A wedding invitation used to be a good excuse to buy a new party dress; now it’s a great excuse to buy a new vacation wardrobe to go with that new dress. In the last ten years, I have received two invitations to Sri Lanka, one to Mexico, and another to Hawaii to witness nuptials. Though I love my friends dearly, I don’t want to use my vacation time on any old destination wedding. So, I’m dropping subtle hints for engaged friends in the hopes that they will select their destination-wedding site with my daydream vacation photographs in mind!
Bonita Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona is the hotspot for those who want to tie the knot with a European twist. And since I have yet to take in Gaudi’s architecture and love Spanish guitar on a Sunday morning, Barcelona is an idyllic getaway worthy of my immediate RSVP. The beloveds can choose from a vine-covered estate or a candlelit Baroque chapel to exchange vows and then after the reception run through the cobblestone city streets in search of tapas or boogie into the night at mansion nightclubs. Strolls through Park Guell, the Gothic quarter, Las Ramblas, and further on to more funky architecture along Barceloneta beach, might make some guests (like me) come for the wedding and decide to stay for a lifetime.
Seychelles Safari
Banyan Tree Resort, Seychelles, Africa
My fantasy of an Africa trip is finding my way to Mali or Guinea-Bissau to dance and drum with villagers. Only after that could I easily accept my friends’ invitation to join them off the east coast of mainland Africa to the archipelago nation of the Republic of Seychelles, 155 islands in the Indian Ocean. Couples can design their own beach ceremony, or choose from the culture’s own Creole coconut ceremony, where they drink from a coconut and set it into the ocean, or plant a coconut tree. They can even choose a Tibetan ceremony equipped with chimes and a “five elements ribbon ceremony.” After an island stay in a beachfront spa pool villa, guests can leave the newlyweds to their honeymoon, and head off on a luxury safari in South Africa, Botswana, or Tanzania. I’m going to start saving my pennies now.
