Thinking of having your wedding abroad? Thousands do it every year, and with the unpredictability of the British weather and rising wedding costs, it's not surprising that wedding planning is moving away from the UK and nearer weddings in destination locations.
So where to go?
Here are a few of our favorite destination wedding locations:
See some of the highlights of beautiful Island of St Lucia
Apart from glorious sunshine, white sandy beaches, tropical flowers and delicious seafood, what are the advantages of a Wedding abroad?
The likelihood is that it will be a much smaller and more intimate event, and much less hassle to organize for you. You won't feel obliged to invite your sixth-cousin-twice-removed, and you won't have to argue with your mother-in-law over the colour scheme. The entire wedding will probably be much more under your control and the wedding package can usually be organized by the tour operator, saving you all the hard work. When you choose to have your Wedding abroad at a resort they will provide a wedding package that will include the ceremony, flowers, catering and the cake with music, entertainment, photography and videography, as optional extras. You will just need to organize your dress, accessories and the bridesmaids' and groom's outfits before you go. Another bonus is that you don't have to travel anywhere for your honeymoon!
A wedding abroad will probably cost less money too. Most are less expensive than equivalent UK weddings. You may feel because you are breaking with tradition, you have more say over the event - you can choose to pay for it yourselves, or the bride's family could pay for the wedding package and you could buy your own airline tickets. Guests will pay their own way, and you will probably only invite very close family and friends. You can still have a party at home for those who can't make the journey or aren't invited to the event. A word of advice - make sure your friends and family go home a couple of days after the wedding, or if they want to stay on and have a holiday, at least pack them off to a different resort, you don't want Grandma Hodges cramping your poolside honeymoon style!
If you really want to have a wedding abroad but want to go it alone, with just the two of you jetting off to tie the knot, you don't need to invite anyone at all, you can just enlist the help of a member of the hotel's staff to act as a witness for the ceremony.
Try to book your package at least 12 weeks before the wedding, and make sure you browse lots of brochures before you make your final destination selection. It's also worth checking chat rooms and reviews on online travel sites to find out other people's experience. It's also wise to tell guests about the wedding around six months before the big day to allow them time to work out their travel plans and budget for the trip.
There will be quite a lot of administration involved in your wedding abroad, so make sure you know exactly what you will need for the country you have chosen. If your wedding abroad is being organized through a tour operator they will advise you on all the legal requirements, but if you are organizing your own wedding abroad you will need to contact the embassy of that country to make sure you will be legally allowed to marry there. Ask them how long you need to be in the country before the wedding and whether you need any special legal documents to prove you are single and therefore eligible to marry. If your marriage is legally valid in the country in which you make your vows, it is considered legal in the UK. However, the Law Society advises that anyone getting married abroad should contact the local British embassy or consulate for up-to-date advice. It's also a good idea to take out wedding insurance as well as the usual travel insurance to ensure you are covered for all your wedding expenses.
The beauty of a wedding abroad is that you can truly relax and enjoy the occasion without having to project manage the event. And if the flowers aren't quite what you would have chosen, or the steel band plays too many 1970s cheesy love songs, somehow, when the sun is setting over the ocean, those little things won't seem to matter quite so much.
Check our Honeymoon pages for more
