I Do . . .

IMAGINE walking towards the rest of your life over a glass-bottomed aisle, accompanied by ancient turtles and kaleidoscopic fish. Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru now offers its most breathtaking bridal backdrop: a “floating” overwater pavilion that elevates the #beach #wedding concept to a spectacular vantage point, allowing couples to pledge forever above the infinite life and endless beauty of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve ocean in the #Maldives.

Located off the northeast tip of the island, accessible only by boat, the overwater Wedding Pavilion is a freestanding, pillared structure: light and airy with lofty vaulted ceilings (maximum height 6 metres or 20 feet); shimmering titanium-polished concrete floor with glass bottom “aisle”; and wrap-around, bi-folding floor-to-ceiling glass doors to three sides, opening onto timber decking.

“Landaa’s wild natural beauty has hosted so many incredible weddings and celebrations,” comments Regional Vice-President and General Manager Armando Kraenzlin. “Our UNESCO Biosphere Reserve location really sets up apart, and our vision with the Wedding Pavilion was to incorporate this in a way that surpassed anything we’d offered before. Now wedding couples can surround themselves by – and draw inspiration from – the power, possibility and abundant beauty of the ocean.”

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Boom in beach brides as Brits opt for overseas weddings

TRAVEL agents are seeing increased demand for #beach #wedding locations, according to research by Post Office International Payments. 

The research, which involved telephone interviews with 115 travel agents, has shown that Cyprus was the number one overseas wedding destination over the course of the last 12 months and travel agents predict this will continue over the next year. There is confidence that international weddings market is set to grow over the coming year, with 58 percent expecting budgets for overseas weddings to increase by an average of 12 percent, compared to just five percent who think budgets will get smaller.

The top five destinations for overseas weddings all offer a high chance of sunshine, with the Caribbean Islands the second most popular destination followed by Greece, Italy and Mexico. 

Between June and September, traditionally the busiest months for weddings, Post Office International Payments sees a 40 percent increase in the average value of payments sent abroad for wedding-related expenses compared to the rest of the year.

Rob Scott, MoneyGram® manager Post Office, said: ‘With the risk of rain ruining wedding photos in the UK, it is easy to see the attraction of getting married on a beach in the sun. It is no longer a case of eloping abroad; with cheap flights and hotels people increasingly hold the full scale celebrations for large numbers of guests overseas.

‘Organizing an international wedding inevitably involves a lot of high value payments to overseas suppliers. But the cost of these payments can really mount up if you automatically use a High Street bank, which often charges around £25 per transaction. Specialist international payments providers are an easy way to reduce these costs, offering peace of mind as couples can lock in an exchange rate for up to a year saving themselves money if the pound weakens in that time.’

Although beach locations were the type of destination showing the biggest growth in popularity, one in three travel agents also reported growth in demand for countryside locations, and 28 percent for city locations. Others reported increased demand for getting married near historical monuments, in mountain or jungle locations, or on cruise ships.

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