We're planning a Summer 2004 wedding, probably mid-June, and are starting to explore some possibilities for a destination wedding. Ideally, we'd like to be on/near a beach. We live in the US Midwest, but are willing to go as far as Hawaii or the Caribbean. Hoping to keep it to just immediate family...Any suggestions?
Anyone done this before and have advice?

Our choices thus far include:

St. John (Caneel Bay, or villa)
Cap Juluca, Anguilla

Maui - Ritz, Four Seasons, Kea Lani
Kauai - Princeville
Hawaii - Four Seasons

Poipu Beach on Kauai or the Wailea end of Maui would have to be at the top of my list.

Both of those locations give you an excellent chance of perfect weather and a great sunset. Same goes for Four Seasons on Hawaii - I just personally find Maui and Kauai to be more romantic than the Big Island.

The Kapalua end of Maui has a higher chance of clouds/rain. Don't know about Princeville but I know most other parts of Kauai have a higher probability of rain.

Thanks...last time we were in Maui, we stayed at the Kapalua Bay Hotel. Loved the location, but yes, the weather tended to be less favorable than Wailea or Ka'anapali areas.

Hello to my fellow Terrapin-

We went to Caneel on our honeymoon 23 years ago and have been back 9 times. The weddings that they do up at Turtle Bay are beautiful and amazing. Turtle is our favorite beach at which to stay (especially for a Terp). It is farthest from the main hotel, but to us, the benefits far outweigh any minor inconvience.

The most significant change we have seen over the years is the influx of families with small chidren. Caneel used to be adults only, except around school vacations. Kids are not allowed on certain parts of the resort, which is in keeping with the no radio, no television and no phone in the room quiet atmosphere.

I strongly recommend a Caneel wedding, or at least a Caneel honeymoon.

My husband and I were married at Trunk Bay on St John and it was amazing.

We stayed at the Westin...we can't afford Caneel Bay But we both loved St John and were very happy we made the decision to marry there.

Go Terps! Can't see the Terps-Pack game today, because DirecTV didn't pick it up, oh well.

We're leaning towards St. John. Stayed at the Westin last time we were there, and have also stayed in a Villa on St. Croix. The Caneel wedding packages are really, really expensive, and they require a 65 guest minimum to do dinner at the Turtle Bay Club- plus, they want a certain percentage of the guests to stay at the hotel. I think we want to do something a little more low key, let people stay where they want (Westin, Caneel, villa, Concordia, etc) and do the wedding through one of the local operations, which I've heard really good things about, followed by dinner at Asolare, hopefully.

If you like St. John (we love it too) you might also consider St. Lucia's Ladera resort, which has open-air rooms and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. Their restaurant, Dasheen, is the best on the island and would be perfect for a wedding dinner. There are some great pictures on their website (www.ladera.com).

Good luck!

[This message has been edited by Lpas (edited Nov 24, 2003).]

The Fairmont on Wailea has a lovely wedding area that I saw used a few times while I was there. It looked like an ideal place to have a wedding.

I would definitely take Hawaii over the Caribbean, a much prettier and nicer place in my opinion.

Glad to hear.

I would personally suggest Princeville. Hanalei is a beautiful place and is less-touristy than Maui in general and a lot more lush as well (given the rain). It does seem to rain a bit on Kauai (and perhaps in Hanalei), but if you're planning to visit in mid-June, there shouldn't be any fears of rain (unless a really early hurricane hits)...

Having been to all three Hawai'i hotels you've suggested, IMHO the Princeville Hotel is beautiful, nothing more said. I think the surroundings help as well as living on O'ahu has made me want non-O'ahu-ish scenery (and all lava doesn't interest me either).

The Four Seasons Hualalai on the Kohala Coast as well as the Four Seasons are beautiful as well. The Four Seasons is quite a drive from Lahaina and it's an especially far drive from the Kahului Airport. The Four Seasons is located on the Kohala strip surrounded by golf courses and lava.

I personally believe, that if you do choose Hawai'i as your destination, to choose your hotel based on what you're looking to do. If you're simply planning on doing nothing and doing on what most honeymooners do, then go with the hotel, but each island has different characteristics that appeal to some and not to others.

I suggest doing a search on the Hawai'i board for a lot more information regarding some of the choices you've listed. If you don't find what you're looking for, post this topic.

Aloha

In every way shape and form I would choose Princeville over Poipu in Kauai!! It's so green and gorgeous over there. It would be a wedding of a lifetime!

We were married in Maui 5 months ago. I planned it all myself and it was very affordable (as far as weddings go). It was on the border of Kihei + Wailea. The ceremony was on an oceanfront lawn and we did beach photos after the ceremony.

I picked Maui over St. John because a) we're on the west coast and it's an easier trip for most of the people who attended, b) Maui has a lot more to do overall for the guests for the week they have, I think of St. John as being quieter (tho I adore St. John)

We had 13 guests. I rented 7 condos (oceanfront). The lawn in front of the condos was beautiful and quiet and FREE (because we were guests). Everyone loved their condo + view.

Email me if you would like to see wedding photos to give you an idea of the location.

Although it seemed a simple idea, it still was very stressful because a) you worry that everyone who is coming and spending their money is going to have a great time, and b) we couldn't spend enough time with everyone.

Good luck!