Marigot / Philipsburg:--- As part of its effort to promote St. Martin as one of the top Destination Wedding locations in the Caribbean, the French Tourism Office and Sint Maarten Marry-Me attended the very well known Martha Stewart's Wedding Party in Chicago recently. The Martha Stewart's Wedding Party is a luxury bridal show produced in New York for nine years and in partnership with Meghan Andalman of Lovebird Events, they introduced a show in Chicago; this was the third year presenting the show in the Windy City which was a total success. This year's event show cased a Destination & Honeymoon Lounge that was geared to inspire as well as inform. The St. Martin/ Marry-Me booth was one of the most visited booths under the Destination & Honeymoon section. "Thanks to the generosity of Belmond La Samanna, Riu Palace, Karibuni, La Source Guest House and Eagle Tours, the French Tourism Office and Marry-Me were able to host various raffles and collect valuable contacts throughout the show. Our booth distributed hundreds of promotional items from brochures to hats, bags, maps and pens etc." said Milagros de Windt, Marketing Manager at Artemia Events Group. "We are extremely happy with our partnership with the French Tourism Office and will continue to co-op with them on future endeavors. We have many Destination Wedding competitors like Cuba, Mexico, Jamaica and the DR, so being proactive is the way to go. Our island is a unique and diverse destination and we have to take advantage and showcase it as often as possible" added de Windt. Sint Maarten Marry-Me by Artemia has been in the wedding industry since 2003 providing complete consulting and planning services for civil weddings, holy matrimonies, symbolic unions, bachelor/ bachelorette parties as well as renewal of vows. The main marketing tool is the Sint Maarten Marry-Me Magazine, which is the only Bridal Guide from St. Maarten/St. Martin and it is distributed in numerous bridal shows throughout North America, Puerto Rico, Europe as well as local hotels, resorts, villas, timeshares etc. According to an article published by Solimar International "destination weddings, honeymoons and romantic tourism comprise a $28 billion industry worldwide. Inspired by luxurious, once-in-a-lifetime trip opportunities, couples are willing to spend significantly more for their weddings and honeymoons than for any other holiday. U.S. couples spend an average of $4,466 on their honeymoon, which is three times as much than the average traveler spends on vacation! The top 15% of the market, the luxury honeymooners, spend more than twice as much as the average couple. Capitalizing on this willingness to splurge on luxurious and unusual experiences could greatly increase the tourism potential of a destination. Weddings take place year-round, without seasonal limitations and the majority of couples take their honeymoons immediately following their weddings. Although the peak season for weddings is May through October, many couples choose to wed and honeymoon in the off-season as well. While most demand is still focused on beach-based, relaxing, luxury holidays, newer honeymoon segments are emerging. Some couples are seeking out adventure travel honeymoons, abbreviated honeymoons due to strenuous work commitments, "family moons", in which children from earlier marriages accompany the couple.
