Whether you dream of being married on a perfect beach with the ocean as a perfect backdrop for your photos, aboard your very own wedding boat or even in a magical ice hotel, you really can make your wedding day as perfect as you have always imagined.

We bring you our top 5 tips for a successful wedding abroad.

Often the challenge of who to invite to a wedding abroad can lead to healthy discussions.  Some couples value the intimacy of solely the bride and groom, whilst others embrace a large gathering of family and friends.  Some couples with large families often find a wedding abroad can help to limit the guest list.  Many opt not to invite distant relatives that they no longer see.  Many brides say they would feel obliged to invite cousins and distant relatives to their wedding at home, whereas abroad they can be more selective with the guest list without feeling guilty.  To help these relatives feel included many newly wed’s hold a party on their return back to the UK.  This is also a great opportunity for the bride to wear her dress again!

It is important that the style of wedding is chosen before the dress shopping commences.  Wedding gowns need to coordinate with the chosen venue.  Winter weddings allow the option of heavier fabrics, colour such as red, gloves, a cape, or even a bolero.  Whist many brides select lighter fabric gowns for a tropical climate.  Of course with any wedding the bridal gown will be a personal choice often what the bride has been dreaming of her entire life.

In terms of the groom’s attire wool blends are a great choice for a winter wedding and for summer weddings many grooms choose linen blend suites and often a waistcoat is worn in place of a heavy jacket.

With many weddings abroad trust is so important, often couples will only see the venue in photographs and will have to put their faith in the onsite wedding planner.  Don’t panic though wedding planers have a wealth of experience working with hundreds of couples to make their dream wedding a reality.   Hundreds of couples can’t be wrong so put your trust in an experienced wedding planner.

An important consideration for your chosen country must also be the rules surrounding getting legally married abroad.  There are so many different rules to be aware of and research into each country is a must.  In addition some countries require a minimum period of residency priory to marriage.  This must be factored into your time in the country and any good travel company and wedding planner will ensure that the legal aspects are in order.

With the legal aspects covered it is also important for the happy couple to consider what they will do following their marriage.  Will the honeymoon commence in the same location with the friends and family still around.  Or will they move to a different hotel or fly to another country to enjoy some time alone as man and wife.  Whatever is chosen make sure that the guests know the plan so that they are not disappointed if the celebrations do not continue for the rest of their holiday.

A wedding abroad is a wonderful way to marry.  With a little thought and preparation you can have your perfect day whilst almost guaranteeing the weather and not many couples can say that!

5 Tips for getting married abroad

• Research your venue thoroughly. There are a number of useful resources available to check out your venues reputation. Speak to some specialist travel agents and research online on sites such as Trip Advisor. Going to the venue beforehand is the best way to ensure that the venue lives up to the vision in your head. Find out how many weddings they hold in a day. Some resorts may do 2 or 3 weddings a day which can make you feel like you are on a conveyor belt. We managed to find lots of quality venues where they only ever do one wedding a day.
• Get organised early to give people time to make arrangements. People will need longer to book time off work and RSVP.
• Choose the right outfits to keep you looking cool on a hot day. Also think about the time of day you are getting married and how hot it may be. You may want to choose a cooler time of day to ensure you are looking your best on those photos.
• A different language can be tricky. Make sure you research the legal side thoroughly as in some countries you will need the documents translating which will be an extra expense.
• Think about the details, you’re probably going abroad to benefit from stunning locations and better weather but you need to think about what would happen if it rained. Little details such as if hair and makeup is included in the package or even whether you are allowed to play your own CD’s or ipod with their sound system.

If you know of a venue that you feel should be featured leave a comment below and we will look at adding it to our directory.

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A wish tree is a dutch custom where guests write their wishes for the bride and groom on a shaped card or tag and then hang it from the tree.

The tree created a stunning centre piece and was a much more interactive and interesting experience for the guests than the traditional wedding book. It really was something of a hit and I would definitely recommend anyone planning a wedding to have a look at one.

After the wedding all the tags can be kept and put into a scrap book to keep.

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