I just spotted something in the Miami Herald I thought I'd share. It seems that some wedding photographers are offering couples an iPad photo album instead of or in additon to a traditional paper photo album. The iPads come loaded with hundreds of photos shot of the wedding, as well as multimedia presentations.

Photos look great on iPads, and they're still small enough to take with you to show off your wedding. And, it seems, the grooms love them. So, if you're interviewing wedding photographers, you might want to ask if he or she offers their photos and videos preloaded on an iPad.

Anyway, to see the entire article, just go to iPad wedding album story . 

And, if you need some tips on how to choose a professional wedding photographer, see our web page on professional wedding photos .

        

Is it almost October already? Thank goodness for the Bellagio in Vegas to remind us that 10-10-10 is fast approaching. That means all you couples wanting a 10-10-10 wedding had better get on the stick and plan something!

The Bellagio has recently announced they've come up with a new package for those couples who missed all the other "triple" number weddings (you know, 06-06-06, 07-07-07 and the ever popular 08-08-08). They call it, appropriately enough, the "10-10-10" wedding package. Couples marrying on this day at the Bellagio will receive a fabulous wedding ceremony at one of the Bellagio's chapels, along with a wedding night in one of their deluxe lakeview rooms overlooking Bellagio's famous fountain. Couples also receive a dinner at Sensi or Circo, and a performance of Cirque du Soleil's "O".  But, more importantly, the couple will also receive a wedding date neither one can forget!  That's right, no excuses!

Not ready for a 10-10-10 wedding? Then, how about an 11-11-11 wedding at the Bellagio? They call that package the "11/11/11 Ones' In A Lifetime" wedding package. You can find more info at Bellagio.com.

Of course, this all reminds me that I have to get on the stick and come up with some more fabulous 10-10-10 wedding venues you might be interested in. I'll keep you posted.

        

I came across this YouTube video while researching wedding venues in Charleston, SC . The video features the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston, the oldest public garden in America, having been founded in 1676. And, it also looks to be one fabulous place for your Charleston wedding.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens offers several different sites for your beloved event, including:

• The Conservatory and deck overlooking the Schoolhouse Pond and its popular red bridge. This site boasts a winding path through topical gardens, and overlooks the Ashley River.

• The Plantation House Veranda, featuring a porch over 20-foot wide, offering guests a 360-degree view of the surrounding gardens.

• The Carriage House, which is surrounded by sweeping lawns and live oaks, featuring wagon wheel chandeliers inside.

• The Carriage House Lawn, located on the riverbank.

Rental prices start at $1,000 for a weekday, daytime event; more for weekend events, especially during the high season months of March through June, and September and October. For more information about having your wedding at the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, go to their website at www.magnoliaplantation.com/weddingsandevents.html

For more information on other weddings in Charleston or other parts of South Carolina, go to wedding venues in Charleston  and weddings in South Carolina  .

        

Well, okay, so you can't afford a wedding like Chelsea Clinton had in Rhinebeck, New York. But, you can get married in the vicinity of Chelsea's wedding, and at a fraction (a real, teensy, tiny fraction) of the cost. 

Where can you have a Rhinebeck wedding without being a wealthy hedge-fund trader?  Let's take a look at some fabulous wedding venues in Rhinebeck, New York, and the surrounding Hudson Valley:

WhistleWood Farm Bed and Breakfast
Email: maggie@whistlewood.com

"WhistleWood rates a nine on the one-to-ten scale," wrote Newsday. Other admirers include New York Magazine, which, in its July 2000 issue called WhistleWood, "One of the 30 Best Bed & Breakfasts near the City". A horse farm set on a hilltop in Rhinebeck, WhistleWood boasts acres of rolling land, with a backdrop of flower gardens and grazing horses. Close to all you come to Rhinebeck for -- hiking, sailing and wine tasting from one of the 25 wineries in the Hudson Valley. 

Olde Rhinebeck Inn
rhinebeckinn.com

Located just 3.5 miles from the village of Rhinebeck, Olde Rhinebeck Inn was built more than 30 years before the Revolutionary War, and retains many of its original details, such as the original plank floors of the living room. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Olde Rhinebeck Inn boasts three acres with willows, a pond and a spacious stone patio.

Olde Rhinebeck Inn offers a small, intimate wedding package for the couple and 6 guests for $3,000, which includes:

• An indoor or outdoor ceremony at the inn
• Custom non-denominational wedding service
• A cake from the Calico Patisserie
• Flowers for the ceremony
• Up to 30 photographs on CD
• Veuve Clicquot champagne toast
• Optional live music for ceremony
• All four rooms at the Inn for 2 night’s accommodations
• Dinner for 8 at your choice of restaurant in Rhinebeck each night (excludes beverages and gratuity)
• Bride and groom 1-hour massages at an in-town spa
• A $100 gift certificate to use towards a future stay on your one-year anniversary

This package is for the bride, groom and six guests, and is available weekends November 1-May 15, and Sunday-Thursday year round.

Wilderstein
wilderstein.org

Located in Rhinebeck, Wilderstein is an opulent Queen Anne mansion originally built in the mid 1800s, with restorations beginning in the mid 1990s. Its last resident was Margaret Suckly, a cousin and close confidante of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Now used as a museum, Wilderstein is available for rental as a wedding and reception venue. Wilderstein boasts 40 acres, with two gazebos and views of the Esopus Lighthouse. You can rent this fabulous venue for your wedding and reception starting at just $1,500 for 50 or fewer guests, on up to $3,000 for 100 to 200 guests.

Have Your Wedding While Cruising the Hudson River

If you're the type of couple who would love to say "I do" on the water, while still being relatively close to where Chelsea Clinton said her "I do's", then a cruise on the Hudson River may be for you. Hudson River Cruises has been providing cruises along this historic shoreline for 30 years. And, they offer wedding services as well. For more information, go to their website at hudsonrivercruises.com.

Okay, so there you have it. Chelsea Clinton got married amid the beauty and history of Rhinebeck, and so can you. And, you don't have to spend $3 million to do it!

And, if you want more ideas on where to have a wedding in New York, visit our webpage on wedding venues in New York State . 

        

Just to let you know we added a page on Weddings in September  on our website. There are so many wonderful destinations from which to choose, but I list a few of my favorites, such as the Willamette Valley in Oregon, Santa Fe and Venice, Italy. Anyway, take a look: Weddings in September .

        

What are some of the top spots for a North Carolina Beach Wedding? We list a few choice selections on our Destination Weddings  website page - North Carolina beach weddings On it we include info on Outer Banks wedding locations, where you'll find several lighthouses which allow wedding ceremonies. According to the National Park Service website, they include:

• Ocracoke Lighthouse - which is suited more for smaller weddings of 3 to 12 people.
• Cape Hatteras Lighthouse - which can accommodate weddings up to 25 people.
• Bodie Island Lighthouse - which includes a grassy area, with parking for up to 50 cars, which makes it suited for larger weddings.

Beach areas along the Outer Banks include areas adjacent to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, where you'll find a large area of beach for your ceremony, as well as the Coquina Beach Day Use Area, which is the area just east of the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

Do remember that you will need a wedding permit for weddings in the above areas, which you can download at http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/wedding-sites.htm (click the wedding permits link)

And, for more ideas about weddings in North Carolina, go to our page on North Carolina wedding venues .

        

Just a quick note to tell you we just uploaded a new page on our website, Amelia Island Weddings with some information on wedding venues on popular Amelia Island, Florida. We highlight several top-notch wedding venues, like the Amelia Island Plantation Resort and Ritz Carlton Amelia Island, as well as some smaller boutique hotels and B&Bs.

Below you'll also find a video on what makes Amelia Island special. For more Florida wedding ideas , go to our web pages on weddings in Florida and Orlando weddings .

        

Want to get married at a Jamaica resort which has been named by Brides Magazine as among the "50 Sexiest Hotels in the World?"  Well, of course you would. And, if you have your wedding from now through December 14, 2010, you can benefit from their Summer Wedding & Honemoon Package, which is only $4,750. 

This package includes a host of goodies, but I'll just mention a few:

• Ocean View Verandah Suite
• Marriage Officers fees (includes license and rites)
• Bouquet and Boutonniere
• Photo Album with 36 exposures and the negatives
• Wedding cake for two
• Jamaica Inn will provide witnesses if you do not have any
• Full breakfast daily
• Gourmet dinner nightly including a Private Candle Light Dinner on your own verandah
• Couple Massage or Reflexology KiYara Ocean Spa (1/2 hour)
• “Touch” experience at Dolphin Cove
• Dunn’s River Falls Trip by Boat
• Reduced Golf Green Fees

Remember, this special lasts until December 14, 2010, EXCEPT FOR: November 23 – 30 2010.  All attendees at the wedding must be staying at Jamaica Inn.

JUst FYI, The Inn's website list their Most Romantic Location for a ceremony at the bottom of the stairs that leads to the West Wing roof. They say it's right by the sea and would make a fabulous backdrop for your photos and videos.

For more information you can contact Sandra Pinnock of the Inn for license requirement and wedding arrangements.  Their phone number is 876-974-2514.  You can also go to their website at JamaicaInn.com.

And, if you want more information on Jamaica weddings, go to our website page, weddings in Jamaica . 

        

Just found a great deal for those wanting a Canadian destination wedding.  At 10 Marriotts across Canada, couples can receive a $1,500 CAD credit or a complimentary late-night dessert buffet if they book their 2010 or 2011 weddings by August 31, 2010. These Marriotts are located in hot spots all throughout Canada:

Alberta:

• Edmonton Marriott at River Cree Resort
• Calgary Marriott Hotel

British Columbia:

• Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotel
• Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel
• Renaissance Vancouver Hotel Harbourside

Nova Scotia:

• Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel

Ontario:

• Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville Hotel
• Toronto Airport Marriott Hotel
• Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel

Quebec:

• Montreal Airport Marriott Hotel

This offer is only valid on weddings with a minimum of 100 guests only; 50 guests at the Calgary Marriott. This offer is not valid at the Halifax Marriott on Saturday wedding from May until October. 

There are other terms and conditions, which you will find at http://www.marriott.com/specials/promotion.mi?promotion=group_offer_23

        

Here's a great chance for all you New Jersey area brides and grooms to win a free wedding on a tall ship!  NJWedding.com is holding a "win a wedding" sweepstakes where one lucky couple will win:

• A wedding on the tall ship A.J. Meerwald in Barnegat Bay on the afternoon of Saturday, July 24, 2010, with up to 80 guests allowed on deck and another 100 allowed on the wharf to witness the ceremony

• The services of a wedding officiant, the former mayor of Beach Haven, New Jersey, Deborah C. Whitcraft

• Professional photography

• 40 Professional invitations

• Video coverage

The "Tie the Knot on a Tall Ship" sweepstakes is sponsored by the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, NJWedding.com, Schooner AJ Meerwald, Museum of NJ Maritime History, ReClam the Bay and New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism in honor of Classic Tall Ship Weekend taking place at the Centre Street Dock July 23-26. 

Just FYI; there is a 72-hour waiting period required between application and issuance of a New Jersey wedding license, which is valid for 30 days.  If you are the winner, do keep that in mind.

To Enter this Fabulous Win a Wedding sweepstakes, just go to njwedding.com/lbi and enter online.

If you're wondering what a wedding on the A.J. Meerwald is like, take a look at last year's winning ceremony: