Cheap Weddings Abroad

Frequently Asked Questions

1. QUESTION:
   Do destination weddings really save money?
   With the economy as it is more and more people are going abroad to get married in order to have a lovely wedding and save money? But do you really save money?
   Was wondering if anyone has gotten married, or planning to marry home or abroad and how much (roughly) did/ is it costing?

   EDIT : I know that of course it is possible to have a very cheap wedding at home (Im in the UK), but I am talking about a beautiful ceremony and reception and one that doesn’t look like you’ve cut back

   • ANSWER:
     No it doesn’t save all that much money.
     Brother in law was doing a destination wedding and it would have cost them ,000 for the wedding, plus flight and accommodation for their time there. So it wasn’t much of a saving, and the guests had to pay thousands for travel just to attend.
     I like the backyard wedding idea and I would have been happy to have a backyard wedding if we had the space. That would have saved us about ,000 (or more if we catered) off our current ,000 budget at a reception venue.

2. QUESTION:
   Anyone know of any holiday companies that do weddings too?
   Myself and my partner are wanting to book at holiday with a wedding, abroad somewhere for late next year, does anyone know of any holiday companies that do a good package? It seems much cheaper than having a wedding here and everything is included, even the honeymoon! At the moment we’re looking at first choice, but wondered if anyone had had any experience of doing this, or knew of any other companies that do them.

   • ANSWER:
     I am getting married abroad as well so there are, as per above replies, standard holiday companies such as FirstChoice and Thomsons that do a wedding package as well. But first you’ve got to decide where you guys want to tie the knot because it makes a difference. If it’s gonna be just the 2 of you, then you can go anywhere but if you want people to come than you need to think if going to far-east Asia is still going to be OK. What I found is loads of people end up chosing the Caribbean (and Sandals will do the actual wedding ceremony for free when you pay for the holiday package) but there can be so many weddings planned on the same day that it might feel like it’s a conveyour belt. So my advice is if you pick the Caribbean, then pick a separate wedding coordinator company (such as Awesome Caribbean Weddings) who will only work for you and make your day super special.

     You’ve raised an excellent point. It will be a great money saver and you’ll get your honeymoon as well. Isn’t it worth then going somewhere exotic like Africa or Asia? First Choice have so many 5* places and you can check with the resort themselves if they can organize the wedding for you directly (I always try to cut out the middle man) and ensure there are no misunderstandings. Most of these places have ‘wedding coordinators’ who speak English and you do it all over email (ask them to send you pics).

     Also take note of the time element. You still have to give notice (wedding banns) to get married abroad. Kenya, for instance, is 21 days (so you have to be in the country 21 days prior to getting married) BUT when you go by a package holiday (such as 1st choice) then it’s only 3 days. Brazil is 5 days, Thailand & Hawaii do not have any, St Lucia is 4 days, Trindad & Tobago is 3 days, Mexico is 3 days, Turks & Caicos is 1 day, etc.

     Make sure you know so you can plan. So if you go for Kenya (e.g.) you know you will need to be there 3 days before the wedding date and then you know how much time left before you can plan your ‘honeymoon’ week of safaris. Same applies anywhere else.

     I would reckon that you still have to budget £4,000 – £5000 IF you want top notch holidays PLUS a bit of ‘honeymoon’ travelling. But when you compare that to the standard cost of wedding in the UK £14,000 than it’s still better.

     Best of luck with your day.

3. QUESTION:
   Wedding on a budget? Tips and idea of costs?
   Me and my partner are looking to get married, but with finances being restricted, I’d love to hear of any tips or suggestions people have, to lower the costs.

   I don’t want anything big, I just want a small intimate get together with immediate family and maybe some food after.

   Would it be cheaper to go abroad or stay in the UK? I know the register office does weddings for a reasonable price.

   Thanks all!

   • ANSWER:
     Hope this helps a little from http://www.softtonesphotography.co.uk (Blog):

     Ideas to save money as you start your married life as often simple and obvious. If you have already considered the following ideas then you are well on your way to saving money. One of the highest reasons for marriage breakdown is dept. So I have set out a number of money saving ideas for your wedding, drawn from personal experience.

     There are however a number of things that we should remember, the dress should be wonderful, the reception the best it can be, and of course the wedding photographs should be the best they can be at the best price.

     ■One of the most expensive parts of the wedding can be the reception. Although a buffet can often be cheaper than a sit down, you may prefer a sit down meal – A simple idea is to cut down on the guest list if you are trying to save the money, and invite others to a reception party after the main reception.
     ■Serve Cava in place of champagne to greet your guests and for the toast – no one will mind or notice!
     ■Get married later in the day – it saves having to feed your guests twice
     ■Serve your cake as dessert – choose a chocolate or lemon cake in place of the traditional fruit cake and ask your caterers to serve with fresh cream and berries.
     ■Get married on a week day – many venues are much cheaper then at weekends
     ■Choose flowers in season – they cost more if they have to be flown in
     ■Avoid Christmas and Valentine’s Day – although popular, the costs will go up – flowers in particular are more expensive at this time of year
     ■Ask friends and family to help – when my wife and I married, my Father made the cake, my Mother decorated it, we used a friend’s cream Mercedes as the wedding car and another made my wife’s wedding dress.
     ■Make your own stationery – that way you save money and have something very personal to treasure – the Confetti website offers a free print download service
     ■Oxfam now has a fabulous service of second hand and unworn dresses, but if your heart is set on a new dress, consider having your dress made by a local dressmaker – or as one of my clients has done have your dress made in china! Her dress was made to measure in pure silk, and cost just £80 from an e-bay advert.
     ■Do take out wedding insurance as this can give you peace of mind should anything go wrong
     ■Make your own favours – favour boxes filled with sweets look lovely and don’t take long to do, or make cookies and initial them with your names and the date of the wedding
     ■Don’t scrimp on the photographer (“you would say that,” I hear you cry) – But those images will live with you forever – Ask if you have will be given the right to copy the photos, and if you will be given a CD that is of High Resolution of your pictures for you to print as you wish.
     ■Also check the photographer is a member of a professional body and remember to ask for to see their membership card, no one who is a member of a professional body would ever object to that, if they do, don’t use them.

4. QUESTION:
   Can someone make sense of these laws concerning getting married ?
   I am engaged to marry a lady who lives in and is a citizen of Hong Kong. Our idea is we will get married then after I will return to the U.S.A. without her, file a I-130 with the American government which is a form that will then allow for her to move to America permanently 8-12 months later. I will be having a period of 10 days in Hong Kong and during that time we are getting married. We are looking for the simplest, cheapest of weddings. We would get married in a phone booth if we found that would be cheap. We are not going to be choosy. We just want to get married. Because we are getting married over in her country I asked via email to Hong Kong city hall “what do I need to know to legally marry her?” The reply was so confusing to me. I will post it here and if someone can simplify it GREAT !
   Dear Sir,

   I refer to your email message of 31 May 2010 addressed to GovHK. Your message has been passed to this Department for a direct reply.

   If both of the marrying parties to a proposed marriage are living abroad and intend to have their marriage contracted in Hong Kong, they should write direct to the Hong Kong Marriage Registration & Records Office for a copy of Notice of Marriage Form for completion. Request for appointment for marriage ceremony can be made by letter despatched together with the completed Notice of Marriage. The completed form should be returned to the office by registered airmail as soon as possible. For your convenience, please see attachment for the Notice of Intended Marriage form submitted by parties living abroad.

   For more information on marriage registration and giving of notice outside Hong Kong, please browse the website : http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/bdmreg_4.htm

   If you intend to give notice in Hong Kong and register your marriage in Hong Kong, you may make appointment for giving of notice of intended marriage through either the Internet (website: www.gov.hk/marriagebooking) or the Interactive Voice Response System (telephone: 3102 3883). Appointments are given on a first-come-first-served basis to ensure that every person has a fair chance to be served.

   The minimum age for getting married is 16 years of age (Gregorian reckoning). There are no residential requirements for marriage and the marrying parties may be of any nationality.

   Under the Laws of Hong Kong, you will have to go through the following procedures for solemnizing a marriage in Hong Kong:

   Either one of you has to give a Notice of Intended Marriage (the notice) to the Registrar of Marriages (the Registrar) in the prescribed form either directly or through a civil celebrant of marriages.

   The Registrar shall exhibit Part I of the notice in his office until the issue of a Certificate of Registrar of Marriages or the expiry of the 3-month period.

   The Registrar may, at least 15 days after the giving of a notice, issue a Certificate of Registrar of Marriages to enable you to celebrate your marriage within three months from the date of notice giving if all the statutory requirements are met.

   A marriage has to take place at a marriage registry by a Registrar; or in a licensed place of worship by a competent minister or at any other place in Hong Kong by a civil celebrant of marriages.

   If the marriage does not take place within three months after the giving of the notice, the notice and all proceedings thereupon shall be void. You have to give another notice before getting married.

   You can click on the following links for information of registration of a marriage, including giving the notice on the prescribed form in Hong Kong or from places outside Hong Kong and celebrating your marriage in different venues.

   How to Give a Notice of Intended Marriage

   http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/immigration/bdmreg/marriage/marreg/givingnotice/index.htm

   How to Give a Notice of Intended Marriage from Places Outside Hong Kong

   http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/immigration/bdmreg/marriage/marreg/intendmarout.htm

   Celebration of Marriage

   http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/immigration/bdmreg/marriage/marreg/celebration.htm

   I hope you’ll find the information useful.

   Regards,
   SP LAM
   for Director of Immigration
   1,000,000,000 thanks to the person who answered this confusing question !

   • ANSWER:
     1. Your fiance must take the Notice of Intended Marriage form to the Hong Kong Marriage Registration & Records Office herself or through whomever is officiating your marriage. (If you get married in a registry office, she will have to take the form in herself.)

     2. While she is there, she will fill out a Notice of Marriage Form.

     3. She will turn in the form along with a letter telling them what date and where you want to get married. You will have to get married at a registry office or a government approved temple/church.

     4. In about 15 days, you will get a Certificate of Registrar of Marriages (marriage license). You have to get married within three months of the date of issue, or it expires.

     5. After you get married, you return your Certificate of Registrar of Marriages to the Hong Kong Marriage Registration & Records Office.

     I hope this helps!