From couples-only ceremonies to big wedding parties, Joanna Booth suggests a venue to fit
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Some couples use getting married abroad as an excuse to sneak off alone and avoid the expense – and potential family rows – of a larger wedding. Some couples dream of tying the knot abroad, but still want to take the whole family with them.
And to avoid any rows, you need to help them choose a venue and destination that’s suited to the size of the wedding party.
Larger groups may want somewhere with a variety of accommodation and flights that won’t break the bank, so the trip is more affordable for family and friends. Couples can afford to choose somewhere secluded, and will need a venue that doesn’t dwarf them.
Here’s some inspiration for different size wedding parties. Small constitutes just the couple or a handful of guests, medium up to 20, above that, we’re classing as large.
Small
Most couples who opt for a small wedding will make the destination their honeymoon too, and there aren’t many places in the world that scream ‘romance’ more loudly than the South Pacific. Turquoise Holidays recommends Tokoriki Island Resort in Fiji, an adult-only luxury hideaway that despite being chosen as the fifth most romantic resort in the world on TripAdvisor, is affordable by Fijian standards.
A barefoot beach wedding ceremony on the perfect white sand is free, or couples can opt for the resort’s chapel for £135, or go the full works with a Fijian choir, warriors and flower girls, cake, champagne, wedding gift and three-course dinner, for £1,000.
After the wedding, the couple can find even more seclusion by taking a trip to nearby Monuriki Island, an uninhabited spot used in the filming of Hollywood blockbuster Castaway, starring Tom Hanks, where they can stay alone for an afternoon picnic.
Turquoise Holidays offers six nights’ full-board in a beachfront bure (villa), a free beach wedding, flowers and sparkling wine in the room, helicopter and speedboat transfers from Nadi and international flights with Air New Zealand via Los Angeles from £3,279 per person.
Thomson research shows that 22% of couples tying the knot abroad want it to be just the two of them, and Mauritius is the operator’s most popular destination for small weddings. Ambre Resort & Spa in Belle Mare, which joined Thomson’s adult-only Couples collection in May, is a real hit.
It offers a ceremony on the beach, in the gardens or in a gazebo. A typical wedding package, including the ceremony, venue, bouquet and buttonhole, bride’s make-up, cake, wine, photography, candlelit dinner, room service breakfast and a room upgrade, starts from £949, with a seven-night all-inclusive stay starting from £1,400 per person, including flights.
Those who prefer a city wedding can’t go wrong with New York – it’s simple, easy on the paperwork and once they’re married they can enjoy the urban buzz or easily add on a Caribbean beach stay. Thomas Cook offers weddings in six locations in Central Park, with yellow taxi transfers included for a quintessential Big Apple feel.
For an intimate wedding, the operator recommends cast iron Bow Bridge, the most picturesque in the park. Wedding packages start from £1,289, and include the ceremony and transfers to Central Park, license and transfers to City Hall to obtain it, minister, bouquet, buttonhole and champagne.
For something completely different, suggest a safari wedding. Virgin Holidays offers weddings at Ulusaba Private Game Reserve, Richard Branson’s exclusive lodge in Sabi Sands, South Africa. Weddings can take place in the bush or at the lodge, with packages starting from £639 and including champagne, cake, room upgrade, couple’s massage, private dinner and breakfast in bed. A five-night all-inclusive stay at the lodge, including flights, starts from £2,469 per person.
Medium
For couples who want to stay closer to home so it’s easier for friends and family to join them, but still want that sparkle of stardust, Ionian Weddings suggests following in the footsteps of Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, and holding a wedding at the chapel in Skopelos that featured in the film Mamma Mia.
The operator offers weddings outside the whitewashed chapel – the interior is only available for Greek Orthodox ceremonies – with views over the beautiful coastline, or at the bottom of the long set of 220 steps the cast dance up in the film. A ceremony including all fees, photography and a reception with a three-course dinner at a traditional restaurant in Glossa for 20 people starts from €2,995.
When friends and family are joining the party, it’s important to make sure that the accommodation, as well as the wedding, is suitable for everyone. Couples who want classic Caribbean romance but have children coming should consider Antigua’s Carlisle Bay, where the accommodation is split into two areas, for couples and families.
Caribtours offers a wedding package for 20 people including a ceremony on the jetty, legal fees, a four-course dinner, cake and champagne, plus accommodation and flights for the bride and groom, from £12,990. Guests can stay for seven nights with breakfast and flights from £1,975.
A white wedding with a difference is on offer in Finnish Lapland, where between November and April Transun offers couples the chance to get married in a snow castle in the remote village of Hetta. The ceremony takes place in the ice chapel, with both religious and civil options on offer.
A four-night stay for 20 guests, including return flights, full-board accommodation (rooms for guests and a log cabin for the bride and groom), loan of thermal suits and boots, a ceremony, cake and a three-course wedding breakfast, starts from £19,020.
Large
With a choice of flights, and accommodation including self-catering and value all-inclusives, it’s little wonder many couples with lots of guests choose a big, fat, Greek wedding. Planet Holidays finds Crete is particularly popular, and recommends the Minos Mare in Rethymnon. The upmarket property is family-friendly, with huge grounds and a wide sandy beach.
A sample price for a ceremony for 50 guests, including fees and translation services, registrar, venue, hairdresser, six hours of photography, three-course reception, beach party with a DJ and open bar, is £2,300. Seven nights’ half-board starts from £525.
Not everyone wants a beach wedding. Brides who’ve dreamt of a knight in shining armour can get married under the turrets of Castello Zamitello, on the outskirts of Mgarr, Malta, which offers indoor and outdoor ceremonies. Belleair offers a package with ceremony for 30 guests from £969, including registrar and certificate, an hour’s hire of the castle, bouquet and buttonhole and transfer for the couple by Mercedes.
Italy is also popular. Kuoni weddings in Sorrento take place in the Cloister of San Francesco, a peaceful, leafy hideaway that can seat up to 70. Weddings start from £1,696, and include town hall fees, an interpreter, bouquet and buttonhole. The destination is close enough for guests to come for a weekend, but if the couple wants to honeymoon there too, the Amalfi Coast and the island of Capri beckon.
Clients don’t have to stick with short-haul. Mexico and the Dominican Republic can provide an exotic location without prices that will bankrupt the guests. Hayes & Jarvis recommends Now Larimar in Punta Cana, a lively spot with lots going on to keep everyone occupied during their stay, and a great value Divine wedding package, for up to 25 guests from £1,959.
This includes decorated gazebo, bouquet and buttonhole, bride’s hair and make-up, a guitarist or saxophonist at the ceremony, wedding cake and sparkling wine, photography and video, private cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres, a dinner reception, and a range of benefits for the couple during their stay, including a spa treatment, dinner on the beach and breakfast in bed. A week’s all-inclusive stay starts from £899, including flights from Gatwick.
Win a wedding dress box
Have you got clients heading off for their wedding abroad – or are you tying the knot overseas yourself? Make sure the dress arrives in the best possible condition with Boxed Bridal.
These sturdy, pH neutral boxes offer protection from bumps and changes in humidity during the journey, and provide a long-term storage solution after the wedding. Two sizes – costing £48 and £60 – comply with hand luggage requirements for the vast majority of airlines.
To win a travel box and a £50 voucher towards the dry cleaning of a wedding dress, enter by August 15 at travelweekly.co.uk/boxedbridal
