Want a stress free Wedding Abroad?

ONE | Don’t book a venue too big OR too small.

Seems obvious but always check the minimum and maximum guest capacity of your venue before paying your deposit. Find out if there’s a minimum charge to pay if you fall below the minimum required guest numbers. Likewise ask if there’s a maximum number of guests the venue can accommodate.

Always count children in your total guest count, just because they pay less doesn’t mean they don’t count when it comes to capacity. Most venues are required by law only to allow a fixed number of people on their premises for insurance purposes so adding an extra ‘couple’ of guests on last minute hoping this will be ok, could lead to disappointment.

TWO | Don’t book a wedding you can’t afford.

Are you sticking to a strict budget?

If yes, then you need to be extra careful in the initial booking stage.

If you’re booking a ‘wedding package’ that covers most of your basic requirements your budget is easier to figure out, if not then you’ll need to do some research beforehand. Be sure to find out as much as possible about additional items and estimates of costs.  Simply working out the venue hire/food/drinks is not the whole picture and you can often spend as much as 40% again on extras. This could be anything from entertainment, photographer, videography, decoration, transfers and legal paperwork/registrar.

It involves some work, but is well worth it, it will prevent worry, stress and  heartache further down the line.

You don’t want to be in the position of having to reduce your guest list or forgoing extras you’ve always dreamed off if you need to reign in the budget once all the invoices roll in.

THREE | Consider accessibility.

I once had an enquiry from a couple who were completely obsessed with Dana Villas in Santorini. It was the brides dream venue and she absolutely had to get married there. After weeks of phone calls and numerous emails it came to pass that the grooms sister was severely disabled and the bride presumed the chair (with the guest in) could be carried up and down the 70 plus  steps at the venue.

When I explained that this wouldn’t be possible for health and safety reasons she decided to NOT invite her future sister in law! Well, needless to say the groom wasn’t happy and that was the end of that!

Information like this can escape you if you’re not asking the right questions and the venue’s brochure isn’t clear. Quite often when we’re first start wedding planning we see everything through ‘rose tinted glasses’ but make sure you come back to reality before booking.

One of the reasons we love getting married abroad is the quaint rustic venues. But this can mean difficult access for the less mobile. Venues don’t always have immediate road access so some walking or a boat ride is absolutely necessary to get there.

Also consider small children or guests with prams. We once planned a wedding in Santorini that was accessed by a steep cliffside walkway. Although we’d warned the couple, this information was never passed on to their guests and the ladies really struggled to walk down the walkway in their HEELS, the ceremony was delayed by 15 minutes and I’m pretty sure the guests weren’t too happy.

You can always give your guests the option of taking flats to walk to the venue and then change into heels once they arrive, but withholding this information is not only dangerous, it will leave your guests frustrated and probably quite annoyed.  Not sure that’s the ambience your trying to create?

A special note re boat weddings and receptions. Depending on the type or style of boat, the captain may ask you and your guests to remove your shoes! Make sure your guests are aware of this before they spend 100’s on new shoes.

FOUR | Don’t go crazy with decoration before choosing a theme

Save your pennies and your sanity by deciding on a theme or at least a colour before spending money on items of decoration. We’ve seen this so many times. Decorative items are bought without considering the venue, only to be told they either can’t be used, or don’t end up fitting the final theme.

We once had a bride courier almost 90kg (YES 90kg!!!!!) of extra decoration for her wedding, the planning team had to employ more muscle power just to move the items.

OK this is an extreme case but I find most couples these days take or courier at least one box of decoration to their wedding. So make sure anything you purchase complements the overall scheme.

Also consider the amount of time it will take you to assemble these items once you arrive abroad. Quite often couples fall into holiday mode as soon as they arrive (quite rightly) and the idea of spending 2 hours in the heat assembling favours wont seem as much fun as it did back in the rainy, cold UK.

Keep it ‘Simple and Easy’.

FIVE | Don’t presume anything. Always ask.

One of our couples directly contracted a band for her wedding without realising the venue wouldn’t allow them due to strict policies on insurance. It’s little known but in some destinations a band playing with over 3 members is considered a concert (crazy I know) but with a concert you have to sell tickets and pay tax. For this reason the bride would have had to cover not only the cost of the band but also ticket sales and tax.

We think we have a lot of red tape and crazy laws in the UK but they don’t start seeming so crazy when you realise the hoops you’ll need to jump through abroad for things like this.

The bride decided to cancel the original band and we managed to source a similar but smaller band.

But she did lose her original deposit.

Always check before you book any suppliers, if you don’t have a planner then a quick email to the venue will do the trick. Don’t presume your band/supplier will know any of this, many suppliers travel around so aren’t always up to date with local restrictions.

SIX | Don’t book your holiday before your wedding date.

This doesn’t happen as much these days, as weddings are booked so far in advance, but never book your holiday and flights before confirming a date for your ceremony and the venue. Travel agencies will charge you to change travel dates (or any details on a booking normally)

Some destinations only perform weddings on particular days and at set times.
You also need to consider minimum residency requirements.
Follow this order;
Book the ceremony, check the minimum residency (before and after the wedding day) then book your holiday.

SEVEN | Don’t plan too many activities.

One of the biggest mistakes I see couples making is trying to pack too much into their wedding day.

Weddings abroad typically take place later in the day due to the heat, rather than 12noon or 1pm like in the UK. Rather than the two meals we have at a UK wedding, the formal wedding dinner and an evening buffet, with a wedding abroad your normally only have one main meal in evening.

The typical duration of a wedding abroad 8 to 9/10 hours so a little shorter than the average UK wedding. For this reason, fitting in a boat trip between ceremony and reception or having separate venues for the ceremony, celebration drinks then dinner, can lead to hot and bothered guests that feel rushed and stressed, rather than relaxed and chilled.

If you want to arrange a sunset cruise or separate party consider doing this the day before or after the wedding, it’s a great way of extending the celebrations over a few days.

EIGHT | Don’t invite too many.

We’ve had a few instances where a couple have invited more guests than their venue can fit or more than they can afford, because they’re certain some will decline.

One couple ended up with 30 extra guests.

You might be surprised just how popular weddings abroad are with guests, especially if it’s a destination they’ve always wanted to travel too. This particular couple had a very difficult time having to decide which guests to ‘un’ invite.

Instead we suggest having a few lists, your VIP list of priority guests, your B list and then your C list. Only invite each list as you have heard from all guests in the previous list, make sure they understand that you‘ll be opening the list to others if they decline. Then at least you’re not upsetting anyone and avoiding uncomfortable conversations down the line.

NINE | It’s good to dream but……

We’re all dreamers and it’s only natural to want more than we can afford, but the reality can hit hard if you struggle to separate your dreams from what you can actually afford.

Remember with a wedding abroad that the venue already has a natural wow factor and you’re not dressing a plain old conference room in a hotel. A pretty outdoor setting can say so much, even without any decor.

Consider this when booking a venue. If you don’t have a large decoration budget then choose a venue that has a natural abundance of plants and foliage like a woodland setting or botanical garden.

TEN | Don’t lose sight of what it’s all about.

In an ideal world we’d all have everything we want on our wedding day, but sadly that’s not the reality and sooner or later you’ll have to compromise on something and it might feel heartbreaking at the time.

But I promise, your guests will not remember every flower contained in your displays or every decoration at your ceremony, but they will remember the sentiment of the day and how comfortable and special they were made to feel.

There’s a balance to be drawn between what you want for your dream wedding and creating a balanced enjoyable day for you and your guests.

A couple of examples to explain what I mean here.

A choice of upgrading to those tall gorgeous centrepieces you want at an extra 100euros per arrangement, or offering your guests a refreshing glass of fruit punch when they arrive to feel comfortable in the heat.

Adding an extra 2 hours with your photographer or providing transfers for your guests to get safely too/from the venue.

Stay true to you, don’t get caught up in the ‘keeping up with the Smiths’ mentality.

What works for someone else wont necessarily fit your wedding.

Make sure when you look back that you’re happy with the decisions you made and are happy with the special memories you created, that’s what you’ll be talk about for years to come.

SO….

Did you make any mistake with your wedding? In hindsight would you do anything differently?

A few of our previous couples shared things in hindsight, they might do differently.

Rachel – Santorini 

Add fairy lights to my venue and do something the next day with everyone.

Kayleigh – Zakynthos

Start getting ready a little earlier in the day instead of hanging by the pool.

Natalie – Crete

Nothing it was 100% perfect.

Katie – Santorini.

A professional video of the ceremony.

Anonymous

Choose your bridesmaids carefully!