Say ‘I do’ with a new view
Nearly 1 in 4 couples have a destination wedding. Here are some of the hot spots where people are headed.
Amy and Christopher Gallant live in the “Wedding Capital of the World.” But for their nuptials, the couple — both of whom have East Coast roots — traded in Las Vegas for New England, opting to be married in an 18th-century church with a clock tower and belfry.
In June 2018, the two traveled to Amherst, N.H., where Amy had grown up, to be married at the church of her childhood.
“I think it was really special for us to get on a plane and say, ‘We’re going to our wedding,’ and not just drive down the Strip,” says Amy. “It was a whole week leading up to the event.”
For their destination wedding, which is generally defined as a wedding that’s held 200 or more miles from home, around 100 people attended. Guests flew in from as far away as Macau. Much of Christopher’s family traveled in from Maine, and many of Amy’s family members drove in from Boston. Dozens of friends flew in from Las Vegas and other cities where the couple has lived.
“It was so nice to have the group collide — people you’ve known for decades who’ve never met other social circles — to meet and be chatting and mingling,” Amy says.
The internet made planning easy, despite the distance. They had Skype sessions with their pastor and found the DJ and photographer online.
“I definitely don’t think we could have done that 20 years ago,” says Christopher.
In the end, the day was everything they’d hoped it would be — filled with beautiful scenery, history, nostalgia and the people they loved, all gathered in one special place.
According to a 2018 survey by the wedding planning site The Knot, nearly 1 in 4 American couples who married in 2018 — 23 percent — considered their wedding a destination wedding. The majority of those — 81 percent — were in one of the mainland states, while 19 percent ventured somewhere more farflung, either to international locations or Alaska or Hawaii. Among those who opted for a destination wedding, 15 percent also held a second celebration close to home, according to the survey.
Lauren Kay, deputy editor of The Knot, says couples often opt for destination weddings for an intimate, one-of-a-kind experience.
“I think a lot of millennials and couples getting married today are looking to do something unique,” she says. “They’re getting married at the same time as their friends and colleagues, and so they want their wedding to stand out and be special.”
When they’re deciding on a destination, Kay adds, they’re rarely throwing a dart at a map. Rather, she says, they’re searching for a place that tells a story about them as a couple — just as Christopher and Amy did.
“They’re not looking to just be different for the sake of being different,” says Kay. “They want to have some meaning behind it.”
As brides and grooms start planning their weddings, Kay shared some trends in destinations, themes and practices to look for in the year ahead.
Vineyards, Southern charm and “Vegas, baby!” will be hot.
Kay expects the following domestic destinations to be popular:
Las Vegas. It’s easy to get to, it’s a breeze to get your marriage license and there are wedding venues and packages for all tastes