You’re newly engaged and planning the big day — perhaps even daydreaming of an exotic “destination wedding.” These foreign affairs may be all the rage, but flying friends and families to far-flung destinations might best be left to the “TomKat” crowd. When work schedules and modest budgets give wedding planning a reality check, couples can look closer to home for an “exotic, domestic” destination wedding.

New Jersey’s surprising array of alternative wedding venues invites couples to save on airfare, yet still enjoy the thrill of a destination wedding — Garden State style. Newlyweds can take their guests to the Caribbean, West Africa, even beneath the deep blue sea with a ceremony and reception at Adventure Aquarium on Camden’s waterfront. Highlights include an elegant dinner in front of two movie-screen-sized windows, where the bridal party and guests will be joined by loggerhead turtles, stingrays, and thousands of brilliantly-colored fish in the adjoining 760,000-gallon Ocean Realm. The newlyweds will also enjoy strolling hand-in-hand among fierce-looking sharks in the 40-foot walk-through Shark Realm tunnel.

Hamilton’s Grounds for Sculpture is as grand as any European garden, featuring 35 acres of lush landscape artfully decorated with more than 250 contemporary sculptures. For an outdoor ceremony, one of the most popular settings for weddings is at The Nine Muses sculpture by Carlos Dorrien, a piece that evokes the timelessness of ancient temples and past civilizations.

Couples who share a concern for the global environment can green up their wedding — while reducing the jet fuel needed to carry them and their guests to an overseas destination — with an Eco-Wedding at the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor. The bride and groom can recite their vows while enjoying expansive views of 6,000 acres of pristine coastal wetlands. The newlyweds can share a toast in the beautiful gardens brimming with birds and butterflies, or simply step back to reflect on the moment and enjoy a spectacular sunset.

For a wedding steeped in the pleasures of food and wine, who needs Italy when New Jersey is home to more than a dozen romantic wineries, each ready to help couples toast their exciting new “pairing.” Egg Harbor’s Renault Winery features a variety of settings, beginning with the Renault Grand Ballroom, featuring a handsome staircase for a couple’s dramatic entrance. For a more intimate experience, the Vintage Room heightens the romantic ambiance old-world vineyard style, with wine caskets and a working fireplace.

For more imaginative wedding ideas and off-the-beaten path reception venues, visit www.visitnj.org.