I am getting married in about a year to a wonderful woman. She and her parents are Japanese, I am an American living in the US with her. To make a long story short, her parents are not being very supportive (which I can sort of understand). We originally wanted to get married in Japan with her family but it looks like that won’t work out. So as an alternative we have been looking at tropical resorts which offer get-a-way marriage/honeymoon packages. They all look amazing and right now prices are very reasonable. My problem is I have no idea which is better than the other. Sandals has several resorts off the coast of Florida at Jamaica, St Lucia, and other destinations in the area, they look absolutely spectacular. There are a couple of places in Hawaii that offer a marriage/honeymoon package as well. I’d like to stick to somewhere near the US, preferably something on an island paradise rather than Vegas style. Has anyone on the board ever done this? Did you find a perfect spot? What are some considerations I should think about before getting into the detailed planning? Any input is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!
Oh, sorry. By the title, I thought that maybe you were looking for someone to marry you on a Tropical Island. I was going to say I was game, but nevermind.
A lot of Japanese go to Hawaii for a combined wedding and honeymoon. There are a lot of businesses and restaurants that cater to Japanese tastes, and many hotels have Japanese speaking staff.
The packages would include a traditional Japanese wedding, I’d guess.
I would seriously consider this option. It may go a long way toward making your future inlaws feel welcomed and included.
I got the impression from travel agents and others that Sandals is very appealing to some people and a turn-off for others. As I understand it, they have done a great job reaching that niche of people who want to go to an all-exclusive but haven’t done that before. Sort of like Carnival cruise lines–they focus on making it affordable and non-intimidating and fun.
That said, it may give it more of a “party” and youthful atmosphere, which you may or may not find appealing depending on who is in your wedding party.
I think they are mostly caribbean, anyway. I would think a pacific destination would be more likely to incorporate some Japanese elements.
Are any of her family members from Japan planning to attend? If so, you may want to consider Hawaii or the South Pacific. I know you said you want to stay close to the US, so maybe Hawaii is your best bet. I believe most of the major hotels offer wedding packages, or at least are quite cooperative in helping to plan one. I looked into getting married in Hawaii and it seemed like a relatively easy way to go. I never narrowed it down to one resort, so I can’t offer any recommendations there.
My brother married an Australian girl, and in order to get married on neutral turf between the two families, they chose Fiji. We basically took over a small island for 10 days. The planning was MUCH easier than for a normal wedding. You choose between this location, or that one. These flowers, or those. In that type of a situation, lack of choices can be a godsend, believe me. Once the resort was chosen and the travel plans were made, all they really had to worry about was showing up with their rings and wedding clothes. Everything else was taken care of. I would highly recommend this particular resort, buy Fiji may be a bit far away for you.
From personal experience, I can tell you that St. Maarten/St.Martin is an excellent tropical paradise, (that is, if prices or distance keep you from Bora Bora/Tahiti and theTop Dive Resort.)
One of the best resorts on the Island of St. Martin (the French Side) is La Samanna A beautiful place, that will meet your needs to a ‘t’.
If you’re into spending money, look up THIS lady on St. Barts, and I can promise an excellent wedding.
Again, cash not withstanding The Cuisinart Resort in Anguilla is another fantastic place to wed, or so I’ve heard.
Then again, The Riu Hotel Chain has plenty of excellent options.
Best of luck.
Thanks all, this is very helpful. I don’t think family from either side would attend since her parents are upset about the idea and my parents won’t be able to travel that far for health reasons.
I’ll check out all the links and info, thanks again for the tips!
I went to a fabulous wedding at Little Palm Island off the Florida Keys.
WARNING! Bad midi music on that site.
My hubby and I got married in Maui, on the south end in Makena. We used a wedding planner and had a ceremony at a private estate. It was absolutely lovely.
I know you said “about a year” but you need to think about hurricanes and tornados if you’re considering a late summer wedding on a Caribbean Island.
My wife and I were married at Sandal’s in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The hotel put together the whole wedding package and took care of the plane tickets as well, which were much cheaper than we could find anywhere else. We just went to their website and called the hotel directly. They did all the work and sent us our tickets throught the mail. We received a free upgrade for our room, which from what I understand happens most of the time for wedding couples. The whole trip cost less than $3,000. I think we spent less than $50 for the 5 days we were there. All food and drink is free and available 24 hrs a day. There is a 2 hour bus trip you have to suffer through from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios, but it was not that bad. You can be married on the beach or they have several other places on the premises that are beautiful. If we had to do it over again we definitely would.
Or if money is a consideration, the Veg-O-Matic resort in New Jersey…
:o couldn’t resist…
LOL, funny name but an amazing looking resort. Please keep 'em coming guys, any personal experiences are greatly appreciated.
Here’s a list of resorts that are adults only. I would stay away from Hedonism for a wedding/honeymoon though. Have you thought about going on a cruise?
From your user name I think you might enjoy Jamaica mon. 
Yeah, I thought of that as well but I really don’t want any trouble on my marriage/honeymoon! Some people have told me that Jamaica isn’t so great with the resorts being about the only safe place to be.