Category Archives: Destinations

Destinations

Destination Weddings – Pros and Cons

So is a destination wedding right for you? Destination weddings over the past few years have spiraled into being one of the most popular marriage trends

Destination weddings allows the couple being married to combine the best of a honeymoon with a more traditional ceremony in a destination such as the Caribbean, Mexico, Bermuda, Hawaii, Alaska, or some other venue, and sometimes save money in the process. Traditionally with this type of wedding the bride and groom pay for the hotel, food, and most of the guests’ expenses. Guests on the other hand pay for their own airfare. This alone can set a couple back if the guest list is huge. However, if the bride and groom keep the wedding list to a minimum then the savings can be huge.

Also, you don’t have to feel committed to invite that uncle to your wedding if you haven’t spoken or even seen each other in years. If you have a friend that likes to stir up trouble and you do not want that person attending your wedding. Then you don’t have to invite them because of it being a smaller and more intimate event. However, if you have someone who insists on being at the destination wedding you can have this person book directly through the travel agent and explain that you will not be paying their portion of the travel, hotel, food, and other costs, but would be happy to have them added to the event and have the travel agent collect the costs from the add on guest directly.

Some destination weddings just involve the eloping couple and are very small and intimate event, but still are able to offer traditional wedding arrangements such as wedding cake, florists arrangements, photography services, for a flat fee or an additional add on to an already booked honeymoon or romantic getaway vacation.

Destination Weddings also include your honeymoon travel. You can plan on staying longer then your invited guests so that you can have that intimate and romantic alone time after your guests leave or you can arrive earlier to take care of any last minute planning of your destination wedding such as marriage licenses, or specific details you want included in your wedding.

A con to having a destination wedding can also include gripes from the guests, especially guest who are seniors and don’t particularly care to travel. They may bulk at the idea and try to persuade you to have your wedding in a more traditional venue.

Destinations

Tokyo – An Unexplored Honeymoon Destination

Japan is a combination of exciting city life, beautiful sandy beaches, hot-spring resorts and an array of cultural sights. It is an absolutely different honeymoon destination which has been explored by but a very few.

The city of Tokyo, which is also the capital of the country, has so much to offer to the newly wed couple. They can have a fun-filled sight seeing, shopping and a fine dining experience at the various local as well as the multi-cuisine restaurants.

The transportation system in this country is extremely efficient and comfortable. The most important factor is that the internal flights within the country are so cheap that one can really have a great multi-destination honeymoon trip in Japan.

Most often people do not really consider Tokyo as a honeymoon destination. But the city has much to offer and more in terms of accommodation, sight seeing and the various activities. Tokyo is a giant metropolis where the old and the new jostle for space. It is a city of cutting edge modern technology and quirky trends.

But at the same time, the Japanese people are fiercely proud of their ancient and rich culture and try to showcase it to the world very beautifully.

Lots of neighborhood festivals are held regularly and various shrines and Zen Temples dot the city skyline. There are many sights worth visiting in Tokyo. These include both the traditional as well as the comparatively modern ones.

Sight Seeing in Tokyo:
Temples of Asakusa: Asakusa is located on the north-east fringe of Tokyo city and is central to the area locally referred to as Shitamachi which literally means “Downtown.” This area is less frenetic and showcases a more traditional Japanese atmosphere than the other neighborhoods in Tokyo. One of the major landmarks in this area is the Sensoji Temple. This is an ancient Buddhist Temple which is Tokyo’s oldest temple. It was formerly associated with the Tendai sect but became independent after WWII.

Adjacent to this, is the Asakusa Jinja which is a Shinto shrine. It is dedicated to the three men who established the Sensoji Temple. This was once a part of the Sensoji Temple but became separate during the Meiji Period. There is also a quiet garden inside the Temple premises which has been developed in the distinctive Japanese Style.

The Imperial Palace: The Japanese Imperial Palace is located in Central Tokyo on a large tract of land which is spread over a large area. The Palace consists of the Imperial Residence where the Emperor and the Empress live with their family. It is a place where various official functions take place and it also houses the Imperial Household Agency Buildings. One can visit the interior of the Palace only on two days in a year i.e. January 2(New Year Day) and December 23(the Emperor’s birthday). The visitors are allowed access to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building: This is probably the best observation deck in the city of Tokyo. The most important thing is that it is accessible free of cost. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is the headquarters for the cities, towns and villages which comprise of Tokyo as a whole. It is the highest building in the city measuring 248 meters from base to top.

Thus, one can easily assume that in spite of popular thought, Japan in general and Tokyo in particular is a near perfect honeymoon destination with a fine blend of traditions and modernity.