Travel Agent - August 27, 2007 - (Page DW7) find a choice of packages, from the simplest intimate ceremony for the couple alone, to the most elaborate a la carte affair for hundreds. The business for destination weddings has grown so much that a number of U.S.-based major chains have established programs brand-wide featuring a wedding and honeymoon packages and on-site wedding planners. HELP THEM RELAX The Cruise Wedding Cruises are one of the most romantic and popular ways to honeymoon, so it’s natural that most major cruise lines feature wedding or vow renewal packages with choice built in. Many of the ships also feature onboard wedding chapels. A cruise wedding is a good option for couples who want something different, but want to leave the wedding guests after the ceremony. Many cruise lines offer the option of having the ceremonies onboard while in port on embarkation day. Some guests can come just for the ceremony, while others can choose to join the couple for the entire cruise. Weddings can also be arranged while at port and in certain destinations. Some cruise lines can actually have the ship’s Captain perform a legally binding wedding ceremony at sea (a time-honored tradition), while others may enlist a local governmentapproved official for on-shore or onboard weddings in port. There are some pre-nuptial items you can add to your destination wedding package to boost your commission, or you can throw them in to help seal the deal with your clients. Suggest a spa package to help the bride soothe her nerves and relieve any tension or jitters that invariably pop up at such a life-altering occasion. (According to a survey by the International Spa Association and WeddingChannel.com, 69 percent of the 725 brides who responded plan to visit a spa before their wedding, spending an average of $350.) Or make it a group outing by including the maid/matron of honor, bridesmaids and mothers of the bride and groom. You can book a similar package for the groom, best man, ushers and fathers as well, or perhaps they might prefer a golf outing, taking a stroll among the greens before making that march down the aisle. Special or Offbeat Wedding If your clients dream of marrying under a waterfall in Hawaii, on horseback on a beach in Jamaica, while scuba diving under the sea in the Cayman Islands, on a mountaintop in Colorado, in a European castle, aboard a hot-air balloon over Las Vegas or anything even more exotic, it is all possible. Best bet is to enlist the services of a wedding or event planner based in that particular location (see page 6). Renewal of Vows Make note of the nuptial dates of your destination wedding clients. Then as the couple’s major anniversaries approach (5th, 10th, etc.), send them information on resorts that offer vow-renewal and/or anniversary packages. They can take their “second honeymoon” alone, bring their children or parents along, or invite the maid/matron of honor and best man (and their spouses) too. The commissions can really add up. T T Top: Crystal Cruises; Bottom: U.S. Virgin Islands Tourism Authority Destination Weddings Specialist 2.0 | Travel Agent | August 27, 2007 7
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