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COVER FEATURE: STEWART TRAVEL GROUP
Photo: Majestic
COVER FEATURE
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Destination Weddings & Dazzling Honeymoons
Brides and grooms throughout North America rely on Stewart Travel Group
Travis and Paula Stewart
Photo: Amy Parsons Photography
Its easy to understand why Island couples love “destination” weddings. For one thing, there’s no need to count on the infamous local weather with Mexico and the Caribbean only a short flight away. Tempting tropical climates, however, are just one advantage.
When it comes to getting married abroad, Paula’s an authority. “I’ve specialized in destination weddings for nearly 15 years. I’ve also been to the Caribbean over 60 times, which provides our brides and grooms with terrific resort insight,” she says. In fact, she recently attended her daughter’s Punta Cana nuptials. “It was a perfect wedding. I’ve never seen a bride and groom so laidback and unworried.”
As couples embark on destination wedding planning, actually picking a destination can feel impossible. Fortunately, Stewart Travel Group is skilled at helping clients choose between dozens of sunny islands and hundreds of hotels. “Our advisors can pinpoint the best resort by asking a few simple questions,” explains Travis Stewart. The team adjusts recommendations based on clients’ desires regarding nightlife,
“We have an amazing team presently. They provide an exceptional amount of experience and input that help us go in the right direction.”
beach and pool access, childcare availability versus an adults-only policy, and accessibility.
Ultimately, Paula and Travis say, many couples choose Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, or Mexico. “The most popular destination is really Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic,” Paula notes.
To couples bound for the Dominican Republic, Stewart Travel Group often recommends Majestic’s Colonial, Elegance, or Mirage resorts. (A planned resort in Mexico will soon expand Majestic’s selection.) They’re confident about the Majestic team’s talent for staging flawlessly opulent, intimate weddings.
In fact, Paula says, Majestic staff actively advise and assist couples in planning. “Once a client chooses a destination and property, I contact their Majestic resort wedding coordinator,” she explains. The coordinator guides the couple, helping to fill in the brushstrokes on their day.
“Everything at Majestic is basically taken care of before the client even departs,” Travis confirms. And while Majestic’s wedding “packages” streamline preparations, they afford plenty of choice, such as setting (beach, chapel, gazebo), floral arrangements, and reception venue.
As clients finetune their plans, Stewart Travel Group offers additional resources, such as personal, prearranged airportto-resort transportation, as well as a booking website that allows couples to promote their wedding to their entire guestlist. “I believe we’re one of the only travel agencies on PEI using that web technology,” Travis notes.
“We also pride ourselves on working after regular business hours with our clients, since they could be calling from anywhere in North America. We want to be there for them when it matters,” Paula adds.
Destination weddings are especially advantageous for clients adhering to firm budgets, says Paula, and Stewart Travel Group can help plan genuinely affordable festivities. “Destination weddings are economical, and there are additional steps to bypass certain costs,” she says--for example, completing legal paperwork at home before they depart."
In fact, Travis adds, “Resorts may even offer free weddings to guests who meet certain criteria--number of rooms, number of nights, number of guests.”
Couples hosting a destination wedding, says Paula, often don’t bother to arrange a honeymoon elsewhere: they simply extend their post-wedding stay, staying behind when guests have said goodbye. When it comes to more complex arrangements, however, Stewart Travel Group is an exceptional resource. Couples frequently honeymoon in destination wedding settings--“The Caribbean is definitely the most popular honeymoon spot,” confirms Travis--so there’s overlap between Stewart Travel Group’s “wedding” and “honeymoon” clients.
Other honeymooners, however, opt for classic European locales with Transat like Croatia, Greece, Italy, and Portugal. Compared to beachside honeymoons, Travis says, “Europe is definitely more active.” Thus, it’s perfect for energetic couples who want their honeymoon memories to revolve around adventure, rather than leisure. And, given the effortlessness of European travel, a European honeymoon is easily expanded into a multi-country getaway.
Stewart Travel Group frequently depends on their partner Transat Holidays, a prestigious Canadian operator, for destination wedding and honeymoon flights. Air Transat maintains over two dozen separate European routes, as well as flying to a variety of traditional destination wedding locations.
Air Transat’s Option Plus program offers perks that are perfect for honeymooners, says Stewart Travel Group Advisor Frances Gertsch: from an expanded baggage allowance, to indulgences like a glass of wine and cozy blanket. “They’re nice touches that make the whole trip smoother.” In addition to flights, she adds, Air Transat also offers “bundles” that can include luxurious resort accommodations and even airport-to-resort transportation.
Air Transat has clearly mastered the ability to offer an exceptional experience to destination wedding parties and honeymooners. The tempting list on their website includes “carry-on luggage” status for wedding dresses, as well as financial perks, like “excursion credits” for additional destination activities. In some cases, Air Transat itself even whisks couples off on an additional “wedding planning trip.”
In addition to Air Transat’s “official” wedding and honeymoon offerings, Travis says, “We have a very strong relationship with Air Transat’s groups department, so we know our clients get the best support possible.”
Wherever clients are bound, Stewart Travel Group considers appropriate travel insurance crucial. “We offer one of the best plans on the market: Manulife’s Premium Protection Plan,” says Frances. “It’s a comprehensive package that includes the ‘cancel for any reason’ benefit.”
Photo: Majestic
Photo: Majestic
Photo: Majestic
Photo: Majestic
Photo: Majestic
Since its founding in 2014, Stewart Travel Group has been affiliated with The Travel Agent Next Door (TTAND).
▲(L-R) Tara Turner, Sheri Atkinson, Krista Trecartin (seated), Jessica Chaisson, Paula Stewart, Travis Stewart, Hailey Paynter, Julia MacCormack, Frances Gertsch (missing from photo: Terri Clarke, Kelley Gowan, Kevin and Michelle Hayward, Glen Earle)
Photo: Amy Parsons
Stewart Travel Group is a full-service travel agency that also specializes in escorting groups around the world.
Stewart Travel Group was cofounded by husband-and-wife travel professionals. “We have over 45 years’ combined experience,” Travis notes. As they approach their fifth year, Paula and Travis hope to grow their roster of advisors. They’re passionate about Stewart Travel Group’s healthy, welcoming workplace culture.
“We want to create an environment where our advisors are comfortable, supported, and feel backed up by their team,” Paula says. “We offer support and mentoring to help them obtain success and work-life balance.”
Frances Gertsch, who has been with the company two years, praises the workplace the Stewarts have cultivated. “I joined Stewart Travel Group for its values,” she says. “Clients come to see Paula and Travis as friends--and they see the clients as friends, which is invaluable.”
They have been recognized as TTAND's Top Canadian Travel Agency for three years running and have also won multiple awards with suppliers. Stewart Travel Group now partners with 14 Trusted Travel Advisors throughout the Maritimes, and plans to continue to grow.
Stewart Travel Group 43 Birch Woods Lane, Stratford 902.894.9389 1.844.660.7329 itstime@stewarttravelgroup.ca www.stewarttravelgroup.ca
