ICE Princess Destination Wedding at the ICEHOTEL, Sweden

We’ve been to many destination weddings, but one of the most unique and interesting was the Scandinavian Ice Princess wedding. Jukkasjärvi, Sweden is a small village 200 km north of the Arctic Circle.   Jukkasjärvi means meeting place where it has been for thousands of years a special and magical location.  Thousands of visitors come each year to experice the beauty of the IceHotel and its surrounding area.

    

The wedding ice chapel is carved out every year providing a unique location. Wedding packages also include any tailor made requests that you can dream up, such as carving out a special message or creating a ring box made of ice.   Endless activities can be arranged for your guests and the reception can be done in the historic Homestead Restaurant.

IceHotel is world famous for its unique concept, its fantastic works of art and its extraordinary experiences. The fairy tale nature of IceHotel brings out the child in guests of all ages.

The IceHotel in Sweden is a dream turned into reality year after year, as the hotel is rebuilt every winter. An unbelievably unique experience from start to finish

IceHotel was just recently listed as one of the top ten places to get married via AskMen.com

View some more links to learn about this possible location for your future wedding.

http://www.icehotel.com/

http://www.kiwicollection.com/property/icehotel

http://www.scantours.com/ice_hotel.htm

http://www.arctic-experience.co.uk/tour22w/info3.htm
 

Chef Wolfgang Puck and Gelila Assefa Pick Capri for Wedding

Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck and Gelila Assefa,  celebrated their Destination Wedding at the island of Capri, Italy.  The wedding reception was held outside the Grand Hotel Quisisana. 

Grand Hotel Quisisana offers guests every modern comfort whilst conserving all the appeal of its classical architecture and decor. Over the years, taking inspiration from Mediterranean art and lifestyle, the Morgano family has established a highly acclaimed and quintessential Italian hotel.  The Quisiana has become a symbol of Capri, almost to the same extent as the legendary Blue Grotto.

Capri is best know for its  panoramic promenade lined with villas, the limestone masses that eject out of the sea (the Faraglioni) and the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra).  For excursions your guests will have plenty to do.  It is recommended to take a tour around the island of Capri by boat where you can have a spectacular view of the dramatic coast.   Capri was frequently visited back during the Roman Republic and you can still see ruins of the Imperial Roman villas. The most famous is Villa Jovis.   As well as being a haven for writers and artist, in the 1950’s, Capri became and still is a popular destination for its beauty.

If you are considering having a wedding in Capri, Capri Wedding can help assist and are the first wedding planning service on the island. 

Eva Longoria’s Wedding Reception — Vaux Le Vicomte Château

Celebrities are the first to jump at the opportunity to have a Destination Wedding.  They have professionals advising them where to go and what to do.   Just today Eva Longoria and Tony Parker held their reception at the Vaux Le Vicomte Château — a historical French seventeenth century masterpiece with fountains and lavish gardens. 

You don’t have to be Eva Longoria to reserve a beautiful reception at the Vaux Le Vicomte Château, near Paris, France.

Go to http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/ where you will find  a section for Receptions and Quotation Requests.

For smaller weddings, the Salon of the Muses can seat up 50 persons (see photo below), the Grand Salon with up to 250 and the exclusive State Apartments can hold a capacity of 400 guests. 

Friends and Family – Will They Go to the Destination Wedding?

When deciding on a Destination Wedding, you will have to consider if friends and family are willing to travel and attend.  We have heard many reasons for not going, such as “my best friend fears flying”, “my father said he doesn’t have a passport”…

Yet, key people that are important in your life will show their love and support and wouldn’t miss your wedding for the world.   Everyone thought we were crazy for wanting to have a wedding where my grand-parents were from — “Old Country” — Venice, Italy.  But now they can’t stop talking about it.  Once your friends and family realize that you are serious about your Destination Wedding, they begin to listen.  Everyone needs a vacation and with advanced planning they will make it part of their agenda.   Everyone will share this new wonderful place and experience together.  It’s a new discovery.  Both families will be in ‘neutral territory” and the conversation will be interesting.

Another Great Secret about Destination Weddings is that a bride can focus  on Quality vs. Quantity.  Chances are there will be a smaller head-count, which leaves you with more money to spend on quality. 

We knew a bride who invited 100 people to her Destination Wedding, but received her desired total of 45 guests.  She knew that if she had a local wedding, more than 100 guests would have attended that were not close to her or the groom.  She expressed that she was glad that she was able to spend her money on a quality wedding rather than manage a head-count.

If you do decide to have a destination wedding here’s a Tip when deciding on a location.

• Flights: If the location is overseas, consider having your wedding near an international airport.  Not only will flight costs be lower, but the travel time will be more realistic without all the connecting flights.
• From the Airport: There are scenarios were guests travel overseas and then have to drive or travel by train another four hours, to get to a remote village.  Remote villages might be charming, but if you’re wedding is too remote, this could add an unwanted twist.  Not all guests are savvy travelers.  Keep things simple.  There are plenty of romantic and charming villages to nearby cosmopolitan cities that are less than an hour away.  Secluded locations within the country might be better reserved for your honeymoon.   

Destination Weddings Are The New Choice for The New Bride

The big question is where are you going to have your wedding? Most of the time brides settle for a local ceremony – the usual.  Yet most people don’t realize that they could get married in an Italian Palazzo (Palace) or a world renowned church with famous paintings of Titian and Michel Angelo for a fraction of the price that they would normally pay back home.  Here’s an example of an historical and well priced reception location http://www.abadessa.com/en/ :

Palazzo Abadessa is a refined Venetian relais , recognised as a “Period Residence” by the Provincial Authorities and the Monuments and Fine Arts Office of Venice: the building dates back to the late 1500′s with frescoed ceilings, authentic antique furniture, precious silk fabrics and paintings from the Tintoretto school.

The secret is out about Destination Weddings.  According to Capital Region Living Magazine, Destination Weddings have increased by 200 percent in the past 10 years and there is no slowing down to this trend.

We found out for under $15,000 and with 40 people we were able to have the most amazing destination wedding in Italy.   Unlike many places, countries such as Italy or France for example are filled with gorgeous palaces, fairy tale castles and medieval, gothic, or baroque styled churches and more.  Because there are so many of them you can actually have competitive rates.  In Venice alone, there were 180 churches with in 7 square mile radius.  Just the historical reference alone makes having your wedding in a beautiful destination worth while. People will be talking about your wedding for years to come.

So here’s our First Big Secret on having an amazing wedding –  Location, Location, Location.  Weddings are like real estate, if you invest in a poor location, the results can be a disaster. Having a wedding i.e., in your typical hotel, club house, local veterans hall can work well, but the problem is that you will actually have to spend a fortune on flowers and decoration just to “masque” the conference room or area that you are renting.  

One of the benefits and cost savers of having a wedding in a beautiful historical location is that the design of the area already holds ambiance.  There is nothing to hide.  Old world architects understood how to build exquisite buildings and calculated lighting, space, balance and detail.  This type of design becomes problematical to find, because it’s too expensive to replicate.   If you are starting out with a conference room, you will need to spend a substantial amount on flowers and centerpieces, to distract the unforgiving eye. 

Palazzo Abaddessa in Venice is one example of the many hidden treasures that we will uncover.  There will be information on great locations, local wedding customs and wedding information that was once thought impossible —  to be possible.