My cousin’s wedding is definitely the most memorable one we’ve attended. Maybe it was the amazing fireworks display, their fantastic musicians and gorgeous location on Sea Island Georgia?
OR… perhaps the fact that we’d just missed hurricane Matthew’s mayhem the weekend before and ended up with clear skies on the eve of the wedding?
After all the worry and stress I think we’ve definitely learned not to plan another wedding during hurricane season in the South! Hurricane Matthew was kind and luckily, did not do much damage to Sea Island and The Cloister Hotel the weekend prior to my cousin’s wedding.
In my family I’m known as a micro manager who plans for disaster yet hopes for the best. Our weekend hopes turned into reality and the lucky couple’s Sea Island Fairy Tale came true.
If you’re planning a destination wedding, I highly recommend Sea Island Georgia. The five star resort’s beach location, excellent service and many great restaurants make it hard to beat. And if you enjoy history and politics, you’ll love the G8 Summit meeting room, intact with pictures of World Leaders. Their meeting table and chairs also remain. Quite unique and fun if you ask me!
Sea Island has several veunues to choose from. You can opt for a Church ceremony and reception at one of the island’s prime beach locations or have both at one location.
Hmmm…
My cousin’s reception was at the Ocean Club. Can we say: GORGEOUS. Very traditional Southern charm just oozes from the place. An elegant green tent was set out for our reception adjacent to the beach, providing the perfect reception covering and location. (There’s also the beach club location at The Cloisters Hotel if you’re looking for something within walking distance for guests.)
I love how my cousin and his beautiful bride planned everything from start to finish and did not miss a detail. We were greeted at the hotel (early check in with our AMEX card) and given a lovely beach bag with sunscreen, snacks and water! Perfect for enjoying an afternoon of post hurricane sunshine! A bus picked guests up and dropped them off after every festivity.
Friday night was particularly fun as we were escorted to a bar in a “barn” literally (NO JOKE A RED BARN) and given an assortment of smores and decadent desserts with our choice of wine, beer or champagne.
I think if you’re going to ask people to fly all the way to your destination wedding, it’s nice to have a few parties and things for them to enjoy during their stay. After all, the guests are making great effort to celebrate with you.
A rainy wedding morning? NO PROBLEMO. The Cloister’s Hotel spa is incredible BTW… probably the best I’ve seen. Mom and I enjoyed the spa, sauna and steamrooms while Anton went for a run in the rain followed by his own trip to the sauna. It was the perfect pre-wedding day. And OF COURSE the weather fully cooperated for the ceremony and reception. It stopped raining just in time for the ceremony and the wind died down just after we arrived to the reception. A STORY BOOK FINALE!
The wedding itself? Elegant and classy.
The reception? SUPER.
Every great wedding starts with a cocktail reception. It’s almost as if us guests demand it, RIGHT? We all tend to flock to the bar for a cocktail or two as we mingle and meet family and friends. And if you can do it, an OPEN BAR is always the best way to go.
I really like how after we found our tables, we were served my favorite Veuve Cliquot champagne. A nice change from red and white wine if you ask me. Not to mention we were given these fun toys to play with… beach sunglasses and various noise instruments! Anton and I became total kids. Oh and their band was insanely talented… the best I’ve heard in years. Those Southern ladies and gents can really sing and dance!
Watching out for destination wedding tips since I have my own coming up in less than a year, I can certainly recommend the following:
- Find a venue that you love and that your guests can enjoy as a mini vacation. (It’s more enticing that way)
- Make sure the area has plenty of hotels available in all price ranges so every guest can afford to attend.
- If the majority of your guests are flying to your wedding, provide transportation to and from wedding festivities. The last thing guests want to do is hop in an uber, cab or subway after a long journey. Plus, if you opt for a large party bus or two, guests are guaranteed to meet and mingle! And most importantly, nobody drinks and drives!!
- DO get creative in how you welcome your guests. If you’re by the beach, try my cousin’s lovely wife’s idea of providing a beach bag and a few essentials. If you’re on a budget, send your guests a quick note and something inexpensive like chapstick, welcoming them to your celebration. It’s the little details like these that make your event so much more memorable and stand out among other events. GUARANTEED.
- Plan a welcome reception. It could be your rehearsal dinner or dessert and drinks after. It could also be a simple toast with a glass of champagne in the lobby bar.
- And don’t forget the morning after. A bridal brunch is always a nice idea for guests who remain. You can even opt for a less expensive idea: a morning after “hangover hike.” In fact, I think I’ll patent that idea, HAH!
- Find a way to budget an open bar cocktail reception. Choose inexpensive alcohols or limit the reception time to 45 minutes or less if you want to stay on a tight budget. It’s TOTALLY DOABLE.
- Throw a curve ball during the dinner or after with something fun. Everyone expects speeches and dancing. How about a few fun beach toys to entertain guests? A magician? Or even better, some powerful fireworks to light up the sky? There are so many fun, inexpensive and expensive ideas to choose from, THE SKY IS YOUR LIMIT! Get creative and definitely, DEFINITELY plan ahead.
My cousin and his wife’s goregous wedding has definitely inspired my own creativity and ideas for next year. Hmm… what can I do to make our wedding week a total US event that my guests will enjoy every minute of?! Time to crack open that planner and begin jotting down ideas however lame they may first appear. Sometimes silly ideas turn into some of the best ideas ever!
Tomorrow we are off to St. Thomas for a bit of R and R. This wedding provided the perfect excuse for us to travel cross country. Too close to the Caribbean not to make a slight detour! 🙂
Happy Planning!
xx Shanna
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