by Johanna Osborne

Nothing is more thrilling than jetsetting across the globe, or even just the Pacific … to a warmer, brighter and sandier venue. Yes, an island escape is about as exciting as it gets and what better place to tie the knot, seal the deal, elope and become a Mrs and a Mr?

We know that a destination wedding is not for everyone. There can be obstacles that stand in the way of planning your wedding somewhere tropical, as not all loved ones are able to make such a journey. But for some of us it’s the perfect way to get hitched, and there truly are a million reasons why. Sun, surf, culture, holiday joy and instant romance on tap are amongst the plentiful reasons why it’s at least worth a thought (or twenty). We think it’s simply the coolest and most exciting thing to get married somewhere fabulous! Just think … the memories, the photos, the stories! Whether it’s the Greek isles, the French Riviera, the Bahamas or fantastic Fiji, anywhere sunny and sandy is pretty perfect in our book. Everyone gets a holiday, an escape, an adventure, an experience. What’s not to love?

I will never forget toying with the idea of eloping on Santorini when Stephen and I were very young. It was 2002, we were uni students and we didn’t have much money- we bought a shiny sparkly – albeit rather cheap – ring, and I had a white dress in my suitcase (by coincidence, no prior planning). One night walking through the lit alleyways soaking in the Greek atmosphere and island charm, the idea came upon us. Oh how romantic! We so wanted to do it, we got totally swept up in the romance of the Greek islands and how wonderful it would be to get married right here, right now… but common sense (and perhaps fear of letting down our loved ones back home?) got the better of us and we didn’t take the plunge that day. We waited, and instead in 2006 we finally made it official in our hometown with most of our friends and family present. I loved our wedding and am glad we did it the way we did, but I also certainly don’t think we would have regretted eloping (hey you can always have 2 weddings!) … and a small part of me still wishes we had been brave and done it!! That sure would have been a cool story to tell our son. Yes, once upon a time we were spontaneous, young and carefree!

But enough about me, let’s feast our eyes on some romantic island wedding inspiration. We bet you will be very tempted to phone that travel agent by the time you hit picture 5…

All images via Pinterest