5 things you must consider before planning your destination wedding to Europe
Photographer in France: FireHorse Photography France
Wedding venue in France: Castelnau des Fieumarcon
Weather
One of the first things you should consider when planning your wedding abroad is the weather. You most likely have an idea if you want a summer or a winter wedding but there is a lot more to think about.
July and August are the hottest and the busiest times to travel and to entertain an outdoor wedding anywhere. It can be an exhausting and difficult day getting married in a 40-Degree heat. Therefore, you can consider getting married in mid-June or September. These two months offer great temperatures and fewer tourists in any European destination. My personal favourite would be October as the temperatures are lower but still close to 28 Degrees Celsius, seawater is warm after the summer to swim in, and you can enjoy your wedding ceremony earlier in the day as the heat is not stopping you. The sunsets are more colourful and earlier in the day too.
Perfect for your wedding photography. School holidays are also nicely spread around the year so you can easily enjoy a May or even a late October wedding. There is a perfect European wedding destination for any date you might want.
Style & Location
Knowing your wedding style will naturally lead you to a wedding location. Your budget than can determine the specific wedding venue. Are you looking for a private relaxed beach wedding? Or a historic castle wedding venue overlooking a lake? Also, ask yourselves, how long are you happy to fly to your wedding destination and will your elderly guests and guests with small children be happy to fly too? Maybe it would be easier for everyone to drive to France?
Once you set a list of priorities finding your wedding venue will become much easier rather than browsing thousands of potential venues. We plan weddings with the assistance of local suppliers in various European countries. Our favourites are Cyprus, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and Slovenia.
Holidays
Looking for a wedding venue abroad comes with some extra tasks as your wedding abroad will become your holiday destination too. Your wedding venue abroad will need to be positioned strategically close to the airport and close to the accommodation where you can holiday too. You are potentially looking for a hotel for all your guests to stay in and be happy for as long as 7 days. It is always a good idea to give your guests options suitable for all families and all budgets.
For example, it will be easy to find all-inclusive hotels within various budgets in Cyprus. You will find lovely Chateaus with rooms in France where all the family can stay. And you can also opt to stay in any private villas anywhere in Europe. We would always recommend booking your holidays as a package if possible as the travel agent can amend it for you if necessary, and it is ABTA & ATOL protected. Pay your flights on a credit card as it is easier to retrieve if anything happens and book your private accommodation with reliable suppliers like interhome.co.uk.
Always, always get travel insurance (as soon as you book your flight or room, not at the airport before flying!) as well as the wedding insurance.
Wedding Ceremony abroad & Legalities
Every country has its own legal procedures when it comes to legally marry foreigners. Some are easier than others. And some are quite simply impossible because of the required long residency period in the destination country. You can always sign the Registry at your local Town hall office. It is an easy appointment to make. And opt for a Celebrant to officiate a blessing abroad for you. Your guests would not know the difference. A celebrant will write a bespoke ceremony for you and make it special for you. You can also opt for a religious ceremony in a church. This, however, must be agreed by your UK Priest. He or She will then be able to assist with further paperwork and get in touch with the Church in your destination. Legalities must be arranged in person and no agency or wedding planner can do so on your behalf. However, they can provide a checklist of what paperwork needs to be submitted and the time schedule to do so.
Wedding planner & destination wedding planning
Organising, planning, and designing your wedding day and holidays abroad can be a daunting task. That is why most of the couples opt for an experienced UK wedding planner, agency in the destination, or a UK travel agency.
Destination wedding planning can be quite different, more laid back, than planning your wedding day in the UK. Your UK wedding planner will act as your personal assistant on this journey. You might want to visit the venue and meet the suppliers; however, you do not need to as your planner will do so on your behalf. This way, you can plan your wedding anywhere in the world. Your wedding planner is an expert in many fields, from catering, to styling, to travel. So hiring a destination wedding planner will be the best thing you have ever done!
Wedding planning agency in the destination can be also extremely helpful as they know their surroundings and reliable local suppliers. However, there might be a language barrier and some of the destinations are not up to speed with the latest wedding trends.
And your last option can be a travel agent. Please remember that large UK travel agencies book thousands of weddings every year and they are not wedding specialists, nor they are wedding planners. They will simply sell a package and the in-resort representative will then plan your wedding from the time of your arrival to the resort. Sometimes in just 3 days. Always lookout for the hidden costs as the legalities, translations, and the local fees are usually not in these packages.
Planning your destination wedding is great fun and adventure. We live it and love it!
There are so many stunning and unique wedding venues so if this is what you are looking for, please get in touch.
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