Going Offshore

By Carole Buia

The top honeymoon destination for Americans has long been the Caribbean, but more resorts are pushing to close the loop and get the wedding business too. The best evidence is that Sandals, the fast-food king of island weddings, now markets the term weddingmoons. A decade ago, only 3% of couples wed abroad, but that number is 8% and rising, according to the Conde Nast Bridal Group. What's the draw? The weddings are memorable without being huge drains on money and time. That's because the weddings tend to be small: only really close friends will fly that far for you; your least favorite relatives will probably stay away. The average number of guests is under 50, but "we get a lot of couples whose guests lists are from four to 18," says Barbara Seiler of Weddings the Island Way. Most islands have only a short residency requirement (in Jamaica, for instance, it's one business day before the ceremony), don't require blood tests and charge $30 to $50 for marriage licenses. Resorts and planners can provide everything from the license to a helicopter. You can forgo the wedding dress too, says Seiler: "We've married couples in swim trunks and bikinis." White bikinis, of course. --C.B.