Helpful Tips for Planning Your Wedding Abroad

Today is the perfect day to help you brides and grooms out there dreaming of eloping or sunnier climates abroad, with some quick advice from our favourite stylists and planners, Pearl & Godiva. This guide to destination wedding planning will no doubt guide you in the right direction of streamlined and stress-free planning…

WHERE TO START

Our most sage piece of advice we offer is to hire an expert. Wedding planners abroad are extremely knowledgable in their field and it will help you in your search for local vendors, language barriers, legalities and any cultural barriers to say the least. Destination wedding planners should save you time, and most importantly money so choose your planner carefully. We’ve seen so many incredible real weddings abroad and the vast majority were created with a destination planner at the helm. You can head to Wedding Sparrow’s Fine Art Curation guide for suggestions on amazingly talented planners…

THE LEGAL SIDE

The legal part - If you’re looking to be legally wed in the country of your choice, don’t underestimate the time and effort it may take to get your legal documents in place. We don’t want to see you returning with a tan and no ring! Of course, the most straightforward option is to get legally married in your own country and have a blessing ceremony whilst at your destination wedding. Did someone say two weddings??

LOGISTICS

Guest accessibility - Otherwise known as “getting granny to the wedding”. Think about who you will be inviting. Will it be a small and intimate liaison on a cliff top? Can those invited access your romantic, windswept cliff top with no issues? Or will you be inviting 300 people from your home town and hoping they can all get similar flights to Bali with 2 months notice? Be practical about who attends your wedding.

Insurance - Always the safest bet whether you are married at home or afar. Whether it’s severe weather preventing guests or vendors turning up, or the venue location closing down suddenly without notice, make sure you have well covered insurance to take some of that strain away…

Officiants - We planned a stunning French chateau wedding last year and the sweet couple were getting married in a 16th century cathedral. They needed a bilingual priest who could translate the ceremony to both English and French for the guests and it wasn’t until a few days before the wedding they actually got to meet their priest and luckily he agreed to marry them! There’s also the long process of proving your lineage to the priest too so get organised well in advance. Sometimes you have to bring your priest/vicar/pastor so check well in advance that they are available!

HIDDEN COSTS

Costs - Think eloping will bring down the cost? It may but don’t forget the added travel expenses of any vendors you want to travel to the location too. Love the look of your favourite US film photographer and want them to travel to Italy? It’s likely you will need to cover their travel and accommodation on top so remember to mention this when booking them.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOUR DRESS!

Your dress! Call your airline and check they will allow you to carry your beloved bespoke wedding gown from Samuelle Couture with you at all times. No one wants to let that stunning gown out of their sight!! And remember to give the dress a good couple of days to un-wrinkle when you arrive by hanging it in the shower for the steam (but be sure to keep it away from prying eyes too!).

We’d love to hear if you are planning a destination wedding this year or next? Don’t forget! Our Fine Art Curation members LOVE to travel so head there now to find your photographer, planner, stylist, floral designer, venue, hair and make up artist and more….

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