Truly Wedding Blog

The beautiful Bolongo Bay Beach Resort in St. Thomas is offering an opportunity to earn a free honeymoon, wedding, discounted rates and much more. If you book your destination wedding at Bolongo Bay Beach Resort you can earn a free five-night European Plan (EP) honeymoon, wedding, welcome reception and room discounts as part of the resort’s Friends & Family Wedding Package.

Depending on how many rooms you book for your wedding group, you can earn more and more perks. With the resort’s Friends & Family Wedding Package, wedding groups that book a minimum of 10 rooms for five nights or longer will receive a 10% savings off nightly room rates.

Wedding groups that book a minimum of 15 rooms for five nights or longer will receive the 10% discount plus a complimentary one hour “Welcome Rum Punch Reception” with hors d’oeuvres and a FREE five-night EP honeymoon stay for the couple featuring accommodations in an oceanview room, one “discover scuba diving” in-pool lesson per person, and complimentary use of non-motorized watersports (snorkel gear, paddle boats, sunfish sailboats, windsurfing equipment, kayaks and much more).

Couples who bring 20 rooms of friends and family members to Bolongo (five nights or longer) will receive the 10% discount, welcome reception, free EP honeymoon plus a FREE Barefoot on the Beach Wedding package (valued at $800) featuring the services of a wedding coordinator and clergyman; the ceremony on the beach; a bottle of champagne with two flute glasses; and Bolongo bride and groom T-shirts.

The Friends & Family Wedding Package is available for travel booked directly with the resort for travel from Aug. 1 – Oct. 31, 2008. You can’t book this deal with your travel agent or other source. Call the resort directly at 1-800-449-1577 or 340-775-1800 ext. 2530, or send an e-mail to weddings@bolongobay.com to learn more about this awesome package deal.

Remember U.S. citizens don’t need a passport to travel to St. Thomas or the other U.S. Virigin Islands (St.John and St.Croix). Bolongo Bay Beach Resort features 65 beachfront guest rooms curved around crescent-shaped, palm-lined Bolongo Bay. It’s certainly a beautiful location to spend your wedding and your honeymoon. Each of their rooms has a private balcony as well as many of the comforts of home including a mini-refrigerator, coffeemaker, ceiling fan, air-conditioning, cable television, hair dryer and much more.

If you are planning an exotic destination wedding at a beach resort, check out the collection of beach themed wedding favors available at Truly Wedding Favors. These wedding favors incorporate elements from the beach, such as seashells, starfish, palm trees, flip flops, sand and more.

Planning a destination wedding?

If you are thinking of getting married in Mexico, the Sandos Hotels & Resorts on the Riviera Maya are having an incredible deal.

If you book a minimum of five rooms for five nights for your wedding group (and every destination wedding would need at least five rooms for friends and family), then you will get the following fabulous services free of charge:

• Personalized service from the wedding coordinator
• Decorated wedding site such as a private area on the beach or a tropically-inspired, private location (including guest seating)
• Wedding cake
• Décor for the entrance to the wedding ceremony
• Background music during the ceremony (or bring your own songs and use the hotel’s CD player)
• Commemorative wedding certificate
• Room upgrade for the wedding couple (based on availability)
• In-room amenity of fine pastry, fruit basket and sparking wine upon arrival
• Special guest room decoration
• Plush bathrobes for the wedding couple to use during their stay
• Gifts for the couple including a basket of aromatherapy products, “Just Married” “his” and “her” t-shirts, and a commemorative wedding photo of the couple, presented in a keepsake Mexican-style picture frame
• A romantic dinner for the bride and groom at one of the resorts’ a la carte restaurants with VIP service and a special menu
• Priority reservations at the resorts’ a la carte restaurants (subject to availability)
• 15% spa discount that can be used throughout the stay on all treatments
• 10% discount on motorized sports including banana boat rides, jet skiing and parasailing

To qualify for this FREE “Sandos Wedding Package,” you must book a minimum of five rooms for five night each, now through the end of October. You also must make and pay for the reservations at least seven days before the wedding date.

The four all-inclusive Sandos Hotels & Resorts on the Riviera Maya, Mexico include four properties:

• Caracol Beach Resort & Spa
• Select Club Beach Resort & Spa
• Playacar Beach Resort & Spa
• Sandos Playacar Riviera Hotel & Spa

An all-inclusive Sandos Hotels vacation features: all meals and beverages; sporting activities; watersports; use of fitness center and spa; daily activities program; water and beach activities; supervised “Kids Club” and a “Teen Club;” nightly entertainment and entrance to the disco; and all hotel taxes and service charges.

To learn more about the Sandos Hotels & Resorts, please visit sandoshotels.com or call 1-866-887-5601.

Requirements for getting married in Mexico:

In order for U.S. citizens to get married in Mexico, the bride and groom must arrive in the country at least three working days prior to the wedding date and provide valid passports and a tourist visa (given to all travelers upon entry to Mexico at the airport). Brides and grooms are required to take a blood test in Mexico (arranged by the wedding coordinator at a cost of US$200 per couple, payable in cash) and must have four witnesses to the ceremony who have also been in Mexico for at least three business days prior to the ceremony (witnesses can be provided by the hotel at a cost of US$30 per witness). The Judge’s transportation to the hotel (US$30) and a translation fee (US$40) are not included in the price of the package and must be paid in cash on the day of the wedding.

If you are looking to plan a green wedding in beautiful surroundings, look to California’s wine country.

The trendsetting Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa is forging the path in creating green, environmentally friendly weddings. Celebrated romanticist, Kelly McLeskey has recently added unparalleled “green wedding” options to her repertoire of distinctly unique nuptial packages. With a reputation for designing inimitable personalized affairs for her discerning clientele she unveiled this week an “ala carte” menu of environmentally responsible options. Any (or all) of the below green alternatives can be incorporated into her distinct galas.

• Beautiful Recycled Paper Invitations complete with Soy Ink Printing
• Personalized menus highlighting local organic produce, wines, and coffees and house made wedding cakes
• Digital Photography Services
• Organic, Local Floral Décor
• Hybrid Vehicle Guest Transportation or Arranged Car-Pools
• Fairmont Green Honeymoon Packages

“Each wedding I plan is tailored to fit the needs and personality of the couple. Like many of the couples I have the pleasure of working with I am very committed to the “long-term care” of the planet. A wedding celebration is a great way to both educate and exemplify the beauty of green to friends and family,” shares Kelly. It is my goal to inform, inspire and empower our guests in making the best green choices for their lifestyle.

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa strives to meet the growing public demand for environmentally-friendly products and services.

Renowned for natural mineral waters, unparalleled charm and gracious service, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, is located 40 miles north of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge at 100 Boyes Blvd. in Sonoma Valley, the heart of Northern California’s wine country. A recipient of both the AAA-Four Diamond and Mobil-Four Star Award, the resort consistently provides the country’s finest European spa experience.

Visit the Inn’s website at www.fairmont.com/sonoma or call 1-800-441-1414 or (707) 938-9000 for more information.

Photo courtesy of Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa.

In recent years, more and more couples are planning outdoor weddings. In addition to indoor/outdoor reception facilities, other beautiful outdoor wedding locations can include beaches, parks, lakes, golf courses and even wineries.

A great idea to enhance your outdoor wedding is to buy a do-it-yourself gazebo. You can get married under the gazebo. Then after the ceremony, put it in your backyard and enjoy it for many years to come.

Vixen Hill, a leading manufacturer of modular Western Red Cedar structures, offers a full line of gazebo and pavilion designs starting at under $4,000. These gazebos are perfect for outdoor weddings. Each model is designed for easy assembly, often within a single day, with or without the assistance of a contractor. After your wedding, you can use the gazebo in your own yard. Therefore, unlike other wedding costs, you will get use out of your purchase long after your wedding day.

“When you include a gazebo in the wedding plans you are including a monument to the occasion that can be enjoyed long after the tents are gone,” said Christopher Peeples, Vixen Hill founder and owner. “With our larger gazebos and pavilions there’s an opportunity to eliminate tent rental entirely.”

I love gazebos. I think they look so romantic, and they are perfect for lounging and sipping tea on a warm day. I would love to put one in my own backyard.

The design team at Vixen Hill can consult with customers to produce the perfect fit for their special needs and environment. All modular gazebos are pre-fabricated of the finest kiln-dried Western Red Cedar, and are available with or without wooden floorsystems and concealed electrical wiring. By combining gazeboes or pavilions in multiple layouts for your wedding, there’s virtually no limit to the square footage that can be created.

You can go online to their “Do-It-Yourself” studio to design, build and order custom units for assembly with or without the help of a contractor. To contact Vixen Hill for design assistance, learning more about their products or to request a catalog, call (800) 423-2766 or visit vixenhill.com.

Wild Dunes Resort is a 1,600-acre oceanfront paradise on the Isle of Palms in South Carolina, which in recent years has become a hot spot for domestic destination weddings.

The resort creates very personalized weddings utilizing its many indoor and outdoor ceremony and reception spaces.

The resident wedding expert at Wild Dunes Resort is Samantha Hazard. She knows all about today’s top wedding trends from decorations to cuisine and everything in between.

She was kind enough to share with us the hottest wedding trends this season:

• An increase in requests for bold, bright, non-traditional color themes such as apple green and magenta.
• Brides are requesting tall, majestic centerpieces (a la Christina Aguilera), signature cocktail stations and cigar bars.
• A mix of American and international decor influenced by Italy, Asia or India.
• From distinct flavors to oversized cakes with varying shapes and colors, the bride wants her cake to be remembered.
• The groom’s cake is back by popular demand as well and often humorously reflects the groom’s hobby, profession or favorite sport.

Check out this beautiful picture of Wild Dunes Resort. If you are looking for an incredible place to plan your wedding, visit their website at wilddunes.com and learn about their wedding packages.

Many people are taking their weddings outdoors to the beach. However, various other outdoor locations can also make the perfect backdrop for a wedding.

Here are some terrific ideas for planning an outdoor wedding.

Wineries
Lush wineries and orchards are beautiful and can be an ideal spot for an outdoor wedding. Smaller wineries will oftentimes allow you to have your wedding onsite for a very nominal fee. And of course, you will be able to have great wine at the reception.

If you are planning a wedding at a winery, take a look at these wonderful wine wedding favors by Truly Wedding Favors.

Botanical Gardens
Most major cities are home to a botanical garden. They also usually have an wedding coordinator on staff who can help your arrange everything from the ceremony setup to the menu plan.

Public Parks
Since they are public, you can normally plan a wedding at a city park very affordably. You will probably have to pay a small permit fee. Call the city parks and recreation department for details.

Keep in mind when planning an outdoor wedding that one thing will be out of your control - the weather. Try to plan your wedding in a season that isn’t generally too rainy or too warm. However, you will still need to have a backup plan for coverage in case a storm rolls in.

Even if the weather is sunny, you may consider setting up large white tents to provide wedding guests with a comfortable area to get out of the sun. You should also supply your guests with sunblock and bug spray. Buy paper hand fans and sit them next to every place setting.

Read our Wedding Day Weather Planning article for more tips!

Are you planning an outdoor wedding?

Leave your comments here and share the details about your wedding planning.