Getting married is such an important event that you want everything to be just right and this can cause even the chilled out of us a lot of nail-biting and stress.
If you really are not up for the big white wedding expected in your home country and all the planning it entails then perhaps you should be looking at travelling abroad for your wedding venue.
Wedding organisers abroad are experts at what they do and will take away all the stress of the planning by doing everything for you even down to the smallest details.
Keeping in constant touch by telephone and email you can be sure the big day will go as expected, you can just as easily talk directly to the planners by phone if there are any changes you want to make.
One of the biggest decisions to make when planning your wedding location abroad is where to go. There are exotic and tropical destinations all over the world that look appealing and are beautiful places to get married and spend your honeymoon.
The Caribbean is a firm favourite with honeymooners, as well as Mexico, Santorini, Fiji, Hawaii and Las Vegas to name but a few, they all have their very own attractions to offer and which appeals to you will depend on the type of landscape you like and if you prefer sunny locations, isolated beaches, or big cities and an exciting nightlife.
Beach weddings are the dream of many young couples and can either be as effortless as a barefoot event in a simple white beach dress or a more richly decorated affair with all the pomp and ceremony by the sea. The easy beauty of the seashore, the rolling surf, and the warm sun are the ideal combination to start you on the path of a new life together.
If your ideal destination is of white powdery sands, coconut palms, turquoise oceans and days spent lazing on the beach enjoying newly married life then a Koh Samui resort in Thailand might be just the place to fulfill your needs.
Guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience it is a place that is famous for the friendly locals and top-notch hospitality.
You can even choose to follow a traditional wedding for the country you marry in if you wish to make the experience extra special. Opting for Koh Samui weddings a typical package will be a day full of new experiences, ceremony and fun.
Generally the day includes a blessing by local monks with chanting and prayers, this could be held either at the resort itself or in a temple close by.
Part of the ritual involves the happy couple kneeling with their arms resting in front of them, a white cotton thread is loosely tied around their wrists, symbolising happiness, prosperity and healthy children while they are blessed by the monks.
If you are on the island with family members and friends then they can watch the proceedings, if you are here alone then members of the hotel staff will attend to offer good wishes.
This is followed by the nicest part of the ceremony where the couple sit linked by a thread with their hands in front as if in prayer, whilst the guests file past and pour lustral water from a conch shell over their open hands and the water is caught in silver bowls full of fragrant blossoms and lotus petals.
A Koh Samui villa resort can offer a selection of wedding and engagement packages. Professional wedding teams will take away all the stress and onto themselves to make certain your day is perfect on this unforgettable occasion.
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
Anyone know any good sites, where you can book weddings abroad as a package?-
ANSWER:
Do it through Thomson tour ops, I suggest you go to the Moon Palace Resort, its stunning!!!
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QUESTION:
weddings abroad? where do i start?
weve chose to get married in mexico, riviera maya, april 2011.
can anyone give us any advice/tips on weddings abroad please.were trying to keep the cost down, I am having 2 bridesmaids and 1 best man.
what do else do I need so i can work out a budget . . . so far ive got:
wedding dress and accessories
bridesmaid dresses
groom, best man suits
holiday/wedding package
invitations
thank you cards
insurance
spending money
flowersanything else?
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ANSWER:
Wedding, travel and medical insurance.
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QUESTION:
how does weddings abroad work?
im planning on getting wed next may in cyprus. ive priced a holiday up and if i want it they will add a package. it’s only me my partner and my son. what legal requirements are required from us and do the wedding planners so to speak sort this out? has anyone ever been aaabroad to get married? it’s going to be really low key and very simple. xx-
ANSWER:
The guys have a set price for getting married in Cyprus including the ceremony, wedding licence, flights, honeymoon etc.They also have a “legal” page on their website so you can see exactly what you will need.
http://www.CyprusWeddingPlanner.com
Good luck !!
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QUESTION:
civil weddings abroad?
Does anyone have experience of civil ceremonies singapore/australia/bali/hong kong? Don’t want the ‘package deal’ want to arrange own low key ceremony. We are both divorced. Are there any restrictions? Has anyone experienced any memorable venues?-
ANSWER:
Hi, as a civil celebrant in Australia I can help you with all your plans. If you want low key and personal I can arrange it for you. I live in Geelong, down the way from Melbourne. We have great ocean views, beautiful gardens and amazing places to marry. The Great Ocean Road is just 10 minutes from Geelong – check it all out on the internet. We have beautiful lighthouses, amazing old houses and I can even marry you on a boat in the bay. I can marry you any where you want to be married and can take care of all your legal requirements. Pls fee free to contact me on celebrantmarriage@hotmail.comI would love to be able to assist you.
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QUESTION:
Married abroad with Thomson?
What is included in the weddings package when getting married in Cyprus with Thomson? There is no mention of venue, cakes, flowers and decorations etc. Anyone done this or been to a wedding with Thomson abroad?-
ANSWER:
Phone Thomson Holidays and ask them outright for what you have paid for. Usually with these types of packages, the wedding venue is paid for (which can include decorations etc), the registrar and a cake, but this isn’t always the case. So before you jet off, be sure what you have paid for to avoid disappointment as you won’t be able to come back and claim compensation for simply being disappointed because you didn’t check all details.Good Luck and congratulations on your future marriage x
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QUESTION:
virgin holidays weddings?
iam thinking of getting married abroad and hav been looking into virgin packages, does anyone know is they do just 1 wedding a day or if there r loads of others right after yours?
thanks-
ANSWER:
Places like Virgin and Sandals are puppy mills for weddings. They do loads of them a day (but then again so does any other location you pick….it’s going to cost ungodly amounts if you want a popular place like that exclusively for your day) unless it’s during the off season. Usually though they will have enough tact to keep them seperate enough that you don’t have another bride 50 feet down the beach.They are definately handy though. Planning a wedding across a few states is tough enough…much less trying to plan one in a different country.
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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.
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QUESTION:
destination wedding do you need a marriage license from your home country?
ok so in our destination wedding package it includes the marriage license from the local office in the chosen country of the wedding, so this to me suggests we don’t need to get another in our home country but then on The hills (yes i know) Heidi & Spencer got married in mexico (where loads of people have destination weddings) and then when they got back to USA it wasn’t legal? how can this be whats the point in getting married abroad and signing a license if when you get home you have to make it legal, it technically means you didn’t even get married on your wedding day. im confused?
we are from the UK & getting married in Antigua-
ANSWER:
In the US, you can check the State Department website and find out what documents are required to get married in different countries. I imagine the UK government website has something similar.Many people have weddings separate from the time the union actually becomes legal, especially those who get married in other countries. My guess is that the majority do the legal service in the courthouse at home before their trip, but celebrate their actual marriage on the day of the ceremony abroad, as this is when they make it formal before God, family, etc.
The license is an important piece of paper for legal reasons, but you can decide how much symbolic importance it holds for you. For me, it wouldn’t matter when the paper was signed (a few days before or a few days after), I’m married when I say my vows in front of all the people I care about.
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