Bahamas Destination Wedding

Before I begin describing the whole destination wedding & process of getting married in the Bahamas (Exuma Bahamas), I have to say this first... Sandals should be your #1 choice for your destination wedding! Sandals not only goes above and beyond with their customer service, but they also do their absolute best at making your stay, one that you will never forget. 

While being situated in a dream destination (plus multiple other locations), giving top-notch service & incredible hospitality, it all makes sense why they have earned their SOLID 6 star awards, year after year.

When you arrive, you get an amazing 'Welcome' into the resort, and I'll be honest... it kind of makes you feel like you are a movie star (cue the rolling of the red carpet). Oh, and you get a little 'Welcome' surprise (no, I won't ruin it for you... you will just have to wait and see for yourself!). 

⬇ Ok... now onto the wedding stuff! ⬇

Knowing what I know now... it's incredibly exciting AND incredibly overwhelming at the same time to plan your wedding... let alone a destination wedding! I'm confident this is where the term 'bridezilla' comes into play, and now I understand how & why. I can personally attest to this because I planned two weddings 😬.

With a combination of wanting everything to be perfect, plus depending on other people to do their jobs and follow through... it's a lot to handle and can end up putting a significant damper on the sweetness of marrying your best friend. 

Please take my advice and don't do that to yourself! 

This is another reason we chose Sandals; they did nearly EVERYTHING for us. We chose the specifics (colors, bouquet, food, cake, specific songs we wanted, & ceremony location), and they ran with it and planned everything perfectly to a 'T'. They even arranged the (mandatory) meeting with the Registrar General of the Bahamas so that we could be 'officially' married in the Bahamas. Let me tell you, this was one of the most incredible moments of getting our ceremony prepared. Not only did we get to meet the Registrar General of the Great Exumas Bahamas, but we also got to meet some of the other locals in the area.

Y'all... take it from us, the Bahamians are genuinely some of the most amazing people you will EVER meet! They were also incredibly excited to host our wedding in their hometown!  

Let's be honest.... and let's talk about the cost comparison of a destination wedding vs an at-home wedding. When you consider all costs involved (rings, dress, suit, bridal party, photographer, ceremony & reception), you are in the range of about $10k to $30k+ (depending on your taste & style). And remember, this is a rough estimate of your home-based wedding. Ok, now let's add the honeymoon cost into the mix. This is assuming you are catching a flight to an International destination for 5-7 days, it will most likely range from $5k-$15k (includes flight, room, meals, excursions, etc). Add those two together... you got yourself a whopping $15k-$45k in expenses for your home-based wedding & honeymoon. 

Now swap over to a destination wedding and let's give you an 'estimated' cost for this. Again, these numbers can change drastically depending upon what your taste and style are, but let's dive in. Considering all the same items from above - rings, dress, suit, bridal party, ceremony, photographer, reception & honeymoon (plus a wedding planner) - you could potentially end up spending roughly the same amount. It cost less for us (in Exuma) because we didn't exactly follow the standard wedding traditions when it came to our guests (I will dive more into that in our next section of 'who & what'). When all was said and done, we spent roughly $17k (this included everything). I'm sure I don't need to say it again, but Sandals made this incredibly seamless and they took care of EVERYTHING!

Now... I'll be honest, the biggest and hardest decision about planning this Bahamas destination wedding... we knew A LOT of our guests that we wanted to come, would not be able to make it. But, if you truly are worried about this, you could throw a get-together in your hometown and invite those who didn't get to come and celebrate the 'actual' wedding (a win-win situation... just some food for thought). 

PROS OF HAVING A DESTINATION WEDDING

1. You are already on your honeymoon
2. A much more personal and intimate ceremony
3. Smaller guest list
4. Most resorts plan (nearly) EVERYTHING for you... just bring yourself, your wedding attire, and your new spouse to be!
5. Can cost roughly the same as an 'at home wedding', maybe even cheaper!
6. Amazing photos
7. Everyone is on vacation which means no stress and more bliss!