He dropped to one knee, and instead of loose change, pulled a diamond ring out of his pocket. "Melanie, will you marry me?" he asked.

Schiff's buddy had a video camera rolling - he was in on the plan, and everyone had agreed they should "document the trip" - so it was pointed at a stunned but grinning Ufema when she said, "Yes."

Schiff said he wasn't really worried Ufema would say no. "She was going to be on an airplane with me for eight hours, and we were going to Maui for 10 days," he said. "She couldn't say no. It was a foolproof plan."

It took just a few days in Hawaii, with its pristine beaches and warm breezes, for the couple to come up with another plan, one that would involve persuading all of their immediate family members and many of their closest friends to hop on planes a year later for a Maui wedding.

Lucky for Andy, his brother MJ already had paved the way for a destination wedding. The eldest Schiff sibling was married at Colorado's Beaver Creek Ski Resort five years earlier, and family members were much more amenable to traveling for the big day. But that first time, there had been some resistance.

"Selfishly, my first thought was, 'Well, I don't suppose you expect your family is going to be there,' " said Molly Broeren, the Schiffs' mother. The family wanted to attend, but her parents were elderly, not in the best of health, and lived out of state. The prospect of traveling to Denver and then getting to Beaver Creek was daunting.

"Not to mention the financial aspect," Broeren said. "Being the parents of the groom, we didn't have to worry about the wedding itself, but it would cost to stay there, and we needed to take care of the rehearsal dinner in a place that, let's face it, is not known for being cheap."

Even once those hurdles were managed, a few more presented themselves. For example, guests needed to be transported up the mountain by chairlift for the reception. "I'm afraid of heights, and I'd never been on a chairlift before," Broeren said. "And so were a few other guests, and my parents were not even going to be able to get on the lift. So we had to rent a bus to get them up there."

Adjusting to last-minute problems and unusual circumstances are two important things to consider when planning a destination wedding, says Margi Arnold, whose Denver agency, Creative Travel Adventures (www.creativetraveladventures.com, 1-888-568-4432), specializes in weddings that take place outside the United States.

"One of the things you should think about right from the start is what would be good for your guests," Arnold says. "A lot of people have that starry-eyed thing in their heads about the perfect wedding, but you have to remember that there will be other people there, too."

According to the Travel Industry Association, 16 percent of American marriages are destination weddings. It's a growing trend not only because those marrying for the first time are discovering the appeal, but because those embarking on second or third marriages or renewing their vows want smaller gatherings and to spend their money on the trip, not just the reception.

"The destination wedding is a win-win, really," Arnold says. "It's a family reunion, a big party, three or four days to enjoy your guests away from the day-to-day stuff. It's a great reason for everyone to go on vacation, not just the people getting married."

In addition, brides and grooms often are surprised to find that the cost is lower and the planning less intense than with a wedding held in their hometowns, Arnold says.

"Destination weddings are typically not as stressful as traditional weddings," she says. "There are fewer people, so it's often less expensive. You often do less in terms of the elaborate fussing."

For instance, when getting married in their hometowns, couples are less likely to hire a wedding planner or coordinator, thinking they have to do much of the investigating and booking themselves.

"When you book a wedding at a resort in Mexico or the Caribbean, the wedding planner is usually included," Arnold says. "They can do a lot of the legwork for you - finding the photographer, that kind of thing. And as for flowers, you can wait and pick those when you get there. The places that really have this wired, they have a binder that shows you the choices, and they can get everything there within a day or two. And it's all beautiful stuff, because you're usually talking about tropical locations."

Sarah Pardikes of Arvada, Colo., said her Jan. 24 wedding at the all-inclusive Grand Palladium Riviera Resort and Spa in Riviera Maya, Mexico, was significantly cheaper than anything she and husband Brett Pardikes were looking at in Denver.

"To get married here, the amount of money that we probably would have spent, we thought we might as well take a vacation, spend just as much or less and be down in Mexico for nine days," Sarah said. "We looked at one of the popular places for a reception in Denver, and it was $4,000 just to rent a space for four hours, with no food or anything.

"In Mexico, our package was $3,200 for 30 people, which included food and drinks and our stay. We had one person who stayed in Playa del Carmen, so we had to pay $60 for her because she was off-site, but it was worth it."

Arnold says the majority of her weddings head to Mexico, and one of the top spots is the Riviera Maya. "My first question is almost always, 'How do you envision it?' " she says. "If they say crystal-clear blue waters and white-sand beaches, I say, 'Riviera Maya.' "

All-inclusives also are becoming popular. "Especially if everyone is going to stay there, all of the food and drinks are taken care of and included," Arnold says. "That takes a lot of planning and stress off."

Andy Schiff and Sarah Pardikes said their destination wedding left them more time to enjoy themselves around their big days.

"We organized a day of golf and spa," Schiff said. "It was optional; we just said, 'OK, we'll be doing this at this time, here's how much it costs, and if you want to go, sign up, be there, and we'll have fun.' It was great."

The Pardikes paid for their 30 guests to go on an excursion to Xel-Ha, the nearby eco-water park. "People could go snorkeling, scuba diving, jump off cliffs, eat and drink, whatever," she said. "Everyone seemed to have a blast."

Sarah Pardikes pointed out that doing your wedding this way might mean more people will be around during the honeymoon than you expected. "We did think we were going to be able to separate out some days where we would be alone," she said. "But that didn't really happen. But we were fine with it. I wouldn't have done it any differently."

Schiff said he and his bride were able to make time for themselves, and their guests gave them space.

"If we ran into people, we would all give each other the option of getting together, like, 'Hey, we'll be out at the pool barbecuing lunch if you want to join us,' that kind of thing," he said. "And sometimes we did want to hang out; that's what made doing our wedding this way such a blast, really getting to spend time with the people we love. If we had done it at home, we wouldn't have spent nearly as much time with people. It would have been wedding, then gone to the honeymoon, bye-bye."

Sarah Pardikes agreed. "I've always wanted a beach wedding, and this was so perfect. The sun was shining, the water was beautiful. You couldn't ask for anything more romantic."

Keys to No-Hassle Nuptials

The only hitch at a destination wedding should involve the bride and groom. Professionals agree that for a wedding far from home to go smoothly, you need to plan, plan, plan - as far in advance as you can.

Here are some ideas for making your dream nuptials a well-organized reality:

Send save-the-date cards

Andy Schiff says his cards were mailed about nine months in advance, giving people plenty of time to decide, make arrangements, and find airfare deals. "The earlier people know it's happening, the more able they are to find a way to attend," travel agent Margi Arnold says.

Get it in writing

Particularly when dealing with overseas wedding planners or out-of-town photographers and other vendors, put it in an e-mail. "I had one client who was told that she could have a reception space for free if she had more than 50 people, and then the place hired a new wedding planner, and this one said it had to be 70 people," Arnold says. "Luckily, she had saved the e-mail that said 50. You never know if personnel will change, or policies, and if you have it in writing, they will have a tough time arguing."

Be patient

Many countries, especially ones with beaches, are on a more relaxed schedule - you've heard the expressions "Mexico time" and "island time." It's less stressful to accept that and go with it. "Other countries are sometimes less 'do it now' than we are," Arnold says. "Don't send an e-mail and expect one back in five minutes. It might take a week, so plan accordingly."

Be flexible

While it's good to have a clear idea of your wants and needs for the big day, it also helps to have some wiggle room. Many locales have customs and rules that may not jibe with your vision of the perfect wedding, and, even after the most careful planning, things still may go wrong. "It's not just the weather that could cause problems," Arnold says. Andy Schiff knows this all too well - he and wife Melanie chartered a boat for their reception, and several guests became seasick. As did the DJ. "We had to accept that there wasn't going to be quite as much music as we had hoped," he says.

Visit ahead if you can

Not only does it cut down on surprises - the beach turns out to be much smaller than you pictured, there's a seedy neighborhood right next to your hotel - but it allows you to better customize the experience. "If we hadn't been to Maui so recently, I don't think things would have gone so well," Schiff says. "We knew where we wanted to be, where to send people while they were there, how to get around. It made the whole thing go so much smoother."

Don't plan too much

Outside of wedding-related activities and maybe one other day of get-togethers, let your guests have their vacation. "We left it up to other people as to when they wanted to get together," Sarah Pardikes says. "We had one day planned together, plus the wedding, and then everything else was just informal."

Ask for the deals

Some resorts offer a free wedding or throw in the reception room when you book a certain number of rooms, or the bride and groom get massages or free meals. Make sure you find out what's possible. "Your planner or coordinator will know if those options are available," Arnold says. But if you're doing it on your own, you will need to be aggressive; find out who is in charge of making those decisions for the hotel or resort. Also be aware of the discounts for blocking out rooms and any time frames involved in snagging those deals.

Tailor attire to the locale

Headed to a tropical isle for an outdoor affair? Then black tuxedos may not be the way to go. Know it's going to be windy? Long, filmy veils have a tendency to blow - across your face, around your groom, onto the minister. "If you're going nontraditional anyway, why not think that way with the attire, too?" Arnold says. "I watched at one wedding where the guys were just drenched in sweat, sitting there in the hot sun in full black formalwear trying not to drip as they waited for the ceremony to start in 98-degree weather."

Think about trip insurance

Particularly when you are going to Mexico during hurricane season. "You never know what could happen," Arnold says. "People get sick, something comes up. This is an expensive undertaking, and having insurance means it's taken care of and can be rebooked."

Know the rules

Pardikes says she was taken aback by the blood test - to rule out HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases - required to get a marriage license in Mexico. "It's not like I was worried that I had any of those things, but it's a little nerve-racking, you know?" she says. "For your peace of mind, you can have a test done here first, but you still have to do another one there." Some islands require residency of 48 hours before you can be married, and some, such as Tahiti, require a month; it's usually easier to legally marry before you go, then have another ceremony there.

Ask about extra costs

When you are using an all-inclusive, people attending the wedding but not staying at the resort usually must pay a daily fee to come to the wedding. There also may be added fees for vendors to come onto the property, plus resort fees and delivery fees.

Offer guests choices

The more, the merrier. The Schiffs sent out elaborate "travel packets" to their guests six months ahead, with three lodging options in a variety of price ranges and booking deadlines, plus travel-agent contact and flight information and helpful hints about planning the trip.

Think about transportation

"We were very concerned about young people drinking and driving in Maui," says Molly Broeren, Andy Schiff's mother. The wedding was on one end of the island and people were staying on another, so the parents rented a bus to shuttle folks back and forth. "Money well spent," she says.

Talk things over

Arnold says the toughest part about booking the wedding is when couples aren't on the same page or family members are putting in their two cents. "Especially when it's a first wedding, the couples' parents have a big influence over the arrangements," Arnold says. "Couples will come in and know exactly what they want, make their plans, and then come back and say, 'Our parents want this,' and we'll have to start over. That's hard on everyone. So I suggest that if the family is involved in the planning, meet ahead of time to decide on things before you visit your travel agent or start to book things."

- Kyle Wagner

Top 10 Destinations

1. Mexico

2. Jamaica

3. Dominican Republic

4. Bahamas

5. Hawaii

6. Virgin Islands

7. Aruba

8. Fiji

9. Cruise

10. Europe

SOURCE: honeymoons.about.com