Elopology

TravelMole says Destination Weddings are on the Rise

First of all, who doesn't crack up at the name "travel mole" for a website. You just have go click on when you see it. Also, they have done some research on the Destination Wedding industry and are finding that despite the recession, destination weddings are on the rise.

Click here to read the article.

Eloping in New York City

I think I missed the article below from the New York Daily News.  A few months back I wrote about Eloping in New York City. The article entitled Want to Save Money on Your Wedding? Why not Elope? talks about couples who decide to forgo the big wedding and to do something simple and romantic in New York.  You may also want to check out the website www.elopenewyork.com which shows people "How to plan an informal wedding ceremony or elope in New York." It's a very informative site and easy to navigate.

Napa Valley Article Re-post

I have been told that the link is broken to the article about eloping to Napa Valley from a post I made in December. Sorry about that. The old site, letselope.com, has been replaced with this site so you can't really link to that site anymore.

If you're currently contemplating blowing off the big wedding you have planned in June because you a) lost your job, b) your fiancee lost their job or c) just can't handle the stress, arguments, details, phone calls, etc.....you may want to consider going to the West Coast, visiting a vineyard, having some wine and tying the knot. Heck...go now, keep your wedding date but only have people come to the reception.  Just a party. Perfect.

Read on.....

Napa and Sonoma Valley Elopements

 I just got off the phone with Chris Andrews, founder of www.weddingpackagescalifornia.com, a site promoting elopements in the Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley regions of Northern California.  Chris not only founded the site, but she is a very busy wedding planner in the Wine Country, specializing in elopements and small intimate ceremonies at beautiful locations. Chris did not hesitate when asked for three reasons to get married in the California Wine Country.  Chris describes the area as “exquisitely beautiful,” “a multi-sensory extravaganza,” and “a place where you will want to return with your spouse to re-vitalize the romance.”  After browsing through Chris’s website and viewing various  elopement venues within the region, I truly understand what she is talking about and you will, too.

Many couples steal away to Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley to relax and to enjoy an intimate ceremony either alone or with a small group of friends. Most  decide to stay in the area to honeymoon as many of the venues are designed for couples.  You can have your choice to be married at a vineyard, a ranch house, a French chateau, a golf club, an art garden, or any spot along the coast or on a mountainside.  The possibilities are endless.  Search Chris’s site as well as other locations in Napa and Sonoma Valley to get a feel for what you are looking for as surroundings for your wedding day.

You can get married twelve months out of the year in Napa and Sonoma Valley.  The fall is an incredibly gorgeous part of the year.  There is still some green on the ground but the leaves on the trees are changing to brilliant colors.   Crush occurs during the fall.  This is when the grapes are being harvested and crushed for wine making.  From mid-September through October on your way to Sonoma or Napa you will drive through the Carderos region where you can roll down the windows and the air smells like wine.  Literally.  The winter brings about temperatures in the 50’s and a bit of rain during the day.  Part of the day will be sunny, though, and it never really gets too cold.  There are many venues with fireplaces and spectacular winter views.  Couples who choose to elope at this time of the year usually book cozy accommodations and many spa treatments.  Spring and early summer are visually spectacular and you will see a riot of flowers, including rose bushes at the end of the roads leading to the wineries. The rose bushes are planted to bring in the bees to pollinate the vines.  August begins the dry season but it is still a picturesque time to wed.

Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley are conducive for small, romantic weddings.  Most of the venues offer romantic rooms and amenities, ask for a honeymoon suite when making your reservation.  Many rooms have outdoor hot tubs that are open to the elements but still allowing total privacy.  Ceremonies can be planned over the phone or via email and you can choose your vendors or have an elopement planner do it for you.  The people who plan and staff your weddings in this area are truly aimed to please.  They will work with you to prepare the perfect ceremony for you and your fianceé.  Chris describes the hospitality as extremely personable and helpful.  They get as excited about your wedding as you do. They really love what they do because love is always in the air.

 According to Chris, Northern California is a “sexually sophisticated” part of the country where your privacy and enjoyment is considered when booking a place to spend your wedding weekend.  Along with dining, wine tasting, hiking, swimming, and biking, couples can book a series of spa services in the Valley.   You can have a couples massage followed by a couple’s shower. You can arrange private time at a local (clothing optional) hot springs.  Chris’s company will even plan a private picnic for you. After exchanging your vows, dining outside, touring the wine country, you can be dropped off in an isolated spot in the countryside with a picnic basket filled with gourmet food and wine, wine, and what you decide to do with your time is up to you.  Your driver will return before sundown to pick you up.  Chris said that she can “throw a little bit of spice” to every hour of your day.

If you want to stay in California for your honeymoon, then Chris makes several recommendations.  You can spend the day after your wedding getting spa treatments in Calistoga. Then rent a car and go toward the water  visiting Mendocino and the Sonoma Coast.  Driving down Highway 1 you will find hundreds of beaches where you can stop and enjoy a swim in the Pacific.  Spending time in San Francisco is a must.  Chris can arrange for a stay in the Mark Hopkins hotel, http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/overview/sfoha where you can enjoy great jazz and a selection of 101 martinis at the famous Top of the Mark lounge, which gives you breathtaking view of the city. For a $10 cover charge, you and your spouse can have your dance reception here. When the night is over, you simply need to go down to your hotel room where you can enjoy the amenities of a 4 star luxury hotel.

Within San Francisco, you can visit the historic North Beach section of the city http://www.sfnorthbeach.org/and the Legion of Honor Fine Arts Museum  http://www.famsf.org/legion/index.asp.  You can burn off some energy as you take an easy or moderate hike on the Land’s End trail, depending on how far you want to walk, but either way you are guaranteed beautiful views of the Marin Headquarters and  the Golden Gate Bridge http://www.parksconservancy.org/visit/park.asp?park=52.  You may want to tour the infamous Alcatraz prison by day or by night. You can arrange a private guided tour or rent some headsets and do the well known “Doing Time” audio tour which eerily features sound bites from former guards and inmates.  Another recommendation is to take a tour of the Bay on a private yacht. You can leave from Fisherman’s Wharf or Embarcadero. You can choose to dine on the yacht or have your Captain take you to moor at Angel Island where you can have the boat to yourselves for a while and then enjoy a picnic at the park on the island  http://www.angelisland.org/.  You can also view the Marin Headlands from China Beach http://www.parksconservancy.org/visit/park.asp?park=5  which lies between Baker Beach and Land’s End. 

About 115 miles south of San Francisco, you can visit the coastal town of Monterrey where you will find a world class aquarium, wonderful views and delicious dining. http://www.monterey.org/  You can stop at Santa Cruz, known to be California’s Hippie Haven as well as for its beautiful beaches. http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/   Further down the coast is Big Sur which boasts some of the most beautiful parks in the State  http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/  You can stay in a luxury hotel and spa or at a creek side campground. There are wonderful accommodations for honeymooners in Big Sur so be sure to do your research to find the most romantic spot for you .  Even further down the coast you can visit Santa Barbara, which calls itself “The American Riviera.”  Along with a beautiful coastline, Santa Barbara has its own wine country, the Santa Inez Mountains and the Channel Islands http://www.santabarbaraca.com/

Couples who elope to Northern California keep it simple. The process of acquiring a marriage license is very easy and can be done at the county recorder’s office.   If you want a confidential wedding, meaning that you don’t want your wedding publicly announced, you will fill out an application for a private wedding and this must be done in the county where you are to wed.  If you would like your wedding announced, you can fill out the public application in any county recorder’s office in California and you can be married anywhere in the state.  Your marriage will be announced in the public notices section of the newspaper.   Each person will need a photo ID. If you are getting married for a second time, you will need to bring your divorce decree or death certificate of your former spouse. Once you fill out the application you will receive a form, you hand the form to the officiate at your ceremony.  At the ceremony, you sign the form, the officiate signs the form and you send it off in the mail.  In a few weeks you will have your marriage license. The application costs $70.  Licenses cost $17 per copy and it is recommended that you order 4 copies, two per person.  Details can be found by visiting http://www.sfgov.org/site/countyclerk_page.asp?id=5565.

Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley are romantic getaways that you can return to time and time again as a couple to revitalize your relationship.  Whether planning a secret wedding or a more elaborate affair, the wedding planners and venue operators of Napa and Sonoma can provide everything you need quickly and effortlessly.  Browse through the websites to see just what this area of the United States has to offer.  Also, feel free to call Chris Andrews and she can answer all of your questions.  She is obviously enamored with the area and you will fall in love with the idea to get married in Northern California, too.

 

Arrived in Cancun

We have arrived in Cancun to attend a destination wedding, which will be today. No problems with the flight. All connections were made. We did arrange for a shuttle van to take us from the airport to the hotel. This was a bit annoying because although the website said that they leave every 10 minutes, we waited with hoards of people, for at least 30 minutes before we hopped onto the shuttle.  They did have a lot of shuttles running, they were trying to coordinate people who were going to similar points of Cancun. They were reliable, though, and we found them quickly and got to the hotel safely. We were just a bit impatient and wanted to get to the beach!  The company name is Best Day and can be found at www.bestday.com. You can book your connections on-line and then I even called to confirm and they were very helpful.  They were recommended several times on www.tripadvisor.com.

The hotel is lovely. We are at the Westin Cancun and Spa Resort. This hotel is one of the closest ones to the airport so that is a plus.  We upgraded our room to the Royal Beach Club. We did ask for an ocean view and we did get an ocean view. The only disappointment is that we are one of two rooms on the first floor that have doors opening to the pool. Yes, we can see the ocean but we have little privacy. They didn't have a room for us to move to, so we settled with this room. We are not here too often so it is not too inconvenient. The next time I will ask for a 2nd floor room, or for a room that doesn't open to the pool.  By upgrading to the Royal Beach Club, which is about $40 more per night, we get free breakfast in the morning and free appetizers and drinks from 5:30-7:30pm. This alone is worth the upgrade.  The food is outstanding and we definitely got the deal on the Happy Hour. 

There are several pools to choose from, one with a swim up bar.  There are plenty of lounge chairs, towels, umbrellas, etc.  Although the hotel is booked to capacity, it does not feel overly crowded. The sun is hot and we are going through sunscreen like crazy.

All of the wedding plans are going well for the bride. Upon her arrival, she and her fiance met with the wedding coordinator. They got a tour of the hotel, chose their spot for their ceremony, met with the minister and assembled their gift bags for their guests.  They had their rehearsal last night which ran smoothly and was quick.  They are very pleased with the wedding coordinator here at the Westin. 

The hotel has a spa and gym area.  The bride is having her hair and make up done there and many women are getting manicures and pedicures. I am very impressed with the staff here at the hotel. They are extremely helpful, all are bilingual.

OK...off to the gym and the beach and the wedding!

More to come!

Boo!

I have been searching the web this morning on my favorite topic: eloping.  I came across a paragraph on a site where a haunted hotel was listed as a place to elope. Am I weird if I find this to be intriguing?  I love stuff like that! I never thought to get married in a haunted inn, and quite frankly, although the idea sounds exciting now, as I sit in daylight drinking coffee, I’m not sure how I would feel at lights out in the haunted room. I am addicted to those ghost hunting reality shows, though. Just last week I discovered Paranormal State. A group of students from Penn State, all interested in ghosts, visit supposedly haunted homes and try to help out the people in that house by communicating with the ghosts. I couldn’t get out of my chair and watched three episodes in a row. It was late and the dog and I were the only ones awake in my house.  I was frozen. I think I was just too scared to get up and move about the house even though I knew I should get myself to bed as it was past my bedtime. Every time the dog lifted his head I was searching for the banshee he may have seen or some spirit from the ancient burial grounds that our house had been built on. (I just made that up).

So, now I have found a site which lists a bunch of haunted B&B’s.  Check them out!  I would have never guessed that this was how people advertise for guests, but they do, and I think it’s very interesting.  You can even stay at the hotel that was the backdrop for The Shining.  How romantic!  What would be really fun is if you book a room and then you pack a bunch of scary props in your suitcase : a rubber bloody hand you can have sticking out of the covers, flickering candles, a timer to put onto the lamp chord so that the light goes out at midnight by itself, recordings of wailing that you can turn on unexpectedly…..hilarious.  It would be a true test of love. If your fianceé was amused by this, or even tried to one-up you with some spooky pranks, you are the perfect match for each other.

Here is a link to some of these haunted places.  Enjoy!

http://www.bnbfinder.com/haunted.php

The Three E's: Elephants, Eloping and the Economy

Let’s talk about words beginning with E. We’ll start with Elephant. You are sitting with your fiancé and looking through wedding planning books, magazines and websites. You have a tentative guest list that you can’t agree upon (and that’s before passing it on to your mothers) and you are tallying up the potential costs. Soon you begin to say to yourself “there is no way we can afford this,“ turn a few more pages and you think “I will never own a house.“ The idea of working another job as well as sewing your own dress is not appealing, especially since you don’t sew.  The Elephant has entered the room.

As you start to sweat about the financial stress a wedding will add to your life as well as the damage this huge pacyderm could do to your living room, you begin to fantasize about Eloping. Why not just book a trip, grab some beach attire, plan a ceremony and enjoy a honeymoon. Your heart really starts racing now because, well, this idea is a lot more exciting than picking out the recessional hymn. And, you know that with the current Economy, you must acknowledge the Elephant and start to plan your Elopement

And, it’s not just you who has decided to put a halt on wedding spending. In a recent on-line article from the Boston Business Journal, the effect of the economy on weddings is evident. “Before, couples made decisions as to how lavish to make their wedding, and now the choice is often between a down payment on their first home or a wedding,” … “People are feeling guilty or nervous spending on their wedding when there is uncertainty about their jobs and the duration of this economic downturn.” The numbers of people tying the knot in the US is expected to increase this year but the wedding industry is expected to see a loss. How can this be? Well, perhaps people are eloping.

So...start planning.

Wait, this is my area, let me do it for you. I will show you how easy it is.

Instead of spending the predicted $20,398 dollars on your wedding, you decide to put $5,000 aside for a romantic getaway. You decide what you want:

1) to stay in the US.

2) to be on a beautiful beach

3) to stay in a 4 or 5 Star hotel

After doing a few searches on some travel sites, I saw that Hawaii was offering some package deals. Perfect.

Great site: CNN.com Top Travel Websites

There are 25 great sites listed on the above CNN site. I went to a site called SideStep and searched Vacation Packages to Hawaii. I wanted flight+hotel. SideStep will quickly search numerous travel sites and will provide you with an extensive list of options. I plugged in some random dates in June. I clicked onto a few hotels and looked at their “rate calendars.” It was clear that the end of May was a more affordable time to travel to Hawaii. Fine. I'm flexible. I decided I wanted 10 days in Hawaii, with a wedding ceremony. I chose May 20^th to May 30^th.

I live outside of Philadelphia. I did my flight search using multiple airports. The cheapest airfare was out of Newark, NJ. which is 90 minutes away. That is fine. 

I quickly found a room at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa. This 4 Star hotel is 8 miles from the airport. I can get the vacation package suggested or I can upgrade to premium partial ocean view room for $29 per night (it’s a "one day" sale). I upgrade. It's my honeymoon. So my total for flight and a room at this hotel for 10 nights is $2742.

OK. Now, how do I get married? I go to the official website for the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa there is a tab for “Weddings”. They don’t do beach weddings, but they provide a link to myhawaiiweddding.com. This is the site of a local reverend who performs wedding ceremonies. The site lists ceremony packages and prices. There are many to choose from.

Since I just want to be married on the beach and have some pictures taken, I choose the most inexpensive package, The Anthurium Package at $175. The website description says:

For a beautiful morning ceremony!

Hawaii Wedding Ceremony performed by Hawaii licensed officiate

Location: Waikiki: Kapiolani Park/Beach Park; Time: 9 - 11 AM

Hawaiian Wedding Certificate

Hawaiian Marriage Prayer: suitable for framing

Hawaii Marriage License processing

YOU MAY ADD: Non-Professional Photographer using your camera, $110

OR: Non-Professional Photographer using his Camera and CD, $140

I decided to go for the Non-Professional Photographer using his Camera and CD, bringing the total cost to $315.  I do want some pictures of this event.

Now I'm up to $3057 for the wedding and honeymoon basic needs.

You can figure out how to spend the rest. You have close $2000 to spend on meals, activities, attire, and shopping. Not too shabby. I planned this elopement within 1 hour. Unfortunately, I am not going to Hawaii at the end of May but if I was, and if I was going to get married, I would be extremely excited.

So, acknowledge the Elephant in the room, be aware of the Economy and plan your Elopement.

Mexico Wedding and Spanish

I am going to a destination wedding in April. It will be in Cancun, Mexico. As a Spanish teacher I feel that I will have one up on the non-Spanish speakers when I order something like…say…a “margarita.” I’m sure I will be much better understood than my husband when he says “margarita.” I’m sure to get more tequila in my drink due to my outstanding grasp of the language. I know I will find things faster, too, like the bar (el bar), the telephone (el teléfono) and a taxi (el taxi). All of those years of schooling and study abroad will definitely shine through when I glide through the lobby of the hotel and say “hola” sounding like a native speaker. I’m sure to engross myself in the culture of Mexico while sunning myself at the resort. The best part is that I could one day take up an entire class period showing my vacation pictures to my students and calling it a lesson on culture and geography. In fact, there are two hilarious videos on YouTube regarding first and second semester Spanish class. For your enjoyment, grab a Corona, click and laugh your head (su cabeza) off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngRq82c8Baw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNuGKbwRudE

Cancun memories and beachy wedding attire

As mentioned in some previous posts, my husband and I are going to a destination wedding in Cancun, Mexico. We will be staying at the Westin Resort and Spa and we don’t plan to venture out much. Back in the day, I backpacked through Mexico and have visited Cancun before with little money. Actually, my friend and I tried to get jobs in Cancun during our backpacking trip. We soon realized that we would need working papers, which we would never get. We were offered one job to be mermaids.  The job description was to wear a mermaid outfit and to swim under glass bottom boat to wave to tourists. Seriously. The pre-requisite was that you had to be able to hold your breath for 60 seconds, and fit into the costume, I suppose. We declined the offer as we imagined ourselves being decapitated by a boat motor or being in that "freak shark attack close to the marina…two girls dressed in mermaid outfits were mistaken as seals and attacked by a great white in the shallow waters off of Cancun, Mexico.” No thanks. Not to mention that I had some pride. It was bad enough that I graduated from a fine University and ended up waiting tables in Washington, DC. Then I decided to save up all of my waitressing money (with other gigs too like being a singing waitress as well as a telemarketer for the ballet at the Kennedy Center) and to buy a BUS ticket ($69 one way) to Mexico. Being a parent I now realize how it must have been for my parents when they were asked “so, what is Lynn doing now that she graduated?…..who is she working for?….do tell!” I really didn’t want to add salt to my parent’s wounds by adding “mermaid” to my resume of post-graduation accomplishments. So, my friend and I forged on until I broke my arm in the Guatemalan rain forest and was forced to find a job or get on a plane home. But that is another story entirely.

Back to Cancun, and I believe I was talking about clothing, or outfits, earlier. The last time I was in Cancun I was wearing t-shirts and woven shorts made by the Highland Indians which went perfectly with my Teva hiking sandals, straw hat and cheap sunglasses. I was unpolished and hippie looking (but incredibly tan!). I slept in hammocks and hostels and cheap hotels. I am determined to make my return to Cancun a bit more glamorous. Well, at least I’ll look like I have a job. Well, right now my husband has a job. So, I got the email that J. Crew is having a Final Sale and it is incredible. Lots of beachy clothes and shoes at great prices, not the J. Crew prices that make me say “I think I saw something that looks like that at Target last week.” These are affordable prices. They even have TALL sizes on sale. Yes, that’s right TALL sizes for myself who was always looking a little awkward in those Mexican cut fabrics. Now if I was a PETITE I would really make out in this sale. Good quality, great sale...check it out.

Let’s see what else is out there for beach weddings. I was really surprised that Nordstrom has some very inexpensive wedding gowns. Some gowns are under $200. I don’t think you can get a pair of shoes at Nordstrom for under $200. However, they have excellent customer service and tailoring at the store so it’s a safe and practical place to shop for a wedding dress, even for an unpractical bride. For the guys, you can go standard Tommy Bahama, which also has reasonably priced beach clothing on their wedding page. Their women’s collection also has a limited but appropriate selection of cute tropical dresses. I think that my husband will order from the men’s collection and I’ll pick out something with the same print from the women’s collection so that our ensembles coordinate. Just kidding. I went to the Coco and Kelley blog and found some very fancy wedding attire for the glamorous, or over the top bride. If one wears the first dress shown, you may feel a fishhook stab your back as it resembles a coral reef and, although I’m not a fashion writer, is pretty ugly. But check out the others. They are fancy and fun.

For brides on a budget, I found some wedding dresses under $100. You can even beat the cost of my wedding dress ($76). Don’t forget about shopping ETSY for wedding dresses and accessories. It’s quick and affordable shopping. I also perused Craig’s List for wedding dresses and was pleasantly surprised at what I found. If you don’t mind a used wedding dress, you get some great buys on this site. After all, it’s not like the original owner of the dress will be attending your wedding. If you spill a fruity cocktail on the dress while winning the limbo, you can just, well, toss the dress. You’ll have the photos and you will have less weight in your suitcase for your trip home and more room to bring back giant conch shells you find on the beach.

Also, check out the post in my blog on alternative wedding attire. Good stuff.

Let me know if any of these links are helpful to you or if you have any suggestions for beach-brides-to-be. Or hey – just let me know if you are reading this. I’m like the tree that falls in the woods, I don’t know if I’m making a noise.

Helpful Travel Sites

I love to travel. I think that is why I eloped. I love the idea of hopping a plane to a new place and letting the adventure unfold. I have been to many places in the US and abroad and I used to be quite savvy in knowing where to find the best deals, even before you could find these things online. One time I saw a great flight to Central American from a travel agency catering to Spanish speakers. I called, spoke in Spanish and booked my flight. (I am a Spanish teacher so I do have some grasp of the language). I had to physically pick up my ticket and I think the woman behind the counter almost fell over when a 5’10” fair Gringa walked into the place. I had a great trip. Now I do use the popular Travelocity, Expedia, Trip Advisor, etc. sites. However, I recently found an article in CNN.com about the best travel sites. For couples planning on booking a destination wedding or for those who are flexible, want a great deal and want to get married…this site could be very helpful. The article is entitled Top 25 Travel Websites. Check it out. http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/traveltips/10/03/travel.sites/index.html

Co-stars of Dexter elope to Big Sur

Big Sur was recommended to me as a beautiful backdrop for an elopement. See our article on Napa Valley for more info on Big Sur. Read below to find out about the latest celebrity elopement.  Seems to be a very popular option among the show biz crowd. http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00021106.html