Choosing the Ceremony Site

Once a destination is chosen for the wedding, it is important for the couple to decide actually where they are going to have the wedding ceremony on the resort property. Many resorts offer a variety of options: the dock, the beach, the gazebo... While many resorts tell couples that they can choose their location when they get to the resort, it is an important detail that should be decided upon before actually getting to the resort. Once there, the couple can do an inspection of the site. If they do not like it, they can always change the location to something else.

One reason it is important to have an idea as to where you want to have your ceremony - and to let the coordinator at the resort know - is so that no other functions are booked in that location. There is nothing worse that showing up with an idea of where you are going to get married, only to find that you can't have it. You're the bride. You should be able to get exactly what you want. Plus, isn't it a little less stressful to have seen the different options before getting there right before your wedding?

Another reason to choose the location where you are going to get married has to do with the decor. How do you know what to choose to decorate your location? Many resorts offer decor and floral packages that cost thousands of dollars. That is all well and good, but how do you know what it is going to decorate if you don't have an idea of your ceremony location? How can you justify purchasing an $11,000 wedding package and not know what the site is-- or even just have an idea of it? That in and of itself can cause a great deal of stress.

This is one of the many reasons why travel agents are such a valuable asset to a destination wedding. A travel agent will be able to get the information that you need about ceremony sites (among other things) at the resort where your destination wedding is going to be held. He or she may already have photos of the sites on hand, not to mention photos of weddings he or she already arranged at a particular resort. Plus, they can have recommendations of where to and not to hold the ceremony at a particular resort.

If you receive a variety of photos of different ceremony locations, rank them in the order of your preference. That way, if you arrive at the resort and your first choice isn't what you thought it was going to be, you don't have to stress out because you already have a fall-back plan. And don't forget to look at indoor locations in case of inclement weather. (Unfortunately, this does happen at times.)

Choosing a location for your ceremony should be easy. You did, after all, choose the resort. You are aware of its location as well as the beauty of its grounds. With help of your travel agent and wedding coordinator, your picture-perfect ceremony location will be exactly that.

Candice Cain is the owner of the Candy Cain Travel Co. She is a Certified Sandals Specialist and a Destination Wedding Expert. Please feel free to email her for help with your destination wedding! Special thanks to Jennifer and Lazaro for sharing their wedding photos, as well as the other bride and groom that allowed me to use their photos for the purpose of this article!