How to get married abroad

Wedding Planners
Wedding planners can be a lifesaver when organising an overseas wedding.
They'll save you the hassle of meeting the suppliers and negotiating prices and quantities, they'll know more about the country than you will, they'll make great recommendations and overall make your day even better than you could have imagined.
You may think, "well I could do all that and save myself money", and yes, you could, but unless you're superwoman you probably want to enjoy planning your wedding, and that's even more fun when someone else is doing the hard work and you're just making the decisions!

Saving Money
Everyone knows that weddings are big business, but did you know you can save some money by using certain hotels? Many hotels will offer a "free" wedding on their property (or a free room for the bride and groom), if you and a certain number of your guests stay a certain number of nights.

Timings
Often you don't actually realise how much time you'll need to make sure all the paperwork is in order for an overseas wedding. Many countries need your paperwork officially translated and sometimes stamped with an apostille seal. This can take a few weeks to arrange, so make sure you plan your wedding at least 3 months in advance.
Also, some countries require a notice of intention to marry to be posted for a month or two, so even if you do want to get married tomorrow you probably can't (except in Las Vegas of course!)

Weather
You may think this is not something you want to worry about, but many tropical countries have dry and rainy seasons, so it would be a bit of a disaster if you showed up on the beach in your wonderful wedding dress and it was tipping it down with rain! Whether you want a beach wedding, a snowy wedding or simply a non rainy one - make sure you choose the right time of year, wherever that may be.

Clothing
Again, not something many people worry about - you need a wedding dress, right? But what kind of wedding dress should you buy? Turning up on the beach in a heavy, full skirted dress may look great but you'll end up a sweaty mess and ruin the photos, so choose a light, flowing dress for hot climates and stick with the traditional style for winter weddings!

Often couples don't want a traditional white wedding and would prefer to escape to the sun (or snow). So here are some of our recommendations for the best places in the world to get married.

Best for SUN - Hawaii
These tropical islands make a truly romantic location in which to exchange your vows. Located in the Pacific Ocean, thousands of miles away from the nearest landmass, they benefit from temperatures in the high 20°s c year-round, with the gentle trade winds making it not too hot or sticky.
Hawaii is perfect for the couples looking for a dream tropical location, but with plenty of activities available if you want to explore. Marry on the beach at sunset while the palm trees wave in the gently breeze and the waves lap at your feet; tie the knot in a stunning tropical garden with a view of the lush mountains; or simply choose a wonderful luxury resort and get married in the grounds under a wedding gazebo with a view of the ocean - whatever you choose, there's an amazing choice of wedding location in Hawaii.

Best for SNOW - Canada
Are you fed up of every wedding abroad being held in a tropical beach? Do you dream of a winter wedding in the snow? Then Canada makes the ideal wedding destination for you.
Central Canada's snow season lasts from November to April and there are many fantastic locations from which to choose. Couples looking for a fairytale wedding might be interested in the modern faux chateau-style of the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, or in one of the many historical-style hotels in French-speaking Montréal. For an incredible wedding backdrop, set your wedding ceremony against snow-covered mountains as the sun drops behind them, the colours will be amazing. The Ice Hotel in Québec holds weddings with a difference - just make sure you pack a warm wedding dress if you pick this option! You could choose to marry in a log cabin, arrive in style in a horse drawn sleigh or ice skate up to the chapel. With all these options it's hard to beat Canada for a winter wedding!

Best CITY wedding - New York
New York, New York, so good they named it twice! What better place to hold a city wedding than in the city that never sleeps? There are so many world famous wedding locations in this city that it's difficult to choose the best - Times Square, Central Park and The Empire State Building to name but three, but there are so many other amazing locations in the city in which you can marry that it's no wonder New York is one of the world's most popular city wedding destinations. You can even exchange your vows in a helicopter as you soar above the skyscrapers and over the island of Manhattan! Many professional wedding planners in New York have worked for the rich and famous over the years, so if you're dreaming of a "celebrity" style wedding you could ask your planner to imitate a specific style of ceremony, or, of course, simply hold your own unique wedding in this amazing city.

Best for SAFARI - South Africa
How about exchanging your vows in a luxurious lodge overlooking a waterhole where elephants, giraffe and zebra take their evening drinks? Well, this could be you if you marry in South Africa!
Luxurious game lodges and tented camps abound in the many game reserves of South Africa, and whether you choose a private reserve or the famous Kruger Game Reserve, you're bound to see some amazing sights during your time here. For the energetic there are early morning game drives to see the animals as they settle in for the day, as well as the dusk drives which usually involve a sundowner drink while watching the sun set and listening to the animals awake as the earth cools down. For a truly atmospheric wedding and honeymoon, South Africa is a hard destination to beat.

Best FAIRYTALE wedding - Germany
Once upon a time there was a bride who dreamed of a fairytale wedding, and lo and behold she found it in Germany. Maybe not an obvious wedding destination, but Germany and most of Eastern Europe have plenty of amazing old castles which have nowadays been transformed into upscale hotels and make excellent wedding locations. If your perfect wedding involves turrets, moats and drawbridges then consider Germany and her near neighbours for your destination wedding. Southern Germany in particular boasts many restored castles set amidst forested valleys - try the Black Forest area to start with - as do neighbouring Austria and the Czech Republic. Depending on your budget you could easily hire the whole castle for your guests and really make your wedding one to remember!

If you've ever thought getting married abroad was getting a bit to "common" then think again. There's such a wide range of countries in which you can exchange your vows these days that you'll be spending your time deciding where's the most unusual location you can think of! Here are just some of our favourites:

Argentina
Ever fancied exchanging your vows with the snow-tipped Andes in the background? Or marrying in a winery? Argentina can offer such things. This South American country has such varied landscapes that it may be quite difficult to choose just one in which to become Mr & Mrs, but it's definitely worth the trip, and you'll be guaranteed a very warm welcome (with maybe a tango or two!).

Belize
It's the only English speaking country in Central America, and the marriage legalities are quite simple, so it really does make a good alternative to getting married in nearby countries such as Mexico or Cuba. With a long Caribbean coastline, and plenty of pretty islands (called cayes) dotted around, there are plenty of resorts and villas which offer wedding packages for non residents. Couples can have that Caribbean vibe with the cache of knowing they've taken the prize for destination wedding of the year!

Anguilla
Alternatively, for those who genuinely would like to have a Caribbean wedding but really don't want to join the conveyor belt of weddings at certain resorts on popular islands, Anguilla really stands out. In the middle of the Caribbean, the island is a British overseas territory, and it's quite simple to marry there. Less well known than many other islands, Anguilla still has the requisite white sand beaches and swaying palm trees but won't be filled with hundreds of other couples having identikit weddings at the same hotel.

Philippines
This country of thousands of islands is really up and coming in the wedding market. It offers the same beautiful beaches as Thailand but with less visitors, and a bigger "wow" factor when you say where you got married. Just imagine - you could even marry underwater as many companies offer scuba diving weddings!

Croatia
This small country, over the Adriatic sea from Italy, has all the history and beauty you'd expect in a European country and is becoming more and more popular for destination weddings. There are plenty of wedding planners there who can arrange a beautiful ceremony for you, perhaps beneath Dubrovnik castle, or on one of the pretty islands dotted around the coastline?

These are just a few of our favourite countries at the moment, hope they've inspired your wedding planning!