February 13, 2011|By Rosemary McClure |
Special to the Los Angeles Times The turquoise lagoons and misty mountains of Bora-Bora have always enchanted bride-to-be Maja Sakowsky. She's so enamored of the fabled South Pacific island, in fact, that she has delayed her wedding for more than a year so that she can legally wed there.
In May, Sakowsky and her groom, Zach Hosford, plan to say their vows while standing on a spit of land overlooking one of those turquoise lagoons, taking advantage of a change in French Polynesian law that simplifies the marriage of foreign visitors in Bora-Bora and the other islands of Tahiti.
"I just know it will be perfect," said Sakowsky, a Baltimore resident.
The couple will join a growing number of brides and grooms who are forgoing hometown ceremonies for destination weddings, sometimes in such locales as Mexico, the Caribbean and Hawaii, at other times in vacation regions closer to home, such as California's Napa Valley or Sierra.
We're not talking about eloping: We're talking about elaborate, well-planned, white-gown weddings with a passel of guests, flowers and all the other trappings of a Big Wedding.
So why leave home to do it?
Basically, to avoid the hassle of a hometown wedding, say bridal planners. Tying the knot while on vacation is a vacation.
"It's hard to limit your guest list if you marry at home," said Los Angeles event and wedding planner Evette Knight.
Limiting the guest list is easier when the wedding is far away, she said. "Even if you do invite a lot of people, many won't come," she said. "And the people who do come really want to be there. It's a much more intimate feeling."
Another advantage: The couple typically feels much more relaxed. "The atmosphere is better," Knight said.
"Instead of rushing around before the wedding, the couple arrives a few days in advance; they're pampered and their guests are pampered."
Couples in their 20s and 30s are more likely to choose domestic resort locations for destination weddings, according to Brides Magazine. "The trend is really hitting this age group," said Jacqui Gifford, travel editor for Brides.
"Before, a small group would fly out to a beach resort, spend a couple nights, fly home. Now, we're seeing people ask their guests to travel a little closer to home," she said, using as an example a San Francisco couple who might wed in the Napa Valley.
But, she added, exotic locations still draw many brides and grooms — and the weddings often become weeklong parties.
