Making waves on your wedding day
Canadians travelling in large numbers to exchange vows on the beach in Hollywood, Fla.
There’s a reason your favourite soap operas dart off to a lavish location to shoot their most popular supercouple’s wedding.
After all, what’s more romantic than being swept away to a foreign location with the backdrop of romance and sun. (Plus, it gives you a great excuse not to invite those peripheral people you don’t want witnessing the most important day of your life!)
The good news is destination weddings are not just for the rich and famous anymore — Canadians are travelling in record numbers to say their “I dos.”
According to stats, 14 per cent of Canadian weddings are destination weddings. (From November to April, destination nuptials account for 25 per cent of legal unions.)
Of course, Canadians have never met a warm locale they didn’t like and Florida remains one of the most visited places to throw a vacation/wedding thanks to its proximity and relatively affordable prices.
One location that engaged Canadian couples love is Hollywood, Fla.’s most iconic property, The Diplomat Beach Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton, which boasts 1,000 guest rooms and suites, 10 culinary destinations, two sun-drenched pools, 26 poolside cabanas, a deluxe spa and fitness centre, and 209,000 square feet of meetings and event space.
In 1925, Seattle native Joseph Young dreamed of turning the piece of land and beach in Broward County into his own “Dream City” with man-made lakes and an Intracoastal Waterway.
By the 1950s and ’60s, Hollywood, which is the 12th-largest city in Florida, boomed when snowbirds and college students discovered it.
Temperatures in Hollywood range between 20 C and 28 C (68 F and 84 F).
Voted one of the top 10 resorts in Florida by Conde Nast Traveler Choice Awards 2018, the Diplomat is also super easy to get to.
It is spread across the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean and is only a 10-minute drive from the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. Plus, it’s sandwiched between Miami and Fort Lauderdale — the best of both worlds.
Additionally, The Diplomat — Frank Sinatra used to frequent it back in the day — boasts unforgettable restaurants that will not only fill your stomach but soul.
They even have a celebrity chef, Geoffrey Zakarian, who helms the popular restaurant Point Royal, where I feasted on lobster, crab, wine and great conversation. (Zakarian won The Next Iron Chef and is a recurring judge on Top Chef and Chopped, among other foodie shows.)
Even if you have a large destination wedding party, you won’t be without culinary options. The Diplomat boasts 10 restaurants in its complex, including the super delicious and upscale Japanese restaurant Monkitail, which was voted No. 1 Best New Restaurant of 2017 by USA Today’s reader’s choice. (Try their tasting menu to ensure you digest the whole orgasmic experience, which comes at a deal for $65 per person, from Kobe beef to their heavenly truffle shiitake mushroom to the best sashimi around.)
If you want to take a walk outside for some grub, you can jaunt across the street to the marina for a juicy indulgence at Bristol’s Burgers, as well as Portico, a beer and wine garden that will have you dancing and imbibing a bit too much. (But hey, you can still walk back to your hotel room!)
And you won’t be without partying options: There are even private karaoke rooms at Nokku Lounge where you can be bad before the big day.
Senior director of PR & Marketing Amanda Harris said, “We’re bringing back iconic hospitality in a modern-day hotel hub. And people have responded overwhelmingly positively. The Diplomat is the perfect place to have your bachelor and bachelorette parties; pre-wedding and/or rehearsal dinners; and of course, the wedding ceremony and reception, thanks to the eclectic restaurants inside the hotel.
“Our critically acclaimed spa and gyms will also help you and your guests look wedding-carpet-ready for the big day. The best part? You don’t have to leave the hotel. And we cater the menus and activities to the specific couple. We can pretty much accommodate everything.”