People's Real Life Weddings

They Said, "G'Day" ... Then Said "I Do!"

Valerie met her boyfriend of 14 years in Australia, so it only seemed fitting that they tied the knot down under. "We got married on the beach in Byron Bay, Australia," says the Los Angeles-based bride. But instead of wearing white for her sandy ceremony, Valerie went for a more colorful look. "The theme was 'a glamorous fusion of eastern cultures,'" she says. "The colors of the day were pink, purple, orange and white," which she says symbolized beauty, passion, joy and peace. "The combo of colors and roar of the surf was fabulous!"

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They Planned Their Wedding Online!

When Anne and her girlfriend were planning their destination wedding in Toronto — a city the Louisburg, N.C., couple had never visited — the net-savvy twosome hit the web! "We planned the entire wedding online," says Anne. "The officiant, the wedding location, the hotel for guests, the restaurant for the wedding dinner and the wedding cakes. Everything was amazing. The location, Allan Gardens, was beautiful, the cakes were delicious, and our wedding dinner was exactly like we planned. Twenty of our closest family and friends joined us, including our three kids. Our one year anniversary is coming up and I couldn't love my wife more!"

Did you have a destination wedding? Tell us about it and your story could appear on PEOPLE.com!

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They Made A French Connection

When Kerry studied in France in 2004, she learned all about the language, culture — and that country's famed romance! "Philipp's parents were my host family," writes the Edgewood, Ky., native. "We met in his parents' kitchen -- the rest is history!" (Or would that be histoire?) So of course, the couple tied the knot in France! "The reception was in the Orangerie of a castle, which Philipp spent more than a year restoring. My incredible dress was designed and made by Philipp's brother. Everyone tells me ours is a real-life fairy tale, and I agree!" ">web site!

Do you have an amazing wedding story? Share it with us, and you could appear on PEOPLE.com!

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Who Needs A White Dress When You Have Barbados?

College sweethearts Michael and Melissa opted for an intimate, small wedding far from their Cross Lanes, W. Va., hometown, traveling to Barbados for the destination wedding of their dreams. "My parents, sister, my future brother-in-law, and my maternal grandmother attended on my side. My future in-laws and sister-in-law attended on my husband's side. It started to rain at 10:30, but stopped just in time for us to exchange vows at 11 A.M. Michael looked amazing and I was wearing a dress my mom made for me. Immediately after pictures and cake we all went snorkeling in the crystal clear waters. It was amazingly peaceful and perfect for us."

Did you have a destination wedding? Tell us all about it and you could appear on PEOPLE.com!

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What Happens In Vegas? They Get Married!

While the temperature hovered somewhere around freezing in their Brooklyn hometown, Lisa and her fiancé decided that they would take their nuptials on the road. "We decided that getting married in Vegas would be the best for us! We figured why not get a vacation out of it and have a memorable wedding," says Lisa, who tied the knot on January of 2006. "The people were so friendly – shouting out to us their congratulations on the strip while we took pics – so it felt as if the whole world attended our wedding. We were able to spend time with all of our family and friends that flew out to be with us that week and we are able to look back and say, 'Now that was a blast!'"

Would you travel to fun-filled Vegas – or someone more picturesque? Check out our Dueling Destinations gallery, then tell us if you'd say, "I do!" in Vegas or Mexico!

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Hawaii Vacation Turns Into A Proposal -- And A Surprise Wedding!

"Upon finally arriving for vacation in Maui, we were both extremely hungry and tired from the flight," says Kaitlin, who flew to Kapalua, Maui, from Chandler, Ariz., with her boyfriend Brent. But little did she know, she was in for more than macadamia nuts and pina coladas. "As Brent grabbed my hand and drug me across the little shopping/restaurant area, I tagged along. As we entered, I paused, stared at a table to my left and was extremely confused. The table was full of our five best friends from California and Arizona! He turned me around and asked, 'Will you please, please, please marry me ...tomorrow?'" She said yes, and that's pretty much all the lucky bride had to do. "Everything had been planned over the last six months," Kaitlin said. "The wedding dress was bought, the limo, massages, shoes, rings, flowers, photographer, minister, EVERYTHING!"

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Instead of Spin the Bottle, They Played Spin the Globe!

"My fiancé, Ubie, and I could not decide where we wanted to exchange our vows," recalls Anna, a Raleigh, N.C., native. "I remembered when we were first dating, we would spin a globe and dream of what it would be like [to be] where our finger landed. So in keeping with tradition, we closed our eyes, spun the globe, and put our finger down." As luck would have it, they landed on a lush, tropical locale: Costa Rica! "We flew our friends and family to a beautiful house we discovered in the jungles of Domincal," says Anna. "We drove out on 4-wheelers and were married blissfully on a black sand beach surrounded by the toucans and monkeys!!!

Don't forget to pick up your copy of PEOPLE's Amazing Real Life Weddings, on stands now!

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From The Haunted Mansion To The Honeymoon

"My husband, John, and I were married in front of 110 of our closest friends and family in the most magical place on earth — Disney!" says Jessica, a New Deptford, N.J., bride who tied the knot in at the family resort. "There was no where else we could envision our dreams coming true. The most amazing part of the wedding was being on vacation with your friends and family. Something like that will never happen again: Walking through the parks and seeing aunt so-and-so or going on a ride with your best friend from high school. It was the most amazing time of our lives."

Don't forget to pick up your copy of PEOPLE's Amazing Real Life Weddings this Friday!

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The Sweetest Desert

"Unlike most people who have destination weddings at some lush tropical beach, we decided to pick a desert!" says Rancocas, N.J., bride Frances, who opted for the Moab desert in Utah. "Since the spot required a mile-and-a-half hike up the slick rock of Arches National Park, only our friends from Salt Lake agreed to join us. So at 8 AM on a Monday morning, up the mountain we went. We changed into our wedding attire behind a rock -- and presto! We were set to wed.".

Don't forget to pick up your copy of PEOPLE's Amazing Real Life Weddings this Friday!

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Sometimes Impressing The Family Means Wearing A Fez

"I met Diya on the internet and one year later we decided that we wanted to get married," recalls North Richland Hills, Tex., native Doug. But first, he had to win the approval of her parents. "The easiest way to get her parents to accept me was to agree to a traditional Indonesian wedding in her hometown [of Pamekasan]. This was fine with me and I thought it would be a once-in-a-lifetime wedding. What followed was a ceremony I will never forget, and love to share with everyone!" .

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Wedding Dress Is a Chip Off The Old Block -- Literally!

"My husband planned the wedding as a surprise for me," says Colorado Springs bride Elaine, who wed in 1998. "Since we were getting married in January, he decided it would be nice to go somewhere warm so off to Fiji we went! I didn't find out where we were going until we went to get our inoculations for the trip. He had the whole wedding planned -- except for the attire." So, instead of rushing out to get last-minute gowns and tuxes, the couple went the Fijian route and wore local "Tapa cloth" -- which isn't exactly cloth: "Traditional Fijian garb is made out of bark," says Elaine. (Read more about Tapa cloth here.)

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Czech Out This Romantic Destination!

"From the moment we met in a Prague Internet café, Dominic and I were practically inseparable -- that is, until he had to leave the Czech Republic for Chicago, where he would attend medical school," writes Emily, who joined her long-distance love five months later in the Windy City, where they got engaged. But that wasn't where they said, "I do," last December. "We just knew that Prague, the magical city where we met and fell in love HAD to be the scene of our winter nuptials. Forty-five guests joined us for the celebration, warming our hearts as the snow fell gently on our fairy-tale wedding!"

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Their Wedding Was A Real Beach To Plan

No wonder Bronx, N.Y., couple Michael and Jennifer are jumping for joy: This past February, the two lovebirds escaped to Mexico to tie the knot! "We chose Cancun for its short and relatively affordable flights," says high school teacher Jennifer. But of course, "the turquoise blue waters, fabulous Mexican cuisine and consistently great weather even during the winter" swayed their vote. For Jennifer and Michael, a physician, "A destination wedding was perfect for us because it was so incredibly relaxing and we got to spend quality time with each and every guest!"

Tell us: Would you travel for your wedding — or stay close to home?

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