The Best Wedding Advice I Ever Received

Planning a wedding is enough to make you rethink taking those vows. Within a couple weeks after my husband asked me to marry him, the thought of running off to Vegas became more and more prevalent in my mind. It's not that we don't like our friends and relatives; it's just that we were looking forward to dropping $20,000 on a house instead of watching bridesmaids and cousins literally eat and drink us out of it.

I searched Vegas wedding elopement packages online and found links to other destination weddings in exotic places like Bermuda, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Not only do these resorts cater to couples only, but they were all-inclusive and some even included the ceremony and reception at no extra cost. The catch? You need to stay at their resort for at least 7 days. Sarcasm: Oh no, stay in a secluded island sanctuary for an entire week? Not sure I can swing that.

Initially, my husband balked at the idea, citing the disappointment of his side of the family. When I reminded him that his side of the family was not paying for a dime of our nuptials, he reconsidered, and it soon became our mission together. We loved the idea of the all-inclusive resort. This means that you pay a flat rate per day and carry no cash with you at the resort itself. Food, drinks, activities...all on the house. We also loved the idea of it being for couples only. Just one peep from an unhappy infant would weight heavily on any honeymooners mind.

The resort we chose was Couples in Negril, Jamaica. It consistently received 5 stars from reviewers on several travel sites and the photos and descriptions on their website just sucked us in even more. It also happened to be off season around our chosen wedding date and the online reservation site we were using was running a promotion for booking hotel and airfare together. Kismet. We sealed the deal.

Heaven from when we stepped off the airplane in Kingston. The resort had a guide to greet us and take us to a private waiting lounge for our resort, complete with free Red Stripe beer. Air conditioned shuttles to the resort with gorgeous scenery along the way. Porters and ushers and servers from that point on took care of everything.

Arriving at the resort, we were greeted with champagne and our wedding coordinator, who set up a meeting with us for the day before. Then we were taken to our room and, like kids in a candy store, couldn't decide what to do first: pool, beach, bar, hot tub, porch swings, beach hammocks, private patio. The swim-up bar won out and we were immediately engaged in conversations with other couples who were there for there anniversaries or other getaways.

The week was a blur of relaxation, parties, excursions and "other" activities. The only think we did not do was the nude beach. The sunset catamaran cruise was a favorite memory, along with playing the drinking game "cups" late night at one of the bars with our new friends. And of course, our beach wedding ceremony, also attended by the "A-Team Jamaica" that we had dubbed our little resort brat pack. I should note that you are allowed to invite outsiders into the resort for your ceremony only. So, in essence, you could have grandma there, but they will kick her out after the reception.

I should also mention the food because having a 5-star international chef on staff makes for a scrumptious take on local cuisine. Jamaica has an interesting mix of Caribbean, British and Spanish influence due to having been settled by all three types of residents at one time. Since the food was "free", there was no harm being adventurous in ordering. I quickly developed an addiction to sour sop, which I can best describe as the cross-breed of a pineapple and a coconut. I can also tell you that salt fish is disgustingly salty. Oh, and it's Lobster night every Friday, by the way.

Living in the lap of luxury for over a week, packing was torturous, and I still look back at that time as truly one of the happiest of my life. My husband and I just celebrated our second anniversary, and we found the only Jamaican restaurant in Denver, probably all of Colorado, just to experience a whiff of that small chunk of our life again. Was the family upset about their "un-vitations"? They all surprisingly got over it very quickly. We are living proof of the saying "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission."