GUESTS ON A HONEYMOON?
The whole idea of bringing my nearest and dearest to an exotic place and spending a week together leading up to the wedding making memories sounded wonderful to me. One day always seemed too short. But if you could stretch that out and have fun with each other before and after, well that would be something to remember.
But in some ways, it felt to my husband like we were bringing everyone along on our honeymoon. To alleviate that feeling, we let our guests know there were days and meals when we would do our own thing, knowing they would understand why.
- Fifteen wonderful people came down to celebrate with us in Belize. Each come for as long as they could make it. My matron of honor was there for a crazy 48 hours while my aunt stuck it out through the tropical storm that came after the wedding.
I also set up the itinerary so that we left Ramon's on Ambergris Caye in Belize two days after the wedding and journeyed to a different resort on the mainland, Jaguar Paw, for the last five days of our stay. With the physical break, our guests knew they were welcome to stay longer and enjoy their own company, or head home.
Of course, once we got down to San Pedro, it wasn't an issue. We enjoyed dining every evening with all of our guests. We ranged from a small group of six to a large group of 15 the last few days. Each night we set off for a different restaurant, enjoying the wide culinary range the island offered.
We typically met each morning for breakfast, as well, although we didn't plan a time to meet.
- Dining together in San Pedro ended up being the highlight of the trip for most of our guests. We enjoyed such a range of delicious food in Belize. Yum! And the company was great.
- Jesse and I loved Estel's restaurant best, and so we decided to get married there. They prepared fish the guys caught that morning, and mixed up a whole 5-gallon bucket of sangria.
With most of the guests staying on the same cozy resort it was easy to connect.
On the days we had big excursions planned (a trip to the Mayan ruin Lamanai or cave tubing), we set up a time to meet the evening before with those who wanted to go. All the excursions were optional events that we set up while we were down there. Other days, each person was free to shop, lay on the beach, or explore the island via golf cart. We tried to strike a balance between planned excursions and just plain relaxation. We were at the beach, after all! For us that meant two all-day trips inland and two half-day fishing excursions during our 11-day stay on Ambergris Caye.
The constant coming and going of guests made planning our excursions a little more challenging, but it also made each day before the wedding a little more exciting. Each new guest brought fresh energy. When folks began leaving, we relaxed a little more and more, retreating into our private quarters.
- Sangria brought to me on the beach -- what could be better?
- Frosting anyone?
- Go ahead; take the plunge and have a destination wedding.
DID YOU KNOW?
1) Destination weddings usually cost less than traditional weddings.
2) The experience can be a fun and relaxing one for you and your guests – if you plan together.
3) A wedding web site can put all the information your guests need in one spot. It also helps keep the friends and family who can't go with in the loop. (More on this in a later post.)
OTHERS IN THIS SERIES
No comments:
Post a Comment