Our top tips for your destination wedding

Have you always dreamed of marrying your special someone under a Spanish sunset, overlooking a Grecian coastline or under a Caribbean sun?

If your answer is yes, we’ve pulled together answers to a few of your most popular questions below which we hope will help with your planning! 

Will it be legal? 

The question of whether your marriage will be valid under UK law is dependent on a number of factors which are specific to the country you plan to have your ceremony. For most countries, there are plenty of ways in which you can ensure that your marriage will be recognised and the best place to start is via the government website which lists out the different paperwork you will need for your desired location. 

If you find your ideal wedding location and ceremony style would not be classed as legal once you’re home, we would recommend a simple registry office service a couple of weeks before you fly, that way you know there’s nothing to worry about once you’re out there.

How much notice do we need to give our guests?

We would recommend giving your guests at least one years notice before your overseas wedding, as most guests will want to incorporate your nuptials into a holiday. We have to say though, there’s no such thing as too much notice when it comes to an overseas wedding, and we would say to let your nearest and dearest know as soon as you’ve made your decision to have your wedding abroad, as this way it’s on their radar when they’re looking at planning their holidays for the upcoming year. 

Will my guests need to be vaccinated?

A question we didn’t need to consider just a couple of years ago, is now something which could be a big factor in choosing your wedding location. At this point in time, many popular countries for destination weddings are requiring tourists to arrive fully vaccinated, and some are even specifying you must have been boosted within a certain amount of time before your arrival. It’s definitely worth looking into this before making any final decisions on your overseas wedding location, especially if there are guests you would love to be there, who may not be able to attend if vaccination status is an issue. 

How much should we pay for?

There’s no denying that planning a destination wedding will inevitably cost your guests more to attend than a local wedding in which flights, hotels and holiday allowance would not be a consideration. For the most part, your guests will be happy to attend and look forward to a few days in the sunshine with your wedding as the highlight of their trip. 

It’s very unlikely that your guests will be expecting you to pay for anything other than the wedding day itself, however if your budget allows, it’s always nice to put on either a dinner the night before or something fun the day after which your guests can attend. 

How will I choose my suppliers?

Most reputable wedding venues will come with a recommended supplier list, who regularly work with your chosen venue and will know the space inside and out. We also recommend hiring a wedding planner who can take your vision and turn it into reality for you, so you don’t need to be concerned with any language barriers, delivery schedules or set up/clear down throughout your trip.

We hope the above has helped you with your destination wedding planning. We’ve also listed below a number of questions we recommend asking your venue, planner and vendors, before committing to anything:

Is tax included in quoted costs?

Are there any additional fees we should be aware of? 

Do we need to work with specific suppliers or can we bring in our own? 

What time does your music and alcohol licence end?

Do you have any sound limits set by local police that we need to be aware of? 

Will food and drink be available during the day for those getting ready at the venue?

What are your cancellation/postponement policies? 

Is there a wet weather contingency for outdoor venues?

Is service charge included?

If you would like to bring in the experts to support you on your big day, we would love to help! Serendipity Events offers a full planning service with expert suppliers in all the above fields meaning we would take care of all of this for you - so you can leave the less exciting bits to us and relax and enjoy your magical day!