is always the biggest hurdle. Once you have that set, it will not necessarily get easier, but at least a major part of the anxiety will be relieved and you will be able to focus your energy on each each step along the way. Follow pbnj's advice about searching through the boards on locations that interest you. Maybe you and your FI can sit down and make a list of 10 or 5 places you BOTH have always wanted to go. Do you share any common family heritage? I recommend going where your hearts lead you....and your family and friends will follow. In general, making lists and crossing off completed tasks usually helps to reduce stress throughout the process as you get a tangible sense that plans are coming together and things are getting done. Regardless of where weddings are located, either at home or on a destination, guests are sharing a special time that is about the two of you starting your lives together. I think it is always a lot more rewarding for everyone involved when the experience includes the couple sharing things that are important to them with their loved ones. Even if the place is just somewhere that you both really have always wanted to go, without any other connection, this will be a passion that you can share with your family and friends, and that is always great. Anyway, you came to the right place. You will find tons of helpful info here and you are going to be just fine. Best wishes!

Hi Rikki, Congratulations and welcome! A lot of couples we work with usually have these factors in common that went into their decision for selecting a location: 1. Something about the place that is special for both of you....family heritage/ancestoral background or just even being a place you both always wanted to go to. 2. Sometimes it is a place where the couple have a shared experience, such as traveling together, or where they met / got engaged. 3. Couples also consider a place that will be appealing to both sides of the family, as that relates to travel coordination as well as generating excitement about the destination, in hopes that many loved ones as possible can make the trip. Where ever you two decide to go, follow your hearts! They will lead the way. Having said that, here are my current top five suggestions for un-common wedding destinations in South America. With the current exchange rates, I've been suggesting South American destinations. In most countries, the exchange rate will literally TRIPLE the worth of $US dollars: 1. Sacred Vally/Machu Picchu - Peru 2. Buenos Aires - Argentina 3. Roatan Island - Honduras 4. Valparaíso - Chile 5. Iguazu Falls - Argentina/Brazil Have fun planning!

Hi Bryan, The couple held their wedding and reception at the same location. It had a chapel attached to a large restaurant/reception hall....for lack of better word. It was unlike any restaurant or reception hall I've ever seen. It felt more like a converted mansion or possibly convent with this chapel attached to the entire complex. Tunupa Restaurant Urubamba Peru (Sacred Valley) Elevation 9415 feet! BTW.....Seattle is pretty cool too!

Welcome Courtney! Jamaica is an amazing place. Negril, Montego Bay, and Ocho Rios are all good with lots of resorts that can accommodate weddings. I also like Mandeville and Treasure Beach. After the wedding I recommend going to the Blue Mountains, which will require some extra traveling, but hiring a private driver through the hotel or resort is usually what I do when traveling...and usually is not as expensive as one might think. Whitfield Hall is a cool lodge and coffee farm (Blue Mountain coffee is considered one of the best in the world....I agree!). It is a beautiful rustic place and very close to Blue Mountain as well as the surrounding mountains. Happy planning!

Welcome Stacey! What parts of Mexico are you (or your brother) considering for the wedding?

Thank you everyone! What a nice welcome! Sarah

Here is another about misunderstood lyrics.....I don't know if anyone remembers when Eddie Murphy tried being a singer back in the late 80s, but my mother and I were driving in the car and his "hit" song came on......we were just quietly driving along while the song was playing, then my mother blurts out "why is he singing about his girlfriend using the bathroom?!?!?" She thought he was singing "my girl wants to POTTY all the time, POTTY all the time, POTTY all the time." After I explained he was saying "party" we had to pull over the car because we were laughing so hard! Sarah

Hello Shauna , I know this thread is a few months old, but maybe this information will still help, or hopefully help a future couple. A couple we worked with recently had a Catholic ceremony in Peru. They got permission from the archdiocese in Lima to have one of the priests travel to the smaller village where the wedding was taking place in a small chapel. I know the couple went through a lot of red tape, but it was possible. They did this so they could have an English speaking priest perform the ceremony...he was actually from Ireland, and was awesome! Maybe if you can find where the nearest archdiocese in the largest city or capital city serving the area where you want to get married, they can possibly help. Good luck! Sarah Toulouse (I am a vendor - photography)

Hello everyone, I'm Sarah Toulouse, and with my partner Giorgio, we operate Wedding Creativo Photography. We are based in Chicago, but we travel internationally for destination weddings, as well as serve couples in our region. Most of our destination wedding clients are from Chicago and the Midwest, who also want to maintain a closer connection to their photographer after they return back home. I am really thrilled to have found this forum and look forward to reading about everyone's exciting plans! Wedding Creativo Photography www.weddingcreativo.com Here are a couple pictures of a Peru wedding we did in June. I highly recommend Peru as a unique and beautiful place for destination weddings. Peru has a lot of diverse regions, and if you are a fan of historic places with ancient ruins, there is no better place in South America....IMO.