BridesClub.com Wedding Blog: Honeymoon & Travel

Honeymoon Planning Nights in Greater Seattle

Every so often Totem Travel in Kirkland, WA hosts honeymoon planning nights to help discover destinations that you might otherwise never travel to.

Upcoming planning nights include:

October 3 Europe
October 10 Sandals All Inclusive Resorts
October 17 Tahiti and the South Pacific

Europe includes escorted, group, and independent travel to Italy, England, Greece, France, Germany and more.

Sandals night includes 17 all-inclusive resorts and 5 Caribbean islands.

Tahiti and South Pacific night includes Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, Huahine, Tikehau, Raitea and Tahaa.

Please call or email Linda@totemtravel.com to RSVP. We'll send a confirmation and directions to our Kirkland office. We hope to see you there!

Linda, Jennefer and Sandi
Totem Travel
(425) 821-4100 and (800) 321-7907
www.TotemTravel.com

Tags: sandals honeymoon sandals vacations european group tours tahiti vacation destinations caribbean vacations

Posted by Ash Buckles on Thursday, September 27, 2007 at 03:43 PM in Honeymoon & Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Find Hawaii Honeymoon Packages

You can't have the perfect Hawaiian wedding, without the perfect Honeymoon. We can assist you in planning a wonderful wonderful Honeymoon Vacation. Where will your heart take you?

Get a Hawaii Honeymoon Package:

ASTON WAIKIKI JOY - Phone: (808) 931-1400 Blog

BUSINESS & LEISURE HOLIDAYS - Phone: (800) 284-0440 Blog

CASTLEHONEYMOONS BY BONAVENTURE TOURS - Phone: (800) 876-5084 Blog

CRUISE PLANNERS - Phone: (866) 535-7245 Blog

DREAM HONEYMOONS - Phone: (708) 717-7837 Blog

NON-STOP TRAVEL - Phone: (808) 598-2353 Blog

NORTH LAKE TAHOE WEDDING/HONEYMOON ASSOC. - Phone: (800) 358-5683 Blog

SPYDER TRAVEL - Phone: (800) 860-4335 Blog

SUN TOURS & TRAVEL INC - Phone: (808) 488-7676 Blog

Tags: weddings in hawaii, hawaii bridal fair, honeymoon in honolulu, wedding gowns hawaii, traditional hawaiian wedding

Bebe Spa and Bure ni Loloma Wedding Chapel at Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji

Outrigger Hotels have always done a great job with their properties, but this image from Fiji is just overwhelmingly beautiful. Who wouldn't want to get married here?

Outriggerfiji

This 5-star resort, by Outrigger, opened on May 5th, with a wedding chapel surrounded by unmatched beauty. The Bebe Spa and Bure ni Loloma Wedding Chapel will have you relaxed, pampered, and ready to be married and honeymoon in Pacific Islands.

Tags: wedding, honeymoon, fiji honeymoon suite, destination wedding in fiji, day spa, hawaii destination weddings, tropical honeymoon

Groom Drowns on Wedding Trip to Hawaii

Lately there have been a lot of tragic stories around the world involving members of the wedding party and this story adds to the pile.

A man dies off Maui, Hawaii while swimming with friends. Onlookers jumped into the water after his calls for help and recovered his body a short time later.

Maui County Medical Examiner Burt Freeland said 29-year-old Kuon Phou was swimming with friends when the group was caught in a strong current and began calling for help.

Residents ran into the water with surfboards to help and brought the group to shore and recovered Phou's body. Police said signs warned of rip tides in the area.

They were getting married on Saturday.

Tags: hawaii wedding, hawaiian honeymoon, destination weddings hawaii, honeymoon suite in hawaii, weddings in hawaii

Tahiti Honeymoon on a Budget

Traveling abroad is becoming more popular for honeymoon destinations. The top honeymoons include 8 of the top 10 destinations that are out of the country and Tahiti is at number 4 according to Modern Bride Magazine.

You can find deals all over the place, but sometimes you wonder what websites to trust. I do. That's why we use a travel agent now. When my wife and I traveled on a Caribbean cruise last fall we weren't sure what to expect out of anything... the cruise, the food, the passports, etc. We had never left the country before and we had never been on a cruise either so it was doubly nerve-racking. But all went pretty well because we did our best to research and ask everyone we know about what to expect.

Tahiti is one of the places that we'd like to visit and getting there on a budget would be preferred because we like to travel a lot and getting anywhere on a budget leaves more money for the next vacation. This blog about traveling to Tahiti on a budget is very helpful. Just talking about overwater bungalows makes me want to go back on vacation.

Remember, once you've taken care of transportation, food and shelter all the really great things in Tahiti are free! Fabulous beaches, romance, turquoise water, time together, tropical breezes, unlimited sunshine, snorkeling, sunsets, more time together.... you get the picture! more

Before you leave it's always helpful to have a honeymoon travel checklist to be sure you have everything you need and pre-planning can help to remove your honeymoon stress.

Tags: honeymoon destinations, tahiti, travel agencies bellevue wa, honeymoon suites, travel agency redmond wa, vacation planning, travel agent woodinville wa, travel blogs, fiji, honeymoon vacation packages

Sandals Honeymoon Seminar - March 21

Don't miss the honeymoon planning night with Totem Travel in Kirkland, Washington on March 21.

They'll be hosting Caribbean Night featuring Sandals and Beaches all-inclusive resorts.

Learn all about the all-inclusive nature of Sandals and Beaches and how affordable it really is when compared to flight, rental car, hotel nights, food, entertainment and so on.

RSVP to Linda at (800) 321-7907 or linda@totemtravel.com and visit www.totemtravel.com for a complete schedule of upcoming events!

Tags: carribean vacations sandals resort all inclusive vacation travel agent bellevue washington bellevue wa travel agencies vacation planning bellevue wa

Travel Tips - Hotel Card Information

This tip comes today from Pam at the Signature Studio blog in St. Louis, MO.

I've read this a lot lately so it's either true or a hoax, but it's disturbing to think about.

It has to do with the information that your hotel key includes and it doesn't hurt to protect yourself just in case.

Customer’s name
Customer’s partial home address
Hotel room number
Check-in date and out dates
Customer’s credit card number and expiration date

Employees at the front desk can use your card for personal reasons and leaving your card behind is a disaster waiting to happen. Always take your card home with you.

Tags: honeymoon travel, signature studio photography, honeymoon suite, honeymoon blog, wedding blog, wedding podcast

Las Vegas Tourism Sets Record

No doubt that Las Vegas is the hot spot for tourists including conventions, weddings, gaming, entertainment of all kinds, and let's not forget the food. In 2006, Las Vegas hosted nearly 39 million visitors and hotel occupancy rates at 89%, higher than Hawaii at 83% and New York City at 82%. This has also increased room rates to an average of $120 per night.

Link

Tags: weddings in las vegas wedding chapels las vegas hawaii weddings new york city weddings

3 More Days Until Honeymoon Planning Night

Honeymoon planning is so much easier with the experts on hand. Join Totem Travel in Kirkland, Washington this Thursday, February 8 to learn everything you desire about a honeymoon in the caribbean at Sandals Resorts.

Totem_travel_sandals

Call Totem Travel at (425) 821-4100 for more information and RSVP.

Next week come for Tahiti Night on February 15.

Tags: sandals resorts bellevue honeymoon in tahiti travel agency bellevue wa, group tours to europe, vacation planning seattle wa

Caribbean Honeymoon Seminar - January 8

In October, my wife and I traveled out of the country for the first time. In December, we met Linda at Totem Travel who has so much knowledge about stateside and foreign destinations. We only wish we met her sooner so that our first out-of-the-country travel experience could've occured without all the stress -- rushing to get passports we didn't realize were required, trying to find out about the cultures and safety issues in Mexico and Belize, and more.

Avoid the unknown about traveling abroad and attend one of Totem Travel's complimentary honeymoon planning nights for Tahiti, Sandals all inclusive resorts and the most popular honeymoon destinations.

The next Caribbean Night is January 8 and our next Tahiti Night is February 15.

It's a fun and informative evening and you can get $150 off qualifying honeymoons. RSVP to Linda at (800) 321-7907 or linda@totemtravel.com and visit www.totemtravel.com for a complete schedule of upcoming events!

Tags: honeymoon seminar totem travel sandals resort all inclusive honeymoon travel agency seattle travel agencies bellevue wa travel agency redmond wa honeymoon vacation packages

Cruising: The Perfect Honeymoon

The Seamaster Cruises blog has a great post on the top 5 reasons cruising is great for honeymoons. My husband and I just returned from our first cruise. The boat that we were on had 4 weddings that we knew about and many many more honeymooners. I didn't realize how popular cruising is in the wedding industry, but I can see were it would be the perfect honeymoon. Now getting married there I'm not so sure about, (unless you are eloping) because honestly, I wouldn't want my in-laws along for the honeymoon.

Tags: honeymoon cruise honeymoon cruise destination wedding honeymoon suites honeymoon vacation honeymoon travel honeymoon destination

Posted by Monica Buckles on Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at 03:25 PM in Honeymoon & Travel, Wedding Planning | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Honeymoon Seminar

Ok ladies we all know its the grooms job to plan the honeymoon, but unless he has a little help, you may end up disappointed. Totem Travel is doing a series of free honeymoon seminars. The two of you could go enjoy a night out with free refreshments, and learn about honeymoon and destination weddings. This way you can let him know what kind of honeymoon sounds fun to you.

Tags: honeymoon, honeymoon registry, honeymoon seminar, wedding, destination weddings

Posted by Monica Buckles on Tuesday, November 07, 2006 at 09:08 AM in Honeymoon & Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Thornewood Castle on NBC Today Show

On the morn of Halloween, barring any urgent worldwide news, the Thornewood Castle will be on the Today Show on your local NBC station. The history of Thornewood is unique and we thought this would be fun to watch for those of you that are interested.

The Thornewood Castle Inn & Gardens is a luxurious, romantic bed & breakfast in Lakewood, Washington.

Thornewood

Call Thornewood at 253-584-4393 or email info@thornewoodcastle.com

You can also view rooms (some have changed) on our web site www.thornewoodcastle.com/suites.htm

Tags: Lakewood Wedding Locations, Seattle Bridal, Reception Locations, Wedding Receptions, Bridal show in Seattle, WA

Posted by Ash Buckles on Thursday, October 26, 2006 at 11:53 AM in Current Affairs, Honeymoon & Travel, Reception Locations | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Honeymoon Travel Checklist

Planning for any travel is the least fun part, but getting ready for your honeymoon is doubly stressful because you have so many other things to remember at the same time.

Today I found help from the Weddingbee and this exhaustive list of what to pack.

I don't think you'll forget anything with this list and I'm currently using it to get ready for our Western Caribbean cruise this weekend.

You can buy this and other fun things from Knock Knock.

(click to enlarge)

Tags: Honeymoon Planning Honeymoon Travel Passport European Group Tours Group Tours to Italy

Posted by Ash Buckles on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 at 01:06 PM in Honeymoon & Travel, Wedding Planning | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Top Honeymoon Vacations

The top 10 places to honeymoon according the Modern Bride annual poll:

Hawaii
Mexico
Jamaica
Tahiti
Bermuda
St. Lucia
Italy
Las Vegas
Aruba
U.S. Virgin Islands

But what about those of you that need to honeymoon nearby because of work schedules or budget? Finding a honeymoon suite for the weekend is a great alternative until you can plan a full blown honeymoon to some beautiful, exotic location. My wife and I did this and after 12 years (I don't suggest waiting this long) we're finally going on a cruise without the kids it's kind of like a second honeymoon for us.

Other top destinations that ranked #1 [in specific features] include:

Colorado for "Winter Sports"
England for "Culture"
Costa Rica for "Adventure"
Tahiti for "Seclusion"
Las Vegas for "Nightlife"
Mexico for "Affordability"
Italy for "Food"
Jamaica for "Sexy Ambience"
Cayman Islands for "Snorkeling & Diving"

Tags: Honeymoon Hawaii Honeymoon Suite Las Vegas Honeymoon Suite Honeymoon Vacation Honeymoon Suite Top Honeymoon Destinations Top Honeymoon Spots Europe Vacation Tours Eurpoean Group Tours Italian Honeymoon

Posted by Ash Buckles on Friday, September 29, 2006 at 01:18 PM in Honeymoon & Travel | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Diet to Lose 10-15 Pounds

Last weekend, at the Lynnwood Wedding Expo, I met my new diet coach. Lynda Anderson from Take Shape for Life exhibited and was so much help in getting me motivated to take the last step in changing my diet. I don't want to eat like a rabbit, and I'm a little nervous about the whole thing, but we're getting on a Western Caribbean cruise in two (2) weeks and want to be ready. Plus there is gonna be a lot of food on the boat and if we don't get some willpower, we'll be screwed.

My wife and I have been working out in the gym for eight (8) months, hired a personal trainer, mountain biked for 30-45 miles per week, and increased overall activity. However, we feel we've hit a plateau. We've both strengthened, built muscle, increased our energy, and all around desire foods that are better for us. But it's very difficult to eat less when you're building muscle and very hard to determine what's good for you to be eating, how to control portions, avoiding the snacks and nervous eating.

When we started with our trainer we went through a questionnaire to see what our goals were going to be, our starting weight, goal weight, body fat, etc.

Here's the breakdown for my wife.

Most important to least important goal for being in the gym:

Feel Better
Look Better
Lose Weight
Be healthier

Total weight loss goal:

Lose 15 pounds (currently down 5 pounds)
Lose 12% body fat (currently down 1%)

Here's the breakdown for myself.

Most important to least important goal for being in the gym:

Be healthier
Feel Better
Lose Weight
Look Better

Total weight loss goal:

Lose 10 pounds (currently up 12 pounds -- muscle gain)
Lose 10% body fat (currently down 5%)

Our food should be here tomorrow, and we're getting ready to change everything we know about eating. We'll keep you informed as we go.

Posted by Ash Buckles on Thursday, September 28, 2006 at 12:12 PM in Beauty, Fitness, and Health, Honeymoon & Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Honolulu Wedding Chapel May Not Happen

Creating a wedding chapel in Honolulu seems to me a perfect fit. Like Las Vegas, Honolulu brings in thousands of wedding couples annually and not everyone wants to be married on the beach.

In consideration of this, Good Luck International Corp. is proposing a two-story wedding chapel surrounded in greenery with a turn-around for limos aimed at very small wedding parties ranging from 9 to 12 guests.

"I'm not really certain what a high-end wedding chapel is going to be doing on the corner of Kuhio Avenue and Kai'olu Street," said Bob Finley, chairman of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board. "Most of the people I've heard from are against it."

Two banquet rooms on the first floor of the chapel will seat no more than 28 people, and the chapel will accommodate up to 40. There also will be a warming kitchen on the first floor, where catered food will be brought in for weddings, Kim said.

He added that the project "pencils out financially." Right now, he said, Good Luck schedules its weddings in chapels elsewhere on the island.

"One of the reasons why a free-standing wedding facility is being built is because these wedding parties are so small," Kim said. "They really don't fit into any existing structure. You book a hotel banquet room, they're made for 100 people."

Link: Honolulu Advertiser

Honeymoon Ideas Galore on Flickr

When trying to decide where to go on your honeymoon it can be difficult to make a decision because there are so many beautiful places in the world and anyone interested in travel can rattle off 20 places they'd like to go on their honeymoon.

Flickr is a great place to look through photos from all around the world and see what having a honeymoon in that location would be like. There are currently more than 250,000 photos tagged as honeymoon and plenty more tagged with specific locations like Hawaii, Las Vegas, Caribbean, Tahiti, Europe, and anywhere else.

More honeymoon photos are posted on Brides Club from local travel agents who can answer any of your questions and/or make suggestions based on first-hand knowledge.

You can also read the most recent honeymoon blogs by wedding professionals:

NOTE: A Weddingbee reader is having a tough time deciding and needs your help. Go vote.

Image: Pro Travel

Tags: Hawaii Honeymoon Las Vegas Honeymoon Group Tours to Europe European Vacations Escorted Tours to Italy Group Tours Spain

Posted by Ash Buckles on Saturday, August 26, 2006 at 10:52 AM in Honeymoon & Travel, Photography & Video, Wedding Planning | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

More Hawaii Bridal Expo Promotions

For this weekend's Hawaii Bridal Expo, you can win in several ways:

Win a wedding dress each day from Princess Brides
2-night stay at Molokai Ranch
The 100th groom through the door everyday gets a $500 gift certificate from Pacific Diamond and Swiss Watch Exchange
100th bride through the door on Sunday wins a Free Honeymoon Vacation compliments of Aloha Airlines and Outrigger Hotels to Keahou Beach Resort on the Big Island.

Show Information at: http://www.bridesclub.com/bridal-shows/hawaii-bridal-expo-july.cfm

Hawaii Bridal Expo blogs:

Other Wedding Show Information:

Posted by Ash Buckles on Saturday, July 29, 2006 at 10:55 AM in Bridal Shows, Brides Club News, Current Affairs, Honeymoon & Travel, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Planning, Wedding Rings | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Honeymoon Registry Explained

So with destination weddings becoming more popular, so are non-traditional weddings and the bridal registry is changing too - to the honeymoon registry.

TheHoneymoon.com offers some very simple information on creating a honeymoon registry for your guests to buy all or part of your honeymoon in place of wedding gifts. Plus they make setting up your registry so simple. Just choose your desired honeymoon vacation and click a button to make it yours.

Honeymoon Hotspots for 2006:

Hawaii - Popular for destination weddings
Mexico - Mayan ruins, nature parks, dolphins
Aruba - Honeymoon in paradise
Jamaica - All-inclusive honeymoons
Tahiti - Serene and exotic honeymoons

Learn more about exciting honeymoon locales from TheHoneymoon.com.

Posted by Ash Buckles on Wednesday, June 21, 2006 at 04:12 PM in Honeymoon & Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Less Stress: Destination Wedding

Destination weddings have become an increasingly popular way to avoid traditional ceremonies, cut down on the stress of planning a wedding, lower costs because the number of guests is usually less than otherwise, and combine the wedding and honeymoon into one.

"It turns the wedding into a longer celebration, one that's a little bit more intimate because you usually have fewer guests," said Donna Heiderstadt, travel editor for Modern Bride magazine.

Plus there are so many places you can plan a destination wedding such as Las Vegas, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Europe, Italy, and any one of thousands of other places.

Link from CNN.

Tags: european honeymoon, honeymoon in italy, destination weddings, wedding honeymoon, australia honeymoons, honeymoon in fiji, sandals resort

Posted by Ash Buckles on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 at 03:23 PM in Current Affairs, Honeymoon & Travel, Marriage Licenses, Wedding Planning | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)