30 Seriously Unforgettable Destination Wedding Ideas for Anyone Who’s Over the Banquet Hall Reception

Save the pink sand and bright blue water of Bermuda’s gorgeous beaches for your honeymoon pics. Instead, plan your nuptials at this Gothic St. George vestige. This roofless church was, you guessed it, never finished after the building started in 1870. It’s now a protected historic site on the island…and a fabulous place to hold your wedding with up to 500 guests.

Remote weddings can be chic, and this Far West Texas resort is as chic as they come…and nearly as remote, too. Located just outside of the artsy “ghost town” of Terlingua near Big Bend National Park, Willow House sits on 300 acres of desert landscape, where 12 casitas are primed for a wedding buyout beneath the shade of the Chisos Mountain Range.

Yes, this wedding is fully underwater. Just note that each of your guests (up to 22) will need to complete a quick intro-level scuba diving class at the Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo before heading beneath the Mediterranean Sea for your unforgettable underwater ceremony. You’ll say your vows at a subaquatic altar—complete with an underwater videographer—in front of your guests, and then return back to the surface for cocktails on the beach.

There are plenty of tales of Irish lords, captured princesses, and ancient towers and tunnels surrounding this fairytale-esque private estate. Count us in. Say your vows in the Ballymagarvey church (with its impressive rose window), in the restored Mill Loft, or in Gwenllian’s Garden, but don’t pass up a post-wedding photoshoot in the walled garden.

Getting married in the land of fire and ice is a bragging right in and of itself, but the new wedding packages from the luxurious Hotel Rangá will do the bragging for ya. Get married in an ancient cave lined with candles, plan a photo shoot under a crystalized waterfall, or take your chances with the Northern Lights with a glacier-top ceremony out in the wild (omg though, imagine the pictures if the timing works out!).

This convent-turned-dream venue is smack in the center of Cartagena, where cobblestone streets lead toward historic hangouts and more importantly, sexy nightlife options. The hotel is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and weddings there are equally as epic...FYI that wedding ceremonies often gain steam around 1 a.m., ending with brunch the next day. So make sure your guests are prepped and ready with Advil.

Well, if it was good enough for Sir Paul McCartney, right?! This legendary town hall has launched the love stories for countless rock stars and movies stars…some multiple times. There are seven ceremony rooms ranging in size (2,100 guests max), and it’s crazy affordable for a London wedding. Make sure you pack confetti for the iconic “Old Marylebone exit” shot down the front steps.

What’s better than a wedding in Bali? A cliff-edge wedding in Bali. An entire resort buy-out (all 56 villas) at Alila comes with morning yoga seshes, 50 hour-long spa treatments (um yes), and exclusive access to the resort's amenities so you and your guests can Eat, Pray, Love your way around this magical island pre- and post-ceremony.

Known as the “Castle in the Rockies,” this Canadian property is all about those views. All the ballrooms, grand halls, and other ceremony venues look out over something amazing, like the sparkling Bow River or mystical snow-capped mountains. But it’s the customized outings and adventures within Banff National Park for wedding parties (group snowshoe sesh, anyone?) that takes things from “hey, nice wedding” to “whoa, now that was a wedding.”

Is this a pic from Mamma Mia or your potential wedding destination? Could be either. All the wedding décor is basically done for you at this cliff-side hotel. Sure, you can add flowers or candles, but your guests are more likely to remember dancing in the open air beneath the cool Mediterranean night skies. ABBA-heavy playlist is required.

A recent remodel of this Cabo San Lucas icon added even more reasons to cozy up in Cabo. Rooftop 360 sits at the top of the Corazón Cabo and is the highest panoramic bar in the region. It’s also the best place for sunset ceremonies and late-night dancing above the Pacific. Your friends and fam will be Instagramming this spot before they even sit down.

I can actually hear the jazz music in this photo...This French Quarter light showroom shines brightest at night, when—taking its cue from the rest of this historic neighborhood—it transforms into a venue for ethereal experiences. The lighting throughout the venue is a photographer’s dream (fitting, since during the day this exposed-brick space sells light fixtures).

Set your wedding apart from traditional beach-front Phuket weddings, by celebrating a bit higher up, like 180 feet above the Andaman Sea, to be exact. The AKOYA Star Lounge’s cool rooftop bar ambiance is enhanced by 360-degree views of the Ao Yon Bay and some of the brightest stargazing options in the region (thanks to its remote location). Plan the ceremony just before sunset, so you and your guests can be dancing or sipping handcrafted cocktails on the oversized lounge beds beneath the stars all night long.

Weddings on the shores of Lake Como literally exude elegance, where wedding parties can sunbathe on the lido, get whisked away to the village of Bellagio via water taxi, or learn the art of pasta making with a group cooking class. And that’s all before even stepping inside this art nouveau palace for your grand wedding ceremony.

How many treehouse weddings have you been to before? Exactly. The Majestic Treehouse is the absolute answer to elevating your wedding day (heh). The couple who designed this boho-chic treehouse (which also an AirBnB) said their own vows on site, and now allow weddings with 15 people or less to do the same.

You’re not just booking a wedding venue or hotel when you book out Ol Jogi in Kenya’s Laikipia region. You’re booking an entire 58,000-acre wildlife conservancy. That's right, you can have champagne cocktails in an intimate candlelit canyon (peep here) or vows recited on top of a hill as Mount Kenya looms in the distance. Any wedding where your guests can see a live elephant for good luck before or after is gonna be a memorable one.

Chill wedding laws in the Scottish Highlands mean ceremonies can take place anywhere, which means the enchanted ruins of St. Bride's Kirk are totally fair game. The old church ruins are set on the grounds of Blair Castle in Pitlochry, where the open-air venue awaits wedding gatherings of up to 30.

The latest wedding package from The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas includes a luxury catamaran and 30 of your closest friends and family members, and also a shoe valet to assist during boarding and de-boarding. The ceremony takes places at sunset onboard the Lady Lynsey II (Parent Trap vibes), where the celebration continues with a champagne toast and hors d’oeuvres before docking back at the resort to keep the reception going.

If getting married in a former convent seems risqué in the right way to you, a wedding in Old San Juan is just for you. This 360-year-old Small Luxury Hotel of the World property was built in 1646 as a Carmelite convent, but is now one of the most sought-after wedding venues on the island for its bright colors and centralized location to all of Old San Juan’s hottest spots.

Many resorts around the world try to copy what Zermatt just does naturally, with its larch timber chalets and picturesque walkways. Almost every corner of this Swiss village is a potential photo opp, and having no cars allowed in the village means perfect streets for strolling hand-in-hand in wedding attire. Many of the restaurants are ski-in/ski-out, so, during the winter, adventurous couples can say their vows chalet style on skis. Yes, you read that correctly.