The US has always provided inspiration for those looking to make their wedding day on foreign shores just that little bit different from the usual ceremony-on-the-sand affair.
From the sophistication of a Manhattan ceremony and the glamour of a lost weekend in Vegas, to the getting-back-to-nature feel offered by a Grand Canyon ‘I do’ moment, the US offers myriad ways to seal the deal.
No wonder its popularity keeps on rising. Tropical Sky wedding development executive Fred Harrison says: “The Caribbean continues to dominate the top 10 [most popular wedding destinations] but US weddings are doing very well, with New York coming a close second to St Lucia this year.”
City slickers
US and Canadian travel specialist American Sky offers couples the chance to get married on the top deck of The World Yacht, followed by a three-hour cruise taking in the New York skyline, the New Jersey waterfront and the Statue of Liberty.
Meanwhile, Virgin Holidays has just introduced its Top of the Rock package. Couples marry 70 storeys above New York’s Fifth Avenue at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (pictured above) with spectacular views of Manhattan and the Empire State Building.
Prices start at £1,719 and include the wedding ceremony, the services of a wedding co-ordinator and minister, the licence and location fees, champagne, and transportation.
High Rollers
For 2010 Virgin Holidays has also introduced its Cupid Night Flight in Las Vegas. The couple, plus minister, hop into a private A-Star Jet-copter and are married on board while flying over the city’s famous Strip.
A Luxury Wedding leads in at £549 and includes the ceremony carrying up to five people in the wedding party (plus the minister), a cake and champagne, a rose cascade bouquet, boutonniere, minister’s donation and driver’s tip, and limo transfer.
Thrill seekers
If your clients aren’t nervy enough about their big day as it is, why not throw a few sharks into the equation? Kuoni now offers the chance to marry in the shark reef aquarium at Mandalay Bay resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Pledging eternal love under the gimlet gaze of a piranha – what could be more romantic?
The package leads in at £2,695 and includes limo transfers, bouquet and boutonniere, champagne, photos, DVD, hairstyling, use of bridal dressing room with champagne and strawberries, use of a groom’s dressing room and pianist.
Disney fans
Thomas Cook offers couples the chance to get married at Walt Disney World in Orlando – and have their wedding certificates signed by residents Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
The package offers a choice of four wedding locations: Breeze Point at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort for that 1940s’ feel; the rose gardens of the Wedding Gazebo at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort; under the pine trees of the Sunrise Terrace at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge; or at Sunset Point overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon.
A co-ordinator, pictures, limo hire, a champagne reception and a violinist are included. Prices start at £2,999.
Lennon lovers
Orlando’s Hard Rock Cafe has a replica of John and Yoko’s Manhattan apartment in which it is now possible to marry with Virgin Holidays.
Couples swap vows surrounded by original artwork and the white baby grand piano, its ivories signed by piano-playing stars such as Elton John.
Weddings start at £599 and include minister or registrar, co-ordinator, exclusive use of the John Lennon Room for two hours, the ceremony (set up on the John Lennon Terrace overlooking the Universal CityWalk Lagoon), a champagne toast for the bride and groom, a one-tier cake and bridal bouquet and groom’s buttonhole.
Get back to nature
Couples get the rare opportunity to travel inside the rim of the Grand Canyon with White Sand Weddings.
A helicopter will land at the company’s Grand Canyon West Ranch where they will be met by a horse and carriage that will lead them to the Ranch House where the ceremony will take place.
After champagne and cake, the helicopter whisks the couple away for a night in Las Vegas. Prices start from £1,559 and include limo transfer, cake, champagne, bouquet and boutonniere and driver’s tip.
- Interested in weddings abroad? Check our weddings abroad page, sponsored by Sandals
US wedding tips and checklist
What to expect from operators
- Lots of operators lay on a wedding co-ordinator, which appeals to couples who might feel daunted by arranging a wedding thousands of miles away.
- Champagne/sparkling wine receptions are pretty standard, along with a cake
- Flowers usually mean a bouquet for the bride and boutonniere for the groom but general floral decorations are often extra
- Administration fees and fee or donation to the person officiating the wedding are usually taken care of by the operator
- Wedding licence and transport are usuall dealt with by the operator
- A limited number of photographs will get thrown into the deal (usually between about 20 and 32)
- Agents should make couples aware of the upgrades available, which generally cover catering for the guests, better quality drinks, and entertainment (plus upgraded rooms and suites)
Six things you need to know…
- In order to marry in the US, your clients will need:
- A 10-year passport
- Their birth certificates (except in Las Vegas)
- If divorced, a decree absolute. (And in Boston you can only marry 90 days after it has been issued)
- If widowed, their husband or wife’s death certificate and previous marriage certificate
- If adopted, their adoption certificate
- Couples need to be 18 or above – otherwise they will need signed parental consent
- In New York you must wait 24 hours after getting your marriage licence before you can marry. In Boston you must have been in the city for three days before marrying
- Licence fees vary in price from $35 to around $100
- You don’t generally need a witness to marry anymore but you do in New York and San Francisco
- If you marry in the US you will not get a UK marriage certificate.
