It's almost like eloping, except that it is not a secret, and you do usually invite a number of guests to come along. Destination weddings are those that take place far from home, at your favorite resort or inn. 

The idea is to have your wedding in your favorite location. The wedding serves as the beginning of your honeymoon — as a matter of fact, the honeymoon begins before the wedding ceremony, when you first arrive at the resort. &nbspThere aren't many "rules" as far as destination weddings are concerned. You may decide to invite just a few close friends and family, and pay for their trips. Or you may not be able to afford this luxury, and will ask guests who would like to attend to pay their own way. 

Some couples travel to their weddings on their own, celebrating in a romantic style, just the two of them. Others invite as many as 50 guests to accompany them on the trip. Many couples are pleasantly surprised to find that their friends and family see a destination wedding as a chance to enjoy a romantic vacation in a special place.

While the prospect of a destination wedding may sound expensive, with travel expenses and accommodations comprising so much of the cost, they are actually less costly than the weddings that most couples would have planned at home. 

There are far fewer guests, for one thing. And most destination wedding celebrations tend to be somewhat casual, while still being elegant: Instead of dinner and dancing to a live band for 200 people, the destination wedding may be followed by a gourmet picnic on a beach for 10, or a candlelight dinner for two.