Dad Needs Advice With Daughters Wedding & Honeymoon
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OP
Thank you Ladies (and to the two gentlemen who PM me)...you all have been most helpful and I appreciate the kind words and suggestions. You have definitely provided me with what I was looking for...a new paradigm on how to approach this
it is my first time 
Most apprecitive,
~Me~
Most apprecitive,
~Me~
My daughter was married in a gorgeous wedding last year, and one of my two sons is planning a wedding for next year. I can see that the discussion is moving mostly around financing, but I'll just assume that you know how to budget and what you're willing to spend and reply to your questions instead.
I would concentrate mostly on the reception and the honeymoon and leave the wedding ceremony itself to the bride and the groom. The ceremony has mainly to do with the couple's personal preferences, so they're the ones who need to set the tone for that. Everything else will derive from the ceremony. My daughter wanted a fairy-tale wedding, so the gown, the choice of celebrant, the choice of venue, the type of reception (a sit-down dinner followed by a dance for which she made us all take ballroom dancing lessons) each had to match. The kind of honeymoon that follows is all part of the same mindset.
Talk to your daughter and her intended about what their "dream" wedding would be and then start thinking about how the rest will develop from that. My son is getting ready for his own marriage, and he and his bride-to-be are the sort who will want everybody to hike to the edge of an ocean cliff with lava cascading into the sea in the background to listen to their vows, so I expect the dress code to be vastly different from his sister's wedding, the reception to be a picnic, and reggae music to fuel the fun.
For my daughter's honeymoon, I told them that since I had paid for the wedding "somebody else" had to pay for the honeymoon. They had some savings they dedicated to that, and they made their plans. Then as my wedding gift to them I told them I would pay for their dives. So I got their plans, contacted each of the places they were planning to spend part of their honeymoon (three places in Belize, both inland and on the coast) and upgraded them so that when they got to each place, there were other goodies waiting for them like chocolates, champagne, flowers strewn on the bed, etc., as well as private catered dinners at the base of a waterfall or a lily pond, more memorable accommodations such as the penthouse with the splash pool and ocean-front view. It made their honeymoon very special in that they went where they wanted, but got more than they could afford on their own, and at each place they got another wedding gift (in addition to the dives)!
I would concentrate mostly on the reception and the honeymoon and leave the wedding ceremony itself to the bride and the groom. The ceremony has mainly to do with the couple's personal preferences, so they're the ones who need to set the tone for that. Everything else will derive from the ceremony. My daughter wanted a fairy-tale wedding, so the gown, the choice of celebrant, the choice of venue, the type of reception (a sit-down dinner followed by a dance for which she made us all take ballroom dancing lessons) each had to match. The kind of honeymoon that follows is all part of the same mindset.
Talk to your daughter and her intended about what their "dream" wedding would be and then start thinking about how the rest will develop from that. My son is getting ready for his own marriage, and he and his bride-to-be are the sort who will want everybody to hike to the edge of an ocean cliff with lava cascading into the sea in the background to listen to their vows, so I expect the dress code to be vastly different from his sister's wedding, the reception to be a picnic, and reggae music to fuel the fun.
For my daughter's honeymoon, I told them that since I had paid for the wedding "somebody else" had to pay for the honeymoon. They had some savings they dedicated to that, and they made their plans. Then as my wedding gift to them I told them I would pay for their dives. So I got their plans, contacted each of the places they were planning to spend part of their honeymoon (three places in Belize, both inland and on the coast) and upgraded them so that when they got to each place, there were other goodies waiting for them like chocolates, champagne, flowers strewn on the bed, etc., as well as private catered dinners at the base of a waterfall or a lily pond, more memorable accommodations such as the penthouse with the splash pool and ocean-front view. It made their honeymoon very special in that they went where they wanted, but got more than they could afford on their own, and at each place they got another wedding gift (in addition to the dives)!
OP
Thanks Quero...great advise.
morecowbells
Contributor
First of all congrats to you and your family! I agree with the other poster about ruling out a liveaboard. Too close and confined corridors with strangers. My dream would be to vacation in Fiji or Bora Bora in one of those huts above water. The downside is the $$$ required and the amount of travel time. How much time your daughter has off for her honeymoon is a big factor. I feel that of all the places listed, Maui is the most romantic and versatile. However, you lose a lot of time with travel time and time changes. The Mayan Rivera is probably the easiest to get to and you get the most bang for your buck. If they are planning on doing a lot of diving, I think Cozumel would be a great option. Lots of world class diving, excellent restaurants and different resorts to chose from.
One of my friends who was getting married registered with an Apple agent. The wedding guests could buy a gift at a department store or donate $$ for their honeymoon through their travel agent.
One of my friends who was getting married registered with an Apple agent. The wedding guests could buy a gift at a department store or donate $$ for their honeymoon through their travel agent.
drrich2
Contributor
Disclaimer: I am a guy and not a romantic. I'm posting since I didn't see cruising discussed much. I'm not pushing it, just discussing it as an option. My wife and I did our honeymoon as a 7 day southern Caribbean cruise on Adventure of the Seas, followed by about 3 days at a resort in Puerto Rico. So a cruise can allow a little room to do something else.
Cruising is good for people who like to dabble in things; on cruises (4 of them), I have:
1.) Parasailed.
2.) Had hand-on interaction with dolphins (twice).
3.) Held a sea turtle (Grand Cayman turtle farm).
4.) Scuba dove in St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, Cozumel and Grand Cayman.
5.) Climbed atop 2 Mayan ruins (basically pyramids in Belize).
6.) Snorkeled with sea turtles in Barbados.
7.) Rode an ATV on tour in Samana, Dominican Republic.
8.) Visited several islands held by a range of nations, however briefly each visit was.
9.) Wife tried a Segway; I'm a tad too heavy.
10.) On Royal Caribbean on our last cruise, I did the $300 photo packages where we got our prints free & digital copies on a CD with a limited copyright release (so we can make copies legitimately to share with family), and we had a lot of photos made on board. This creates a (professionally taken) photo record of the honeymoon that may often be lacking with other options.
Cruises that feature some at-sea days are more relaxing than port-intensive cruises, but on the latter you can pack in more adventurous excursions.
Some people prefer a more immersive experience; a week in one place, doing a variety of things (e.g.: Belize) or a lot of one thing in depth (e.g.: diving Bonaire).
Richard.
P.S.: My faith in humanity was bolstered tonight seeing people talk about putting money into downpayments on homes instead of focusing on events that last under a day.
Cruising is good for people who like to dabble in things; on cruises (4 of them), I have:
1.) Parasailed.
2.) Had hand-on interaction with dolphins (twice).
3.) Held a sea turtle (Grand Cayman turtle farm).
4.) Scuba dove in St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, Cozumel and Grand Cayman.
5.) Climbed atop 2 Mayan ruins (basically pyramids in Belize).
6.) Snorkeled with sea turtles in Barbados.
7.) Rode an ATV on tour in Samana, Dominican Republic.
8.) Visited several islands held by a range of nations, however briefly each visit was.
9.) Wife tried a Segway; I'm a tad too heavy.
10.) On Royal Caribbean on our last cruise, I did the $300 photo packages where we got our prints free & digital copies on a CD with a limited copyright release (so we can make copies legitimately to share with family), and we had a lot of photos made on board. This creates a (professionally taken) photo record of the honeymoon that may often be lacking with other options.
Cruises that feature some at-sea days are more relaxing than port-intensive cruises, but on the latter you can pack in more adventurous excursions.
Some people prefer a more immersive experience; a week in one place, doing a variety of things (e.g.: Belize) or a lot of one thing in depth (e.g.: diving Bonaire).
Richard.
P.S.: My faith in humanity was bolstered tonight seeing people talk about putting money into downpayments on homes instead of focusing on events that last under a day.
stcroixscuba
Contributor
I of course like "BabyDuck"'s suggestion of a honeymoon on St. Croix (world class scuba diving and an excellent place for a honeymoon), it's also a great place to get married. I'm speaking as a wedding officiant and dive shop owner. We're under the U.S. flag so weddings here are legal just like anywhere else in the states. We're pretty easy to get to with up to two daily flights from Miami on American and daily service from San Juan with Jet Blue, AAEagle, and several commuters. Check out Weddings on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands for information on my services as an officiant and by the way you can have your wedding above or underwater..........just saying.......it sounds like you have a scuba diving family.
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I planned our wedding. We are lucky enough to be eligible for military base options so we used Coronado Island and had a beach marriage with reception at the O'Club. What a memorable place! Now, we take short vacations there for getaways!
honeymoon was belated, a lifetime dream trip. A Livaboard to Galapegos which I booked well in advance..
dress was inexpensive, I bought it online, but it was perfect. I'd let her pick the dress for sure. Mine was simple, which kept the cost down but the simplicity made it elegantly beautiful.
I don't know what was most important. I kept a tight budget, except the honeymoon. Being on base helped a lot. A home wedding can help, too. I did all my decorations and baked my cake! The cake was awesome and delicious, unlike most horrible, yet pretty wedding cakes.
honeymoon was belated, a lifetime dream trip. A Livaboard to Galapegos which I booked well in advance..
dress was inexpensive, I bought it online, but it was perfect. I'd let her pick the dress for sure. Mine was simple, which kept the cost down but the simplicity made it elegantly beautiful.
I don't know what was most important. I kept a tight budget, except the honeymoon. Being on base helped a lot. A home wedding can help, too. I did all my decorations and baked my cake! The cake was awesome and delicious, unlike most horrible, yet pretty wedding cakes.
Call me obtuse, but shouldn't this have been in a non-diving forum somewhere instead of here?
OP
Hmmm...Asking ladies for their suggestions on a big event in my special lady's life which includes different types of diving venues and destinations...in a scuba diving forum entitled "Women's Perspective".
SubMariner you are probably right, but the SB diving ladies really helped me. :colours:
Results:
- Dad - the wedding dress is the bride's choice
- The wedding & honeymoon - ask the couple what THEY want and do not suprise them with what you THINK they will like, because it will probably be what you want.
- Plan some really cool honeymoon destinations (that Dad is willing to pay for) as suggestions, but let them decide location, liveaboard, cruise w/dive excursions, land base resort with local diving.
- Budget - 30-day dive expedition to the South Pacific might be a little overboard...but I would love it.
Cheers,
~Me~
:wavey:
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