Nearly 1 in 4 weddings now take place overseas or at a destination outside of the main capital city where the Bride and Groom reside. This is a growing trend and with more and more couples choosing to tie the knot away from home, deciding on where to have your destination wedding can be a difficult process. Choosing the geographical location for your wedding will have the biggest affect on your overall budget and ultimately the experience for you and your guests. While many couples choose a destination wedding away from home, but still within Australia - an overseas wedding can actually be cheaper. Many popular wedding destinations in developing countries take advantage of lower costs for goods and services which can have a very positive effect on your wedding budget (in many cases saving up to a third on your costs compared to getting married at home).
The beauty of having your destination wedding overseas is not just that you save money, if properly organised, your wedding will undoubtedly be a far more exotic and exciting experience for you and your guests. Once you have agreed on which country, your budget will tend to determine what type of venue you choose. So let’s look at the options.
Hotels and Resorts
Hotels and resorts are generally the most affordable option; they offer good package deals because they have the benefit of your guests staying in their rooms and you have the convenience of all your guests in one place. However, many hotels and resorts have a distinctly ‘multinational’ rather than a local flavor, which can make you wonder, why did we ever leave home?
TIP: choose your hotel or resort very carefully, making sure they have special tucked-away areas set aside for your ceremony and reception hidden from the prying eyes of other resort guests.
Private Villas
In countries like Bali and Thailand, hiring your own villa is a popular option. The key advantage is the property is exclusively yours. However, that privacy usually comes at a very high cost as most villas have a minimum 3 night booking requirement. Plus they will often charge an additional night as a function surcharge.
Additionally every aspect of the wedding day needs to be sourced individually. Modern architecture can also make it difficult to find interesting backdrops for your photos, so make sure the setting is what you need to produce a great album and failing that, factor in another day of photography with car and driver with a list of locations you want to cover off.
Churches
Around 30% of couples still prefer the more traditional ceremony in a Church, which is possible in most locations - however there are some considerations to be aware of.
- The main issue with having your ceremony in a church is you then have the inconvenience of having to shift your guests to another location such as a hotel or restaurant for the reception.
- You will also have to solve the issue of what they do between the ceremony and reception while you are off having your photos taken.
- There may also be additional legal considerations to take into account if you are overseas. Make sure you discuss these with your wedding planner before making a final decision.