Why has Hawaii become one of the most popular honeymoon destinations over the past few years?
Probably because once you get out of the more ‘touristy’ Waikiki the other islands are breathtakingly beautiful and serene.
Hawaii – holidaysplease.co.uk
Places like Kauai and Lanai give you complete privacy, with an air that’s filled with exotic, mesmerising fragrances from the many tropical flowers. Read more »
Grand Hotel Villa Cora, Florence
We were invited last month to Florence to see a couple of Why The Best group’s hotels. Leaving intermittent rain and grey clouds in England we arrived to clear blue sunny skies and the perfect temperature to explore some of the cities amazing sights. There is good reason that Florence is considered a top romantic destination and Hotel L’Orologio and the Grand Hotel Villa Cora are among the city’s gems.
We are really excited to announce that Virgin Holidays will be exhibiting at the NEC this year! 
Getting married abroad couldn’t be easier with Beachcomber Tours. With 21 years experience organising over 300 weddings in Mauritius each year, you know you will be in safe hands. Pop into their stand at the NEC this weekend.
Overseas and destination weddings are becoming increasingly popular. And it is no surprise when the average cost of a UK wedding is now £20,000 while it’s only £6,585 for a ceremony abroad. With the attraction of sunshine, good food and cheap bubbly, its hard to find reasons why not to go abroad to tie the knot! Even celebrities are going for the overseas option, for example the ‘Brangelina’ wedding which is on the horizon, is rumored to be taking place in a secretive part of France. Short Haul flights are becoming cheaper by the day and therefore your friends will find it easier and easier to come and enjoy your wedding abroad with you. If however, a more exotic location is for you, there are super cheap deals to Cuba, Thailand and Sri Lanka. So why not go abroad, before everybody realises it is the best thing to do and you can say you set a trend?
Humanist weddings are now the 3rd most popular weddings in Scotland! Currently if you want to get legally married in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and you are not religious you have to carry out a marriage or a civil partnership ceremony in a register office or an approved venue. However with a humanist wedding you have complete flexibility with the ceremony and, with the help of your celebrant, you can make your wedding totally unique!
With a humanist wedding the sky is the limit! Your wedding ceremony is no longer limited to licensed venues but can be held where ever is special to you. Whether that be on a boat, in your garden, or on the beach. You are no longer limited in terms of space to that stuffy register office! Your close friends and family can take part in the ceremony and you can choose music and readings that are special to you. You no longer feel the constraints of tradition and can have a wedding when, where and how you want it. It really gives you the chance to have a celebration that shows your special commitment between you both.
But is this the end of tradition? Perhaps there is a reason why these customs have lasted this long! For some people the church ceremony marks a real milestone in their relationship and adds weight to the commitment between them both.
So what is the future of weddings?
Just heard from our friends at Les Etangs de Corot near Paris that they will be offering 3 nights for the price of 2 for romantic breaks throughout July and August.
We had the pleasure of reviewing this wonderful hotel and spa and would recommend it to anyone looking for a short break away from the English weather.
It is close to Versailles, just a 15 minute taxi ride from the Paris Eurostar terminal so is really easy to reach for a long weekend. The hotel is next to a lake, with a great restaurant and bistro, with a really nice spa. Their own Caudalie spa range is now available at UK retailers including John Lewis and Harrods.
With the grim English weather it is tempting to look for a sunnier place to get married, and for anyone tempted by the idea of being a princess for a day with a wedding in your own fairytale castle, we think Malta’s Castello Zamittello is the pick of the bunch from Wedding TV’s new travel web site.
It was estimated that prior to the attacks on the World Trade Centre nearly 30% of British couples got married overseas.
