Summer is by far the busiest season for Sunset Beach Weddings. Everyone wants to come to Florida beaches during the summer, so why not have your wedding too! Sandy Malone talks about why summer weddings are so popular and if it's right for you in her blog for the huffingtonpost.com:
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Sandy Malone, Owner, Weddings in Vieques
The Tradition of the "June Bride": Why Are Summer Weddings So Popular?
When I first started planning destination weddings in the Caribbean in 2007, I never expected to be as busy as we are in the summertime in the tropics. I quickly learned that there is no "off season" for destination wedding planning.
I wondered where the tradition of "June brides" came from so I did a little research and was fascinated to learn the tradition dates back to Roman times when they celebrated the festival of the deity Juno and his wife Jupiter, who was the goddess of marriage and childbirth, on the first day of June. In Victorian times, the tradition is thought to have continued because there were flowers available for wedding décor, and the scent of the flowers masked body odor. Romantic, eh?
Now you can get flowers year-round and almost everybody wears deodorant, so why is summer still so popular for weddings in general? It's the easiest time of year for most brides and grooms to take extended leave from work. Many occupations are significantly more flexible between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Heck, in Europe, whole cities shut down in August for vacation. And if there are kids involved in the wedding, coordinating school schedules any other time of year is a complete nightmare.
There are definitely some tricks to planning a summertime destination wedding, and I'm going to share a five of them here with you:
Avoid holiday weekends. Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day all dramatically increase airfare for your guests. The rest of the summer, flights to the Caribbean are ridiculously reasonable.
Off-season rates at hotel and villa accommodations mean that more of your guests will be able to attend, and even stay longer to turn your wedding weekend into their own vacation.
It's easier for people with children to travel to a wedding when school is out, whether or not they're bringing the little ones along. Finding a friend or family member to babysit is a lot easier when they don't have to deal with the carpool.
It doesn't matter how hot it gets during the daytime as long as you choose and suggest AIR-CONDITIONED accommodations to all of your guests. You're going to be on the beach and out doing fun things in the sunshine during the day so if it gets a little sticky, nobody really cares. As long as they have a nice cool room to sleep in at night. Summer is NOT the time to choose an eco-hotel without windows if you want your guests to speak to you afterwards.
Don't ask your guests to wear formal attire. Try not to make them wear jackets and ties if you're someplace where "island cocktail attire" is sufficiently dressy. You can dress your wedding party however you like (and torture them if you must), but you don't have to do that to all of your guests. They make some beautiful guayabera shirts that look great with linen pants at tropical weddings.
June brides are legendary in the wedding business, but I'd have to say I've got just as many brides in July and August most years too. The popularity of destination weddings has grown to the point where they're not just for escaping winter's chill anymore - they're a viable option for a wedding any time of year. And don't forget the added bonus - the bride is a lot more likely to be at least a little bit tan by July and will look even more fabulous in her wedding gown!
Until next time, happy wedding planning from Weddings in Vieques and Sandy Malone Weddings & Events!
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