It’s bridal show season, so I’ve got honeymoons and destination weddings on my mind.

In this economy, I’m finding that more and more couples are looking at destination weddings as a way to control costs.  Sound confusing? In most cases it does actually work out to be less expensive to run off to the Caribbean and get married on a beach than to stay home and have the wedding at your local hotel or country club. A recent article in USA Today (“Frugal brides and grooms still walk Caribbean aisles“) explains it like this — destination weddings lead to smaller guest lists and fewer uneccesary extras, plus the resorts are wooing brides and grooms with great prices on all-inclusive packages.

Of course, a big part of the savings comes from the fact that the guests typically pay their own way, with the wedding couple springing for their own air/hotel and the ceremony and/or reception package.  These weddings tend to be self-limiting — only those nearest and dearest to the bride and groom will be willing to spend the time and money to travel to the wedding…but many couples find that to be a big plus!

If the Caribbean isn’t your cup of tea, keep in mind that destination weddings can take place just about anywhere. There’s the old tried-and-true Vegas wedding, a wedding on a cruise ship, or how about getting married on a glacier in Alaska?

Regardless of the destination, it pays to work with a travel professional to pull it all together. A good travel consultant will help you find the right destination, counsel you on the local marriage regulations, book your accommodations, deal with your guests’ questions and concerns (leaving you out of it!), and put you in touch with the right contact(s) to handle the ceremony itself. Most of all, your travel consultant will make it a stress-free process, so that you and your fiance can focus on the important stuff, like what to wear!