best hawaii wedding photographers

Top Destination Wedding Locations 2019 – The best places to get married.

If you’re looking for the best places to get married in 2019, your search ends here.

 

Each year, we talk about the top destination wedding locations and the best places to get married throughout the world. Being at the forefront of destination wedding photography, we see the changing trends as each year passes, some locations become hotspots and others cool off. More than ever before, we see couples wanting to put a unique stamp on their wedding, not necessarily by spending more money, but by taking it to the next level for their guests. They want their wedding to be more unique. Brides and grooms are shying away from ballroom weddings or church weddings and heading more towards the experience of weddings. 2019 wedding trends show that more than ever, couples want something that their guests will remember just as much as they will. Providing better experiences to their guests often mean doing something different, like getting married in an exotic locale so that their guests can experience more than just a wedding. Often times these top destination wedding locations are selected because the couple wants to share their culture with their friends and family. From food and culture to dancing and costumes, couples are including immersive experiences as part of their wedding for their guests. We are honored to follow our couples throughout the world, shooting these experiences with them. Each year these trends change, so it’s important to keep up on the top destination wedding locations for 2019 and see what everyone else is doing… both to know if it’s safe and trendy, but also to decide if you’d like to do something else and keep it unique. Either way, we’re happy you’re here and we’re happy to share our top destination wedding locations for 2019 and explain why each one was selected for the list.

1. Kauai – Our top destination wedding location for 2019 – This oldest of Hawaiian Islands has made a massive comeback in the recent years. This beautiful island in the Pacific Ocean is known as the “garden island” because of it’s lush, green foliage, plentiful rain, and year-round flowers. It has more beaches than all the other Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii was always a great showing on any destination wedding location list, people always want to get married there. But Kauaii, in particular, has been more popular in recent years as the beauty of this island has been discovered. Maui, Oahu, the Big Island, and Lanai are also very popular destinations, but we’ve got more weddings in Kauai in 2019 than all the other islands combined. If you’re thinking about a destination wedding in Kauai, you can’t go wrong. There are tons of places to get married, beautiful beaches for photos, and plenty of activities for your guests to enjoy.

top hawaii wedding photographers,

Top destination wedding locations – Kauai tops the list, this beautiful Hawaiian island is our top destination wedding location for 2019

 

2. Santorini – Yes, this romantic island in the Aegean Sea is always a top wedding location, it’s famous throughout the world for its romance and beautiful white and blue churches. Santorini hit #2 on our top destination wedding locations list for 2019, and looking at photos, it’s no wonder why. This island was not made for weddings though, unlike like many of our other locations, getting married in Santorini is a relatively new phenomenon. The venues there can definitely support a wedding, but they tend to be smaller, and some couples decide to do an entire hotel buyout to help their guests have a more immersive experience. If you’re thinking of having a destination wedding in Satnroini, I’d recommend a trip out there first, both for fun and to plan.

santorini destination wedding

Santorini is a top destination wedding location for 2019

 

3 – Banff – Canada is more than just maple syrup and free healthcare. It’s also a great spot for adventurous couples to get married. Banff makes our list of top destination wedding locations for 2019 because of it’s picturesque landscapes, kind locals and fresh air. It’s way way way off the beaten path, about two and a half hours from the nearest airport, and high up in elevation, making it only suitable for weddings in the summer. The Canadian Rockies are a beautiful place to get married – truly pristine land makes for the best wedding photographs in the world. Getting married in Canada? We’d recommend Banff, eh?

moraine lake wedding photography banff

Banff and Moraine Lake our a top wedding location for 2019

 

4. Cancun – Cancun is a great place to get married for Americans looking to do a destination with a budget. With plentiful beaches, kind locals and tons and tons of beaches, Cancun seemingly has it all. It’s a great spot for those who want to get away and combine a destination wedding with a honeymoon as well, Mexico is a top honeymoon spot for those getting married from the USA. It’s also easy to get to – more than dozens of flights a day come into Cancun from across the country. If you’re planning a destination wedding but have a ton of guests or want somewhere that’s always warm, be sure to consider Cancun.

top cancun wedding photography

Cancun destination wedding photography

 

5. Chefchaouen – Getting married in Morocco has quickly become a hot thing to do – everyone envisions the spice market, Arabian nights, sand filled Moorish-style castles, or exotic tanneries full of colorful dyes. Moroccan weddings are much more than that. They’re typically a multi-day celebration starting with the Hammam day. If you’re thinking of tying the knot in a traditional style in Morocco, feel free to have the ceremony! To get married in Morocco, the country requires that you convert to Islam, which can be done the day of the wedding. If you’re not looking to change religions, have a civil ceremony in the States before you head to this beautiful country, then have an honorary ceremony or celebration day while you’re there. Either way – Morocco is an amazing spot to have a destination wedding!

 

chefchaouen morocco wedding photography

Chefchaouen Morocco is an enchanting place for a destination wedding

 

6. Iceland – Iceland has been on our ‘hot list’ for destination weddings for years. It’s managed not only to become a top destination wedding location but to stay on the top destination wedding locations due to its unique draw. People want to get married in places that other people want to be. It’s really simple when you’re passionate about a place and want to go there anyway, as soon as you find out your friend is getting married there, you’re ready to buy a ticket and go, the wedding is just an excuse to get out there. Iceland is one of these locations. The city of Reykjavik is a bit smaller, but still is a great spot to tie the knot. With so many beautiful waterfalls and landscapes, there’s so many options for a wedding with a backdrop. Be sure to do your research and pick the perfect spot for you!

destination weddings in iceland

Iceland destination wedding

 

7. Dubai – This far away wedding location has made our list for the first time. It’s quite the haul from the USA, but it’s being discovered as a top destination wedding location because of its simple transportation options, high-end hotels, and friendly, English-speaking locals. It was a British colony, so they’re well-versed in English – when shooting over there, I didn’t meet a single person that didn’t speak English. It was easy to rent a car and get out of the city to experience camel riding, offroad sand dune adventures, or a day trip to Abu Dhabi. Dubai offers very modern amenities, many of their hotels surpass the luxury venues of US cities, they even have the top rated hotel in the world and the tallest building in the world – and what’s more impressive, they’re not the same building. If you’re thinking about offering your guests a completely immersive experience, put Dubai on your list of places to check out. Great locations in Dubai to get married include one of their two Palace hotels, the Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons.

destination wedding dubai

Top wedding destination locations in 2019 – Add Dubai to your list.

 

8 – New York City – Yes yes yes… the city that never sleeps is always a great place to tie the knot, but more and more couples are coming here to get married. New York City is a huge draw for fans of Carrie Bradshaw, the skyline or the endless romance that can be found here. Outside of the breathtaking views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Midtown or the World Trade Center, there are a surprisingly large amount of natural venues to tie the knot such as one of the many botanical gardens, or central park. It’s very easy for your guests to get around, and with Uber and Lyft dominating the city, more people are using their phone than the subway to get from A to B. New York has a number of famous venues, from the Pierre to the Plaza, the Mandarin to Cipriani, there are no shortage of places to impress your guests. Come with a hefty budget though, New York City is the most expensive place to get married in the USA – the average wedding here is just under $100,000, which is more than double the national average. That said, if you can afford it, your guests will look for an excuse to get to the city of dreams. Everyone loves to come to New York City – especially if you’re coming for love! All of these reasons help New York City land on our top wedding destination locations of 2019 list.

nyc destination wedding

New York City destination wedding

 

9. Napa – Yes, no top 10 destination wedding locations list would be complete without this California Gem. Wine country is for everyone – I mean, who doesn’t like wine?! People flock here for vaction fro their hometown for year-round excitement and good weather, and with no shortage of world-class venues such as Auberge du Soleil or Meadowood, you really can’t go wrong, and your guests might just thank you with a very expensive bottle of wine for your wedding present. If you’re looking for the top destination wedding locations – Napa is a must.

top napa photographers

Napa wedding photography

 

10 – Bora Bora – Always a must on any top 20 list, Bora Bora is an amazing place to get married. Hands down one of the most beautiful places on earth, Bora Bora is romantic, isolated, and truly magical. Bora Bora destination weddings are hard to plan, but luckily most weddings are taken care of by the resort. There is a laundry list of resorts in Bora Bora that will help you with your wedding, from the St. Regis to the Four Seasons, Intercontinental to Le Meridian, it’s not hard to find a world-class resort for your guests while you tie the knot. Even better? Bora Bora is the perfect built-in-honeymoon spot!!

bora bora wedding

destination wedding in Bora Bora

 

We have a large number of destination weddings in 2019, and we can’t wait to share the photos with you. Be sure to check back for our best wedding locations for 2020! Like the images you see here? Be sure to follow us on Instagram for more wedding photography like this.

 

 

Want to view more beautiful wedding images? Check out our galleries here!