Waiting for the wedding …

GETTING married abroad can be romantic but also a bureaucratic nightmare. You have go through legal processes of one sort or another everywhere, but in these countries it’s little less of a headache than in many others … 

Cyprus
All paperwork is in English and couples don’t have to spend a certain period of time on the island before they get married, so they can have the wedding and honeymoon within a week.

Rhodes, Greece
Getting married in Greece is relatively straightforward, although the couple do have to be in the country for a full week before the wedding so they will need to book a fortnight holiday and get married in the second week. Santorini is another big wedding island in the Aegean.

Barbados
The Caribbean has long been one of the most popular overseas wedding destinations for British couples and Barbados, arguably the most ‘British’ of all the islands in the region, is a safe bet. Couples need to register only 48 hours before getting married, so it is easy to organize.

Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is popular because it’s good value and has unusual wedding options – few places allow the bride and groom to ride off into the sunset on the back of an elephant, or marry on a moonlit beach to the hypnotic sound of drums. On a practical note, the couple need to be in Sri Lanka at least five working days before the wedding. Good flight connections from the capital Colombo mean it is easy to combine a Sri Lankan wedding with a honeymoon in the Maldives.

St Lucia
Another favourite Caribbean option, a special licence allows couples to be married within 24 hours of arrival and the choice of venues ranges from a deserted beach to a botanical garden, church, or yacht.

Las Vegas, US
Getting married here isn’t quite as uncomplicated as popular myth has it; there is paperwork. Both parties must appear in person at a Clark County Marriage Bureau location and present identification with ages and names. It, though, almost instant. There's no waiting period; couples will get their marriage licence on the day they apply for it … and the marriage bureau is open from 8 a.m. to midnight daily. Divorce in the state of Nevada, of course, takes somewhat longer.


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Fly Away Bride

WITH many UK couples looking for reliable weather and lower wedding costs, the trend for getting #marriedabroad is increasing. Airport Parking & Hotels (APH) is hoping to assist Fly Away Brides to plan ahead with a comprehensive guide which compares airline policies for transporting wedding dresses and cakes abroad. 

The research compares guidelines across 15 major airlines including easyJet, Virgin Atlantic, and Thomson Airways, and highlights policies for carrying dresses as hand baggage and hold luggage. The guide also highlights the airline regulations relating to how the dress needs to be packed and whether any additional baggage options are available.

All of the 15 airlines in the study were found to allow wedding dresses to be transported as hand luggage, although 14 of the airlines offer no additional baggage allowance for the bride. Couples who have booked a wedding package through Thomas Cook are entitled to 11kgs hand luggage spread across two bags for each person travelling, instead of the usual policy of 6kgs in one bag.

When it comes to packing wedding dresses, airlines such as Air Canada, British Airways, Lufthansa, and US Airways recommend that it is packed in a foldable garment bag to reduce creases and damage during the flight. Virgin Atlantic require the dress to be packed in a separate suitcase marked 'fragile wedding garments' if it is to travel in the hold.

Brides travelling with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic can ask for their dress to be hung in a wardrobe storage area if space is available. Ryanair will go one step further, allowing passengers to book an additional seat for their dress for the duration of the flight. They must pay the full ticket price for the seat occupied.

Three of the 15 airlines compared in the survey, including Aer Lingus, easyJet, and Flybe allow passengers to bring their wedding cakes onboard. For those travelling with Aer Lingus, there is the option of checking the cake in or carrying it as hand luggage, while easyJet says they must be carried only as hand luggage.

Travellers flying with Flybe and opting for a traditional Scottish wedding abroad should be aware that the kilt pin and sgian gubh (sock knife) can be carried only as checked luggage … for obvious security reasons. 

The research can be found in the Know Before You Go section of the APH website … www.aph.com/weddingdresses

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Marrying abroad? Don’t forget these …

DESTINATION wedding experts MarryAbroad.co.uk have listed the things UK couples typically forget when planning to tie the knot overseas.

Leave enough time for the paperwork: Couples should make sure they allow plenty of time to sort out the marriage paperwork, which can take between three to six months to complete, depending on the country.

Most countries require the following legal documents:

• Passports 
• Full birth certificates showing both parents' names 
• If divorced, original final divorce papers 
• If widowed, death certificate of former spouse 
• If your bride/groom has changed their name(s), legal proof of the change 
• If marrying in a non-English speaking country, documents might need to be translated by an official translator and stamped with an Apostille. In the UK, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office can legalize documents for a small fee 
• Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage (required by some countries). This can be obtained from a local department of foreign affairs, registrar, or embassy in the chosen country 
• Some countries require UK legal documents to be stamped with an Apostille Stamp, which then makes them legal documents in that country 
• Certificate of Single Status/ Sworn Affidavit that you are free to marry. These are similar to a Certificate of No Impediment, but instead you have to swear you are single in front of a legal representative, i.e. a solicitor or notary 

Check and compare currencies: When choosing a destination, couples should check and compare currency exchange rates to save on costs. The pound is currently extremely strong against the euro. This in turn makes European weddings much cheaper than last year – approximately 23% cheaper in May 2015 compared to December 2014. Couples should secure quotes from a selection of foreign exchange companies to obtain the best rates to transfer money to their wedding provider … and not forget that rates will usually vary, depending on the amount of money being transferred.

Look out for free ceremonies: Caribbean and North American resorts often offer a free wedding ceremony if couples stay for a certain number of nights or bring a certain number of guests.

Send save the dates: Couples should post save-the-date cards well in advance of the wedding day if they want guests to attend an overseas wedding. The more notice given, the more likely friends and family will be able to fly. Lots of notice also gives them plenty of time to start saving for the trip.

Listen to the weatherman: When choosing a dress, brides should have the weather of the country in mind, at the particular time of year they plan to marry. A heavy wedding dress on a tropical beach might make brides look uncomfortable and overheated in the photos. Hurricane or rainy seasons might not be an ideal time of year for outdoor weddings, which is particularly true of the Caribbean and South- East Asia.

Book in maiden name: Brides who plan to take their husband’s surname (and that’s not mandatory in Britain and the US) should remember to book airline tickets in their maiden name, unless they change their name legally before they fly.

Talk to the airline: Most airlines will allow brides to bring their wedding dress as hand luggage; however brides would need to contact the airline directly prior to booking. Also, while speaking to the airline, if a family is travelling together, the whole party should ask for a group travel rate.

Don’t forget the extras: Apart from settling the balance of the actual wedding abroad, couples shouldn't forget the little extras that need to be budgeted for in the UK, such as travel and wedding insurance, getting documents translated (if required), and getting the correct documents legalised.

www.marryabroad.co.uk is a free information portal for engaged couples, providing marriage legalities, information, and advice on marrying overseas.

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