Stephanie and Brad met through mutual friends in New York City. They chose Puerto Rico as their wedding location because they wanted their wedding to be a weekend party for their friends and family and as laid back as possible. The island offered something for everyone and Old San Juan evoked a whimsical feeling that they thought their guests would remember forever. Stephanie loves vibrant colors so they tried to really make the party pop with cool green flowers and lush raspberry colored tablecloths...

Click on the article title to see all of the photos from this destination wedding.

See also: ZoomWorks, Destination Weddings, Athens Weddings, Atlanta Weddings

Total prize package for one lucky couple values more than $5,000

I just received this information about the New Orleans Steamboat Company’s “Tie the Knot” Wedding Giveaway Sweepstakes. It sounds awesome --- a prize package for one lucky couple valued at more than $5,000 that includes a wedding and a reception on the Steamboat NATCHEZ, the last authentic steamboat on the Mississippi River!

The complete wedding package includes a ceremony on the boat’s stern underneath a canopy; one musician to play a jazz entrance for the bride; an ordained Steamboat NATCHEZ Captain to officiate the ceremony; flowers for four people in the wedding party; a reception in the Magnolia Suite for 40 guests (during regular cruise times); the Oak Alley Buffet; beer, wine, Bloody Marys and mimosas; a champagne toast for everyone and NATCHEZ champagne toasting glasses for the bride and groom; a $250 wedding cake by La Louisiane Bakery; a personalized calliope concert of “Here Comes the Bride” and a one-night stay at the Hotel Monteleone (based on availability).*

Where do I sign up? Wait I'm already married! Where do YOU sign up?? Click on the article title for details!

See also: New Orleans Weddings, Louisiana Weddings, New Orleans Wedding Venues, New Orleans Wedding Photographers, Louisians Wedding Venues, Wedding Dresses

I just got this news about this awesome contest to win a wedding in Gatlinburg!  So fun!  Gatlinburg is a beautiful town in the Smokies - perfect for anyone who is looking for a mountain setting for their big day.  The following information is from the press release they sent me:

Gatlinburg launches contest to let  couples compete for a free Gatlinburg wedding.

The Gatlinburg Department of Tourism is giving couples the chance to win  the ultimate wedding or vow renewal in Gatlinburg.  Contestants are  invited to submit their stories online and explain why they should be selected  as the couple to visit Gatlinburg and compete alongside three other couples to  win the ultimate Gatlinburg wedding.

The four winning couples will travel to  Gatlinburg to compete in a wedding-style scavenger hunt awarding the first  couple to cross the finish line with the ultimate wedding package.   Couples will be asked to move from location to location following clues  provided at each check point.  Activities include ziplining in their  wedding attire to receive the next clue, a no-hands allowed wedding cake eating  contest or a hike through the mountains to a chapel.  The first, second  and third runners up will also win...

Click on the article title for more details on how to enter!

See also: Gatlinburg Weddings, Smoky Mountain Weddings, Tennessee Weddings, Wedding Planning

Honeymoon in one of the most romantic cities in the world where European traditions blend with Caribbean influences. You will find the night crowds on Bourbon Street exhilarating, yet holding hands down centuries old Pirate’s Alley is perfect for intimacy. Here, the chefs are famous, and it is okay to sing the blues. Film producers seek this address, and you are just as likely to spot a film star here as in Hollywood. Celebrated for its uniqueness and resilience, New Orleans, Louisiana, is romance central...

See also: New Orleans Weddings, Louisiana Weddings, Wedding Planning

Rosie and Diego were married on November 13, 2010 at Southern Tree Plantation in Blairsville, GA. They had an outdoor ceremony with a beautiful mountain background, followed by a fun barn reception. Here are some photos from their wedding day.

In November 2010, AtlantaBridal was a media sponsor for Studio Wed's Something Old... Something New event at the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds Plantation. Following are some gorgeous photos of the event taken by Janet Howard Studio.

These photos are of the Gifting Suite, Style Suite, Presidential House, StudioWed Expert Panel, S'mores & Cocktails on Saturday night, Dresses from Anne Barge & Etain Bridal Boutique, and more.

We will be sponsoring more Studio Wed events in 2011 as well as many other fabulous Atlanta Bridal Events. Register to receive our email newsletter or Like us on Facebook to stay up-to-date on everything happening in Atlanta Weddings in 2011.

Enjoy!

If you're looking for wedding inspiration, look no further than the StudioWed Atlanta-sponsored Something Old, Something New event at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation this Sunday, November 7 from 2-5pm. This Lake Oconee destination will be transformed into a vintage design showcase with tons of features. Our favorite is the Oscars-style gifting suite with fill-your-own swag bags including gifts from OKA b. Shoes, Dewdrop Designs, Carli Windsor Custom Favors, Molton Brown, Wedding Cake Pedestals, and so much more!

Every Ritz-Carlton event is done with top-notch style and service, and this event will be no different! Join us for the ultimate day of inspiration. Purchase your ticket by November 4th to be eligible for chance to win a free engagement session or custom monogram! Tickets and details are at the event website: http://somethingoldnew.eventbrite.com/

AtlantaBridal is a media sponsor of this fabulous event. See you there!

Click on the article title for larger photos.

See also: Atlanta Luxury Weddings, Atlanta Weddings, Atlanta Wedding Venues

Just a few more weeks until "Something Old...Something New" at the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds Plantation! This is one event you do not want to miss. This venue is absolutely fabulous. Take this opportunity to check it out while you can!

Click on the article title to see all of the pictures from a recent photo shoot at the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds Plantation.

See you there!

See also: Atlanta Weddings,Atlanta Luxury Weddings, Atlanta Wedding Venues

Ok Brides and Grooms,  we have got THE best event for you to attend on November 7th: Something Old...Something New at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation - yes this is where Carrie Underwood was married recently.  If you haven't ever been there, this is your chance to see this gorgeous venue along with a wedding design showcase, fashion show, cocktail reception and more! You are going to LOVE it!

Click the article title to see the invitation and for more details.

See also: Atlanta Luxury Weddings, Atlanta Weddings, Atlanta Wedding Venues

Plan your honeymoon where love is legendary in the nation's oldest city, St. Augustine, Florida. The Ancient City's first wedding is recorded January 24, 1594, between Gabriel Hernandez and his bride, Catalina de Valdes. The city's allure has survived throughout the centuries. Explore the intriguing tales from the pages of history while surrounded by romantic architecture and fine art. It is only natural that you begin your new life in a place where time has stood still…well almost.

Click on the article title to continue reading and to see more of St. Augustine, Florida.

See also: Florida Weddings, Wedding at Walt Disney World

With the sad state of our economy, recently I have been getting a lot of questions about destination weddings versus hometown weddings as related to the cost of the wedding. I could make the case for both... you can have a wedding on your budget anywhere that you want, you may just have to adjust certain aspects of the wedding to remain within the constraints of your budget!

Click on the article title to read more.

See also: Florida Weddings, Atlanta Weddings, Alabama Weddings

I fell in love with South Carolina's "Low Country" long before I could experience it. Noted author, Pat Conroy delivered an awe-inspiring description of the destination pressed between the pages of his novel, "The Prince of Tides." The Low Country was almost mystical in my mind, where the ebb and flow of the tides soothe the soul, and the swaying salt marshes provide nurseries for infant marine life...

Click here for pictures and full article...

Costa Rica’s Pacific coast has been described by National Geographic Magazine as ‘the most biologically intense place on earth.’ This Eden-like setting is an idyllic, remote location for a romantic and adventurous honeymoon and a perfect spot to make it a Green one where you can not only unite two hearts into one, but also show your desire for working together towards a more sustainable planet.

If you are dreaming of a destination wedding that includes a honeymoon, we have found the perfect place...

Walt Disney World...

...where dreams really do come true with a little help from Disney’s dream team of romance.

Disney is such a popular wedding destination we have written two articles about it to help you plan your Disney Wedding:

• Fairy Tale Wedding and Honeymoon -- Disney Style (Posted 3/8/2009)
• Dreaming of a Disney Wedding (Posted 7/16/2007)

 If you are dreaming of a destination wedding that includes a honeymoon, I have found the perfect place. In fact, some say it is the happiest place on earth.  Here are a few hints: it is magical, enchanted and comes complete with a castle. Magic wands are in vogue, along with pixie dust and love potions. High profile celebrity couples such as Cinderella and Prince Charming, Minnie and Mickey Mouse, and Aurora and Prince Phillip live happily ever-after here.  Of course it is Walt Disney World where dreams really do come true with a little help from Disney’s dream team of romance.

Earlier this year, local wedding planner, Lara Stoots Molettiere, planned her own dream wedding. She chose a princess in a castle theme for her destination wedding in Charleston. Click here to see pictures of this princess themed wedding and read about how a wedding planner plans her own wedding.

Imagine a place that has been waiting for three centuries to provide the backdrop of your first days of forever. Here you can wander through narrow cobblestone streets leading to stately antebellum mansions and Revolutionary War structures-still intact. Come dusk, board a private horse drawn carriage where the driver guides the clip-clopping horses along side streets. Romance begins here where dancing flames from gas lit lanterns cast your silhouettes onto the facades of time-treasured icons. You have arrived at Charleston, South Carolina, a city where history and romance are intertwined to celebrate your marriage.

Read entire article...

It will already, probably, be the greatest day of your life. But to truly add that wow factor, do it in Barbados.

As you slowly navigate the twists and turns of the rural mountain road, feel the pre- wedding stress disappear with each breath of the clean crisp air. Autumn has arrived and the trees are ablaze in their finery— decorated just in time to celebrate your honeymoon. Be careful! Whitetail deer are sure that they own the road, but don’t tell that to the procession of meandering wild turkey. You could be perfectly content to just enjoy the mountain scenery, but ascending to a higher altitude is only the beginning. There, perched along Harrison Mountain and high above Gatlinburg, Tennessee, lies your honeymoon refuge, The Lodge at Buckberry Creek.

What little girl ever went to Walt Disney World theme park in Orlando, Florida and didn’t want to grow up one day and be just like a real Princess that she met there? I know I did...

Hilton Head Island is the perfect wedding destination. We've added another beautiful resort to our preferred wedding vendors list for Hilton Head Island weddings. If you are interested in a beach destination for your wedding, consider Hilton Head!

Today I received the following wedding etiquette question by email and it is an interesting one that I think a lot of brides probably run into with destination weddings being so popular these days. Here is the question:

Q. I have a friend getting married in Colorado. She is being told that she can invite people to her showers even though the wedding guest list is very limited....because it's a "destination" wedding. Is that right? (sounds right to me, but I just remember the old rule of "do not invite people to a shower if they are not invited to the wedding.")

Read on for my answer to this destination wedding etiquette question.

Like most little girls, Edith S. Dresser of Rhode Island probably dreamed of growing up to marry a handsome prince, being whisked away to his castle and …you know the rest of the story. Edith’s dreams became reality in 1898 when she married George W. Vanderbilt in Paris. Although George was not a prince, he was a member of the wealthy American Vanderbilt family. George brought his bride to the 250-room Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, that he had built three years earlier. Designed like a French Renaissance Chateau, the National Historic Landmark is America’s largest home and the perfect place for your destination wedding or honeymoon.

For more pictures and information, keep reading!

I came across this article called "Top 10 Weddings of the Year" on the India Times Web site - it shows pictures and includes details of 10 celebrity weddings from 2006. Predictably, the wedding of Tom Cruise to Katie Holmes in Italy takes the number 1 spot.

Other celebrity weddings include Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson in St Tropez, Anna Nicole Smith and Howard K. Stern in the Bahamas, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban in Manly, Australia, and several others.

See also: Celebrity Weddings

I came across this press release on etravelblackboard.com today and I thought it might be interesting to anyone thinking of planning a destination wedding...especially if you are considering Fiji.

Apparently, from January to May 2007 Malolo Island Fiji is offering a free wedding (or renewal of vows) based on a minimum 5 night stay.

Keep reading for more details...

Seduction by scenery is not just a catch phrase at Sea Island, a five-mile slice of paradise along the pristine Georgia Coast. The secluded retreat is revered around the world for privacy and natural beauty...The allure began over 75 years ago with founder Howard Coffin's vision to build the finest resort in the world, and the popularity continues today with the fourth generation of the Jones family...Accolades include the "Number One Resort in the U.S." by Conde` Nast Traveler readers in 2004. The romance connection is evident in the numbers.

For more pictures and information about this wonderful island resort that is perfect for destination weddings and honeymoons, keep reading!

Tips on cruising and links to cruise Web sites…

Try a honeymoon destination that rocks — literally, that is!

As seen in the 1996 movie, "The Truman Show", Seaside, Florida is the perfect romantic getaway for newlyweds...

Weather can play a big factor in someone having a good or bad time on their vacation. Do you know the best times to visit some of the hottest honeymoon/travel spots in the world.

Thirty minutes from Charleston, South Carolina, and a world away from the ordinary – The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island offers couples romance in an intimate setting.

List of links to various Island Honeymoon getaways…

Not far from Atlanta, Athens, Georgia makes a great wedding destination.  Use this article to find your way to Athens!

An interesting and popular option for your wedding is to have it on a cruise ship…