Walking up the wedding aisle-land

Walking up the wedding aisle-land
-- Chicago Sun-Times

NEW YORK -- Ten percent of the 2 million American couples who marry each year now say their vows away from home in what are called ''destination weddings,'' a 200 percent increase in the last decade, according to Conde Nast's Bridal Group Infobank and Modern Bride magazine.

Hawaii, Jamaica, Fiji, Bermuda and Las Vegas are the top locations for destination weddings, according to Conde Nast and Modern Bride.

Caribbean weddings have become so popular that the industry even has its own organization, the Caribbean Wedding Association, reachable at www.caribbeanweddingassociation.com or (407) 566-8000.

Far-flung honeymoons are also trendy. The 10 best honeymoon destinations, ranked by 3,000 travel agents surveyed for Modern Bride's August/September issue, are Hawaii, Jamaica, Mexico, Tahiti, St. Lucia, Italy, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Aruba, Las Vegas and Bermuda.

Tourism agencies -- from the Bald Head Island Information Center in Southport, N.C., to Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce in Vermont -- routinely showcase their locales as ideal wedding destinations. Mexico offers options like tying the knot underwater (at the Grand Cozumel Hotel), a ceremony in a colonial hacienda in Cuernavaca, or Mayan shaman weddings in ancient ruins; details at www.mayanweddings.com.

Marriott and Renaissance hotels' 1,200 wedding planners (www.marriott.com) undergo training to prepare them for everything from ceremonies with a religious, ethnic or military bent, to stylish parties.

The planners are also experts on the legalities -- such as licensing, blood tests and residency requirements -- of marrying in remote places.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has teamed up with WeddingChannel.com to allow couples to register honeymoons just as they would for china or crystal. Well-wishers can contribute ''honeymoney'' from $25 to $200 for honeymoons at Starwood properties, which include St. Regis, Westin, W, Sheraton, Four Points and individual resorts such as Princeville in Kauai, Hawaii.

One tip from Marriott's wedding planners: While invitations are typically sent just four to six weeks before the big day, send out ''save the date'' notes well in advance for a destination wedding. Guests need time to arrange time off from work and plane tickets