Couples Can “Pay It Forward” With Dream Wedding in Hawaii

Shelley Seale is a freelance journalistic writer, graphic designer, mom and world vagabond. Her degree is in Writing and Cultural Psychology from St. Edward's University. Shelley's writing has appeared in dozens of publications & websites.

by Shelley Seale

Destination weddings have become extremely popular, and very few places top the list of beautiful, romantic wedding sites like Hawaii does. Imagine taking those first steps on the journey as husband and wife as sunset lowers beyond the ocean’s edge at magic hour, sending pink and orange shimmers across the beautiful beaches, cliffs and waterfalls of Hawaii. Likewise, it’s an incomparable setting for a renewal of vows or commitment ceremony. The islands exude romance, and the honeymoon starts the second the ceremony has concluded.

More than 20,000 marriages are performed annually in the Hawaiian islands, and nearly half of those are for couples from somewhere else. The booming business has spawned more than 70 wedding planning companies that can help put together an unforgettable wedding. Couples can also plan their own island wedding, even from afar, and a Hawaiian wedding doesn’t have to cost a small fortune.

On the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa offers dream weddings that can come true for less than ever before. Furthermore, during 2009 the resort has put together an incredible promotion in which ten percent of the cost of each qualifying wedding package will be donated to the couple's charity of choice in their name – including packages for vow renewal and commitment ceremonies.

Situated on an ancient lava flow at Keauhou Bay, Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa is located on 22 oceanfront acres on Hawaii's Big Island. With wedding location choices ranging from the quaint, tropical setting of the Bayside Chapel to dramatic lava rock cliffs along the shoreline, memories of the special day begin upon arrival and last through the ceremony to the couple's island departure. With the applicable ten percent donation couples may begin their new lives together paying it forward with donations from $75 to as much as $580.

The hotel offers 521 spacious guestrooms and suites featuring the ultra-comfortable Sheraton Sweet Sleeper bed. The resort's multi-level Manta Ray Super Slide & Pool and its 200-foot-long lava tube waterslide are designed for all day fun in the sun. The one-of-a-kind Manta Ray Experience adds an indelible and cherished memory to the visits of many guests who enjoy watching these mesmerizing animals dance their nightly ocean ballet just offshore, and visible from the resort’s terraces.. Ho'ola Spa offers indoors or ocean-side patio treatments that are Hawaiian- inspired and focus on health and wellbeing. Resort- wide wireless Internet access makes staying in touch a breeze. Couples who guarantee ten or more rooms for their wedding will also receive special room discounts.

Roundtrip air from any number of several West Coast gateway cities with direct service to Kona International is surprisingly affordable, particularly during non-peak travel times. Alaska Airlines flies in from Seattle, Hawaiian Airlines from San Diego, United Airlines from Los Angeles and San Francisco, Delta and American Airlines from Los Angeles and USAir from Phoenix. These options along with many more routes via Honolulu means couples can find low airfare options, dream destination wedding options, and room packages with value-added amenities from Sheraton Keauhou Bay so that their dreams may indeed come true.

"We know couples are faced with the dilemma of staying within ever-tightening budgets for arguably the most important day of their lives," says Sheraton Keauhou Bay's Director of Special Occasions, Natalie Houston. "Our packages allow couples to discover that a destination wedding in Hawaii can be extremely economical. And our offer to help them give back to a designated charity of choice sets the proper tone for a future lifetime of happiness."

Visit Shelley Seale at www.shelleyseale.info


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