Engaged couples considering options for their big day should add destination wedding to the top of their lists. The popularity of destination weddings is on the rise, in fact, according to an annual study released by The Knot.com and WeddingChannel.com nearly a quarter of all couples opt for a wedding away each year. In The Islands Of The Bahamas, hosting a wedding is a piece of cake, whether your vision includes only your best friends and your parents or a long train of bridesmaids and flower girls.
Options for All Wedding Styles and Budgets
With 700 islands in The Bahamas, couples will find there are a variety of distinct island experiences to throw the party of their dreams, whether those dreams include five friends or five hundred. If you are having a big wedding, you may want to consider Nassau Paradise Island or Grand Bahama Island for a convenient beachfront location with cosmopolitan touches. Those who believe small, intimate and laid back is more their speed can opt for an authentic barefoot beach wedding with picturesque, natural settings on one of the Out Islands, like The Abacos, Bimini, The Exumas, Eleuthera or Harbour Island.
No matter what your size, style or budget, The Bahamas’ dedicated Director of Romance, Freda Madrisotti, is available to help simplify wedding planning in The Bahamas and make the experience easy and smooth for couples and their guests. Madrisotti and her team can set the scene for your perfect day, be it on a beach at sunset, in an exotic garden or a quaint and traditional church. They can also make suggestions on how to add a local touch to your ceremony and/or reception, such as incorporating local flowers, traditional Bahamian foods or hiring an authentic Junkanoo troupe to get guests into the dancing mood. Bahamas.com is a great place to start when planning your ceremony, with offers and packages ranging in price, some of which are even free when booking a few rooms at one of the local hotels.
Easy, Breezy Bahamas Wedding
Whether you end up choosing a large ceremony on Grand Bahama Island or Nassau, or an intimate escape on one of the tiny Out Islands, you can leave the worrying and work to a wedding professional and actually take the time to enjoy your engagement. All you have to do is arrive in the islands a few days early to get your license (you and your fiancé must both be in The Bahamas 24 hours before applying for your marriage license), and everything else can be taken care of by a confident, capable team just waiting to help you discover the beauty and romance of a beachy beginning to your married life.
What’s more, given the close proximity of The Bahamas to the U.S., guests traveling from all parts of the country will find a number of airlines offering direct and affordable flights to most of the islands. Or for those that do not fly, ferry service from Fort Lauderdale to Grand Bahama Island is available, as are private boat charters to all islands, making it easy for friends and family to join you on the big day.
For more information on getting married in The Bahamas, follow @VisitTheBahamas on Twitter and be sure to check out the Facebook page www.Facebook.com/TravelBahamas. The tourism board has even created a new YouTube video following the adventures of a real-life couple planning their Bahamas wedding, which you can watch at www.YouTube.com/VisitTheBahamas. In addition, on Jan. 10, 2013 engaged couples with questions about planning a destination wedding or honeymoon in The Bahamas can join the weekly travel Twitter chat, Traveler’s Night In (#TNI) for a discussion on weddings, honeymoons and romance. From 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. (EST) experts will be providing tips, tricks and must-sees in The Bahamas and will be answering consumer questions live and in 140 characters or less. Participants should simply use hashtag #TNI and tag @VisitTheBahamas.
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