Tying the knot in elegant, exotic, expensive fashion

June, moon, spoon, and spend. This is the month that brings thoughts of weddings and their exorbitant costs. According to CostofWedding.com, the average wedding will cost $27,000 -- and that's merely the average. No wonder many couples choose destination weddings, with their built-in honeymoons, so that even with pricey packages they may save. (Their guests, however, will spend an average of $900 each to attend.) Here are some examples:

Occidental Hotels & Resorts, an all-inclusive chain, offers its Grand Wedding Experience package free year- round in Aruba, Antigua, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. To be eligible, couples must book a certain number of room nights in the ``Royal Club" section of the resort. Occidental says that, for instance, you will save $18,000 or more off the average cost, based on booking a minimum of six Royal Club Luxury rooms at the Occidental Grand Cozumel for a minimum stay of four nights at a rate of $718 per person, double occupancy, Sept. 1-Oct. 31. The Grand Wedding Package includes preparation of documents, a certified marriage license, legal fees, the justice of the peace, witnesses, a decorated wedding site, a wedding coordinator, champagne, an à la carte wedding reception for up to 20 people, live music, the bridal bouquet and groom's boutonniere, the cake, photos, a candlelight dinner for the happy couple, and continental breakfast in bed the morning after the wedding.

Call 800-858-2258 or visit www.occidentalhotels.com.

Elegant Hotels Group, with five properties in Barbados, provides free weddings in June, September, and, at some resorts, in other months as well. Book three rooms or more for a five- or seven-night stay and you receive the use of a decorated wedding arch, round-trip transportation to a marriage registration office; the license; services of a magistrate, priest, or minister; the bouquet and boutonniere; a best man, maid of honor, and witnesses, if required; a bottle of wine; the cake; a champagne breakfast the next day; a candlelight dinner with wine; a complimentary room upgrade if available; and a gift.

Call 800-467-4519 or visit www.eleganthotels.com.

If you have always dreamed of a Polynesian ceremony, the Sheraton Hotel Tahiti and Sheraton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa can make those dreams a reality. During the Traditional Polynesian Wedding, which costs about $1,180, village women serenade the bride and groom, who are dressed in island pareos. A Tahitian marriage certificate made of tapa cloth parchment is presented to the couple, who are then wrapped together in a Tahitian quilt cover as a symbol of their matrimony. The package also includes a wedding planner, a Tahitian high priest, musicians and villagers, leis and crowns of flowers for the couple, a bouquet, and a pathway covered with flower petals, and photos. An even more elaborate Royal Wedding costs about $1,900.

Call 800-782-9488 or visit www.starwoodtahiti.com.

For those convinced their marriage will last at least a year, couples who honeymoon at one of eight participating Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts will get a 20 percent discount for their first anniversary stay at another resort, plus breakfast daily and a bottle of champagne. The resorts are in St. Thomas, Curacao, Aruba, St. Kitts, Cancun, and Puerto Vallarta.

Visit www.paradisebymarriott.com/anniversary or call 888-727-2347 and mention code SUM.

And then there are those who relish exceeding any average costs. For them there is the Runaway Bride Buyout Package at the Viceroy Palm Springs in California's Mojave Desert. The package includes complete rental of Viceroy Palm Springs for two nights (67 rooms, accommodating 130 guests); a one-bedroom Bridal Villa for two nights; the wedding dinner; a couples massage for the bride and groom; manicures and pedicures for a bridal party of up to six; hair and makeup for that bridal party; golf tee times and transportation for up to six; a photographer, music, flowers, lighting, and a Bloody Mary full brunch the day after. The total cost is $68,000.

(The fine print: The package is available Sundays through Thursdays only.)

Call Viceroy general manager Jonathan Heath directly at 760-320-4117.

Prices start at $599 for a five- night Canada/New England cruise on Royal Caribbean's 2,500- passenger Jewel of the Seas, departing from Boston on Oct. 21. Ports visited will be Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. With luck, there will be foliage to admire.

Visit www.rccl.com, call 866-562-7625 , or see a travel agent.

A New Hampshire reader, Virginia Lee Miller, writes that she was appalled by a recent mention in this column of a discount package at New York's Hotel Pennsylvania, as recommended by the visitors bureau as part of a way to see the city on a shoestring. ``Having stayed there several times in the past few years as part of a business show group, I know firsthand (as well as from my friends) how horrible [the condition of many rooms are]. If you check the reviews at www.tripadvisor.com , you'll get a good sample of opinions." We did check, and the reviews were decidedly mixed.

New England artist Sal Contreras will lead a watercolor painting school June 21-24, Aug. 3-6, and Nov. 16-19 at the Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, N.H. Packages, starting at $199 per person per night, include three nights' accommodations, three dinners, three breakfasts, and two lunches. Participants will learn about the proper supplies, the use of color, and how to transfer what you see to the canvas. The weekend will culminate in a studio display of students' work.

Call 877-873-0626 or visit www.mtwashington.com .

Www.gaycanadagetaways.com is a new website for gay travelers. Among featured destinations are Montreal, Ottawa, Lake Louise, and Vancouver.

Forty years and 9 million riders later, the Jackson Hole, Wyo., aerial tram, which climbs more than 4,000 vertical feet, will be decommissioned after this summer season. A tram package starts at $120 per person and includes three nights in a two-bedroom, one-bath condominium in Teton Village and four tickets for the tram. The offer is based on quadruple occupancy and will be available through Oct. 1. Call 800-443-8613 or visit www.jhrl.com .

The newly renovated Veranda House, a boutique hotel in Nantucket Town, is offering value- added plans for two- and three-night stays that include complimentary beach outings with the hotel's Beach Concierge program and a one-day jeep rental, among other features. Plans are available from June 1- Sept. 30 and include two nights' minimum weekdays from $799 and three nights' minimum weekends from $999. Included are accommodations for two; one complimentary day of Beach Concierge service to and from one of Nantucket's best beaches complete with gourmet picnic and beach umbrella, chairs, and towels; the jeep rental; cocktails for two nightly at a choice of Nantucket's trendiest new restaurants, including LoLa41 , Cinco , and Sea Street; afternoon tea; a wine and cheese reception Wednesday and Saturday evenings; breakfast daily; fresh flowers in the guest room; and complimentary wireless high-speed Internet and in-room data port.

Call 877-228-0695 or visit www.theverandahouse.com.

When not included, hotel taxes, airport fees, and port charges can add significantly to the price of a trip. Most prices quoted are for double occupancy; solo travelers will usually pay more. Offers are subject to availability and there may be blackout dates. Contact Richard P. Carpenter at carpenter@globe.com.