Cuba Destination Wedding: Third Time’s the Charm

One would think that two marriages are enough for anyone. One would think. I certainly thought so. That is, until about ten years ago when I suddenly found myself on bended knee with a ring in my hand. At my age, the knees don’t bend as easily as they used to. The whole thing felt somewhat less romantic and considerably more concerning from an orthopedic standpoint.

Let me be very clear: I have not regretted a single moment since that day. In fact, in retrospect, having made mistakes twice before, I found this decision so much easier and well-thought-out. You know what they say about practice making perfect? Apparently that applies to matrimony as well. Who knew?

Although this was to be my third wedding, it would be Tina’s first. That being said, it was a foregone conclusion that this day would be all about her. I had one job. After she chose the month, I would get to choose the day. Simple enough, right?

The February Surprise

When she immediately put February down as the month for the wedding, I was so flabbergasted I couldn’t even think about picking a day. Who gets married in February…in Canada? It’s the middle of winter and freaking COLD!

I automatically started picturing photo sessions outdoors in the freezing temperatures. How good would we all look bundled up in parkas in front of snowbanks? What if the car wouldn’t start? What if there’s a blizzard and no one shows up? Would our wedding photos look like outtakes from a documentary about Arctic exploration? Had she really thought this through?

Turns out…she HAD thought this through. Very carefully, and very cleverly.

“It Will Be a Destination Wedding, Silly!”

There was that dumb-founded look on my face again. The same expression I probably wore when she first agreed to marry me. I could already see the dollar signs rolling past my eyeballs as I contemplated the cost of getting married in some tropical paradise.

I had also immediately assumed that no one else would attend a destination wedding based on those costs. In my head, I was already calculating whether we could afford a wedding at some impossibly expensive island resort. Would we be paying off credit cards until my seventieth birthday?

When I said I haven’t regretted a moment of being married to this amazing woman, it is with very good reason. When I said she had thought things out very carefully and cleverly, it turned out to be a bit of an understatement. With two traditional weddings under my belt already, I felt I had a pretty firm grasp of the cost and complications of planning a wedding. This is one case where I was perfectly happy to be proven wrong.

Planning the Big Day

Once the announcement and invitations were out, there was just a little over a year to get to the altar on the beach. Tina immediately went to work putting the event together. Although we initially looked at other destinations in the Caribbean, we settled on Cuba for one very important reason. The price.

Both of us wanted at least a few friends and family to attend our day. We wanted to make it as easy as possible for everyone to do so. Once we booked the resort and all-inclusive package, any guests attending would have almost a year to pay for their tickets. Payment plans were available to make the burden easier still.

We also made it clear to everyone invited that no gifts were required. We were both mature adults who had been living together and had everything we needed. Attending our day would be their gift to us.

Besides, what would we do with a fourth toaster?

Why Cuba Makes Perfect Sense

Cuba. What’s so great about Cuba? Ummm…just about everything!

You want someplace warm in the winter? Well, Cuba has that. You want nice sandy beaches? Some of the best in the world. You want to experience a different and fun culture? Got it.

You want all-inclusive resorts that cater to your every whim? Check! You want to be sure you don’t have to worry about your personal safety? Done. How about nice, friendly people who genuinely care about you? Cuba, again. On a budget? Cuba, Cuba, Cuba…Cuba.

On average, consistently the one destination offering all of those things…and more. If you’ve never experienced Cuba before, you’re missing out on one of the Caribbean’s most underrated gems.

Choosing Melias Las Dunas

The resort. We had selected Melias Las Dunas on Cayo Santa Maria. It wasn’t the cheapest, nor the most expensive. But it was rated 4.5 stars and had great reviews, especially regarding the beach and weddings.

With 900 rooms, 9 restaurants, 11 bars, and 3 pools, there was plenty to see and do. Also, with 11 bars, there was ample opportunity to make questionable decisions. Which, let’s be honest, is kind of the point of an all-inclusive wedding vacation.

The Benefits of Destination Weddings

I discovered that there are actually quite a few great things about a destination wedding. The bride-and-groom-to-be have very little work to do. These places do dozens of weddings every year—probably more. They have it down to a fine art.

They give you options for all the important things: the meal, the music, the flowers, photographer, the setting. You just pick what you want. They take it from there.

Stress-Free Planning

They tell you where and when to walk, stand, sit. The photographer knows exactly where and how to pose you for amazing wedding day photos. The results are a flawlessly executed wedding ceremony in a beautiful setting, and seven days to bask in the tropical sun and celebrate.

No arguing with caterers. No panicking about seating charts. No last-minute drama about whether Aunt Margaret can sit next to Uncle Bob after what happened at the Christmas party in 2014.

It was liberating, really.

The Perfect Wedding Day

The day itself was picture perfect. And I mean that literally—the photographer made sure of it. Cuban weather cooperated in that way it often does, providing brilliant sunshine, a gentle breeze off the ocean, and just enough cloud cover to keep everyone from melting into puddles during the ceremony.

Tina looked absolutely stunning in her wedding dress. I, presumably, looked somewhat less like a sweating disaster than I felt. We held the ceremony right on the beach. White chairs stood in neat rows. Flower arrangements cost probably less than I feared. An archway decorated with tropical blooms looked like something out of a travel magazine. Which, considering we were literally in a tropical paradise, made sense.

Flawless Execution

The resort’s wedding coordinator had everything running like clockwork. We walked where they told us to walk, stood where they told us to stand, and we smiled when they told us to smile. It was remarkably stress-free. For a wedding, that’s roughly equivalent to discovering unicorns are real.

Dinner and Speeches: A Study in Contrasts

The dinner following the ceremony was amazing. The resort had set up a private area in one of their specialty restaurants. The food was exceptional. Fresh seafood, perfectly cooked steaks, tropical fruits. Enough dessert options to give everyone a sugar high that would last until breakfast the next morning.

But it was the speeches that really made the evening memorable.

The Heartfelt Speech

My best man Dave, although to this day claims he was only the stand-in for my other bestie out west who was unable to attend, delivered a heartfelt speech that actually made me tear up a bit. He talked about watching me make mistakes, learn from them (eventually), and finally find someone willing to put up with my nonsense on a permanent basis. It was touching, sincere, and perfectly captured our decades-long friendship.

The Hilarious Roast

Tina’s maid of honor followed with a hilarious roast that had everyone crying with laughter. She shared stories from their friendship that I’m not entirely sure I was supposed to hear. Complete with impressions and hand gestures that may or may not have been slightly exaggerated. The crowd loved it. I made a mental note to ask Tina about several of those stories later.

The Confusing Toast

Then came the father of the bride’s speech, which was…well, confusing is probably the kindest word. He started with the confession that he didn’t really like me and quickly changed to what seemed like a coherent story about Tina’s childhood. Somehow it veered into a tangent about automotive repair. He referenced a movie I’m pretty sure doesn’t exist. Then he concluded with what might have been either a toast or a warning.

To this day, I’m not entirely certain what point he was trying to make. But he said it with such conviction that everyone applauded anyway.

The combination of heartfelt emotion, sharp humor, and bewildering confusion somehow perfectly encapsulated what a family gathering should be. A grand time was had by all. The open bar helped considerably. So did the fact that nobody had to drive anywhere afterward.

Guest Adventures: Choose Your Own Excursion

One of the great things about a week-long destination wedding is that it gives everyone plenty of time to explore beyond the resort. Our guests took full advantage of the opportunity. Some went solo. Others gathered small groups for various adventures around Cayo Santa Maria and the surrounding areas.

Speedboat Tours

Several of the more adventurous souls signed up for speedboat tours. They raced across the turquoise waters with wind in their hair. Likely several mojitos from lunch still in their systems. According to reports, the experience was exhilarating, wet, and mildly terrifying in that good way that makes for excellent vacation stories.

Deep-Sea Fishing

A group of our fishing enthusiasts booked a deep-sea fishing excursion. They returned hours later sunburned, exhausted, and with exactly zero fish to show for their efforts. But they had a spectacular time anyway, which I suppose is the real point. The bar at the resort was more than happy to serve them seafood for dinner. Probably fresher than anything they would have caught.

ATV Jungle Adventure

The ATV jungle adventure proved popular with the thrill-seekers in our group. They spent a dusty afternoon bouncing through Cuban countryside. Splashing through streams. Visiting rural villages. Generally getting covered in enough mud to require extensive showering afterward.

The photos they brought back looked like advertisements for adventure tourism. Or possibly for laundry detergent.

Snorkeling Excursions

Snorkeling excursions took several groups out to nearby reefs. They discovered colorful fish, interesting coral formations, and that one person in every group who absolutely insists on touching everything despite repeated instructions not to.

The underwater world off Cuba’s coast is genuinely spectacular. Even those who claimed to be ‘just okay’ swimmers came back raving about the experience.

Shopping in Local Villages

Shopping trips into local villages gave some of our guests the chance to pick up authentic Cuban cigars, rum, artwork, and various other souvenirs. They also got to experience Cuban life beyond the resort, which added a cultural element to their vacation. Plus, they found gifts to bring home that were infinitely more interesting than another snow globe or fridge magnet.

The Catamaran: All Together Now

But the highlight of the week, aside from the wedding itself, was the catamaran excursion we organized for the entire group on our last full day.

We had booked a private catamaran to take all 35 of our guests out for a day on the water. The boat was spacious, well-equipped, and staffed by a crew who seemed genuinely happy to be there. Always a good sign. They welcomed us aboard with champagne—because apparently starting the day with bubbly while still at the dock is perfectly acceptable behavior on vacation—and we set off into the Caribbean.

Swimming and Snorkeling

The day included multiple swimming stops in crystal-clear waters where you could see straight to the sandy bottom. The ocean was that impossible shade of blue that doesn’t look real in photos. Everyone took roughly seventeen thousand pictures trying to capture it accurately.

The snorkeling was spectacular. Schools of tropical fish seemed unbothered by the sudden invasion of pasty Canadians in rental gear.

Lunch on Board

Lunch was served on board. A feast of fresh seafood, grilled meats, rice, beans, and enough fresh fruit to feed a small army. Or, more accurately, 35 people who had been swimming in the sun all morning and had worked up appetites.

The Conga Line Incident

The champagne kept flowing throughout the day. This explained why the return trip involved considerably more singing than the outbound journey. Someone – I won’t name names, but it rhymes with ‘Dave’ – attempted to start a conga line on the deck.

Given that we were on a moving boat in open water, this was inadvisable at best. The crew kindly but firmly suggested we save the dancing for after we’d docked.

It was the perfect way to bring everyone together one last time before we all headed back to reality. The weather was perfect. The company was perfect. The experience created memories that people are still talking about years later. Mostly the story about the conga line.

So, Along with the Resort Itself…

Along with the resort itself and a seemingly endless list of options for excursions, it’s great to enjoy a tropical climate and surroundings while your native home is in the middle of a deep freeze, under a foot of snow. This benefit is amplified when you get to spend some of that time with the people you like most. How often does that happen?

The Cost Comparison

Maybe the biggest plus for us was also the biggest shock for me. Keep in mind that we’re talking about 2016 here. Having personally spent between $25,000 to $50,000 getting married before, this destination wedding cost us roughly $2,500 each. The package for the guests came to $1,200 per person.

Let me repeat that for those in the back: $2,500. Each. For the bride and groom.

From the perspective of the guests, it’s definitely more than the average attendee would spend attending a more traditional wedding on home turf. But from the bride and groom’s standpoint, it’s a phenomenal saving. We’re talking about the difference between a down payment on a car and a week-long tropical vacation that includes getting married. The math isn’t even close.

The Verdict on Cuba Destination Weddings

In the end, 35 friends and family attended our wedding at Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba. Do I regret getting married in February? Nope! My clever wife sold me on the February wedding when she reminded me that it meant we would be going away every February for the rest of our lives to celebrate our anniversary! How awesome is that?

The woman is a strategic genius.

Would I recommend a destination wedding? Absolutely! They’re fun, cheap, and way less work than a traditional wedding at home. My thoughts on the resort? Melias Las Dunas definitely delivered a great wedding vacation at a great price. My wife and I were both very happy with the way our day was handled. Our guests all seemed happy with their stay at Melias Las Dunas.

Getting Help with Your Destination Wedding

If you’re thinking of popping the question anytime soon, consider getting married in Cuba. Or anywhere else warm and affordable, really. The Caribbean offers plenty of options for couples looking to tie the knot without tying themselves to years of wedding debt.

If you need help planning, the folks at Boarding Pass Travel specialize in destination weddings. They can walk you through the entire process without making you feel like you need a second mortgage.

And if you’re already married but looking for your next tropical escape, check out our Punta Cana anniversary trip to see how we continue celebrating that February wedding tradition.