1. Almond Resorts
Almond Resorts is offering free wedding packages on two tiers, Wedding for You and Unforgettable Wedding for You, at all five properties on Barbados and St Lucia for seven or 10-night bookings in a deluxe or higher category room.
The wedding packages include all fees, flowers for the bride and groom, a decorated garden at a historical landmark or oceanside wedding site, the cake
and champagne and services of a wedding co-ordinator.
Seven nights at the four-star, luxury premium, all-inclusive Almond Smugglers Cove in St Lucia start at £949 per person, based on two adults sharing a deluxe garden view room with direct return economy flights from Gatwick and return transfers. The price includes the Wedding For You package.
2. Sandals
Sandals teamed up with US domestic goddess Martha Stewart in October to launch Sandals Weddings by Martha Stewart, an offering of six themed wedding packages.
Now the operator is offering one of them, Beautiful Beginnings, free to couples who book a room in the concierge category or higher at any Sandals resort or Beaches Resort.
Prices lead in at £1,491 per person (reduced from £1,895) for a seven-night stay in a honeymoon penthouse mountain view concierge room at Sandals Grande Rios Beach and Villa Golf Resort.
The price includes flights, accommodation and transfers for travel in May 2010. Beautiful Beginnings includes government and administrative fees, bride and groom flowers, wedding consultant, hors d’ouevres, sparkling wine for four, a centre piece and wedding cake.
3. Anatolian Sky
Anatolian Sky has seen such an increase in interest for its weddings and honeymoons in Turkey that it has launched its own weddings brochure. This should
come as no surprise, given its current non-euro status.
The operator offers its wedding package at a credit-crunching lead-in price of £599 per couple, which includes registrar fees, marriage certificate, ceremony and location, notary fees and stamps, administrative fees and wedding cake for up to six people.
All the paperwork is dealt with by the operator and help is offered arranging flowers, music, photography and wedding meals.
Anatolian offers seven nights at the romantic Ece Saray Hotel in Fethiye for £741 per person departing June 7 for seven nights. Price includes flights, accommodation and transfers.
4. Planet Holidays
Planet Holidays, which offers weddings in Cyprus, Greece, Gozo, the Algarve and Mauritius, has a 120-page brochure dedicated to weddings and a new weddings website.
It offers seven nights in a double room at the four-star Athena Beach hotel in Paphos, Cyprus, starting May 10, departing from Gatwick on a bed and breakfast basis for £652 per person. The couple will be upgraded on their wedding night to a Royal Suite.
Price includes flights, private taxi transfers and half-board thrown in free (a saving of £100 per person). The operator will organise a town hall wedding
in Cyprus, which means just a £200 wedding admin fee plus a €282 fee payable in resort for a special licence.
5. Aldemar Hotels
Aldemar offers weddings ideal for agents to package up themselves across its eight hotels in Crete, Rhodes and western Peloponnese. The Greek chain offers a week at the five star Aldemar Knossos Royal Village on the outskirts of Hersonissos from £649 per person for departures in June.
Accommodation is based on two sharing half board with transfers. A premium wedding package costs £988 and includes a bouquet and boutonniere, two witnesses, champagne and sweets for up to 50 people, cake and sugared almonds, the mayor’s, church’s and venue fees.
It also includes a room upgrade where available, flowers and fruit basket on arrival, a candlelit dinner for two in one of the restaurants, a champagne breakfast the day after the wedding, a wedding co-ordinator and CD music for the ceremony.
- Interested in weddings abroad? Check our weddings abroad page, sponsored by Sandals
