Does the thought of seating charts, extended relatives and save-the-Dates for that extravagant wedding put your mind in a tail spin? Do you imagine running for the ticket counter at the nearest airport in favor of a more intimate affair?
Or perhaps, you’ve dreamed of celebrating abroad or holding a South Florida beachfront wedding ceremony with simply palm trees as your witnesses?
If so, you are in excellent company since approximately 350,000 destination weddings are planned every year.
"Couples tend to come here to wed so as not to have to go through all the pressures of having a wedding at home and all the costs that go along with that,” said Aaron Wechter of Aaron’s Key West Weddings, specializing in small South Florida wedding ceremonies and receptions. It's not surprising as wedding costs exceed around $30,000 without a destination or honeymoon. “It is often couples who have been married before and don’t want the ‘dog and pony show’ they experienced in their first marriage,” Wechter said.
A South Florida destination wedding can be cost effective compared to the traditional route since its nature mirrors more of a bundling effect.
In addition, destination weddings in South Florida allow friends and family from across the country to meet at one central location. On-site wedding coordinators at Aaron’s Key West Weddings are adept at managing details like bouquets, decor and cake, leaving the couple stress-free. Wechter's said, "stress is not in our vocabularies.” Their coordinators can arrange for an officiant, the catering, accommodations, a photographer, formal wear, jewelry, ceremony music and reception entertainment.
Their efficiency can turn heads. “I have done some (weddings) within a few hours,” Wechter said. The advantage Key West has is that same exotic atmosphere of the Caribbean but without the required passport.
Aaron's Key West Weddings can even conduct ceremonies on a boat at sea, tropical weddings and fantasy wedding themes.