Win a $4,000+ trip to Caneel Bay -- my favorite!

Need to get away before the wedding? Want a free honeymoon? Then become a fan of Caneel Bay on Facebook -- the real one, with the beach picture, not the exclamation point one that was created by some college kid :] Here are the sweepstakes details:

"We’re having a sweepstakes! Become a fan of Caneel Bay and automatically enter yourself into a chance to win a free four-night stay. Already a fan? Invite your friends! The package includes a free four-night stay, complimentary Full American meal plan, two ferry roundtrip transfers. This terrific package is valued at $4,150.50. A winner will be chosen on October 1st, 2009!"

Keep in mind that airfare and alcohol is not included in this prize package. Good luck!

And to find out a bit more about Caneel Bay, read my blog http://caneelbayhoneymoon.blogspot.com.

There's still time to win!

Have you entered to win two new Nokia 7205 cell phones and a week's honeymoon in Jamaica? There's still time to enter the contest and win fun new His and Hers phones and a luxury getaway!

SmartMoney's hot destinations

Looking for a great deal on a destination wedding or honeymoon hotspot? SmartMoney.com has just released its exciting, exotic list of destinations where the dollar is strong and the scenery spectacular for your smart wedding site shopping: www.smartmoney.com/Spending/Travel/6-Vacation-Spots-to-Stretch-Your-Dollar/.

Dream big. Spend small. Travel wisely.

Check out my budget-saving books at www.sharonnaylor.net/books.htm

Have a Haunted Honeymoon

It doesn't have to be Halloween for all things ghostly to be a part of your big getaway. Some of the most notable and luxurious hotels in the world are home to ghosts who just don't want to leave -- and can you blame them? Joe and I stayed at The Logan Inn, one of the haunted hotels in this article, and we heard several ghostly sounds during our stay. I've stayed at the Roosevelt, pictured above, and it's wildly haunted...but in a good way.

If you'd like to stay at a haunted hotel, or close enough just to tour one, check out this great starter article. and know that just like your wedding, your honeymoon is going to be unlike anyone else's in your circle of friends!

Top Destination Wedding Spots

Check out these enticing suggestions from Bridal Guide.

8 days, 7 nights at Caneel Bay

It was the perfect honeymoon -- Caneel Bay in St. John (http://www.caneelbay.com/) is heaven on earth, and the kind of 5-star treatment that celebrities enjoy (Brad and Angelina were supposedly at the cottage next to ours sometime prior to our arrival, and someone said they saw Matthew McConnaughey out on a boat..."Was the guy wearing a shirt?" "No." "It must have been him then!" We'll take it.) We felt like we were in a dream the entire time...with the ocean just steps from our room, deer and wild donkeys roaming the grounds of the protected wildlife preserve where the resort is located), unbelievably blue ocean, perfect weather, and such great fish and fruit that we felt super-energized. I could go on and on, but you have to experience it for yourself. Seriously. I've been to many island resorts, and this one is by far the best I've ever experienced...and to get to share it with my husband, my best friend? Priceless.

Okay, some insider stories from our honeymoon that won't appear in any magazine features on our trip:
* Joe goes snorkeling and sees angel fish and rainbow fish. I go snorkeling and come face to face with a barracuda. We also passed over a stingray or two. I preferred to watch the fish from the dock from that point on. :)
* I SO wanted to see a dolphin that I thought *everything* in the ocean was one. "Dolphin!" I would yell out over breakfast overlooking the bay, and Joe would shake his head and say, "No, that's a person snorkeling." or "No, that's a rock."
* We saw a donkey that was very excited to see us.
* Add banana and Baileys to a pina colada and you get something very, very good.
* Don't wear Keds if you're going hiking after it rains. But do play in the sprinklers if you can.
* Get an underwater camera.

We had so many adventures together -- it was my first time kayaking, Joe went scuba diving, we hiked -- that there wasn't one day where we just lounged on the beach. We could do that anywhere. Caneel Bay offers so much beauty and the best massage I've ever had in my life, that we didn't want to miss a moment. Stay tuned for my feature article on this resort. We're going back for our anniversary next year, and probably every year after that. I quote Joe: "This place just gets more beautiful every day." How did we ever vacation elsewhere?

Win some shoes!

A girl's gotta have great shoes, so sign on for Steve Madden's daily shoe giveaway, from now until December 18th: http://www.stevemadden.com/. I'm a big proponent of contests and sweeps, and I've won some pretty fantastic things. So I'm going to start sharing my favorite sweeps sites with you in future posts. Don't miss out on your chance to win cash for the wedding, vacations, home furnishings and decor, and of course, shoes! Come back often for Sharon's Sweeps!