Friends of Fodors...

Recently engaged to the man of my dreams and naturally we are looking for the wedding site of our dreams.

Looking for your "destination" wedding site recommendations.

Briefly, some basic criteria to help narrow the search:

(1) All States are under consideration at this writing as we have friends and family all over, BUT the site must be within a 1.5 hour drive of a major airport and have a range of lodging nearby.

(2) We are targeting: lodges, inns, estates, conference centers, retreats, ranches or parks. Not really into the large hotel/resort setting. Though we are expecting 100+ guests, we'd like to create an elegant/intimate/private atmosphere.

(3) Budget? We are not millionaires.

Thank you for reading.

We are not millionaires covers a lot of territory from moderate to really budget. Can you provide more info? What time of year are you talking about? Any preference for temps? Are you interested in outdoors vs in?

Thanks for your response NYTraveler...

We'd like to keep it at 25-30K. As for time of year and temp preferences, we are flexible. Just gathering data right now and looking for the "right" site. I have a feeling we'll know it when we see it...

Send ANY suggestions you may have.

I think the time of the year really matters.

For a spring or summer wedding, the Pacific Northwest is a location where guests would love to extend their stay after the ceremony, justifying the airfare. But it's not the place to go in October-May, where Arizona or California or Florida, or, in October -- New England.

BAK

My $.02:

A wedding is just one day of the rest of your life together. If you took that "$25-30k" you're going to spend on a wedding and invested it, you'd have a wonderful start towards your retirement savings, or towards the college educations of your future children.

The rose garden at the hotel hershey, is amazing, have outside in june very nice. why not get married at the sweetest place on earth? Harrisburg international airport is about 30 min away, the hotel is very nice, and has maybe 200 rooms, also hershey park is nearby so you guests can have something to do if they stay a day later or arrive early

What time of year are you looking at?

By the way,
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S!!!

The Kea Lani (aka Fairmont) in Maui was beautiful. The wedding coordinator did a great job planning it for us. Beautiful wedding overlooking the ocean.

With that much money I think you could afford it.