Getting married abroad or not abroad. The main question that many couples ask themselves when getting married. Being me, when I first got engaged, it seemed like a no-brainer. I had always pictured myself getting married in a quaint little church nearby. I would be surrounded by close friends and family, before having a massive party in a local barn. Only then would I jet off into the sunset.
The reality however is not quite as easy, as we soon discovered when we began wedding planning. This hindrance in my plan came in a simple fact back in 2021. People charge a small house deposit to rent out a barn for a few hours…
Eventually, we settled on getting married in the UK and having a large honeymoon. However, I’ve made this post to help people who, like me a few years back, find it very difficult to decide one way or another.
Getting Married Abroad | The Pros and the Cons
The Surrounding Views
Getting married abroad always was something at the back of my mind. In 2019, when we were travelling through southern Thailand, I remember thinking that the scenery alone would be a showstopper when it came to the wedding. At our hotel I could just picture us getting married on the unlimited beach. I could imagine the sunset giving off a warm, orange glow behind us.
Since then we have been to multiple countries, including Mauritius, the UAE and Costa Rica. All of these would again offer views and scenery that you wouldn’t get in the U.K.
The Cost
Back in 2020, we were searching for venues. I remember going to a barn near our hometown of Henley and being quoted over £10,000.00 for the hire alone… With no food or drink. Incidentally, we were working with Kuoni at this point and testing their new virtual appointments. I remember them quoting less than the barn for a wedding in a 5 star hotel Mauritius, which included everything. You could get flights, accommodation, food and drink at the wedding and an extra week, for less than a barn in Oxfordshire for a night. This just seems crazy to me and still does.
On the topic of money though, there is a cost to guests if you travel abroad. With every wedding in the UK I’ve attended, we have always booked a nearby hotel to save a late drive. However, international flights are another story.
There is no question that it is significantly cheaper getting married abroad, just don’t expect everyone you want there to attend.
The Organisation and Stress
A few years ago, a good friend attended her sister’s wedding on a picturesque Greek Island. Within days, it was met with disaster.
The bride had ordered for her dress, wedding favours etc. to be arriving separately. However, the airline lost this and did not deliver it until a few hours before the wedding. I don’t know about you, but certainly could not deal with that kind of stress. In the days leading up to our wedding I could unleash my inner-control freak. I love organising things meticulously and leaving the planning of our big day to somebody I have never met before would again be very stressful.
Even with photographs of the hotel and nearby area, I also wouldn’t completely know what my venue would look like. When we got married outside of Henley (not at the Barn, somewhere a lot cheaper!), we knew exactly what it would look like. Our planner was nearby, I could pop in to see the venue etc. If there is one travel tip I could give you it would be never trust venue photographs. On our honeymoon to Mauritius we were sold one version of the Lagoon Attitude and, when we arrived, it was completely different.
Guests
I mentioned earlier that the cost for the guest abroad are much larger than they would be at home. With our wedding, the vast majority of friends and family could attend and made it a magical event. If we had our wedding abroad, I don’t know if that would have happened. I don’t think all of my husband’s family would have flown out, and some of our friends certainly wouldn’t have.
This all being said, the guests could have made it more of an event. Our wedding day was perfect and I wouldn’t have changed it. However, it was just that; a day. When you get married abroad you can make it more of a party that lasts for a week or so. I would have enjoyed that and I know a lot of our family would have too.
Final Thoughts | Getting Married Abroad
Picking a wedding venue is one of the most difficult decisions of your life. Whilst I said I wouldn’t change our wedding day, there is a small part of me that always wonders what it could have been like. We would have saved money, we could have had an in-built holiday and the photos would be dreamy. However, I know that some close family wouldn’t have been able to attend. Ultimately for me, it is the memories with people that make the wedding day so special.
