Weddings and Honeymoons:
Taking those vows abroad, and perhaps the honeymoon, can be the ultimate experience – and it’s cheaper too. Rowena Marella-Daw offers some bespoke ideas
Give clients the wow factor
The romance of the American West beckons as we drive through jaw-dropping cathedrallike formations, a preview to Zion’s phenomenal landscapes spanning
229 square miles of towering buttes, slot canyons and arches.
It took over 150 million years for these swirling patterns and towering red sandstone cliffs of striated contortions to form.
At Zion Mountain Ranch in Mt Carmel, our luxury cottage backs onto a sprawling prairie populated by buffalo – a scene straight out of a Wild West flick.
Under star-filled night skies, we are able to gaze at huge nebula clusters without binoculars. All the cottages benefit from privacy, particularly the Honeymoon
Suite, which is equipped with a large whirlpool bath and a cosy fireplace.
Off-track and en route to the famous Monument Valley sits the irresistible five-star Amangiri, a retreat ensconced within Canyon Point’s moon-like terrain.
The stunning backdrop makes weddings here pretty special – if they wish couples can even opt for a unique Navajo sunrise ceremony. The resort pool is wrapped around a million-year old canyon rock, while the spa is an oasis of calm – the perfect recipe for a relaxing honeymoon.
These days adventurous couples are spoilt for choice when it comes to wedding destinations and honeymoon experiences.
They can be swept off their feet in the Maldives, spoilt rotten aboard a luxury train to Venice, or chill out on a boutique cruise along the Mediterranean. But for my husband and I, it is this road trip through Utah and Arizona that delivers the magic.
The world’s their oyster
Getting married abroad brings many benefits, with the average cost pegged at £7,500 (excluding flights) or less, compared to getting hitched in the UK which, based on a recent survey, averages between £27,000 and £34,000.
Keeping wedding and honeymoon costs low can be down to timing – off-peak season bookings can slash the price of packages, accommodation and flights. And, according to the Weddings
Abroad Guide, some of the most affordable wedding destinations are Mauritius, Malta and Sri Lanka.
Paul Britchford, Europe Product
Manager for Elegant Resorts, says:
“Most hotels that take weddings have co-ordinators who are invaluable in making the big day run smoothly. Sometimes, once booked we even put these co-ordinators in direct contact with the client, and where possible, any extras booked are then commissionable to both travel agent and operator.
“Weddings abroad seem a particularly popular option for people entering into a second marriage.”
Foodies can indulge in Spain and Peru; carefree couples can hit the road in
North America, Australia or South Africa, romantics can embark on rail journeys perusing the heights of the Andes or the Canadian Rockies, whilst wildlife lovers can fall for Africa’s luxury private reserves or Namibia’s haunting coastal landscapes. Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge chose to honeymoon in the Seychelles in 2011 and with British Airways’ new Heathrow-Seychelles route it is easier than ever tie the knot in the Indian Ocean destination.
“As more customers look to
marry overseas with a trusted company, weddings
abroad present a great opportunity for agents. Many operators and resorts have wedding
planners to provide support on topics such as legalities and organising
bespoke ceremonies”
In the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America the properties of AMResorts, which include Zoetry, Secrets, Breathless, Dreams, Now and Sunscape, offer a selection of personalised wedding and honeymoon packages. Each AMResort property offers a complimentary ‘symbolic’ wedding package for up to 10 guests.
Jamaica is one Caribbean island proving popular among British and Irish romantics: in 2016 40% more taking their nuptial vows there compared to the year before.
And then there’s Latin America. “This is a region that has something to please everyone,” contends says Graeme Bull, Product Manager at Abercrombie & Kent.
“When it comes to honeymoons you are able to create tailored experiences couples could not get elsewhere. For example, they can explore Lima’s gastronomic hotspots and discover the history of the Incas at Machu Picchu, before finishing on the Caribbean coast in the Riviera Maya.
He added: “Active couples can trek in the Andes, learn to be a Gaucho on the plains in Argentina, and search for Jaguars in the Pantanal. Latin America caters for those on a budget or those looking to splurge on their first holiday as a married couple.”
Top experiences
Luxury sailings: Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort in Mozambique has a dhow sunset cruise wedding package (bazaruto.anantara.com).
The Ponant (en.ponant. com) and Windstar
(windstarcruises.com) are perfect for intimate, superyacht-style honeymoon cruises. Romance by
rail: Slow travel by luxury rail the civilised way to watch the world go by. Belmond’s legendary Venice Simplon-Orient Express travelsfrom London to Paris, Venice, Verona and Budapest, while Rovos Rail
(rovos.com) offers exciting rail adventures between Cape Town and Victoria Falls.
Roadtrips: A tailor-made fly-drive package allows couples to stop and stay wherever takes their fancy. The U.S. and Canada open up myriad adventures, while driving through South Africa’s coastal Garden Route, from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, throws up romantic options, cosy beach properties, top restaurants, and private wine tastings in vineyards.
Stargazing: Couples can gaze at the constellations from the comfort of their romantic abode. Top destinations include Tenerife’s Teide National Park, andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge
(andbeyond.com), which has an observatory in the NamibRand Nature Reserve, and
Chile’s Atacama Desert, where the Elqui Domos (milodge.com/en) resort incorporates an observatory, domed tents and timber cabins with glass roofs.
Food and wine: Food is at the heart of any culture and the route to the soul of any destination – which makes foodie experiences, from gourmet dining to street food, popular with couples. Wine tourism is also growing, and lesserknown regions such as Slovenia’s Vipava Valley, ‘Slovenia’s Tuscany’, make perfect honeymoon destinations. Stay at Castello Gredič (gredic.si/), a fortress palace built over 400 years ago.
Themed weddings: Couples can tie the knot in the ‘local custom’, such as a traditional Tahitian or Japanese ceremony, complete with costumes, music and rituals. In The Bahamas, the Grand Bahama Island Enchanged Encounter package enables couples to exchange vows either underwater or in the open sea in the presence of dophins.
“Make sure you get an ‘honest’ budget from the client. This allows us to marry the best possible hotel options to the their wishes. Travel agents can narrow the options to say, three things the client ultimately wants”
Whether just sitting on a beach or being active every day, Latin America can deliver the perfect honeymoon... agents just need to tell us what to
provide”
Aberkrombie & Kent
What’s new
Hotels: When it opens in September Ayana Komodo Resort ( ayana.com/labuan
bajo/ayana-komodo) will be the only five-star retreat on Labuan Bajo, Waecicu Beach, in Indonesia’s Flores Island. Couples can get married on the resort’s rooftop venue with ocean views, head for its private pier and sail away on board the
luxury Ayana Lako di’a Phinisi vessel.
Natural Selection’s Shipwreck Lodge
(natural selection. travel/ camp/ ship wreck-lodge -2) opens this month (June) on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast. Nestled among the dunes are shipwreck-shaped chalets with views of the Atlantic Ocean.
The latest addition to the Time +
Tide family is Mi a van a( time and tide africa.
com/miavana) in Madagascar, an ecofriendly honeymoon retreat that blends luxury and progressive conservation on the island’s northeast coast.
Tour Operators: Caribtours’ current agents incentive, the ‘Royal Guest List’, sees several leading honeymoon and wedding resorts providing prizes such as three nights all-inclusive in the Cove Penthouse at Blue Waters, Antigua, and five nights all-inclusive at Paradisus
Playa del Carmen La Perla. In addition to room nights, prizes include bottles of champagne, cases of wine and gift vouchers. It kicked off on May 12 and will run until June 30. Prizes can be claimed at caribtours.co.uk/royalwedding by July 9 2018.