We agreed that although we really didn't want a huge wedding, and that we wanted something nicer, something that would be special for us.

So, looking for answers, I went on the web. I was still hoping to find an officiant for the chapel, as we'd already paid for the booking, but I had no luck. However, a post by a Justice of the Peace in Maine in a wedding forum caught my eye. I knew that this person couldn't help us with the chapel wedding, but I clicked on his post anyway. I guess it was because Mike and I have always loved the state of Maine.

Anyway, it turned out that the JP runs a bed & breakfast, where he performs weddings. I visited his website, and the place looked charming. It's located in York Beach, Maine, a nice little town on the southeren Maine coast. I called Mike over to the computer and had him take a look. Right then and there, we knew we were going to cancel the chapel and eat the cost. I e-mailed the JP, then called him, and we booked the whole thing right there.

The Wedding Day, July 22, 2000: We had no guests. Our simple civil ceremony was held in the wildflower garden at the Homestead Inn Bed & Breakfast, with only the JP's wife and another guest as our witnesses. We both got dressed up - Mike in his suit, and me in the dress I'd planned to wear for the original chapel wedding.

After the ceremony, we took a walk along the boardwalk, along the beach, still decked out in our wedding finery. We got a lot of attention, and it was fun. Then we stopped at the bar in the Union Bluff Hotel for a few drinks. We sure stood out amongst the rest of the folks, who were dressed in shorts, t-shirts, and sandals. We then went out to dinner at Fazio's Italian Restaurant, which more than lived up to its high recommendation from our hosts.

Other Activities: We stayed in York Beach for four days...I wish it could have been longer! We saw a lot of the local sights, including the Seashore Trolley Museum (Mike is a train junkie!), and a cruise on a lobster boat along the Kennebunkport River, into the Atlantic. We saw former President George Bush's summer home, and we learned how lobsters are caught. Of course, we ate a lot of lobster. The best was at Fox's Lobster House in York Beach, which overlooks the beautiful Nubble Lighthouse.

Oh, how we hated to leave...but we promised our hosts, who had become our friends, that we would return next year for our anniversary!

My Best Tip: If you're not sure what to do for your wedding, keep your mind wide open as you search the web, magazines, books, etc. Your ideal wedding will make itself known to you, just as it did for me!

For more info on possible destination wedding locations, please visit the Destination Wedding FAQ.

Don't forget to check out last month's destination wedding articles! The topics included destination wedding guest booklets and Maui weddings. Have a destination wedding article or summary that you'd like to see published? If so -- please submit it here.

Frommer's has a great wedding group airfare discount article online. Group travel discounts are available on American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, US Airways, and Northwest/KLM, just to name a few...

We were married in the New Orleans French Quarter on June 1, 1996. Here are a few things that we feel made our own destination wedding special / unique:

1) The French Quarter courtyard location!
2) Our "Star Wars, Main Title" recessional
3) My "something old" Winnie the Pooh bear
4) Our horse-drawn carriage departure
5) Our surprise t-shirts post-ceremony
6) Our informal Margaritaville reception

One of the great things about destination weddings is that they can be as formal (or informal) as you both desire. They're also a great way to let your individual personalities shine through, while letting your guests share in all the fun! The possibilities are endless...

What sort of setting would be absolutely idyllic for a wedding? How about a nine hundred year-old English castle once owned by Queen Elizabeth I? With minstrels on the ramparts, a salsa band in the dry moat, and a harpist in the Great Hall playing "Greensleeves"? With an authentic Victorian horse-drawn carriage to transport the wedding party and a helicopter on the lawn ready to whisk away the blissful couple?

Nestled among the hills and valleys of a quiet corner of West Sussex about an hourís drive south of London, Amberley Castle has been transformed into a charming country castle hotel. Owned and operated by the resident Cummings family, it offers 15 guestrooms and five suites, each with its own Jacuzzi. Yet, while becoming a comfortable hostelry, Amberley remains very much a castle, protected by a 60-foot medieval fortified wall and great oak portcullis (which is lowered at midnight).

On any given day, year-around--but especially during the warmer months--this medieval setting becomes the venue for nuptials. And the folks at Amberley Castle have it down to a fine art--providing as little or as much support and advice as guests desire. This ranges from flowers and wedding cake, to photography, dress design, and wines from one of the finest wine merchants outside of London. Plus music ranging from a string quartet to a blues, salsa, or Dixieland jazz band, spectacular professional fireworks displays, and entertainment provided by medieval jousters (participation invited).

Scenic helicopter flights over the beautiful countryside of the famous Sussex South Down can be arranged. Flights over London and the River Thames create lasting memories. Besides attracting overnight guests, Amberley Castle has built a reputation as a destination for fine dining. For weddings, it can cater up to a maximum of 55 guests in its historic 12th-century restaurants--the Queens Room with its beautiful barrel ceiling or the Great Room with its polished wood floor, tapestries, and suits of armor. For more intimate wedding parties, the King Charles Room accommodates up to 12. Larger wedding groups opt to use a marquee set up in the castleís extensive grounds. This enables Amberley to cater for up to 250 guests.

"Although, of course, the majority of weddings held at Amberley Castle are British, we have hosted a number of American wedding parties," says proprietor Martin Cummings. "In some cases they have taken over the entire castle. To most, the appeal is the rare opportunity to hold a wedding in a setting surrounded by romantic medieval architecture and ornamental gardens and immersed in almost a full millennium of history."

Guestrooms are decorated with antiques and fine fabrics and each features a Jacuzzi whirlpool tub. Many feature four-poster beds. Other amenities include color TV, video player (with 120 videos), homemade biscuits, and fresh fruit. Five suites, all with private lounges, have been created from two 17th century buildings within the dry moat. This section is known as "The Bishopric," and the suites are each named after the five Bishops of Chichester instituted after the year 1103, when Amberley Castle was built. In fact, for most of its 900 years bishops, Royalists, dukes, and other nobles have occupied the castle. Queen Elizabeth I held the lease to the castle between 1588 and 1603. King Charles II is believed to have stayed at the castle on the night of October 14th, 1651 and again in 1683.

The village of Amberley, which lies within the shadow of the Castle, arguably is the prettiest of the Sussex Downland villages, with its ancient Norman church, thatched roofs, and country pubs. At nearby Amberley Wildbrooks nature reserve are beautiful water meadows with a stunning variety of flora and fauna, the latter including graceful Bewick Swans which fly from Siberia every year to winter at Amberley.

Exclusive use of the castle--which creates a 'house party' atmosphere for the wedding party and guests--is priced at £6,000 per day Monday-Friday, £7,500 per day Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays. Exclusive use includes 20 bedrooms and breakfast for 40 guests. Rooms at Amberley Castle normally cost between £145 and £300 per night (approximately $228-$472, including full English breakfast and tax). Amberley Castle is easily accessible from Gatwick and Heathrow Airports; London is an hour away by road and there is direct train service from London Victoria and Gatwick to Amberley.

For information contact: Amberley Castle, Amberley, Nr Arundel West Sussex BN18 9ND, England. The telephone is 011-44-1-79-883-1992; the FAX is 011-44-1-79-883-1998.

The above article is a

Husband and wife team Paris Permenter and John Bigley have authored over 20 guidebooks and also edit the FREE Lovetripper.com, a romantic travel magazine featuring worldwide destinations. Article is copyright 2000 Paris Permenter and John Bigley.

Be sure to check back monthly for more great Destination Wedding and Eloping articles. And also join the Destination Wedding Message Board and Webring -- and read the Destination Wedding FAQ!