WHERE is the best place to have a ring-a-ding wedding this year? Travel writer KEN BENNETT charts the trends in hot wedding and honeymoon destinations for 2004. IF you are planning on tying the knot this year you could make massive savings by heading off to a hot foreign destination to take your nuptials.

Because, according to top travel analysts, 'dollar destinations' - where your hard-earned pound goes that important bit further - are dominating the wedding and honeymoon markets.

In fact, a special report by America Express Travel, which studies trends, says that romantic destinations across American and the Caribbean take six of the top ten places for honeymoons.

And, for the choice of an actual wedding ceremony, the chart reveals seven US and Caribbean destinations dominate the bridal wishes with Orlando and New York figuring for the first time.

American Express Travel consultants across the UK report a noticeable impact on choice of destination and the ready availability of cheaper packages has helped budget-conscious couples in their final deliberations.

Competitive prices in the Caribbean has put St. Lucia, that wonderful spice island, in the Number One spot as top wedding choice - pushing Barbados into second place. They argue that statistics on the UK wedding market show a long-term decline while the market for taking weddings abroad remains buoyant.

The company's senior vice president, Brendan Walsh explains: 'A wedding in the UK costs on average between £12,000- £14,000, according to experts.

TOP TEN DESTINATIONS

AMERICAN EXPRESS TOP TEN WEDDINGS LEAGUE 2004: #Figures in brackets show last year's placing. 1.St. Lucia (2) 2.Barbados (1) 3.Cyprus (3) 4.Mauritius (6) 5.Las Vegas (7) 6.Antigua (4) 7.Jamaica (6) 8.Orlando (-) 9.Maldives (10) 10.New York (-)

AMERICAN EXPRESS TOP TEN HONEYMOONS LEAGUE 2004: #Figures in brackets show last year's placing. 1.Mauritius (1) 2. Maldives (3) 3.St. Lucia (5) 4.Barbados (2) 5.Seychelles (6) 6.Cyprus (-) 7.Antigua (4) 8. Las Vegas (-) 9. Jamaica (7) 10. Hawaii (-)